The Aware Show

By The Aware Show with Lisa GarrScience Alternative Health Health & Fitness

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The Aware Show episodes

February 03 Rizwan Virk, Ph.D. Are We Living in a Simulated Universe?
Why do people play video games? How can we make our lives better through technology? And can ideas like quantum physics and AI possibly be likened to spirituality? Our guest today, Professor Riz Virk, began his career as a software engineer, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist after graduating with a computer science degree from MIT. Yet, after work and on the weekends, he devoted his time to spiritual inquiry. He studied shamanic dreaming, energy healing, consciousness, various religions, and other forms of spirituality. During his career, he also developed video games. After he successfully sold his last video game company, he decided to bring all of his interests together. He explored virtual reality and after playing a table tennis game, he realized his body fooled him into thinking that it was a real game with a real opponent. That's when he began to ask how long it would take to build something like the Matrix, a metaverse, something so immersive that you would completely forget about the outside world. He began exploring quantum physics, which surmises that nothing is actually real. Then Riz considered the great spiritual texts which talk about maya or a world of illusion. He thought about the idea that our reality is really like a video game. Riz talks about different levels of reality and how it works in the world of video games. Who is controlling the reality? It's very similar to having a spiritual experience. He also discusses the role of AI and how it impacts us. Currently a professor at Arizona State University, Riz is the author of numerous books including his most recent "The Simulation Hypothesis." Info: www.zenentrepreneur.com and www.bayviewlabs.com. Riz Virk will be speaking at the upcoming Conscious Life Expo held at the Hilton LAX in Los Angeles FEB 20-23. Experience visionaries, change makers, and planetary influencers exploring advancements in science, UFO disclosures, spirituality, metaphysics, and healthy lifestyles. The Expo presents provocative panel discussions, interactive workshops, free lectures, special events, live concerts, and a healthy food court. Featuring more than 200 speakers and 350 vendors, attendees can experience the latest innovative modalities in physics, science, health, and longevity. Celebrate a new paradigm for evolved consciousness! Info: consciouslifeexpo.com
27 min
January 29 Best Of The Aware Show with Jean Houston : Visualize Possibilities – Part 2
How can we find hope in such trying times? In Part 2 of this interview with scholar, philosopher, and researcher Jean Houston, Ph.D., she shares her first meeting with American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead, one of her early and most impactful mentors. Margaret considered Jean her "adopted daughter" and encouraged her to keep searching, keep understanding, keep putting pieces together to make some sense of it all. Mead was one of the early founders of Earth Day and taught Jean to keep reaching for solutions. Thorough this experience, Jean learned to produce extensive writing about the "new story of humanity" – she wrote books every month about history, culture, and possibilities.

Jean talks today about how we can progress through community and cooperation and use our creativity to the fullest, by recognizing the good in one another. We can activate our innate genes as beings seeking constant growth and evolve to become higher humans as we visualize the possibilities and create the world we want. This is entelechy – it pushes us toward what humanity could be. Through her mentors and studies, Jean learned to observe and hone her particular awareness in a unique way of seeing people and raising them to their greatness. She worked for the UN and with many cultures throughout the world as well as working with Presidents including President Bill Clinton and President Jimmy Carter.

Today we are asked to consider, "What does a world that works look like?" New science, quantum physics, and relational science teach that there is unity and oneness. We can experience the evolution of the human race, activate the genes of the higher human, and witness the possible human. Jean paints an image of what our possible world could look like, by seeing the possibility in other people.

Jean believes we are in a renaissance period now and although we've experienced the pandemic, wars, shootings, and scenes of outrage, we've also seen the linking of hearts, which is indeed the gestation period of a New Humanity. People want peace worldwide. We can do this by accessing the very depths of the human spirit which is available to all of us by seeing the very best in one another. This is the second of a two-part discussion. Info: https://www.jeanhouston.com/
29 min
January 27 Best Of The Aware Show With Jean Houston: Visualize Possibilities Part 1
The daily news is filled with stories of division, wars, mass shootings, rights getting overturned, political chaos, and so much continuous devastation. What can we do collectively to ease the pain? Our guest today, scholar, philosopher, and researcher Jean Houston, Ph.D., delves into the idea of finding possibility, even during these times of great grief. We have been conditioned to respond to the terrible, but it does not have to be this way. As an icon in the Human Potential movement, Jean shares ideas about how the Renaissance, with its advancements in music, art, poetry, and cosmology, came after great plagues and times of war, much like the world's situation today. Could we be in a new Renaissance period now? We are once again in a similar time of radical growth, and we have the power within us to see new possibilities and reach mythical potential in our human evolution.

Jean shares stories of her travels and talks about her friendship with scholar Joseph Campbell and how they would have "beautiful fights" which were friendly arguments and deep discussions about mythology and the fate of humanity. Campbell wrote extensively about the "Hero's Journey," while Jean considered the "Heroine's Journey." Part of the problem is that 50% of the human race is not being recognized for women's immense creativity and power. Women's ways are missing. With an emphasis on compassion, cooperation, community, and process rather than product and competition, humane creativity must be celebrated by acknowledging the achievements of women.

She also talks about her fateful meeting of evolutionary philosopher and Jesuit priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who became one of her mentors when she was much younger. At an early age, they would have profound discussions of time, history, and transformation, as she gained an alternate education of possibilities through their talks. Info: https://www.jeanhouston.com/
31 min
January 22 Best of The Aware Show with Rabbi Steve Leder: Finding Resilience in Grief – Part 2
Is it possible to live a life of humility and resilience, both in good times or bad? How do we respond when crisis hits? January is the one-year anniversary of the catastrophic wildfires which severely impacted multiple neighborhoods and thousands of people in Los Angeles. Lisa continues the conversation with our guest Rabbi Steve Leder who talks about Darwin's theory and how the most adaptable people are the ones who survive. After pain and suffering, it's amazing what people can "normalize." Rabbi Leder talks deeply about how difficult it is when children leave to go away to college, or when someone loses a business. Yet, a year later, life somehow becomes normal again. It may feel like a betrayal to your past, but we must keep moving forward. Rabbi Leder talks about redefining yourself and evolving. Meaning never goes out of style. He suggests that we stay in our lane and do good work. He further talks about good storytelling and myth. Myths are ways to describe truths about the human experience. He explains that about half of what we believe now are incorrect facts. History will prove this. The ancients had time to think about what they knew. We have access to so much information, but we still struggle to understand. Ancient people knew so much more about living through loss and disaster as they experienced it much more frequently than we have, whether it be infant mortality, wars, famine, disease, etc. Rabbi Leder explains how there are no "modern problems," as we can look back to these people, see their resilience, and then move forward. We can look at ancient wisdom for our modern situations. Rabbi Leder is the author of several books including "More Beautiful Than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us," "The Beauty of What Remains: How Our Greatest Fear Becomes Our Greatest Gift," and his most recent "For You When I Am Gone." He is the Senior Rabbi Emeritus of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a prestigious synagogue in Los Angeles with three campuses and 3,000 families. Info: www.steveleder.com
25 min
January 20 Best of The Aware Show with Rabbi Steve Leder: Finding Resilience in Grief – Part 1
January marks a year since the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Thousands of people have been affected, and many are still displaced. How do we respond? How can we live a life of both humility and resilience, whether in good times or bad? Today we welcome Rabbi Steve Leder who talks about the fires and how to cultivate tools to use when tragedy strikes. He talks about tending to our inner lives and how important it is to be of service to others. We receive comfort, even in the midst of our suffering, when we reach out to help others. We may all experience stress and trauma at various times in our lives. Success can ruin people the same way disaster can. Rabbi Leder reminds us to always live in the present and know, "This too shall pass," whether it's in good times or bad. We can move forward, and he teaches us to not regret the past. We cannot change it. When we worry about the future, we are not changing it, and that can cause anxiety. Catastrophic thinking does us no good. We do not know what is going to happen. It causes us to feel constant stress. If we can be more in the moment, even for smaller periods of time, it can help us feel much more resilient. It makes a huge difference to be mindful. This also requires a level of faith and spirituality. Rabbi Leder explains about the meaning of prayer. Most people ask for something when they pray. Yet, it is not always about appealing to God. He explains that this is about trying to change ourselves from within. It's not looking outside to a deity; it's about looking inside and realizing we do know how to navigate our circumstances. If you've overcome obstacles in the past, you can overcome them again. How do you do this? How do you find a way? We have the answers within. Rabbi Leder suggests, "When you must, you can." We go through various emotions – faith, anger, grief, and ultimately resilience. Don't let the fire go out in you. Don't let your spark fade. When we stay in the present, we can move forward. Rabbi Leder is the author of several books including "More Beautiful Than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us," "The Beauty of What Remains: How Our Greatest Fear Becomes Our Greatest Gift," and his most recent "For You When I Am Gone." He is the Senior Rabbi Emeritus of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, a prestigious synagogue in Los Angeles with three campuses and 3,000 families. Info: www.steveleder.com
27 min
January 15 Best of The Aware Show with Martha Beck, Ph.D. : The 4-Day Win: End Your Diet and Achieve Thinner Peace
It's the beginning of the year. Would you like to lose a few stubborn pounds that you may have picked up over the holidays? Have you tried to eat less and work out more? We know how to lose weight, but we still don't do what we know. Why not? Well, according to our guest today, expert life coach Martha Beck, it's because we don't understand the brain-body dynamics of weight loss. Today Martha teaches us that we have to get lean from the brain outward. In her book "The Four-Day Win" she tells us how to reverse the brain-body programming that makes us overweight, so we can create a new, leaner, and healthier body…for good. Psychology Today, USA Today, and NPR have all referred to Martha Beck as "one of the best-known life coaches in America." She is a monthly columnist for "O," the Oprah Magazine, has been a contributing editor for Real Simple, Redbook, and Mademoiselle, and has written for many other national magazines. She appears frequently as an expert on "life design," on programs such as Good Morning America. She is the author of "Expecting Adam," "Steering by Starlight," "Finding Your Way in a Wild New World," and more. Info: https://marthabeck.com/
22 min
January 13 Christy Whitman: Master Your Energy and Be in a State of Flow – Part 2
Would you like to be more in control of your energy? Do you want to experience a deeper state of "flow"? Lisa continues the conversation today with guest Christy Whitman, two-time New York Times bestselling author and transformational leader for the past 25 years. Christy teaches how to manifest and create your dream life, through the deliberate application of the Universal Laws. Her latest book is "The Flow Factor: How To Master Your Energy and Enter A State of Flow." She discusses the idea of "flow" and how to utilize daily practices to maintain that state. She talks about conscious and unconscious patterns and how we attract things into our lives. If we shine our light brighter, we can increase our "flow." Christy explains how when we go into judgement, we automatically go into negativity and lack. If you get into a negative place through criticism, you can get out by feeling compassion and light. Even giving ourselves a hug for 90 seconds can help to regulate our nervous system. We can tell ourselves that we are safe and that things will improve. We can choose how we feel. We can choose the words we tell ourselves. This can affect our limbic system. If we go into negativity, it can become a whirlwind, but Christy shares an exercise to offer relief and release. Christy invites us to explore the Universal Laws, including the Law of Attraction. She also discusses the healing "Council of Light" which she learned to channel several years ago. She works with Light and Energy to help others to increase their frequency. She talks about the choices we make and the importance of processing our emotions, so we do not stay in a place of worry, fear, or frustration. She reminds us again to bring in self-compassion as a way to shift our state and get back into flow. We will then be in a better position to bring in a solution. We need to come into a space of neutrality. From there we can get into abundance and flow. She also talks about the Law of Sufficiency and how it relates to the Law of Attraction and Abundance, as well as the importance of the words we speak. This is Part 2 of the interview. Info: www.watchyourwords.com and www.ChristyWhitman.com
28 min
January 08 Best of The Aware Show with Ellie Rose Pasternak: LA Fires, Animals, and Resilience
This month marks the one-year anniversary of the devastating wildfires that engulfed several communities in Los Angeles. Today's guest, Ellie Rose Pasternak, shares her harrowing account of escaping the Pacific Palisades fire on January 7, 2025. Ellie grew up in the Palisades and previous fires in the area had never reached her family's house. When the fire began that morning, she and her Mom, Glorrie, who was also home at the time, were not overly concerned because the fire still seemed quite a distance away. At this time, there were no firefighters or engines in the neighborhood, so it seemed as if they were safe. Ellie then describes how she suddenly saw another fire on the other side of her house. She and her mom were keeping in touch with neighbors, and no one could understand what was happening. Ellie went outside, and as she was walking toward what she thought was an orange pylon in the road, she realized it was another fire. She ran as fast as she could to her house and alerted her Mom that they needed to leave immediately. It was now an emergency situation. By this time, their house had lost electricity, and they quickly gathered their animals including 4 dogs, 1 cat, 2 geckos, and 2 turtles. They rapidly gathered medications and a few articles of clothing and threw it all in the back of her car. Ellie describes how overwhelming it was and how things quickly changed in a matter of minutes. At this point, they thought they would be home the next day. In the past, the fire had never reached their home. Afterward, family friends were able to get into the neighborhood only to find that the Pasternaks' entire house was lost. Ellie's father, Dr. Henry Pasternak, is a very well-respected veterinarian who has practiced integrative medicine, using both holistic and Western therapies, for several decades in West Los Angeles. During the time of this taping, the family was sleeping at the veterinary office. The clinic was still open and operating during regular hours and housing many animals in need. Although they are in shock, Ellie explained that they are trying to find some sense of normalcy and are so grateful that they were able to escape with their animals with them. This is just one of thousands of stories of people and animals affected by the devastating fires in Los Angeles in January. If you are interested in making a donation either to the Pasternak family, or to the animals they are helping, pls call the Pasternak Veterinary Center at 310-268-2275. They are also accepting donations via Venmo @EllieRoseUke. To drop off donations in person, visit the clinic at 2038 South Sepulveda Blvd; West Los Angeles, CA 90025 or email [email protected]. For further information about Dr. Henry Pasternak and the veterinary clinic, visit www.pasternakvetcenter.com.
33 min
January 06 Christy Whitman: Master Your Energy and Be in a State of Flow – Part 1
Would you like to be more in a state of flow? If you've been knocked out of flow, how do you get back into it? Our guest today is Christy Whitman, two-time New York Times bestselling author and transformational leader for the past 25 years teaching how to manifest and create having it all in life, through deliberate application of the Universal Laws. Her latest book is "The Flow Factor: How To Master Your Energy and Enter A State of Flow." She discusses the idea of "flow" and how to utilize daily practices of universal law. When you are in lack or limitation, this can easily take us out of flow. Sometimes there are bumps in the roads, from everything as small as stubbing your toe, to having a flat tire, to someone making a rude comment to us, which can affect our feelings and throw us off. Christy talks about "bushwacking moments" that can take us out, yet, when you are intentionally in this conscious state, flow is more powerful than the contrasting experiences. People typically think of flow as a state where time doesn't exist. It can be painting, running, taking a yoga class, or doing any creative activity where you feel in the zone. These are moments that show up in our lives from time to time, but what creates this flow? Christy defines it as connection with the infinite. We have access to this unlimited, universal energy at any time. This is pure, positive energy. We are all the conduit of energetic flow. When we are successful, laughing, giddy, flow feels good. When you have a pessimistic attitude or feel a little negative, you have fallen out of flow. And when this happens you attract more of the same. We can so easily fall off track, just because of a thought. Christy explains how it can be thoughts of lack, disapproval, or discouragement. We can think we are not good enough or not worthy of receiving. Frustration is also one of the biggest thoughts that can cause us to be out of flow. Christy shares how joy and success all exist right now. She talks about steppingstones that help us get back on our path. It's small steps. If someone is in despair, they need a bridge to start to feel better. How do you get from there into abundance and flow? Peace, harmony, and compassion for yourself can start. It calms the limbic system. When you go into the state of neutrality, it's easier to soothe ourselves. When we experience contrast, our natural fight, flight, freeze, or fawn reaction begins to accelerate. Our energy can get caught. We need to release the energy by coming into a space of neutrality. From there we can get into abundance and flow. Unconscious thoughts create our reality and as we check in with our emotions, we can learn to make changes. Christy teaches us ways to quickly get out of a negative state and into a flow of joy and abundance. It starts with being compassionate to yourself first. This is Part 1 of the interview. Info: www.ChristyWhitman.com
38 min
January 01 Best of The Aware Show with Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz: The Four Agreements – Personal Freedom - Part 2
Today's show continues the conversation with the author of the mega-bestselling book, "The Four Agreements" don Miguel Ruiz, and his son, don Jose Ruiz. Together they talk deeply about truth, individuality, and belief systems. They ask us to enjoy life for the limited time we are here. Try to enjoy every moment, while also acknowledging that there is suffering and hardship. They talk about the power we have and how we can change "the story" through our awareness. They explain how the ancestors say we are living in a dream. It is up to us to decide, and to have courage and discipline to change the dream through our habits and by getting to the root of our truth. Don Miguel Ruiz was born into a family of healers and raised in rural Mexico by a curandera (healer) mother and nagual (shaman) grandfather. The family anticipated don Miguel would embrace their centuries old legacy of healing and teaching and as a nagual, carry forward the esoteric Toltec knowledge. Instead, distracted by modern life, Miguel chose to attend medical school and become a surgeon. A near death experience in 1970 changed his life and he began an intensive practice of self-inquiry. He continues to devote himself to the mastery of his ancient ancestral wisdom. His book "The Four Agreements" has been a mega-bestselling book for years. Don Jose, his son, grew up in a long lineage of Toltec Teachers. His father, the Nagual don Miguel Ruiz, and his grandmother, Sarita, passed on their Toltec Teachings to don Jose, who carries on the family tradition of teaching Toltec wisdom. In 2010, don Jose Ruiz released his first book titled "The Fifth Agreement" in partnership with his father, don Miguel Ruiz. Following this publication, don Jose began traveling around the US, Mexico, and South America. Don Jose inspires people in many different ways including through his book signings, lectures, seminars, and hosting intensive journeys to Teotihuacan and other sacred sites around the world. This is Part 2 of the interview. Info: miguelruiz.com and theuniverseofnow.com.
30 min

About The Aware Show

From the publisher's feed

The Aware Show is dedicated to communicating information to inspire positive growth and change. Our goal is an increased awareness and healing on an individual and planetary level. Based on our commitment to the renewal of the human spirit, and combined with our pure faith in the power of love, we are answering a call to action for a more conscious world.