New Dimensions

Fungi live their lives largely hidden from view and over 90% of their species remain undocumented. Sheldrake says that the fungal kingdom is more closely related to the animal kingdom. Here he takes us into his research on the ecological significance of fungi and its importance to all life on planet earth. Merlin Sheldrake, Ph.D. is a biologist and writer with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history of philosophy of science. He received his Ph.D. in tropical ecology from Cambridge University for his work on underground fungal networks in tropical forests in Panama, where he was a pre-doctoral research fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. He's also a musician and a keen fermenter. He is the author of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, & Shape Our Futures (Random House 2020)  Interview Date: 5/19/2020         Tags: Merlin Sheldrake, fungi, photosynthesis, mushrooms, largest terrestrial organism on t

Here Sullivan talks about the power of trees in guiding us in understanding ourselves as well as our ancestral roots. She also shares the power of communal chanting that is a bridge of past and present that moves us deeply on a soul level as it connects us to Spirit. Shannon Sullivan is an interfaith spiritual teacher and teacher of meditation. She has broad experience with many spiritual traditions from around the world as well as her communion with nature. Trees in particular have a deep significance for her and she's developed a series of teachings and meditations using the metaphor of trees. One of her teachings involves healing our ancestral roots. Interview Date: 5/12/2020    Tags: MP3, Shannon Sullivan, Reiki therapy, energy work, chakras, family trees, forgiveness, ofrenda, chanting, Kintsugi, Health & Healing

Rebecca Solnit discusses how all of us are connected to one another as though we are threads woven into the fabric of the world. Storytelling is often our way of tracing these threads, starting with our personal stories and exploring outward. The effects of our stories can be subtle and powerful. Solnit explains how we make our stories and how our stories make us. She is the author of fifteen books about art, landscape, public and collective life, ecology, politics, hope, meandering, reverie, and memory. She is a recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, a National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Lannan Literary Award. She works with the group 350.org on climate issues and is a contributing editor to Harper’s and regular contributor to the political site Tomdispatch.com. Her books include An Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness  (Trinity University Press 2014), A Field Guide to Getting Lost (Penguin Books 2006), Men Explain Things To Me (Haymarket Books 2014) and The Faraway Nearby (Penguin 2014) (a l

Linda Carroll shares her insights into the reality of maintaining a lasting, loving relationship. She describes the stages of relationships, each with distinct characteristics and accompanying lessons. There’s an evolution happening within each relationship that forces us to make important decisions about ourselves and the trajectory of our personal growth.  Linda Carroll, M.S. is a licensed therapist and has worked as a couples therapist for more than 30 years. Her work is deep and varied, based on Voice Dialogue, Holotropic Breath Work, and Angeles Arrien’s The Fourfold Way as well as The Diamond Heart Work of A. H. Almaas. She is a certified IMAGO therapist, private coach to couples and families, and leader of workshops and retreats. She works with a limited number of couples in a new style of “concierge therapy” for which she travels to their home or office for 2 to 6 days a year for private, all-day sessions. Linda lives in Corvallis Oregon. She is the author of Remember Who You Are: Seven Stages in

Gelb suggests that we can tap into the lively energy we enjoyed as a child by raising our qi or vital energy. He shares some simple practices that can immediately turn our low energy into exuberance and suggests several ways to enhance our creativity, such as the use of mind maps and knowing the difference between a fixed mindset and a creative mindset.  Michael Gelb, Ph.D. is a leading world authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development. A pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning, and innovative leadership, Gelb leads seminars for organizations such as DuPont, Merck, Microsoft, Nike and many others. He is the author of Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America’s Greatest Inventor (co-author Sarah Miller Caldicott) (Dutton 2007), How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci (Dell 2000). Brain Power: Improve Your Mind as You Age (co-author Kelly Howell) (New World Library 2012) and Creativity On Demand: How to Ignite and Sustain the Fir

This is a time for us to step away from the dogmas of the religions of our youth and set our spiritual compass according to our personal values and philosophy as we search for a religion that feeds our souls. Moore says “we need not settle for an off the rack” religion but can discover one that is rooted in our own unique experience. Thomas Moore, Ph.D. was a monk for twelve years, and a university professor. He is a musician and a psychotherapist and lectures widely on holistic medicine, spirituality, psychotherapy, and the arts. He has a Ph.D. in religion from Syracuse University. He’s the author of Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life (HarperPerennial 1994), The Soul of Sex: Cultivating Life as an Act of Love (Harper Perennial 1999), Dark Nights of the Soul (Gotham 2005), A Religion of One’s Own: A Guide to Creating a Personal Spirituality in a Secular World (Gotham 2014) Interview Date: 1/15/2014      Tags: MP3, Thomas Moore, Ph.D., reading te

Jones gives practical advice as to how we can engage in deep inner work through focused journaling. She shares exercises that can act as powerful tools in reframing the pieces of our past and our life stories so that suffering becomes meaningful and can boost our healing, empowerment, growth, and transformation. Catherine Ann Jones is an award winning playwright, screenwriter and a Fulbright Scholar to India, studying shamanism. She holds a graduate degree and teaches depth psychology and archetypal mythology. As a screenwriter, Jones has contributed to such television series as “Touched by an Angel,” and wrote the teleplay “The Christmas Wife.” She teaches writing workshops. She is the author of: Heal Your Self With Writing (Divine Arts 2013) and The Way of Story: The Craft & Soul of Writing (Michael Weise Productions 2007).Interview Date: 2/28/2014   Tags: Catherine Ann Jones, memory, traumatic events, body dialogues, inner voice, intuitive voice, authentic self, allies, shamanism, Pre-Hi

Here scholar, theologian, and teacher Father Matthew Fox explores the writings and wisdom of this electrifying saint and speaks of Aquinas’ timeless wisdom to a postmodern world. Fox encourages all spiritual warriors and activists to grow our vision and our courage. He speaks of some of the positive things that the coronavirus has brought to us as we shelter in place. Father Matthew Fox is a priest and was a member of the Dominican Order of the Catholic Church for thirty-four years. For speaking out on women’s rights, gay rights, and Native American rights, he was silenced for a year and later expelled from the Dominican Order under the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He then joined the Episcopal Church to work with young people to create postmodern forms of ritual and worship known as the “Cosmic Mass” that incorporates dance, DJ, VJ, rap, and other postmodern art forms. He is the co-founder of the Order of the Sacred Earth and, since Mother’s day 2019, has offered free daily meditations. He

Shaw helps us get acquainted with the kinds of folktales and myths that can be helpful in navigating these turbulent times. He says, “They are always trying to dig into the mud of the encounter with the notion that possibly there's a little bit of gold in there. There's some information that, over time, could turn into wisdom.”  Martin Shaw, Ph.D. is a scholar of myth and an acclaimed storyteller. He's a wilderness rites-of-passage guide and is internationally regarded as one of the most exciting proponents of the mythic imagination. He tells "prophetic stories" that speak deeply to the challenges we face today, in the world and in our personal lives. He has devised and led the Oral Tradition course at Stanford University, is a visiting fellow at Shumacher College, and the Director of the Westcountry School of Myth, a learning community in Dartmoor in the far west of the United Kingdom. His books include A Branch from the Lightning Tree: Ecstatic Myth and the Grace in Wildness (White Cloud Press 2011), S

In this time of global uncertainty good poems can soften the heart and help us face another day with curiosity, wonder and hope. It gives us another lens to view the world and helps bring what is often unseen into view. Poetry opens us to feel our connection to one another and to nature. It gives us the opportunity to recalibrate our perspective on our place in the world.Jane Hirshfield is the author of nine books of poetry and two collections of essays. She has edited and co-translated four books presenting the work of world poets from the past. Her books have received the Poetry Center Book Award, the California Book Award, and the Donald Hal-Jane Kenyon Prize in American Poetry. Her poems appear in a wide range of prestigious outlets. A resident of Northern California, she is a chancellor emerita of the Academy of American Poets. She presents her work at literary and interdisciplinary events worldwide. She has authored many books including The October Palace (HarperCollins 1994), The Lives of the Heart (Ha

After collapsing from exhaustion, Huffington began to question what true success really means in this age of hyperconnectivity. In her terms, success is more than the accumulation of money or power. It’s about the quality of our well-being. It’s about the wisdom and wonder that manifests in our lives as well as the contribution we make to others. Arianna Huffington is the chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of many books. In May 2005, she launched The Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of the most widely-read, linked to, and frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. In 2012, the site won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting. Originally from Greece, she moved to England when she was 16 and graduated from Cambridge University with an M.A. in economics. Her books include Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder (Crown 2014); Third

Prager shares many stories and practical examples of words that heal. She empowers us to be more effective in helping others in need as she explores the power of Verbal First Aidtm. She shares particular words and phrases that are most effective in assisting the healing process when someone is in fear, shock, stress, or trauma. Judith Prager, Ph.D., CHt, is a clinical hypnotherapist with a PHD in psychology and a practices in the Los Angeles area. As a consultant to Cedars-Sinai Medical center, she developed a “Guided Imagery for Surgery” series of pre-intra-and post-operative and ICU creative imagery CDs that has been used with significant results in a pilot program in the Cardio-thoracic Surgery Unit. She’s trained physicians, nurses, and first responders across the U.S. in hypnotic language for pain and stress relief in emergencies and interactions with children. She presents keynotes and talks at conferences and medical centers. She is the author of Journey to Alternity: Transformational Healing through S

Many gems of wisdom unfold here such as, “Being spiritual is inhabiting our humanness so thoroughly that the part of the universe that lives in me comes out and connects with the part of the universe that lives with you.” Other topics discussed are: being present and being absent as well as considering the difference between what we stand for and what we stand on. Mark Nepo is a poet, philosopher and a most eloquent spiritual teacher. In 2015, he was given a Life-Achievement Award by AgeNation and in 2016 was named by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit as one of the Most Spiritually Influential Living People. He was part of Oprah Winfrey’s The Life You Want Tour in 2014 and has appeared several times with Oprah on her Super Soul Sunday program on OWN TV. As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship. He is the author of many audio learning projects and over 20 books including Reduced To Joy (Cleis Press 2013), Seven Thousand Ways To List

She was a talker, he, the silent type. How did they bridge their differences in temperaments and skills as they thirsted through deserts, forded icy rapids, stumbled through snow, and met up with a mountain lion? Hear the amazing highs and intense lows as every part of their physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual bodies were challenged.Interview Date: 10/2/2013      Tags: mp3, Gail Storey, Porter Storey, trekking, Pacific Crest Trail, nature, wilderness, Sierra, camping, bicycling, monkey mind, resupplying on the trail, trekking in snow, hiking, hike, emotions, encounter with a mountain lion, bicycling tandem, Appalachian Trail, desert, water, mountains, Ecology/Nature/Environment, relationship, Community, Personal Transformation 

We are on the cusp of a radical paradigm shift in worldviews. It is as if two tectonic plates are rubbing up against one another. One is called “Datastan” – the paradigm that quantifies, counts, measures, and commoditizes everything. The other is “The Republic of Stories” where diversity, the artist, individual stories, and every contribution matters. Arlene Goldbard is a writer, speaker, consultant, workshop leader, and cultural activist whose focus is the intersection of culture, politics, spirituality, the arts and artists. She is a fierce advocate for the power of human creative expression. Her books include Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development (New Village Press 2006), The Culture of Possibility: Art, Artists & the Future (Waterlight Press 2013) and The Wave (Waterlight Press 2013) Interview Date: 6/11/2013    Tags: MP3, Arlene Goldbard, datastan, Republic of Story, Corporate Nation, No Child Left Behind, prisons, unemployment, Move to Amend, hope, Story Teller Corp

Cousineau tantalizes us with his understanding of how night is a powerful companion for creativity. The quiet rhythm of the night is a holy experience of soul. He describes how language and culture arose around the fires of our ancestors talking into the night. By sharing stories and poems he takes us from the contemplative, starry night to the enlightenment of early dawn. Phil Cousineau is a freelance writer, filmmaker, photographer, art and literary tour leader, teacher of creativity, a lifelong lover of the night, and an all-around Renaissance man. He’s published over 30 books and has over 25 documentary film writing credits. He is also host and co-writer of "Global Spirit," a nationally broadcast television series. He's a guest host for New Dimensions Radio. His books include Wordcatcher (Viva Editions, Cleis Press 2010), Beyond Forgiveness: Reflections On Atonement (Jossey-Bass 2011), Stoking The Creative Fires (Red (Wheel/Wiser 2008), Burning the Midnight Oil: Illuminating Words For the Long Night’s Jou

Page advises us to tend the soil of our body and says, “Your soil is made up of your belief systems, your perceptions.” She believes illness isn’t just a physiological episode and tells us to listen to the intuitive messages from our soul telling us it is time to change. When we keep ignoring these messages, our bodies will stop us in our tracks by getting sick. Christine Page, M.D. received her medical degree from the University of London in 1978. She’s an international seminar leader on healing and empowerment. In 1984, she founded one of the first integrative health centers within the British National Health Service, followed by a highly successful holistic private practice which included homeopathy, counseling and energy-related medicine. She also began a 10-year educational career, teaching doctors, nurses and other medical personnel about complementary therapies including mind/body and energy medicine. She became a well-known bridge builder and played an important role in the acceptance of alternative t

Don Oscar tells us that ritual begets relationship, nature begets purpose, and Love begets life. This gentle shaman has captured the essence of how we can sustain our sacred earth walk by practicing the ritual of the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition. This powerful practice can serve to help us build a life-long relationship with the sacred dimensions of life and all our relations. Oscar Miro-Quesada is a respected kamasqa curandero and shamanic adept from Peru, and has been guiding cross-cultural, ethnospiritual apprenticeship expeditions to sacred sites of the world since 1986, with special emphasis on Peru and Bolivia.  He’s been a popular faculty member at numerous U.S. colleges and universities.  He originated the Pachakuti Mesa Tradition of cross-cultural shamanism, and is the founder of the Heart of the Healer Foundation.  His works and programs have been featured on CNN, Univision, A&E and the Discovery Channel.  He is the author of Lessons in Courage, Peruvian Shamanic Wisdom for Every

You will be inspired by Malden’s candor and clarity as she speaks about her experience of living through the debilitating disease and death of her husband and work partner. She likens this time in her life to being strapped in a roller coaster that you never bought a ticket for. Carla Malden has been a screenwriter and published author. She began her career as the assistant to renowned director Elia Kazan. With her husband and screen writing partner, Laurence Starkman, she co-wrote many screenplays and produced and wrote several award winning short films. She is author of When Do I Start? (coauthor, her father, Academy Award winning actor Karl Malden) (Limelight Editions 2004), Afterimage, A Broken Hearted Memoir of a Charmed Life (Skirt! 2011)Interview Date: 9/6/2012  Tags: MP3, Carla Malden, grief, soulmate, soul mate, cancer, grieving, widowhood, Death & Dying, Health & Healing, Writing, Personal Transformation, Self Help

Gandhi once said, “The most violent weapon on Earth is the table fork.” Dr. Will Tuttle asks us to consider one of the primary driving forces behind a whole network of problems we face as human beings is the mentality of violence, exploitation, exclusion and privilege that is required for us to eat animal foods.   Will Tuttle, Ph.D., is a professional pianist, composer, and teacher who holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. For more than two decades he has presented at progressive churches, vegetarian and human potential conferences, and intentional communities throughout the United States. He trained in Korea as a Zen Buddhist Monk and has worked extensively in Tai Chi, Yoga, and meditation. He also works with his artist wife Madeleine Tuttle who contributes to his presentations, books, and albums. He is the author of many books including: Your Inner Islands: The Keys to Intuitive Living (Will Tuttle - revised 2017), The World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmon