New Dimensions

Pevny shares the three phases of coming into elderhood: severance, neutral zone, and reincorporation. We need to sever ourselves from old identities in healthy and honoring ways. Then we enter a neutral zone where the seeds of possibility are gestating. He encourages us to deepen our spirituality so that we can move into reincorporation.Ron Pevny is the founder and director of the Colorado-based Center for Conscious Eldering. He’s a certified Sag-ing® Leader with Sag-ing® International and conducts workshop and retreats across North America. He is the author of Conscious Living, Conscious Aging: Embrace & Savor Your Next Chapter (Atria Paperback 2014)Tags: Ron Pevny, aging, saging, elderhood, eldering, elders, Stephen Foster, Meredith Little, vulnerability, fear, rite of passage, isolation, inner journey, inner guidance, cohousing, elder wisdom circles, Saging International, R. Buckminster Fuller, Bucky Fuller, Joseph Campbell, Jack Williamson, Intergenerational Writing, Patricia Sun, gratitude, grace, ri

British biologist Rupert Sheldrake asks questions that most scientists haven't thought of, or have been discouraged from asking. He is best known for his morphic field theory, which explores aspects of reality that are unexplained in terms of current physics. In this talk, he proposes setting science free from its most constricting dogmas and unexamined assumptions. He is the author of several books including The Rebirth of Nature; The Greening of Science and God (Bantam 1991), A New Science of Life: The Hypothesis of Morphic Resonance (J.P. Tarcher 1995), The Presence of the Past (Times Books 1995), Natural Grace: Dialogues on Creation, Darkness, and the Soul in Spirituality and Science (coauthor Matthew Fox) (Doubleday 1996), The Physics of Angels: Exploring the Realm Where Science and Spirit Meet (coauthor Matthew Fox)(HarperSanFrancisco 1996), Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals (Three Rivers Press 2001), Seven Experiments That Could Change the World:

What would lead a person to choose to live alone for a year on a small, remote island on the coast of southern Chile? What is it like to truly notice how, as humans, we are constantly shifting from a sense of isolation into the experience of freedom and belonging?  Robert Kull discusses these questions, and more. Tags: MP3  Robert Kull, Solitude,  Wilderness,  Patagonia,  Storytelling,  Journaling,  Mindfulness,  Alon,  Wind, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Buddhism, Meditation, Spirituality, Travel

When stress feels overwhelming, we struggle to find the balance we desperately need to get through it all. Borysenko guides us through the warning signs of pessimism and the pitfalls of optimism, and offers up a wealth of suggestions for how to develop what she calls “stress-hardiness”—to handle all of life’s challenges with resilience, equanimity, and inner peace.Tags: Joan Borysenko, optimism, pessimism, fear, stress, realism, realist, optimist, pessimist, faith, discernment, judgment, Ilya Prigogine, Martin Seligman, Positive Psychology, commitment, Personal Transformation, Health, Healing, Psychology, Self Help, Spirituality

Matthew Fox, Ph.D. has had his finger on the pulse of western spirituality for decades. When he casts his keen eye on the state of spirituality among men in the twenty-first century, you can be sure he’ll discern the unspoken woundedness, yearning, and passion of the modern warrior. (This program was originally Broadcast in 2008.)Tags: MP3, archetypes, arts, creativity, dark goddess, feminine, Glue Men, green man, Hunter-Gatherers, masculine, Matthew Fox, Men’s Studies, philosophy, Sacred Marriage, spirituality, warrior

Dr. Judith Orloff says intuition comes through being entirely receptive, open, playful, and as spontaneous as possible. She offers a wealth of suggestions for how you can expand your inner knowing—and in the process discover a more loving, inspired way of living.Tags: Judith Orloff, intuition, psychic, synchronicity, Déjà vu, premonitions, fear, Intuition/Psychic, Dreams, Self Help

Does our present system of economics truly serve the needs of the 21st century world? What are the stepping stones to a new economic structure? Lietaer and Dunne give many examples of successful, large scale, cooperative and complementary currencies in place today offering various communities resilience and sustainability and making for more robust economic systems. Tags: Bernard Lietaer, Jacqui Dunne, IKung people, Bali Banjar system, barter, complementary currencies, cooperative currencies, Curitiba Brazil, debt, demurrage, Deutsche Bank, Frequent Flyer Miles, Fureai Kippu, interest, social capital, WIR, World Bank, Business, Community, Global Culture, Money/Economics, Social Change/Politics 

Frankel recommends that we not make a habit of focusing on the obstacles on our life paths. Rather, we should consider the open spaces before us as our guides. She further suggests that we designate some time each month to take a “wordfast” and points out that “Silence is a precious commodity and if we don’t create space for ourselves we’re going to drown in our words.”Tags: Estelle Frankel, uncertainty, worry, anxiety, Antonio Machado, faith, fear, Judaism, Passover, Moses, Exodus, the farmer’s good luck and bad luck story, teleological questions, logotherapy, Rilke, The Tower, Yod Hey Vav Hey, YHVH, Eheyeh, Ishbitzer, courage, imagination, mourning, silence, Dr. Laura Stachel, Naomi Newman, Snake Talk, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion, Relationship

Lane drew a circle on a map that represented a one-mile radius from his home, and explored every facet of the place including the topography, history, ancient and current citizenry, and industry. This exploration sharpened his sense of place, and serves as a model for how we might look at our own homes, terrain, and communities. John Lane is an associate professor of English at Wofford College. His writing has been published in Orion, American Whitewater, Southern Review, Terra Nova, and Fourth Genre. He's the editor of the digital newsletter "Kudzu Telegraph."  His books include: Waist Deep in Black Water (University of Georgia Press 2004), The Woods Stretched for Miles (University of Georgia Press 1999), Chattooga: Descending Into the Myth of Deliverance River (University of Georgia Press 2005), Weed Time: Essays from the Edge of a Country Yard (Hub City Press 1996), As the World Around Us Sleeps (Briarpatch Press 1992), Circling Home (University of Georgia Press 2007), My Paddle to the Sea: Eleven Day

There is much opposition to the programs reintroducing wild wolves into their natural habitat, at least some of which stems from our mythological view of wolves as standing for all that is vicious, dangerous, and savage. The recovery activity for this endangered keystone species is a long game. Here Peterson outlines this uphill endeavor on their behalf. Brenda Peterson is a novelist, nature writer, and writing teacher. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Orion Magazine, and O: The Oprah Magazine. She’s a regular commentator for Seattle NPR and the Huffington Post.  She is the author of eighteen books, including Build Me an Ark: A Life with Animals (W. W. Norton 2001), Duck and Cover (Backinprint.com 2004), I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth (Da Capo Press 2010), Wolf Haven: Sanctuary and the Future of Wolves in North America (coauthor Annie Marie Musselman) (Sasquatch Books 2016), Wolf Nation: The Life, Death, and Return of Wild American Wolves (De Capo 201

Robert Atkinson offers a deeply thoughtful view of conscious evolution drawn from the continuous wisdom of the world’s religions. He inspires hope as he traces love’s unifying power throughout history, and encourages us not to be distracted by seeming setbacks. He says, “love is the spiritual activism of our time.”  Robert Atkinson’s books include: The Gift of Stories: Practical and Spiritual Applications of Autobiography, Life Stories, and Personal Mythmaking (Praeger 1995), The Life Story Interview (Sage 1998), Remembering 1969: Searching for the Eternal in Changing Times (Baha’i Publishing 2008), The Story of Our Time: From Duality to Interconnectedness to Oneness (Sacred Stories Publishing 2017)Tags: Robert Atkinson, sacred story, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Pete Seeger, Joseph Campbell, mandala of Earth, unity in diversity, the golden rule, Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá'í, Charles Darwin, equality of women, earth stewardship, Mythology, Religion, Science, Spirituality, 

Andrew Forsthoefel created for himself a coming of age ritual. After graduating from college, he took a year to walk 4,000 miles across America. Along the way, he experienced the hospitality and wisdom of hundreds of strangers and encountered countless remarkable stories. He reveals how he become a trustworthy listener. Tune-in and be inspired by this authentic tale. He is the author of Walking To Listen: 4000 Miles Across America, One Story At a Time (Bloomsbury 2017)Tags: Andrew Forsthoefel, fear, generosity, asking questions, racial prejudice, stealth camping, Agape House, Rainer Maria Rilke, Walt Whitman, solitude, loneliness, Home Place, Navajo Reservation, Selma, Alabama, Death Valley, listening, Community, Personal Transformation, Death & Dying, Indigenous Wisdom, Peace, Nonviolence, Travel

Bienkowski grew up in Siberia, his family exiled by the Communist regime. In a life that began with nothing, living on soup made from discarded potato peelings, he learned that true wealth and happiness come from giving, and made his way observing the true value of gratitude, forgiveness, and understanding. He worked as a clinical psychologist for forty years, often connecting with institutionalized patients previously deemed hopeless. Since his retirement, he has continued to work as a teacher, lecturer, and hospice caregiver.  He is the author of One Life to Give: A Path to Finding Yourself by Helping Others (Co-author Mary Akers)(The Experiment 2010)Tags: MP3, psychology, death, dying, dreams, personal transformation, Siberia, Poland, Soviet Union, radical gratitude, hope, listening, survival, love, fear, Naikan, Philosophy, Psychology

Van Gelder launched a 12,000 mile trip across America to explore the many dynamic movements taking root around the country. She collected a myriad of stories and examples that give us hope for our future. She observes that the sustainable systems change that is required in these threshold times is now being modeled on local levels across the country. She is the author of: The Revolution Where You Live: Stories from a 12,000-Mile Journey Through a New America. (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2017)Tags: Sarah van Gelder, poverty, wealth, inequality of wealth, Otter Creek Montana, Coal strip mining, Bakken Oil fields, fracking, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, community, potlucks, isolation, DIT, Do It Together, Halima Cassells, swap meets, extractive economies, sharing economies, Greensboro N.C., farmers markets, Whitesburg Kentucky, Appalshop, Archimedes, Community, Social change/Politics, History, Indigenous Wisdom

Marianchild has trained herself as an amateur naturalist watching wildlife, leading nature walks, and giving slide presentations. Here she shares the delight that comes from walking slowly or sitting quietly in nature, including how we might go about discovering our local eco-system. Kate Maranchild is the author of: Secrets of The Oak Woodlands: Plants & Animals Among California’s Oaks (Heyday 2014)Tags: Kate Marianchild, acorn woodpeckers, western scrub jay, corvids, titmouse, Oak Woodlands, newts, manzanita, keystone species, California ground squirrels, wasps, ants, poison oak, woodrat, Christmas bird count, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Personal Transformation

Change is going to come no matter what. Pinchbeck is advocating nothing less than the need to embrace our responsibility for understanding what’s happening and play an active part in caring for the world. He feels this time in our human history can serve as our initiation to the next level of consciousness: ecologically, socially, politically, and spiritually. He is the author of: Breaking Open the Head: A Psychedelic Journey into the Heart of Contemporary Shamanism Broadway Books 2003),  2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl (Tarcher/Perigee 2007) and How Soon is Now: From Personal Initiation to Global Transformation (Watkins Publishing 2017)Tags: Daniel Pinchbeck, ecological crisis, methane gas, post-work society, agriculture, topsoil, farming practices, permaculture, Sahel Region in Africa, desertification, William McDonough, Cradle to Cradle, social systems, political systems, economic systems, debt, money, artificial scarcity, Bernard Lietaer, evolutionary biology, Time Republic, cryptocurrency, blockcha

Discover what emotions are governing your lifeand learn how to release them and heal your addictions. Cushnir explores such ideas as why your brain perceives emotions as a threat to your survival, why you don’t need to understand an emotion to be able to release it, and how you can “surf” your way through difficult emotions.Tags: Raphael Cushnir, MP3, feeling, feelings, emotion, emotions, Dark Night of the Soul, emotional resistance, sin, compulsions and addictions, addiction, compulsive behavior, gratitude, Personal Transformation, Buddhism, Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help

For decades, Diana Leafe Christian has been researching and giving workshops on ecovillages. She feels that sociocracy is one of the most effective methods of governance for serving intentional communities. It is a whole-system science that goes a step beyond consensus- governing practices. It uses transparency and inclusiveness, and creates a resilient and coherent system.Tags:  Diana Leafe Christian, intentional community, intentional communities, sociocracy, consensus governance, Earthaven Intentional Community, Ernest Callenbach, Ecotopia, NVC, Non-violent communication, Marshall Rosenberg, conflict resolution, majority rule, circles, committees, power with, power over, Community, Social Change, Politics

In this very practical approach, from a Buddhist perspective, Dzoghen Ponlop Rinpoche leads us to the key to understanding life and death: understanding the mind. He explains, “The original state of our mind and consciousness is totally free and full of compassion. It's like someone sitting on a heap of garbage piled on top of some land under which there is a tremendous treasure."Tags: Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Bardo, pain, fear, Karmapa, time space, emptiness, paradox, fantasy, anger, mind, Buddhism, Spirituality

Sylvia Boorstein shares her insights on how we can be more accepting of the negative patterns in our minds, and find happiness regardless of the challenges we face. As one of the most beloved American teachers of Buddhism, she brings warmth, humor, and real-life honesty to the principles of mindfulness and spiritual practice. Tags: MP3, Sylvia Boorstein, Peace, Meditation,  Kindness,  compassion,  four noble truths,  4 noble truths,  eightfold path, Work, Livelihood, Buddhism, Peace, Non-Violence