Authentic Living

Typically we don’t think of surrender as a form of empowerment. We think of surrender in terms of defeat, waving the white flag and feeling forever after that like the loser. But surrender is allowing the soul to be itself. Surrender is allowing the authentic Self to run the life. Surrender is getting in the zone. The problem is most of us don’t know how or when to do it. We don’t know how to “let go.” We don’t know how to get into the flow of our own authenticity. This show is not only going to define surrender in its deepest most essential meaning, but it is going to demonstrate the how’s and the when’s of surrender. Don’t miss it.

The terms spiritual abuse have, thus far, only been used to describe how Christian leaders abuse church members. But spiritual abuse runs far deeper and wider than can be described by any one religion. Spiritual abuse is abuse of the human spirit. While it's true that your spirit--your soul--can't really be damaged, it's also true that you can be split off from any conscious awareness of your spirit--and that's what spiritual abuse does. It is possible to live a life complete bereft of any conscious awareness of one's own spirit. That's what spiritual abuse can do. It can happen in any religion, in the spiritual but not religious population, in New Age followers, in New Thought followers, in the Human Potential Movement, and in our homes, in our schools and in our workplaces. Anywhere there is spirit there can be abuse of that spirit. But it can also be healed. Let's talk about it--it's time.

While many spiritual leaders are teaching that we should stay uninvolved in the real dilemmas of the world, there are others who are teaching that we are responsible as spiritual advocates for our part in bringing about the essential evolutions of the collective mind. Some are teaching that we should turn off the TV and spend our time in a constant state of bliss by affirming that all of the life out there is just an illusion. Well, I say, if it’s an illusion, it is a collective one, one for which each person is responsible. If we, who understand Oneness, we, who understand the power of love, we, who understand the deep presence of the divine within us; if we back out, if we do nothing, we are responsible for enabling the continuance of the illusion. Tune in today to learn what we mean by spiritual advocacy.

What the world needs now…. It’s love. And at the same time, love is all there is. So, let’s talk about this paradox. Are you looking for a relationship? It’s love. Do you have family problems? It’s love. War? It’s love. Politics? It’s love. Love is the answer and love is all there is. Where do we find it? What is it? How do we implement it? It’s not at all what you think. Be here, you don’t want to miss this.

As we study the sacred texts of the world, the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the Vedas, the Bible—particularly in its root language—what we discover is that duality is nonduality. There simply is no such thing as separation. Yet we continue to live our lives as if we were separate from the divine, and separate from each other, and the natural world. It is very difficult for us to imagine Oneness. It is very difficult for us to suspend our polarized notions of good and evil. But the surrender to Oneness is simply a surrender to the truth of who and what we are. This is not something we can do with the intellect. That’s why it seems so difficult to us. But it is something we can do. Tune in today to learn about surrendering to Oneness.

What do we do with the enormous suffering created by such things as deadly illness and trauma? They say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. But when the miracles come, what is it that happens within us, around us, about us? What is it that transforms us? Mark Nepo is coming back to the Authentic Living show to discuss his latest book, Inside the Miracle, in which he reveals his own miraculous recovery from cancer and all of the profound insights that came with it during, right after and in the years since. Mark is the bestselling author of The Book of Awakening, a poet, philosopher and spiritual teacher who has published 16 books, and 11 audio projects. This interview is going to be moving, profoundly insightful and it will offer powerful guidance to those suffering right now. Don’t miss it.

There is a form of religion that has, over the past 10 years or so, taken over larger and larger portions of the American psyche. It is a religion made up more of fear of evil than love of and from the divine. It is a religion made up more of laws and judgement than compassion and redemption. It is a religion which allows plenty of room for hate, and recrimination of other people--and it is led by a leadership that Jesus would have called vipers and white-washed sepulchers. These modern-day Pharisees are, according to Jesus, keeping people from entering the kingdom of heaven. So, this is a difficult subject, but we are going to bravely go where many are afraid to go: We are going to offer a more authentic version of this religion.

Dr. Lindsay Gibson comes to us today to bring us some of her expertise on the subject of surviving and thriving even though one was raised by immature parents. The central challenge of our adult lives is unloosening the toxic ties in which we were bound by immature parents. In fact, I would say that we do not mature into adulthood ourselves until we can heal from the wounds and the distortions of reality presented to us by immature parents. Somehow this wound becomes the pathway to freedom, hope and authenticity when we can begin the process of recovery. Dr. Gibson is going to talk to us today about her latest book, “Self-Care for Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.” Don’t miss it.

One of the most difficult challenges of any relationship is communication. How do we say what we mean without lashing out, or hurting the ones we love the most? Unfortunately, we tend to go to the extremes on this one: We either shut-down, or we lash out. Neither of those two options work, however, to create the intimacy that a relationship needs to grow. Nancy Dreyfus has come to our aid here with a beautiful book, “Talk to Me Like I’m Someone You Love,” containing a set flashcards that say precisely the right thing at precisely the right time. What a beautiful idea. Nancy is a Transpersonal Psychologist who works with many relationships on this very issue of communication, and came up with this idea for her clients. But now we can all benefit from it—so today we are going to be talking about the how-to of communicating at the most difficult times in relationship. You are not going to want to miss this one.

A large part of the world has lived for centuries into a concept of sin that has us sinning from the moment of our birth and being unable to stop sinning until we die. This belief has people disavowing, dismissing their personal light, their personal power and their personal divine nature. So much of religion in the Western world is based entirely on this concept of sin. Even the very idea of salvation is based entirely on the sinful nature of humanity. But what if it isn't true? What if the concepts, as we have built them, are based in a duality trance state that has us believing we are separate from God when it is clear, even from the Christian Bible that there is no such separation? What if we really are the gods Jesus said we were? What if we really are a little lower than God as the Psalmist said we were? What if sin is simply unconsciousness? Be here for this important conversation.

Are you one of the many people who provide soul care to other humans? Thomas Moore, bestselling author of “Care of the Soul,” comes again to the Authentic Living Show to discuss his latest book “Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations” in which he guides caregivers to therapy of the soul. He once taught us how to care for our own souls and now he teaches how we may care for the souls of others. The category of soul caregivers includes all who provide care for others including all manner of mental health therapists and ministers, spiritual directors, and even friends and family. We often know how to advise—usually based on our own personal experience—which means that we tell others what we think they should do. But how do we reach and bring a soul to care for itself? Don’t miss this profound conversation.

We have been taught to believe that any refuge, any safety can only be found outside of us—through external events, circumstances and people. We strive, therefore, to find the “right” circumstances, the “right” people and the best possible events for our lives. We want to make the “right” amount of money, the “right” jobs, the “right” level of prestige and power, and of course, the “right” relationships. And, of course, we want to be smart about all of these life decisions, but they cannot provide the kind of refuge that can only be found in the Self. So, what do we mean by Self? And how can it create a refuge bigger, broader and more profound than any of life’s circumstances, events or relationships—and, indeed, can even guide us to making aligning life choices? Don’t miss this show.

Dr. Lindsay Gibson comes to us today to bring us some of her expertise on the subject of surviving and thriving even though one was raised by immature parents. The central challenge of our adult lives is unloosening the toxic ties in which we were bound by immature parents. In fact, I would say that we do not mature into adulthood ourselves until we can heal from the wounds and the distortions of reality presented to us by immature parents. Somehow this wound becomes the pathway to freedom, hope and authenticity when we can begin the process of recovery. Dr. Gibson is going to talk to us today about her latest book, “Self-Care for Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.” Don’t miss it.

What we have heard and we’ve read in the Bible, well it ain’t necessarily so. So goes the old Porgy and Bess song. Perhaps they did not read Thomas Moore’s version, Gospel The Book of John, in which regardless of religion or atheism one discovers a deeper more meaningful spirituality hidden in the root meanings of the words used. Unfortunately, much of the work of John and others has been turned into moralistic dogma. But what we find in the root language is a more celebrative, deeply mystical and loving message. In Moore’s book we discover a different Jesus than the one described for us by earlier translations. This new rendition of Jesus is Dionysian in his urging us toward a full and meaningful celebration of living. He tells us that we are to remember who we are, and he guides us to that knowledge with his actions and words. Come learn of this new Jesus. See if you like him now.

If we want to know the biggest barrier to our authenticity we can look to the hypnotic scripts we learned as we were growing up. But paradoxically, it is these same scripts that are the anvil upon which we hammer out the designs for an authentic life. We actually grew up in a hypnotic trance state in which the organizing center of our existence became the messages we received from primary relationships. In other words, we lost our center. These hypnotic scripts told us who to be and how to be it. And we did it and did it and did it until the day came when doing it became more painful than not doing it. That’s when we began to ask some of the right questions—like who am I really? But that particular trance is our gauntlet. No one else’s trance state will ultimately be broken so that we can become who we are. But until it is broken we will not come alive. Tune in to learn why you do what you do, why you are attracted to your relationships and how you can become your truest Self.

We tend to think of the feminine in terms of what we understand of gender. But the truth is that gender is one thing, gender identity is another, and femininity is totally another. The feminine is a psychic structure, a way of viewing self, life and other. The feminine is a way of living that has nothing whatsoever to do with gender or gender identity. It also turns out that this feminine way of viewing and living has everything to do with spirituality—which runs well beyond the limits and constraints of religion. Be here for this show. You’ll be glad you were.

Why do all of the great spiritual leaders down through history and many of the present day teach of silence and stillness? Why is silence even a thing? Aren’t we supposed to be working hard, striving after a righteous life? Aren’t we supposed to be working hard to serve our brothers and sister? Aren’t we supposed to be doing the work of growing at all times? Why do they talk about stillness? About silence? About effortless effort? Perhaps it is because silence, stillness is the answer to everything. Don’t miss this important show.

We tend to think of the feminine in terms of what we understand of gender. But the truth is that gender is one thing, gender identity is another, and femininity is totally another. The feminine is a psychic structure, a way of viewing self, life and other. The feminine is a way of living that has nothing whatsoever to do with gender or gender identity. It also turns out that this feminine way of viewing and living has everything to do with spirituality—which runs well beyond the limits and constraints of religion. Be here for this show. You’ll be glad you were.

At this special juncture of time, when we, as a collective, have perhaps been a bit more self-reflective than usual, today’s timely topic might reach into that part of us that longs for a connection to a deeper transformative essence of our nature. Our guest today, Dr. Beverly Lanzetta has come to talk to us about her latest book, “A New Silence: Spiritual Practices and Formation for the Monk Within.” Beverly’s radical wisdom about how to access this inner silence and how that practice transforms and renews us is a welcome balm in this unprecedented time of suffering. Don’t miss this important conversation.

What is it that keeps us from living authentically? Well at least a part of it is the illusions, delusions and lies we believe that keep us from even considering that there is such a thing as the authentic Self, or that we can live an authentic life. We are so encumbered with these illusions, delusions and lies that we cannot see, are literally blind, to the authentic Self and its messages and urgings. This show is going to expose those illusions, delusions and lies for what they are, and tell the truth about the authentic Self. The truth exposed here today can create a breakthrough, so that you can begin to see, and begin to integrate the authentic Self. Don’t miss it.