Authentic Living

Thomas Moore comes back to the Authentic Living show today to talk to us about his latest book: Ageless Soul: The Lifelong Journey Toward Meaning and Joy. As you know, Moore is the bestselling author of Care of the Soul, a book that changed the world at a core level, for we began to be willing to invite soul into our daily lives. Today we will talk with him about the soul of the aging process. This process is one which most of us fear at some level, and one which our society tries to youth-enize. We are constantly trying to find ways to make and keep ourselves young, all in avoidance of the sacred processes relative to aging. Today we will learn a new way. Don’t miss it.

The answer to finding peace in times of turmoil is not to turn off the TV and live in ignorance masking as bliss. The answer is not to affirm that what is happening “out there” is “just an illusion” so we don’t need to bother with trying to do anything about it. The answer is to step into the truth. To step into the truth of our nature. To step into the truth of the power and presence of the divine. To learn to trust the process of divinization that is always a part of our unfolding evolution. Tune in to this important message to learn how to find peace in the time of turmoil.

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.

When life events, difficult circumstances and relationships come our way, we tend to get all caught up in what is going to happen next, and what strategy we can use to make it turn out the way we want it to. To do any less than that, it seems, would be to lay down and let life roll over you. But there is a way to be fully involved, yet fully surrendered to a deeper more authentic process that is happening always throughout all of our life events, circumstances and relationships. We can learn to trust the process. That’s what this show is going to be all about. Don’t miss it.

Since the beginning of time, it seems, we have thought that we had to fight the good fight. We had to fight for good over evil. And so many a person has spent a lifetime trying to discern the difference between the two and trying to err on the side of goodness. But what if you knew that that very battle is doing more harm than good? What if you knew that the battle between good and evil is actually preventing your wholeness? But, you say, how can we stop the battle—won’t evil just take over? That’s what we fear, isn’t it? Yet those who have managed to establish wholeness no longer fight any battles between good and evil—rather they have integrated all aspects of self. Want to know more? Tune in.

The book, “Letting Go of Good: Dispel the Myth of Goodness to Find Your Genuine Self” is out! It came out yesterday. And today we are going to explain how a person might really dispel that myth, how they might actually begin to live from the genuine self. Discover how to stop living from guilt, from trying to be good, and learn how to get real. Learn to use your personal powers, powers that are inherent to your very nature, to handle relationships—both personal and professional—genuinely, and with appropriate boundaries. Learn how we develop trust. You don’t want to miss this important show.

We tend to think that “being good” is the same as being genuine. But what the book, “Letting Go of Good: Dispel the Myth of Goodness to Find Your Genuine Self,” proves is that it is very possible to strive after goodness, while living a very false existence. In this third episode of the countdown to the launching of that book, we discover some surprises regarding a breakthrough approach to this problem. First, we discover that difficult emotions, unlike what we are taught, are meant to give us a message from the authentic self. In fact they can heal us from a false identity and restore us to authenticity. We are typically taught to push these emotions aside in favor of more “positive” emotions—but we will discover that advise to be a mistake, for it is our most difficult emotions that have the capacity to open us to living from a richer more authentic Self. Don’t miss this important show.

It’s hard to imagine that there could be a problem with “being good.” But the problem is that it is a poor substitute for a true sense of worthiness. It is in fact, based in a mythology that there is a standardized form of goodness that, if we can activate it, will somehow remove from us any sense of unworthiness. And so there are many of us, identified as “good guys” who are giving up their authenticity in an attempt to compensate for a deep sense of unworthiness. In this case, our lives are run by guilt, and we do not know the difference between a motivation that comes from a should, have to or ought to, and a true authentic passion or compassion. This show is the 2nd in a countdown to the launching of the book “Letting Go of Good: Dispel the Myth of Goodness to Find Your Genuine Self.” Don’t miss this important show about an epidemic problem and its breakthrough solution.

Does guilt run too much of your life? Do you find that you are making many of your decisions based on whether or not you might feel guilty if you don’t…or if you do? Do you strive to please, help and take responsibility for others? Then you may have a “good guy identity,” and believe it or not, this identity is deadly. This is the first of several shows that will provide a countdown to the launching of the book, “Letting Go of Good: Dispel the Myth of Goodness to Find Your Genuine Self” which is being released on August 8th. We will explore the good guy identity for its psychology, explaining how it is that being good can be so very bad for some people. And we will demonstrate how it is that we might begin to let go of that myth of goodness and find and live from the authentic self. Don’t miss it.

We are currently living in some very difficult times. Times of darkness, times of betrayal, times of fear, times in which we cannot trust the people in power to do the compassionate and humane thing. How do we learn to thrive in the midst of those flames? Eckhart Tolle talks about the difference between pain and suffering, and what we shall see, in today’s discussion, is that the difference is the difference between despair and thriving. These circumstances in which we find ourselves today are demonstrating to us the shadow of American consciousness. And we must learn how to walk through those shadows, turning on the light of consciousness in our own minds all along the way. Working with shadow material is one of the most effective ways to thrive in the midst of darkness. Tune in to learn more.

The word spirituality is thrown around quite a bit, with all manner of people calling themselves spiritual. But if you ask them what this word means the definitions vary and are often vague. For many it means to pray a lot. For others it means to meditate a lot. For most it means living a moral life, doing the right thing. For most spirituality must fall under a certain religion. But what if spirituality is not something we do, but something that does us? What if spirituality is a process—much like the process of falling love and building a healthy relationship? What if spirituality is an intimate relationship with self, body, mind and soul, an intimate relationship with others and all of nature, and an intimate relationship with the divine? How would that change things? Tune in to find out.

We welcome Lissa Coffey back to the show today to talk about her wonderful little children’s book entitled “The Four Pearls and the Four Squirrels.” Lissa is an Ayurveda expert, hypnotherapist, sociologist, author and life coach. And this little book brings together all of her knowledge in one easy-to-understand approach to happiness. Children are subject to so many influences and we, as parents, teachers, relatives and friends of children have that power-to-influence over our children. What are we demonstrating with our behavior, and what are we teaching with our words? The four pearls teach very important tools for living from which all children—and adults—can find happiness. Tune in for your dose of wisdom today.

There are many spiritual teachers who are teaching us that all of life in this world is actually an illusion—that the reality of life is that there is no suffering, no pain, no drama—just the gentle peace of nirvana—the life beyond the veil of matter. Is that true? If so, what are we doing here, what is the meaning of life if it is all just an illusion anyway? But what if life is not an illusion—doesn’t that lead us to the same questions? Why do we suffer? What is the meaning of a life filled with suffering? Well, today we are going to answer some of these important life questions and come to terms with reality in a whole new way. Be here. You’ll be glad you were.

Generally speaking, we think of morality as a good thing. People should, we think, honor certain codes of behavior in order to prove that they are good people, and in order to maintain order in the world. But what we don't commonly know is that morality can often be a poor substitute for authenticity. We don't know it, but we are commonly doing the right thing, instead of doing the true thing. Yep, that's right, there can be a big difference between what's right and what's true. And today's show is going to point out that difference, as well as explore how authenticity gets us closer to a true spirituality than does morality. Don't miss this important show.

We live in a social environment now in which hate is overt, active and visible. Not so very long ago, in fact, just prior to the election of our current President, hate was hidden, covert, and only active in a passive/aggressive fashion. But there are many people out there today who are trying to tell us that hate is a good thing. That it is an essential survival skill. That, of course, we hate, for how could we feel any other way toward people of other races, other cultures, other skin colors and other sexual orientations, and gender identities. But hate is a response to fear. And fear is a response to ignorance. There is so much that we fear that we really have no reason to fear. So what do we do with all of this? We learn to find the love beneath the hate. This show is going to show us just how we can do that. Don't miss this important discussion.

We have lived for so long and so deeply entrenched in the good/evil paradigm that we truly believe that striving to be good, and fighting the so-called good fight against evil is the business of being a person. Indeed, we think it is the business of life. But what if we knew that the ONLY thing we need to do is peace. What if peace were how we survive? What if peace were how we negotiate with others? What if peace is how we form relationships? What if peace is the body? What if peace is the soul? What if peace is the big IT. Well, maybe it is. And we are going to figure all that out this week. This big fat deal of peace. 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.

On several previous shows we have referred listeners to meditation as one of the most effective of ways to get in touch with the authentic Self. Today, we are going to be examining some meditation tools created by Michel Pascal, and used by Google, Harvard University and other major organizations to reduce stress. We will explore this from the angle of spirituality as well as physicality, mind and body. Many people say that meditation is too hard, and takes too much time. But our guest today proves neither of those to objections valid. His book, Meditations for Daily Stress, offers ten easy practices for immediate well-being. If you are stressed, or have trouble meditating, this show is for you. Don’t miss it.

To date, most religions have wanted to claim their own God. In the West the Christian religion has claimed that their God is the only God. That every other God is actually a false god. But what if, like Pope Francis says, we are all meeting the same God in different ways. What if, in fact, each religion, each language of each religion, each ritual, each path, each prayer is but a different language meant to reach but one divine entity, a universal entity who knows we each have different ways of finding our truest spirituality? Would that be such a terrible thing? Or is it that our bias is keeping us from allowing that possibility? Today we are going to learn about an interfaith/interspiritual God. Don't miss it.

Over the past 20 years or so, there has arisen among spiritual teachers a certain mythology that has sunk its teeth into the psyche of the New Age, New Thought, Human Potential Movement adherents along with those who call themselves spiritual but not religious. It is the idea that fear opposes love. This idea is translated to mean that when one loves, one should not feel fear, and vice versa. It is based in the Biblical tenet that perfect love casts out fear. But we've got some real misunderstanding about what this means, and we've added a lot of shoulds and personal judgment, that can be damaging. Let' talk about love and fear today. Don't miss it.