Authentic Living

Can you look back on your life and think of some moments, some particular circumstances and decisions that you made that were defining moments? Perhaps now you would like some re-defining moments? Well today we are speaking to award-winning author, Dennis Merritt Jones about his latest book, Your (Re)Defining Moments~Becoming Who You were Born to Be. And who were we born to be? Well, that’s the question of the day. Dennis is the author of two other books, The Art of Uncertainty, and The Art of Being both of which are award winners. And he is a columnist for the Huffington Post and Science of Mind Magazine. He is a speaker and a member of the Leadership Council for the Association for Global New Thought. We are very fortunate to have him on the show today. If you are wishing to define your life, this show is for you.

We are so happy to have Dr. E back again to the Authentic Living show to talk to us about her third part in the Sounds True online event series, The Dangerous Old Women, entitled The Joyous Body. We do tend to either focus wholly on the body as image, or leave it out entirely from our conscious experience until it acts up. And we rarely if ever think of the body as a repository of joy. It’s a work horse to be whipped into shape, or it’s just a ball and chain we carry around that sometimes gets us into trouble. But what if the body were incrementally tied into the soul? If that were true, wouldn’t we want to do more with it than just keep it enslaved to the ego? If you don’t quite know what to do with this material essence of who you are, this show is for you. Or, if you struggle with body issues of any kind—this show is for you too. Come learn from one of the world’s most profound keepers of wisdom what gifts your body has to give to you.

Back in 1968 a movie called “Yours Mine and Ours” convinced us of the warmth, love and inspiration of a blended family consisting of the two parents, played by Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda, and the 8 North children and the 10 Beardsley children. The movie was remade in 2005 with Rene Russo and Dennis Quaid. But Tom North was one of those children, and his book, True North, exposes the truth of the real family dynamics. His is a story of inspiration, survival and hope, in which the 8 North children, adopted by their step-father, became the Beardsley family. But it wasn’t one big happy family as has been depicted in the movies. The stepfather’s violence and abuse created a life of intimidation confusion, turmoil, fear and depression for all of the North children. This fact was revealed years later, as Tom traveling his own journey of survival, self-discovery and healing, led his other family members to therapy. If you are trying to reclaim your authenticity, this show is for you.

From John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Mark Sanford, to Anthony Weiner, we can clearly see that power is, indeed, as Henry Kissinger informed us, the ultimate aphrodisiac. And Frans de Waal’s book, Chimpanzee Politics tells us that it’s not much different in the Chimpanzee world. Not only are women attracted to powerful men in politics, but men are attracted to the power of politics and think that sex is just part of the package. Unfortunately, when we want to read about what women in power will do with sex, all we can find are articles that tell us about the power of a woman’s sexuality. But either way, power is the operative word. Last week we opened the door to a longer discussion on what happens when we give our power over to another and tell ourselves that they have all the power. We are going to explore that idea more this time, with more on the steamy power of power. What are you getting and giving from/to power? What is your greatest power? Don’t miss this one

Henry Kissinger once said that power was the ultimate aphrodisiac. And we don’t have to look very far in the news to see what he was talking about. But he forgot to tell us why. Why is power so sexy? Why is it that both women and men are so attracted to power? In order to answer that question, we are going to have to ask another: What is power? What does it mean to have power? If we knew that, we might know why it is so sexy. Or is it all just illusion? Indeed, is its very sexiness an illusion, and quite elusive at that? And what about powerlessness—does it have its own powerful draw? Today we are going to talk about power in every aspect of its meaning: From powerlessness to power and from power to empowerment. Don’t miss it.

Today we are so fortunate to have Paramahansa Jagadish, world renowned master healer, teacher and spiritual leader who guides people in discovering their own Stewardship of the Soul. With more than four and a half decades of deep and concentrated spiritual practice rooted in Eastern Yogic, Tibetan Buddhist and Hawaiian traditions, he brings together both an Eastern and Western perspective. American born, he was only the second Westerner of the Rasik tradition to be granted the title of Lineage Holder. Today, he is going to be talking with us his book, The Prayer Project in particular. In his healing work and training programs, Paramahansa Jagadish draws on all of the mystic traditions including Christianity, Toltec Shamanism, and Brazilian Spiritual Healing, as well as Eastern Yogic, Tibetan Buddhist and Hawaiian. Prayer is so much more than just talking. Don’t miss this chance to learn about the true power of prayer and how we can use it to change the world.

With so much information floating around out there in the spiritual world about how to manifest abundance and, in the secular world about how to attain your goals, it’s difficult to consider such concepts as staying in the moment. Michael Brown, our guest today, helps us bridge the gaps. Author of two books we’ll be talking about today, “The Presence Process” and “Alchemy of the Heart,” as well as a DVD entitled “Awakening to Innocence / Inner Sense,” Michael can teach us all how to both release the imprinting of our childhood and begin to experience the now of authenticity. In Michael’s own words “The Presence Process is not about changing who or what we are. This is impossible. Instead, it is about releasing our attachment to our manufactured identity so that we may gently return to an awareness of our authentic Presence.” Who are you, really? Come listen to Michael and explore the inner terrain of yourself.

There are many ways of flying. Attempting to transcend life by flying through life without ever living—by using drugs and alcohol as a replacement for dealing with emotions, is one of the most obvious examples. Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that difficult challenges are not really happening, is another. Bargaining with the difficulties of living with IF I…THEN they’ll or THEN this will happen, is yet another. But transcendence is not the same as avoidance. And today we are going to learn the fine art of learning to fly. Don’t miss it.

We have to have the dark to enjoy the light. This is what we say. But most of us don’t stop to ask why? Why do we need the dark to enjoy the light? Why do we need evil to prove good? Why do we need to suffer in order to know joy? Who said? These ideas are all products of a trance state in which we have all lived for centuries. They are products of the duality trance state. But if one of the benefits of evil is that it proves goodness, is it really evil? And if darkness proves the light, is it really darkness? Contrasts in a picture highlight the edges of objects—is that what we are looking for—something to highlight the ends of one thing and the beginning of another? Why do we need this? Today we are going to spend some time right in the middle of the conflicting contrasts that make up the weave and woof of our lives. Come find out what is true and false about the battle between good and evil.

We welcome Dr. E back again to the Authentic Living show this week for the fourth time, this time to talk about her latest book, “Untie the Strong Woman.” For many years, Dr. E has been sending a message to the world that the feminine aspect of humanity is powerful, beautiful and essential. The depth of her understanding of the feminine aspect of human (both male and female ) consciousness has facilitated an increased global awareness of the essentiality of the conscious expression of this power. And that is exactly what we’ll be talking about on this show. Author of the bestselling “Women Who Run With the Wolves” Dr. Estés has also been conducting online events at Soundstrue.com on specific topics relevant The Dangerous Old Woman, topics on which previous interviews have here on Authentic Living have been conducted. This week we are going to learn how to untie the feminine. Don’t miss it.

The heart is hungry and longs to be fed. When it has been forced through a negative, hostile, or abusive upbringing, to live in a state of perpetual starvation, it will eat tree bark, crickets or dirt. Many, far too many of us, are living in relationships feed us thusly. The very best we get in these relationships is crumbs under the table—which we treat as a King’s feast. We will hang on to the memory of those crumbs as if they were breath itself. We stay in those relationships because of those crumbs and because we have no idea that it is actually possible to have something better. And if we happen to be single and starving, we will often jump into any relationship at all just to tell ourselves that we are no longer hungry. All the while we are still starving. Today we are going to talk about how to get out of this terrible cycle. How to get into an authentic relationship with self and a significant other. Don’t miss it.

Today we are very fortunate to get an opportunity to talk to bestselling author Andrew Solomon, writer and lecturer on psychology, politics, and the arts and winner of the National Book Award for The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. He is an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, and the arts. His latest NY Times bestselling book, and the subject of our interview today, entitled Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity, is also the winner of several awards, including being chosen at among the NY Times Ten Best Books of 2012. It has been called “A bold and unambiguous call to redefine how we view difference… A stunning work of scholarship and compassion (Carmela Ciuraru, USA Today) distinguished similarly by many other notables for its exceptional profundity, compassion and insight. Today we are going to take an intimate look at this entire concept of loving differentness. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to gain insight into the power of love.

What does it mean to develop one’s own authentic spirituality? How does one do that? Does one have to ditch all religious rituals and practices? Does one have to ditch religion in general? What are the consequences of developing one’s own authentic spirituality? And most importantly, how does on develop an authentic spirituality? These are the questions that will be answered on today’s Authentic Living episode—and more. In order to really connect with spirituality—it has to be a real connection. We are going to learn all of the how’s and why’s of creating an authentic spirituality. Don’t miss this one.

What is it in your life that is calling you to change—while you are calling for it to change first? Today Mike Robbins is here to talk to us about how real change really happens. Mike is the author of three books, including Focus on the Good Stuff; Be Yourself Everyone Else is Already Taken, and his latest and the focus of our talk today, Nothing Changes Until You Do: A Guide to Self-Compassion and Getting Out of Your Own Way. Mike contributes regularly to Huffington Post and Oprah.com and has been featured in several other popular magazines. He has been a guest on hundreds of TV and radio shows—including this one. And Mike brings unique and in-depth insights to the topic of self-compassion and getting out of our own way. So be here. You are not going to want to miss this one.

We have been taught that the body is the problem. The body is what makes us sin, with its lusts, its appetites and its hungers. The body is what makes us sick. The body is what makes us die. The body is that which we must discipline and chastise if we find that we have done wrong. Forever, the body has been thought to be the problem. But what if you were to learn that the body is actually the solution to the problem of the soul? What if you were to learn that you cannot fulfill your soul’s intention unless the body realizes its nature as soul? We cannot wrap our heads around that idea very easily—but what if it were the truth—all the while we are making it the problem? Today we are going to wrap our heads around this final and fulfilling truth. Don’t miss this show. It could mean an awakening.

What if your child is highly intuitive? What if this gift is his/her gift to the world? Do you know what to do to facilitate this child's authenticity? Well today we are going to talk to Dr. Jenn royster who will give us some very useful information about how to raise an intuitive child. Jenn is an internationally known Intuitive Counselor, Spiritual Teacher, Energy Healer, Visionary, Speaker, Writer and Radio Host of The Jenn Royster Show, that syndicates to over 430 stations worldwide She came to awareness of her own spiritual gifts at an early age and can help parents learn how to help the gifted intuitive child. Don't miss this chance to learn how to raise an intuitive child.

This week we are talking to Peter Tongue, who will discuss the latest developments in what he considers to be the unfolding Divine Plan for planet earth. The ancients knew precisely what they were doing in marrying heaven with earth through the structures that they built and worked with in ceremony to realize that connection. It is time for us to make that solid connection again. On his recent pilgrimage to New Mexico, he connected with the Landscape Zodiac centered on Valles Caldera and the eight pointed star that has been ceremonially anchored in around it. Peter will explain how we can best move forward on our own sacred pilgrimage and put the local landscape zodiacs into a Global context so we can see how this plan is playing out as well as our personal role in it. With earth’s wisdom Peter can us look deeper into these connections we already have. Be here for that.

Today we are so honored to have Iyanla Vanzant here to talk to us about her latest book, Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything. Iyanla Vanzant, NY Times Bestselling author; host of the number one reality show on the OWN network, Iyanla: Fix My Life; and frequent guest on Super Soul Sunday and Oprah’s Life Class, is easily one of America’s most profound spiritual leaders, who empowers individuals all across the globe to live into the truest self. Her body of work spans over three decades and includes CDs, television, radio and on stage performances, 15 published books, and 5 New York Times Bestsellers, which have been translated into 23 languages. Iyanla’s no nonsense approach to helping others to live healthy and whole demonstrates her clear capacity for delivering the absolute truth with love. She warms our hearts while pushing us to grow. Today we are going to get to talk with her about the purpose, the power and the freedom of forgiveness. Do NOT miss this show!

We have talked so much here on the Authentic Living Show about being authentic, and in so doing, to let go of the old roles. Those masks and costumes that we put on to cope with, even to survive childhood. But we haven’t spent as much time talking about how we can avoid assigning our children the masks and costumes in the first place. So today, we are going to talk about that. How do you mirror your child’s authenticity? Get your tools for doing just that, here today.

One of the most important reasons we become seekers of higher spiritual wisdom is that we are seeking healing for ourselves and those we love. While there are many methods and techniques for healing, including your garden variety allopathic care, those that heal the whole person rather than just an organ or an attitude are the ones that offer the greatest level of spiritual growth and potential for awakening. But the big question is how do we heal? We heal by working with the entire body/mind/spirit continuum. And that cannot be done when we are focusing on only one end of that spectrum. This show will focus on answering that very important, life-giving, life-saving question. Don’t miss it.