8
October
2010
This interview was conducted in 2004 when Frank came to coastal Maine to conduct a workshop on sacred dying. This workshop forever changed my views of grief and the way our culture views death and dying. Powerful, amazing man with a huge heart, doing great work in the world. Founder of Zen Hospice of San Francisco, he went on to found Alaya Institute with Ram Dass and others. I don’t know if Alaya morphed into this or not, but he is here now. Read up, he’s a fascinating, motivated, altruistic person.
http://www.mettainstitute.org/FOstaseski.html
* Oh, and please forgive that this show is in three parts - I do not have editing equipment here, and this show is unedited. However I feel its content is well worth publishing, even in its current form
belajohnson 
Uncategorized, healing, death, dying, Buddhism, awareness, choice, compassion, consciousness, relationships 
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8
October
2010
This interview was conducted in 2004 when Frank came to coastal Maine to conduct a workshop on sacred dying. This workshop forever changed my views of grief and the way our culture views death and dying. Powerful, amazing man with a huge heart, doing great work in the world. Founder of Zen Hospice of San Francisco, he went on to found Alaya Institute with Ram Dass and others. I don’t know if Alaya morphed into this or not, but he is here now. Read up, he’s a fascinating, motivated, altruistic person.
http://www.mettainstitute.org/FOstaseski.html
* Oh, and please forgive that this show is in three parts - I do not have editing equipment here, and this show is unedited. However I feel its content is well worth publishing, even in its current form
belajohnson Uncategorized, death, dying, Buddhism, awareness, choice, compassion, consciousness, relationships, advocacy Comments (0) » |
8
October
2010
This interview was conducted in 2004 when Frank came to coastal Maine to conduct a workshop on sacred dying. This workshop forever changed my views of grief and the way our culture views death and dying. Powerful, amazing man with a huge heart, doing great work in the world. Founder of Zen Hospice of San Francisco, he went on to found Alaya Institute with Ram Dass and others. I don't know if Alaya morphed into this or not, but he is here now. Read up, he's a fascinating, motivated, altruistic person.
http://www.mettainstitute.org/FOstaseski.html
* Oh, and please forgive that this show is in three parts - I do not have editing equipment here, and this show is unedited. However I feel its content is well worth publishing, even in its current form.
belajohnson Uncategorized, healing, death, dying, Buddhism, awareness, choice, compassion, consciousness, relationships, advocacy Comments (0) » |
2
September
2010
I was lucky enough, after this interview, to visit with Jerry and his wife Marilyn Strong at their home on an island in Washington state. Not only do they 'live their vision,' but Jerry's art is powerful and mythic in proportion. The grounds of their home are a reflection of what they attempt to create in all they do. This introduction from the book drew me into the artist's story, which is fascinating and ultimately redeeming.
"In 1979, I destroyed all the art I had created, gave everything I owned away, and began a new life. I sensed an inner and outer world in perfect order. I sensed that I could become a willing participant in that order, and that it allowed for my individual expression and unique contribution. I know now that my participation was conditional on how well I learned to listen and to see the inherent patterns within the natural order I sensed. The return of a physical creative expression came later, after I learned what was required by the inner life. The new life that I gave myself to required unconditional trust and noninterference. I asked for nothing from any human being. I needed to know if there was a God and I risked my life to find that out. I know now that we risk far more when we attempt to create a life devoid of a personal relationship with our God."
FMI: http://www.handsofalchemy.com
belajohnson Uncategorized, healing, spirituality, soul, awareness, consciousness, culture, art Comments (0) » |
2
September
2010
I found Doctor Terry, as she is called, a lively and engaging guest with a seemingly strong altruistic streak. Her suffering of personal hardship has doubtless sharpened her compassion factor and added another dimension to her practice and career. In this self revelatory interview, interpretations of Biblical stories I heard in my youth, for example, give freshness and immediacy to current life challenges and situations.
From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, "In the 1980s, Reverend Cole-Whittaker, a New Age guru preaching a prosperity gospel, climbed book charts with HOW TO HAVE MORE IN A HAVE-NOT WORLD. Now she's back, with a new set of tips for having more. Perhaps taking a cue from Deepak Chopra (THE SEVEN SPIRITUAL LAWS OF SUCCESS), Cole-Whittaker gives seven steps to achieving personal prosperity. First, she says, readers have to know what they want and aim high! They shouldn't be afraid to ask for their heart's desire, especially of God who, Cole-Whittaker assures us, always answers prayers (though not always immediately). Some of her lessons are a tad obvious (step four is 'Do What Works, and Don't Do What Doesn't'), but others, such as her reminder that readers shouldn't be overly attached to any given person, place or thing, are stirring."
FMI: http://www.terrycolewhittaker.com
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2
September
2010
Her book's subtitle, too long to fit in the title field, is "A Buddhist Way of Understanding Personalities, Emotions and Relationships."
From her website: "Our sanity and neurosis are complementary aspects of our energetic style. By practicing mindfulness we integrate body and mind, cultivating the ability to be receptive, fresh and spontaneous. By practicing the postures of the five qualities, we recognize our patterns and learn to embrace all aspects of ourselves. With more personal awareness, relaxation and friendliness (maitri) towards ourselves, we move away from rejecting our neurosis to seeing our intrinsic sanity. We can become a highly-tuned psychophysical being relating to the energy in ourselves and our surroundings."
Irini Rockwell, MA, - principal trainer, is director of the Five Wisdoms Institute and founder of Five Wisdoms @ Work, a professional development training for health caregivers, educators, organizational leaders, and individuals. She has an MA in Contemplative Psychotherapy, a Certificate in Authentic Leadership, and has been long time faculty at Naropa University. Her first career was as a dance performer, choreographer and teacher ... She is a long time student of Trungpa Rinpoche, a senior teacher in the Shambhala International community, and a founding member of Maitri Council International.
FMI: http://www.fivewisdomsinstitute.com
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2
September
2010
Philip Osgood is a longtime meditator, Buddhist practitioner and professional writer. He also guides retreats most summers on the coast of Maine, helping participants be better writers through a combination of meditation and writing.
I personally have attended one of Philip's sessions, and came away with more useful material than I have since. As a writer, I value his nonjudgmental support. As a facilitator, he attracts solid writers who practice respect for their craft and one another.
From his blog, "To become a writer, to be a writer, is deceptively simple: All you have to do is write. As soon as you begin writing, you are a writer. Plain and simple. Whenever I facilitate writing retreats and workshops, we always start with a short free-writing period. The purpose of this exercise is to wade into the stream of writing, to get ourselves wet. By doing so, we establish right from the beginning that every participant is indeed a writer. Then I encourage everyone to let go of, or at least suspend, any nagging internal debates like: 'Am I or am I not really a writer? ... Do I have what it takes to be a writer? ... Am I fooling myself in wanting to write? ...' etc. Such conjectures are not helpful or conducive for establishing a writing practice. So for now, as best you can allow yourself, just drop them.
Writing is a process and one enters the process as soon as one engages in the act of writing. This commonsense notion is so obvious that we often overlook it, but sometimes it’s refreshing to remind ourselves how easy it is to just begin writing."
FMI: http://philiposgood.com
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2
September
2010
Why are you here on Earth? Where will you go after death? What will happen to you when you get there? Many books have been written about past lives, but there has been very scant information about the ongoing existence of our souls as we await rebirth - until From his website: "JOURNEY OF SOULS was published in 1994. Now a best-selling classic, Journey of Souls summarizes Dr. Michael Newton's research and work with individuals whom he placed in a state of deep hypnosis during which they recalled their experiences between lives as eternal spirits.
When Dr. Newton, a certified Master Hypnotherapist, began regressing his clients back in time to access their memories of former lives he stumbled onto a discovery of enormous proportions: that it is possible to 'see' into the spirit world through the mind's eye of subjects who are in a hypnotized or superconscious state. Moreover, clients in this altered state are able to describe what their soul was doing between lives on Earth."
Interesting material. FMI: http://www.spiritualregression.org/
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2
September
2010
Laurine Morrison Meyer asks and answers: "Is there a Western equivalent to the Eastern Practice of Feng Shui?" Meyer blends time-honored design principles with Western mythology and folklore.
From Christopher Penczak in Llewellyn Journals, "Through interior design, she explores the use of archetypal forms, sacred symbols and deities from pagan traditions. She works with tarot images, the four elements and sacred space to create, protect, bless and cleanse the home. Meyer suggests the use of threshold amulets to protect your home and remind you that you are entering sacred space. She explores the equal-armed cross in the circle, the Tau cross, the Ankh, the pentagram, Pennsylvania Dutch hex charms and folk art. She asks, “Can you think of something symbolic that you would like to use as a protective amulet or remind of the sacredness of your home?” She encourages you to explore your creativity and find what is right for you. I love her simple ritual to cleanse negative energy on pages 167-168."
FMI: http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/804
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20
August
2010
This interview was conducted back in my very early days of radio. It remains one of my favorites, and one most requested by listeners. From her blog, address below:
I love exploring ideas that change the way we understand who we are and what we are capable of being and doing. Speaking, writing, traveling, and facilitating retreats, workshops, ceremonies and rituals are my special delights. I was a drama major in college, and trained as an actor at ACT in San Francisco. I've been a Center for Spiritual Living minister since 1986, and have pastored large churches, been Dean of one of our school of ministry campuses, and am an instructor for them. I wrote a book published by Tarcher/Putnam, GUIDANCE FROM THE DARKNESS, that explores how to weather change with grace. I'm a continuing student in a PhD program in Imaginal Psychology. I celebrate my family, including my son, daughter-in-law, and my grandson.
AMAZON says:
An exploration of our potential for personal transformation through experiences of pain and crisis.
Through years of working with congregants in pastoral-care situations, Mary Murray Shelton, a popular leader with the United Church of Religious Science, has observed that difficult experiences in our lives are opportunities for us to move forward in profound ways. In Guidance from the Darkness, she offers an alternative interpretation of what happens in times of darkness, that provides hope and that steers the sufferer into new realms of power, love, beauty, strength, and success.
Guidance from the Darkness is for anyone who wants to grow through pain rather than be shut down by it. Going beyond symptom relief to the deeper causes of pain, Shelton shows how our inner divine wisdom can custom-make a permanent healing that involves changing both behavior and thought.
FMI: http://www.revmarysmusings.blogspot.com/
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