Spirit Matters Talk

Stephen Cope is a best-selling author and scholar who specializes in the relationship between the Eastern contemplative traditions and Western depth psychology. Among his seminal works in this area are: Yoga and the Quest for the True Self, The Wisdom of Yoga, The Great Work of Your Life. Deep Human Connection, and his most recent book, The Dharma in Difficult Times: Finding Your Calling in Times of Loss, Change, Struggle, and Doubt. For almost thirty years, Stephen has been Scholar-in-Residence at the renowned Kripalu Center—the largest center for the study and practice of yoga in the Western world in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Formerly, he was director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living, one of the world’s most influential research institutes examining the effects and mechanisms of yoga and meditation, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard Medical School and other institutions. In its twenty-fifth anniversary edition, “Yoga Journal” named Stephen one of the most influential thinkers

Stephen Cope Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Paul Muller-Ortega, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized meditation teacher, and a highly respected academic scholar in the field of Indian Religion and Hindu Tantra. A long-time student of the Kashmir Shaiva tradition with a PhD from the University of California, Paul is the founder of Blue Throat Yoga. He is devoted to teaching students how to access their truest Self, and to offering the knowledge base to understand and support that experience. He has led hundreds of meditation retreats, offered a vast array of study courses, translated and provided commentary on many of the most inspired sacred texts of the Śaiva-Śākta tradition, and has personally trained over 40 ācāryas as Authorized Teachers of Neelakantha Meditation. After teaching for 25 years at Michigan State and the University of Rochester, Paul left academia in 2009 to teach about the Shaiva tradition to a wider audience. We spoke about the origins, precepts, practices, and under appreciated influence of Kashmir Shaivism. Learn more about Paul

Paul Muller 2 - Ortega Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Paul John Roach is a longtime Unity minister and host of the weekly show World Spirituality on Unity Online Radio. A native of Wales and a graduate of Jesus College, Oxford University, he has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English and a postgraduate degree in education from the University of Wales. Paul was ordained by Unity in 1988 and served as the senior minister at Unity of Fort Worth, Texas, from 1988 to 2018. He has served the Unity movement on several boards and teams, including the board of Unity World Headquarters, and has written for Unity Magazine and other publications. Paul has traveled extensively throughout the world, including a journey to India in 1976, about which he is currently writing a book. In this, his second visit to Spirit Matters, we focused on his new book, Unity and World Religions. We spoke about what Paul calls “the golden thread” that runs through all religious traditions—what scholars call the Perennial Philosophy. Learn more about Paul John Roach here: https://www.pauljoh

Paul Roach 2 Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Dean Sluyter is the award-winning author of several books, including Natural Meditation, Cinema Nirvana: Enlightenment Lessons from the Movies, Fear Less, and his latest, The Dharma Bum’s Guide to Western Literature: Finding Nirvana in the Classics. A grateful student of Eastern and Western sages in several traditions, Dean has taught natural approaches to meditation and awakening since 1970. He gives talks, workshops, and retreats throughout the United States and beyond, from Ivy League colleges to maximum-security prisons. His media appearances have included National Public Radio, The New York Times, Coast to Coast AM, The Dr. Oz Show, and O, The Oprah Magazine. He is known for conveying authentic teachings in forms that are relaxed, accessible, and down-to-earth. In this, his fourth appearance on Spirit Matters, we spoke about his latest book, and his knack of finding deep spiritual lessons in unlikely places, like certain pages in the books we were assigned in high school and college. Learn more about Dea

Dean Sluyter Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Sara Critchfield is Vice President, Movement Building for the Fetzer Institute, a foundation whose mission statement is “Helping build the spiritual foundation for a loving world.” At Fetzer, she serves as “a strategist and innovator for inspiring, revealing, and serving the emergence of a movement toward personal and societal transformation grounded in love.” Prior to that, she built a track record of forwarding social movements by positioning organizations and businesses as credible leaders in the market. Sara was a faith-based activist with the United Church of Christ; an overseas economic justice volunteer; an entrepreneur and consultant across the corporate, startup, and nonprofit sectors; and founding editorial director of Upworthy.com, which was named the fastest growing media site of all-time in 2013 with a mission of “changing what the world pays attention to.” She has also worked for MoveOn.org, CO-OP Financial Services, Nuevos Horizontes, The Moral Courage Project, Noro Intellectual Property, and c

Sara Critchfield Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Matthew Fox is a spiritual theologian, an Episcopal priest, and an activist for gender justice and eco-justice. Originally a Catholic priest, he was silenced for a year and then expelled from the Dominican order by Cardinal Ratzinger for teaching liberation theology and creation spirituality. His 37 books have been translated into other languages over 70 times. Among them are Original Blessing, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, A Spirituality Named Compassion, The Reinvention of Work, Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God…Including the Unnameable God; and The Lotus & the Rose: A Conversation Between Tibetan Buddhism & Mystical Christianity. The founder of the University of Creation Spirituality in California, he conducts dozens of workshops each year and is a visiting scholar at the Academy for the Love of LearningIn this, his second visit to Spirit Matters, we spoke about a new book, Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality, a curated collection of his writings on a rang

Matthew Fox 2 Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Willa Blythe Baker, Ph.D. is the Founder of Natural Dharma Fellowship in Boston, and its retreat center, Wonderwell Mountain Refuge, in Springfield, New Hampshire. She was authorized as a dharma teacher and lineage holder of Tibetan Buddhism after twelve years of monastic training and two consecutive three-year retreats. Willa completed a doctorate at Harvard University, and was Visiting Lecturer in Buddhist Ministry from 2013 to 2017. Her articles and translations have appeared in Tricycle, Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Tibet Journal, and other periodicals and anthologies. Her books include The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work; Everyday Dharma: Seven Weeks to Finding the Buddha in You; Essence of Ambrosia; and her latest, The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom. At present, she writes, teaches, guides meditation retreats, and develops curricula for people interested in cultivati

Willa Blythe Baker Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

s Vidal is a teacher of Yoga and a practitioner of both Ayurveda and Vedic Astrology. He offers lectures, workshops, and unique certification training programs internationally. He also maintains a counseling practice that embraces Vedanta, Ayurveda, and Vedic Astrology. As the founder of Dancing Shiva, an American educational and consulting organization, he promotes health, wellness, and societal reform based on universal spirituality and a natural approach to lifestyle. His work is primarily influenced by the lineage-based traditions of India, particularly those of Paramahansa Yogananda and Swami Sivananda. He is the author of Sun, Moon and Earth: The Sacred Relationship of Yoga and Ayurveda and, most recently, The Evolution Revolution: Yoga, Ayurveda, and the Rise of Soft Power Culture. We spoke mainly about his new book, the higher and deeper meaning of evolution, and the practical implications of conscious evolution. Learn more about Mas Vidal here: https://dancingshiva.com/en-us

Mas Vidal Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Amy Edelstein is the founder and Executive Director of Inner Strength Education, a non-profit organization that supports youth development. Its innovative teen mindfulness and systems-thinking program has empowered 17,000 high school students in under-resourced schools in Philadelphia. The curriculum blends evidence-based mindfulness tools, evolutionary neuroscience, the science of large-scale cultural shifts, and the art and science of relationship. In recognition of the program’s impact on violence reduction, Amy was awarded a Philadelphia Social Innovators’ Award. She is also the co-founder of Emergence Education Press, which is dedicated to creating a more compassionate and inspired world. Amy has more than forty years experience of contemplative practice, including a background in Western and Eastern spiritual traditions. The author of six books, including the educational bestseller The Conscious Classroom and a recent memoir, Adventure in Zanskar. We spoke about that book, which chronicles the extraordi

Amy Edelstein Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Thom Krystofiak holds a B.A. from Harvard (magna cum laude) and an M.A. from Cambridge University, where he was a Knox Fellow. A trained teacher of Transcendental Meditation, in 1983 he joined an intentional community in Fairfield, Iowa, where he and his wife continue to live. He calls himself “a rigorous and thoroughgoing skeptic surrounded by ready believers,” and says he has “developed unique perspectives on the eternal and ever-new contest of doubt vs. belief.” He is the author of Tempted to Believe: The Seductive Power of Claims About ‘The Truth’. We spoke about the perspective that informs that book, touching on topics central to life on the spiritual path, such as the need for objectivity and discernment, balancing trust and independent thinking, and the temptation to believe the hard-to-believe. Learn more about Thom Krystofiak here: https://krystofiak.com

Thom Krystofiac Discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil