Spirit Matters Talk

Sandra McLanahan discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Zach Leary is the host of the "It's All Happening" podcast. He calls himself "a blogger/writer, a futurist, spiritualist, digital branding specialist and self-proclaimed social theorist." He is a practitioner of bhakti yoga as taught through many of the Vedantic systems of Northern India, which "unlock doorways that allow the soul to experience its true nature of being eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss." Zach has also been influenced by other methods and traditions of consciousness exploration, ranging from trans-humanism to Buddhism and clinical psychology. At the core of his work is the belief that we have been fused together by the use of technology, spirituality and mysticism to define the very nature of who we are. We spoke about bhakti, chanting, his podcast and growing up with a unique and controversial father, Timothy Leary. Learn more about Zach here: http://zachleary.com/about/

zach leary discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Joan Shivarpita Harrigan, Ph.D. is the director of Patanjali Kundalini Yoga Care—USA, and the author of Kundalini Vidya: The Science of Spiritual Transformation and the forthcoming Stories of Spiritual Transformation: The Fulfillment of Kundalini Process. She has practiced, studied, and taught Raja Yoga and Advaita Vedanta for over thirty years. Upon being initiated as a monastic in the Shankaracharya tradition in 1987, she was tutored in Traditional Kundalini Science by Swami Chandrasekharanand Saraswati of Rishikesh, holder of the lineage. In 2004, she was authorized to provide the services and teachings of the lineage in North America and the UK. Learn more about Joan Shivarpati Harrigan here: http://kundalinicare.com/pkyc-directors/

Joan Harrigan discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Dr. Bob Rosenthal is the Co-President of the Foundation for Inner Peace, which publishes A Course in Miracles. Previously, he served on the Foundation’s Board of Directors for almost 25 years and studied and taught the Course’s metaphysics for over 40 years. He was a practicing, board-certified psychiatrist and psychotherapist until retiring to assume his new position. Dr. Rosenthal is also the author of From Plagues to Miracles: The Transformational Journey of Exodus, From the Slavery of Ego to the Promised Land of Spirit, which reinterprets the biblical story of Moses and Pharaoh as a parable of the spiritual journey. We spoke primarily about the origin and content of A Course in Miracles. Learn more about Bob Rosenthal here: http://www.fromplaguestomiracles.com

Robert Rosenthal discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Dr. Wallace conducted pioneering research on the Transcendental Meditation technique. His seminal papers published in Science, the American Journal of Physiology, and Scientific American supported a new paradigm of mind-body medicine and brain development. Dr. Wallace is the founding President of Maharishi University of Management and was, in the 1980s, the founding President of Maharishi Ayurveda Corporation of America, which imported Ayurvedic products and established several panchakarma clinics throughout the U. S. He is the author of Dharma Parenting: Understand Your Child's Brilliant Brain for Greater Happiness, Health, Success and Fulfillment co-author with Dr. Fred Travis, Neurophysiology of Enlightenment, Transcendental Meditation, and Maharishi Ayurveda and Vedic Technology. Dr. Wallace has traveled around the world giving lectures at major universities and institutes on consciousness-based health programs. Dr. Wallace is currently a Trustee of Maharishi University of Management, Dean of the Colleg

Keith Wallace discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Veena R. Howard, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at California State University, Fresno. She teaches and researches Asian religious traditions, Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy, animal ethics, interfaith interactions among Hindus and Muslims, and gender issues in Indian philosophy. The author of Gandhi’s Ascetic Activism: Renunciation and Social Change, she has also translated several books and published articles in professional journals. She is currently editing a book on religions of India. Dr. Howard is committed to reviving indigenous spiritual and ethical approaches to connect personal transformation and social change. We spoke mainly about her research on Gandhi’s spirituality and social activism. Learn more about Veena Howard here: http://csufresno.academia.edu/veenahoward.

Veena Howard discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Rabbi Sharon Brous is the founder and Senior Rabbi at IKAR, which she calls “a laboratory for bold, imaginative Jewish practice.” Based in Los Angeles, it became one of the fastest growing Jewish communities in the country, and Rabbi Brous has been recognized as one of the nation’s most influential American Jews. She has been credited with “reanimating Jewish community and re-energizing prayer at a time of growing disaffection and declining affiliation.” In 2013 she blessed President Obama and Vice President Biden at the Inaugural National Prayer Service. Among other positions, she is a Senior Fellow at Auburn Theological Seminary and serves on the rabbinic advisory council to American Jewish World Service. We spoke about her innovative approach to Jewish spirituality and her unique congregation. Learn more about Rabbi Sharon Brous here: http://www.ikar-la.org/about/leadership/ikar-team/

Rabbi Sharon Brous discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Vikram Zutshi is a writer-producer-director based in Los Angeles. After several years in indie film and network TV production, then an executive at 20th Century Fox and Rogue Entertainment, he went solo, producing and directing feature films and documentaries. A passionate Yogi, he is the founding editor of Sutra Journal and writes frequently on Buddhism, Shaivism, Sacred Art, Culture and Cinema. He is currently prepping “Urban Sutra,” a TV series about the transformative effects of Yoga in strife-torn communities, and “Darshana: The Aesthetic Experience in Indian Art,” a feature documentary on Hindu, Jain and Buddhist Art. We spoke mainly about his recent film shoots in India for “Darshana,” and the mission of Sutra Journal. Learn more about Vikram Zutshi here: http://www.sutrajournal.com/who-we-are

Vikram Zutshi discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Stephen Dinan is the founder and CEO of The Shift Network and a member of the Transformational Leadership Council and Evolutionary Leaders. He helped create and direct the Esalen Institute’s Center for Theory & Research, was the director of membership and marketing at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. A social entrepreneur and leading voice in the transpartisan movement, Stephen has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences, events, radio programs, and online summits. His new book, Sacred America, Sacred World: Fulfilling Our Mission in Service to All and Radical Spirit, calls for a pragmatic approach to social reform that goes beyond left and right. We spoke about Shift Network and the vision that informs his new book. Learn more about Stephen Dinan here: www.StephenDinan.com.

Stephen Dinan discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Elias Amidon is the spiritual director (Pir) of the Sufi Way. He has been an initiate of the Sufi Way for 44 years and was appointed as the Pir of the order in 2004. His root teacher was Pir Fazal Inayat-Khan, and he has also studied with Qadiri Sufis in Morocco, Theravaden Buddhist teachers in Thailand, Native American teachers of the Assemblies of the Morning Star, Christian monks in Syria, Zen teachers of the White Plum Sangha, and contemporary Dzogchen teachers. Author of The Open Path: Recognizing Nondual Awareness, and co-editor of Earth Prayers, Life Prayers, and Prayers for a Thousand Years, he continues to travel widely teaching Open Path and other Sufi Way programs. We spoke about Sufism, his lineage and his modern approach to the tradition. Learn more about Elias Amidon here: http://sufiway.org/about-us/pir-elias

Elias Amidon discussion by Discussion by Dennis and Phil

Marc Barasch is the author of the bestseller The Compassionate Life, which helped inspire the Compassionate Cities movement and the film “I Am." Marc later founded the Green World Campaign on an ethos of “green compassion,” which integrates ecological health, social wellbeing, and universal spiritual values. The GWC has planted millions of trees and practiced eco-agriculture on three continents, restoring degraded landscapes, alleviating poverty, and increasing food security in communities struggling on the front lines of climate change. A persistent catalyst for social change, Marc has edited culture-shifting magazines like Psychology Today, Natural Health, and New Age Journal; created TV specials; and written seminal books on holistic health and human potential. We spoke about his current work regenerating an environment threatened by climate change and the need to “ReGreen the World in One Generation!” Learn more about Marc Barasch here: www.greenworldcharter.org