Authentic Living

In order to answer that question we first have to understand that Self is not the same as self. Indeed, what we consider to be self or personality is commonly made up identity. Identity is formed by introjecting the projections of those who were most significant to us in our early upbringing. It is not who we actually are. Rather it is a mask and costume we put on in order to feel that we belong in our families of origin and we have by now worn for so long and for so deep that we define ourselves by it, without even knowing that it is a mask and costume. Self is who we were (and are) before we introjected those projections. Self is who we came here to be. But what has that to do with the divine? Tune in to find out.

There is not one single miracle, not one single answered prayer, not one single period of bliss or peace that does not involve at least a temporary state of surrender to divine Self. That said, however, that is not how we think. Not only is the whole idea of surrender a difficult one for us to consider, but the whole idea of Self as divine is all but intolerable to many. So on today’s show we are going to explore what it means to surrender and what it means to surrender to divine Self. Everyone out there who is considering the possibility of an answered prayer, who longs for bliss or peace, who is seeking a miracle should be here for today’s show. Til then.

If you know anything about the Buddhist philosophy, you know that one of its primary principles is detachment. We are not to attach ourselves to people, places, things, events, circumstances or situations. But how does one live one’s life without attaching to these things? Isn’t that what life is all about—really appreciating and enjoying and being part of these relationships to the accoutrements of living? If so, then what does it mean to detach? Would Western religious philosophies agree with the concept of detachment? Some say it is the key to living a happy life. So, this show might be a really important one. Tune in.

Have you found your deepest ancient roots? No. We're not talking about your genealogy, though that can certainly be a part of it. We’re talking about the deepest collective archetypal memories found in the corpuscles of your blood and the marrow of your bones. And of how your personal psychology connects to this. These two, can unite to create a primal essence, which is at least an aspect of the authentic Self if not its entirety. It speaks to us in our dreams, in the symbols with which we resonate and in the seemingly magical synchronistic events of our lives. Making contact with these symbols facilitates our awakening to who we are. Let’s talk about that together. Don’t miss it.

Why is it so very difficult for us to imagine that we are One with all, and that all is One with us? Why is it that we feel so very separate from the divine and each other? Why does any one of us ever feel lonely? Today we are going to answer those questions to the best of our ability given the mystery that is Oneness. If you suffer with feelings of guilt, shame, emptiness, loneliness, differentness, this show could facilitate a bridge to awakening for you. Don’t miss it.

No one wants to feel sorrow. It is the emotion we most avoid, for it makes us vulnerable to the onslaughts of deep emotional and psychic shifts. We live in a world in which the social pressures and rigid schedules of life forbid our sorrow. Yet sorrow changes us, allows us into the closets where we have hidden the authentic Self. Our guest today is going to talk to us about sorrow and how we might facilitate a deeper soulful journey through sorrow. Author of “The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief,” Frances Weller is a Psychotherapist, writer and soul activist, who has founded “The Wisdom Bridge” to provide educational programs to bring together wisdom from indigenous cultures and the Western culture. His special gift is synthesizing and integrating psychology, anthropology, mythology, alchemy, indigenous cultures and poetic traditions. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the gift of sorrow.

There are many spiritual teachers teaching that we should practice gratitude as a daily, even hourly part of our routine—so that we will maintain a positive outlook, increase our mood, decrease our stress and make us generally nicer people. Two problems with that: 1) when we add “should” to gratitude it ceases to be gratitude and becomes a duty; 2) anytime we add a “so that” to our spiritual routines, they cease to be spiritual and become conflated, contrivances meant to manipulate the gods. Gratitude is actually a form of presence. And presence is a spiritual practice that has only to do with embracing life on life’s terms. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to live, rather than merely survive.

What do we do with the enormous suffering created by such things as deadly illness and trauma? They say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. But when the miracles come, what is it that happens within us, around us, about us? What is it that transforms us? Mark Nepo is coming back to the Authentic Living show to discuss his latest book, Inside the Miracle, in which he reveals his own miraculous recovery from cancer and all of the profound insights that came with it during, right after and in the years since. Mark is the bestselling author of The Book of Awakening, a poet, philosopher and spiritual teacher who has published 16 books, and 11 audio projects. This interview is going to be moving, profoundly insightful and it will offer powerful guidance to those suffering right now. Don’t miss it.

What can you expect to happen next in your life? Will you get that job or relationship you want? Or not. What if it doesn’t happen? What will you do then? Better yet, what will you believe then? What do you imagine is supposed to happen in your life? What about what you deserve—what do you deserve to happen in your life? What if you don’t know? Are you doing something wrong? These questions and more are discussed and answered on today’s show. Don’t miss it.

If you are like most people, at some point in your life you begin to think that lasting peace or happiness will forever elude you. You may have had periods of satisfaction or contentment but deep, abiding peace seem to be impossible. This is a profound moment of possibility, because for the first time you are wondering about one of the most basic elements of the living experience—our own peace. Why is it that peace is so elusive? Is it possible for us to really have and own our peace? If so, how do we do that? Today we are going to be talking to Christopher Papadopoulas, author of “Peace And Where To Find It”, who is going to help us answer some of these very important questions. Don’t miss it.

We still hear a lot about how it is that we should control our thoughts so that we can get what we want. There are memes on social media sites every day about this idea. We are constantly being advised to watch what we are thinking, because the Universe is listening and responding to our thoughts as if they were direct orders for the Universe to follow. But our wicked thoughts, called by most “negative thoughts” do not have the power to manipulate the Universe—surely we know that the Universe is way more intelligent than that! So what is true? What is the truth about our thoughts and their impact on the Universe? If you have been trying to get your thoughts to behave themselves and stop being so wicked, stop betraying you by making the Universe work against you, this show is for you. Don’t miss it.

Typically we don’t think of surrender as a form of empowerment. We think of surrender in terms of defeat, waving the white flag and feeling forever after that like the loser. But surrender is allowing the soul to be itself. Surrender is allowing the authentic Self to run the life. Surrender is getting in the zone. The problem is most of us don’t know how or when to do it. We don’t know how to “let go.” We don’t know how to get into the flow of our own authenticity. This show is not only going to define surrender in its deepest most essential meaning, but it is going to demonstrate the how’s and the when’s of surrender. Don’t miss it.

We all have major life transitions, which come in many different forms. But these difficult times can be thresholds to a new adventure. How do we take the challenge to turn what appears to be a block or even a death, into a threshold? Rabbi Sherre Hirsch has come today to talk to us about her 2nd book, Thresholds: How to Thrive Through Life’s Transitions. Rabbi Hirsch is the first female Rabbi, who served for 8 years as the Rabbi of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. She has since left the more traditional pulpit to serve a larger, more diverse “congregation.” She is now a nationally recognized personality who speaks across the country and frequently appears in the national media. She also serves as Spiritual Consultant to Canyon Ranch properties. Rabbi Sherre blends ancient tradition and modern day application to empower individuals to be their own spiritual guides. You are not going to want to miss this show.

Have you ever looked back over your life and thought to yourself, “I’ve been had?” Well, don’t feel alone, many of us have experienced deliberate gotcha’s perpetrated by those who want to manipulate, abuse or control us. But there’s a bigger story—a more global story to this whole thing of manipulation, and Eldon Taylor is here today to tell us about it, and how we may avoid falling prey to it. His latest book, “Gotcha!” tells us all about the silent battle that has been raging for more than a century for the territory of our minds. The book explores the 24/7 bombardment of information designed to win the hearts and minds of the public, and exposes the arrival of the Orwellian age in full-blown technicolor. In revealing the game, he helps us know what we need to do to avoid allowing others to puppet our thoughts and to maintain original thinking. This is going to be a mind-blower today. Don’t miss it.

Joan Borysenko is back this week for the third time to talk with us about guilt, for guilt can be a major block to our resilience factor. Her latest book, “It’s Not the End of the World: Developing Resilience in Times of Change” will be combined with one of her earlier books, “Guilt is the Teacher, Love is the Lesson” in an in-depth discussion of this devilish master craftsman of our lives. In the extreme, many of us live whole lifetimes driven by guilt and responsibility for other people’s stuff. But most of us worry over guilt at least some of the time. It works us over and compels us at times to do things that are not only unnecessary but often come down to downright interference with other people’s lives. And it eats at us from the inside out, through that niggling little voice that just won’t seem to let go until we finally give into it. Well this week, we are going to help it let go. Don’t miss this important discussion.

We have arrived at adolescence in our understanding of relationship—in other words, we have a long way to go. But, well, what do we expect? Only 150 years ago, we were still often arranging marriages. We arranged for a good dowry, good property, money, inheritance, prestige, even good teeth and good hips. So this thing of marrying someone we love is new, and we have only begun the work of understanding how to do it. But you know what happens typically in adolescence: we fall in love and out of love very quickly. Unfortunately, that’s still where we are with this new understanding of marriage. But actually that process for the adolescent teaches him or her something about relationship—and so we are likewise learning. What are we learning? Tune in to find out how to have a healthy, happy, long-term relationship.

What is it that keeps us from living authentically? Well at least a part of it is the illusions, delusions and lies we believe that keep us from even considering that there is such a thing as the authentic Self, or that we can live an authentic life. We are so encumbered with these illusions, delusions and lies that we cannot see, are literally blind, to the authentic Self and its messages and urgings. This show is going to expose those illusions, delusions and lies for what they are, and tell the truth about the authentic Self. The truth exposed here today can create a breakthrough, so that you can begin to see, and begin to integrate the authentic Self. Don’t miss it.

When we experience a loss or a defeat, we often feel a great deal of pain. Added to that pain is also a self-judgment, self-recrimination, that has to do with our effort to spiritually by-pass grief altogether. Many are teaching that to have the typical feelings of grief means that we are unwilling to let go, or that we are “ staying stuck” in anger—one of the natural phases of acceptance of any difficult reality. But grief that is allowed its full array of phases and stages has a very natural transformative power. It changes us to the core with lasting and deeply spiritual changes. Today we are going to talk about how you can get the gift of grief. Don’t miss this show—even if you are not grieving right now, you will one day, and this show can help you know what to do when that happens.

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 get lost in the holes in the sidewalk of our psyches. These holes are like the traps made for wild animals in the wilderness, all covered up with brush and dirt, so that we think we are just continuing on the path. But suddenly and without our knowing how, we fall into the hole—we are lost again. We’ve fallen into that old complex, that old default position. We don’t know how we got there, we don’t know how to get out—heck, we don’t even know that we are in it. We’re just doing what we’ve always done. This complex drags us around by our emotions, intense emotions that seem compulsive in nature. They tell us what to do and we are just compelled to do them. And what they tell us to do turns out to be just all wrong. Now we’ve done it and we begin to awaken to the facts of the fall and we are asking, “how in the world did this happen?” Well, we are going to answer that question today. Don’t miss it.