The New Dimensions Café

Michael Meade is a renowned storyteller, author, scholar of mythology, and student of ritual in traditional cultures. He has the unusual ability to tap into ancestral sources of wisdom and connect them into the stories we are living today. Michael is the founder of Mosaic Multicultural Foundation. He is the author of The World Behind the World (GreenFire Press 2006), The Water of Life: Initiation and the Tempering of the Soul (GreenFire Press 2006), Fate and Destiny, The Two Agreements of the Soul (revised & expanded, Greenfire Press 2012) and Why the World Doesn't End, Tales of Renewal in Times of Loss (Greenfire Press 2012). His CD recordings include The Soul of Change (Mosaic Audio 2010), The Ends of Time, the Roots of Eternity: Tales of Myth, Nature & Culture (Mosaic Audio 2007) and Finding Genius In Your Life (Mosaic Audio  2014)Interview Date: 8/13/2012   Tags: Michael Meade, Mythology

A former innovative farmer, James Olson is a philosopher whose studies have included business, engineering, art, Eastern and Western religion, yoga, qigong, psychology, language, neuro-linguistic programming, sacred geometry, and brain science. For many years, he’s investigated the effects of brain perspective on government, corporate life, war, and our personal lives. He’s the author of The Whole-Brain Path to Peace: The Role of Left- and Right-Brain Dominance in the Polarization and Reunification of America (Origin Press 2011).Interview Date: 1/30/2012      Tags: James Olson, Brain, Right Brain, Left Brain, Psychology, Science, Personal Transformation

Robert J. Wicks, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and serves as a professor in the graduate programs in pastoral counseling at Loyola University, Maryland.  In 1994 he was responsible for the psychological debriefing of relief workers evacuated from Rwanda during their bloody civil war. In 2006, he delivered a presentation on self-care to health care professionals responsible for Iraqi war veterans with multiple amputations and severe head injuries at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and Walter Reed Army Hospital. He's the author of many books including Riding the Dragon: 10 Lessons for Inner Strength in Challenging Times (Sorin Books 2012), Bounce: Living the Resilient Life (Oxford University Press 2009), Prayerfulness: Awakening to the Fullness of Life (Sorin Books 2009) and Streams of Contentment: Lessons I Learned on My Uncle's Farm (Sorin Books 2011).Interview Date: 11/3/2011 Tags:  Spirituality, Self Help, Psychology, Personal Transformation, Philosophy

Azarm Ghareman, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist, and holds advanced degrees in chemistry and business administration, and has conducted many professional training workshops. She is the author of Longing for a Land: The Story of a Persian Woman's Individuation in America (Mazda Connections 2005) and Six Life Secrets of Content Women: a Guide for Emotional Self-Care (Mazda Connections 2010)Interview Date: 6/7/2011 Tags: Women's Studies, Personal Transformation, Psychology, Self Help

Thomas Huebl is a spiritual teacher and workshop presenter who has dedicated his life to the task of exploring consciousness and supporting people worldwide in this exploration. He founded The Celebrate Life Festival and The Academy of Inner Science. He resides in Germany.Interview Date: 4/1/2012  Tags: Thomas Hübl,Thomas Huebl, being awake, transparent communication, competency of silence, thinking, competence of movement, the shadow, stillness, Philosophy, Psychology

Lama Surya Das, a renowned Western Buddhist meditation teacher and scholar, teaches and lectures around the world, conducting dozens of meditation retreats and workshops each year. He is the founder and spiritual director of the Dzogchen Foundation, and founder of the Western Buddhist Teachers Network. He is the author of many books, including Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World (Broadway 1997), Buddha Is as Buddha Does: The Ten Original Practices for Enlightened Living (HarperOne 2008), Buddha Standard Time: Awakening to the Infinite Possibilities of Now (HarperOne 2011)Interview Date: 6/20/2011 

Sheldon Norberg received his training at the Academy of Intuition Medicine and has developed an extensive practice in meditation and energetic space healing. He became an adjunct faculty member at the Academy of Intuition Medicine while earning his B.A. in Psycho-Spiritual Healing at San Francisco State University. He is a Certified Practitioner of Chi Nei Tsan (Chinese Organ Massage), a Certified Hypnotherapist, and a non-denominational minister. He has trained in Holotropic Breathwork®, Alchemical Divination, Shamanism, and Feng Shui.  He is the author of Healing Houses: My Work as a Psychic House Cleaner (North Mountain Publishing 2010)Tags: Sheldon Norberg, psychic, ghosts, emotional charges in home, hard to sell house, Native American spirit, spirit world, sacralize, intuition, Parapsychology, Paranormal, Intuition, Psychic, Science

Elson Haas, M.D. is an integrative medicine practitioner with more than four decades of experience. He’s the Founder and Director of Haas Health Online and the Preventative Medical Center of Marin (PMCM). He is the author of Staying Healthy with the Seasons (Celestial Arts 2003), Staying Healthy Shopper’s Guide (Celestial Arts, 1999), The False Fat Diet: The Revolutionary 21-Day Program for Losing the Weight You Think Is Fat  (Ballantine, 2000), The Detox Diet, Third Edition: The Definitive Guide for Lifelong Vitality with Recipes, Menus and Detox Plans (Ten Speed Press 2012), Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine (revised) (Celestial Arts 2006) and Staying Healthy with NEW Medicine: Integrating Natural, Eastern and Western Approaches for Optimal Health (Elson Haas 2016).Tags: Elson Haas, natural medicine, Eastern Medicine, Western Medicine, integrated medicine, energy flow, Chinese, Chi, blood pressure medicine, holistic health, juice cleanse, strengths of Western medicine, insomniac, insomnica, c-pap machine, 5 keys to good health, nutrition, exercise, sleep, managing stress, attitude, positive self-talk, medical insurance and althernative medicine, natural energy, Health & Healing, Self Help

Margaret Wheatley is an internationally acclaimed writer, speaker, and teacher.  She began caring about the world's peoples in 1966 as a Peace Corps volunteer in postwar Korea. She is co-founder and President Emerita of The Berkana Institute, a charitable foundation that works with people around the world who strengthen their communities using the wisdom and wealth already present in their people, traditions, and environment. She is a guide in leading people back to understanding who we are as human being able to create the conditions for our basic human qualities of generosity, contribution, community, and love. She is a grand contributor in creating an Island of Sanity in the midst of wildly disruptive seas.  Her books include Leadership and the New Science  (Berrett-Kohler 1998), Perseverance (Berrett-Kohler 2010),Turning To One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope in the Future (Berrett-Kohler 2009), So Far from Home: Lost and Found In Our Brave New World (Barrett-Kohler 2012), Who Do We Choose To Be: Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity (Berrett-Kohler 2017)Tags: Margaret J. Wheatley, Meg Wheatley, leadership, despair, Warriors for the Human Spirit, nonviolent, generosity, aggression, activism, expectations, disappointments, hope, fear, staying present, cycles of civilization, useful action, not attached to outcome, Community, Community, Meditation, Philosophy, Buddhism, Social Change/Politics

Pilar Jennings, Ph.D. is a writer and researcher who has focused on the clinical applications of Buddhist meditation practice. She received her Ph.D. in Psychiatry and Religion from Union Theological Seminary, and has been working with patients and their families through the Harlem Family Institute since 2004. Dr. Jennings is also a researcher at the Columbia University Center for Study and Science and Religion as well as a facilitator of a Columbia University Faculty Seminar. She is a long-term practitioner of Tibetan and Vipassana Buddhism and has also trained as a Buddhist chaplain through the Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Her books include Mixing Minds: The Power of Relationship in Psychoanalysis and Buddhism (Wisdom Publications 2011) and To Heal a Wounded Heart: The Transformative Power of Buddhism and Psychotherapy in Action (Shambhala 2017)Tags: Pilar Jennings, psychotherapy, suffering, desire, frustration, disappointment, loss, resilience, resiliency, greed, inner resources, friendly curiosity, happiness, Buddhism, Community, Personal Transformation, Philosophy, Psychology