New Dimensions

Loch Kelly describes open-hearted awareness as a direct experience of our interconnectedness and the feeling of being held by the same essence that holds all life. It is a dynamic place that sparkles with life. Some describe it as “a child on the first day of summer vacation.” It is beyond head-knowing. It taps into a deeper source of intelligence and wisdom. Loch Kelly, M.Div, LCSW is founder of the nonprofit Open-Heart Awareness Institute. He is an educator, licensed psychotherapist, and recognized leader in the field of meditation, who was asked to teach Sutra Mahamudra by Mingyur Rinpoche and to teach nondual realization by Adyashanti. He collaborates with neuroscientists in the study of meditation to discover ways to improve compassion and well-being. He’s an emerging voice in modernizing meditation and social engagement. He is the author of Shift Into Freedom: The Science and Practices of Open-Hearted Awareness (Sounds True 2015) and a CD set of Meditations: Shift Into Freedom: A Training in the Science and Practice of Open-Hearted Awareness (Sounds True 2015)Interview Date: 1/13/2016     Tags:Loch Kelly, nondualism, consciousness, problem solver consciousness, thought based operating system, awareness based knowing, ground of being, mindfulness meditation, waking-up waking-in waking-out, embodied meditation, heart-mind, open-hearted awareness, memory door meditation, shame, well-being, spacious awareness, pure awareness, curiosity, intelligence, wisdom, creativity, Meditation, Philosophy, Personal Transformation, Spirituality

With extended longevity comes a chance to become a true wisdom elder. To leap from adulthood to elderhood we're challenged to uncover our unconscious denials and resistances around repairing the past and reclaiming our creativity thus revealing ways to discover and share our talents and wisdom to become a force for change in ourselves and in the lives of others. Connie Zweig is a psychotherapist and has been initiated into Elderhood as a certified Sage-ing leader. She is known as an expert in Shadow Work and uncovering our inner shadow. Although she is retired from clinical practice, she leads online workshops listed on her website which is also populated with many activities, blogs, videos, and audio references. She is the author of several books including Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature (Tarcher/Perigee 1991 reprint iUniverse 2017), with (Steve Wolf, PhD.) Romancing the Shadow: A Guide to Soul Work for a Vital Authentic Life (Wellspring/Ballantine; Reprint edition 1999), A Moth to the Flame: The Life of the Sufi Poet Rumi (a novel) (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 2006), The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul. (Park Street Press 2021)Interview Date: 2/14/2022   Tags: Connie Zweig, aging, senior, elder, longevity, ageism, unconscious, shadow work, inner ageist, regret, inner life review, outer life review, self-hate, productivity, depression, Ari Goldfield, wisdom, Anna Douglas, mindfulness, not good enough, inner sight, Bill McKibbon, Third Act, Citizens Climate Lobby, Elders Action Network, Encore.org, Sage-ing International, Sage-ing.org, Moses, Wisdom Circles, Aging, Personal Transformation, Spirituality

This deep dialogue uncovers many spiritual laws in everyday life. Millman gives us a taste of the four mentors who guided him on his spiritual quest. He calls these teachers The Professor, The Guru, The Warrior-Priest, and The Sage. They transmitted practical wisdom and spiritual laws for living wisely and well. These laws are immutable as gravity. Dan Millman is a lifelong student and longtime teacher of practical wisdom devoting his life to mastery, first in sports and then in everyday life. He is a former World trampoline champion, Stanford gymnastics coach, and Oberlin College professor. He teaches The Peaceful Warrior’s Way and is the author of 18 books published in 29 languages including Way Of the Peaceful Warrior (adapted to a 2006 feature film.) (HJ Kramer Revised Edition 2006), The Laws of Spirit: A Tale of Transformation (HJ Kramer book, published jointly, New World Library 1995), The Life You Were Born to Live: A Guide to Finding Your Purpose (HJ Kramer, Anniversary Edition 2018) and Peaceful Heart, Warrior Spirit: The True Story of My Spiritual Quest. (New World Library 2022)Interview Date: 2/4/2022    Tags: Dan Millman, martial arts, gymnastics, bullying, Judo, Karate, humility, Oscar Ichazo, Franklin Jones, Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Adi Da, Gurdjieff, Enneagram, Arica, guru, cult, Michael Bookbinder, David K. Reynolds, Constructive Living, positive thinking, Philosophy, Personal Transformation, Spirituality

Committed advocate of the preservation of wilderness and an explorer of both the outer and inner wilderness, Brooke Williams is constantly looking to understand and experience the value of wild places and what that means for modern humans. Here we explore wildness for ideas, possibilities, and inspiration across the great divide in which we find ourselves as Americans. Brooke Williams is an advocate for the preservation of wilderness. He writes about evolution, consciousness, and his own adventures exploring both the inner and outer wilderness. He lives in Utah with his wife and partner, the writer and former New Dimensions guest, Terry Tempest Williams. He is the author of several books including Half-Lives: Reconciling Work and Wildness (Johnson Books 1999), Escalante: The Best Kind of Nothing (photos by Chris Noble) (University of Arizona Press 2006), Open Midnight: Where Ancestors and Wilderness Meet (Trinity University Press 2017 and Mary Jane Wild: Two Walks & A Rant (Homebound Publications 2021)Interview Date: 1/14/2022.    Tags: Brooke Williams, Hilary Clinton, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Mary Jane Wilderness, toxic masculinity, white male power, democracy, Coleman Barks, Rumi, field I’ll meet you, awe, Carl Jung, dreams, biological evolution, climate change, climate collapse, extreme sports, wander, wandering, walking, Rebecca Solnit, Charles Darwin, Thoreau, sacred feminine, Terry Tempest Williams, David Hinton, indigenous art, Bill Porter, Red Pine, rock art, desert, wandering, walking, Milky Way, dark sky towns, Ecology/Nature/Environment, Social Change/Politics

Revisit the four agreements that are steeped in Toltec philosophy and wisdom, as brought to us by don Miguel Ruiz. Be inspired by the new insights he shares with us after suffering a near-fatal heart attack that left him in a coma for nine weeks, during which time he traveled in a dream state between life and death. Don Miguel Ruiz is a renowned and most beloved spiritual teacher dedicated to sharing wisdom and love through practical concepts in order to promote transformation and ultimately change lives for the better. He’s the youngest of 13 children, born in rural Mexico to parents who were healers and practitioners of ancient Toltec traditions. As a young adult, he graduated from medical school and practiced neurosurgery until a near-fatal car crash forever changed the direction of his life. Since then, he consistently delivers the deepest truths in the most relevant ways. He is the author of many books including The Four Agreements (Amber-Allen Publishing 1997), The Fifth Agreement (Amber-Allan 2011), which is presented in collaboration with his son, don Jose Ruiz and The Toltec Art of Life and Death (co-author Barbara Emerys) (HarperOne 2015)Interview Date: 10/27/2015.    Tags: don Miguel Ruiz, Toltec wisdom, the four agreements, coma, dream journey, truth, knowledge, language, intent, closet of mirrors, mind is predator, conditional love, respect, ancestors, Teotihuacán, faith, Indigenous Wisdom, Death & Dying, Philosophy

Many spiritual practices guide us in what is known as “waking up.” Even though this process gives us a great sense of freedom and spaciousness, Prendergast suggests that the path to “waking up” is by “waking down.” Tuning into our body often brings forth a useful image, and will help us to live with more authenticity. John J. Prendergast, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist, retired professor of psychology, spiritual counselor, and founder and editor-in-chief of Undivided: The Online Journal of Nonduality and Psychology. He is the author of Listening From the Heart of Silence (co-author G. Kenneth Bradford) (Paragon House 2007) and In Touch: How to Tune In to the Inner Guidance of Your Body and Trust Yourself (Sounds True 2015)Interview Date: 12/5/2015    Tags: MP3, John J. Prendergast, interconnection, attention, emotion, sensation, original ignorance, fear of abandonment, waking up, waking down, circles, circle work, beliefs, fear, desire, relaxed groundedness, mindfulness, awareness of being, presence, non-duality, Advaita Vedanta, non-dualism, Health & Healing, Psychology, Personal Transformation

A “mind share economy” is all about collaboration where the currency is ideas. The more ideas you share with each other the richer all of you are. A “market share economy” is based on the premise that the more of something you have and the less someone else has, what you have is more valuable. This sets up a culture of competition, and creativity suffers. Dawna Markova, Ph.D. is the CEO Emeritus of Professional Thinking Partners. She’s known Internationally for her research in the fields of learning and perception. She’s a former senior affiliate of the Society for Organizational Learning, originated at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. Angie McArthur is the CEO of Professional Thinking Partners and co-founder of SmartWired and the Smart Parenting Revolution. As an expert in communication and learning styles, she has developed strategies for authors, corporations, CEOs, and the ongoing Executive Champions’ Workshop.Interview Date: 10/1/2015    Tags: MP3, Dawna Markova, Angie McArthur, cooperation, collaboration, competition, mind share economy, market share economy, confusion, curiosity, communication, kinesthetic, auditory, visual, inquiry compass, pivotal mindset, dealing with difficult people, thinking talents, brain science, analytical thinkers, storytelling thinkers, Smart Spark, Business, Personal Transformation, Work/Livelihood, Social Change/Politics

The legacy of authentic indigenous healing practices and traditional shamanism is disappearing. Marie-Rose Phan-Lê is doing her part to preserve this precious human resource, which has gifts to give humankind in these challenging times. She has traveled the world seeking healers who have been trained in some of the most ancient healing traditions on the planet.  Marie-Rose Phan-Lê was born in Vietnam, emigrated to France, and later came to the United States. She is the founder and president of Healing Planet Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and presentation of healing and spiritual traditions through media. She is an award-winning writer, director, and producer of a documentary film and companion book. She is the author of Talking Story: One Woman’s Quest to Preserve Ancient Spiritual and Healing Traditions (North Atlantic Books 2014)Interview Date: 10/9/2015    Tags: MP3, Marie-Rose Phan-Lê, authentic self, indigenous healers, Papa K, Kahuna, Lomi Lomi, Aunty Mary Fargas, ho’oponopono, Ayahuasca ritual, divine feminine, shamanism, Indigenous wisdom, Shamanism, Travel, Spiritualty, Global Culture

Fox’s spiritual enthusiasm has taken him beyond the dogma of the Catholic Church, and for this he’s been censored by the Vatican and ultimately expelled from the order of the Dominicans. However, this has not stilled his voice for a mystical theology that speaks to the heart of seekers of a numinous sacred experience. Matthew Fox, Ph.D. is a priest and was a member of the Dominican Order of the Catholic Church for thirty-four years. He holds a doctorate in History and Theology of Spirituality and is a scholar in residence with the Academy for the Love of Learning in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as well as founder and president of Friends of Creation Spirituality. Matthew Fox is the author of more than thirty books including Original Blessing (Tarcher 2000), Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times (Nameste Publishing 2012), A Way To God: Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality Journey (New World Library 2016) and Order of the Sacred Earth: An Intergenerational Vision of Love and Action (coauthors Skylar Wilson, and Jennifer Listug) (Monkfish 2018) Interview Date: 10/8/2015   Tags: MP3, Matthew Fox, polio, Thomas Merton, Chenu, Second Vatican Council, Time Magazine 1958, prayer, Cardinal Cody of Chicago, Pope John Paul II, Thomas Aquinas, Hildegard of Bingen, mysticism, New Age, Pope Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, Father Leonardo Boff, Congregation of the Faith, Cosmic Mass, Pope Francis, the Vatican Bank, Opus Dei, Father Junipero Serra, Spirituality, History, Religion

Ralph White’s life reads like some sort of Indiana Jones story with a spiritual flavor. He grew up on the coast of Wales and then moved to a grimy industrial city on Northern England. You’ll be enthralled by his amazing tales of travels to New York, Chicago, Vancouver, Peru, Ecuador, Tibet, Russia, and more. In between he established The Open Center in New York. His current activities include the Esoteric Quest series of conferences in Europe that focus on the lost spiritual history of the West. He also presents the Art of Dying conferences. He is the author of the memoir The Jeweled Highway: On the Quest for a Life of Meaning (Divine Arts 2015)Interview Date: 9/22/2015    Tags: MP3, Ralph White, Huddersfield England, the moors, music, University of Sussex, Vancouver Canada, Machu Picchu, The Open Center, Esoteric Quest, Tibet, Global network of holistic centers, China, Waldorf Schools, Rudolf Steiner, Robert McDermott, Russia, Travel, History, Global Culture, Social Change/Politics