New Dimensions

Wetiko is known by many names in many different traditions. It’s a collective psychosis found within the psyche. This psychological force within the unconscious mind feeds off separation and polarization and predisposes us toward unwholesome impulses such as the thirst for power and control, greed, and jealousy. The good news is that the cure is also found within us. Paul Levy is a pioneer in the field of spiritual emergence and is also a certified art teacher teaching both painting and drawing for a handful of years to people of all ages. He considers himself a wounded healer and is in private practice, assisting others who are also awakening to the dreamlike nature of reality. He has been a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner for more than 35 years and is the founder of the “Awakening in the Dream” Community; in Portland, Oregon. Along with these activities he is deeply steeped in the work of C. G. Jung. He is the author of several books including Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil (North Atlantic Books 2013), The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality (Select Books 2018) and Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World (Inner Traditions 2021)Interview Date: 12/15/2021   Tags: Paul Levy, wetiko, Kellipot, e’epa, Archon, C.G. Jung, shadow, altered states, collective dream, spiritual awakening, shamanic underworld, evil force, nonlocal field, vampires, January 6 insurrection, narcissism, dark night of the soul, corona virus, Covid, Stanislav Grof, Max Planck, collective dream, creativity, Rutger Bregman, Tongan boys, Lord of the Flies, Spirituality, Social Change/Politics, Philosophy, Health & Healing, Indigenous Wisdom, Intuition/Psychic

Wicca is the art of sensing energy and flowing with it: in reality everything changes, everything is moving, and interdependent. Here an avowed Wiccan Priestess talks about this much maligned form of spiritual practice and celebrations. It’s a form of spirituality that understands that everything is alive and is communicating with you when you develop ears and heart to hear. Cerridwen Fallingstar refers to herself as a Shamanic Witch and has taught classes in magic and ritual for over 40 years. She gives lectures tying together psychology, spirituality, history, contemporary issues, and politics. She is the author of three historical novels based on her past lives. Her books include White As Bone, Red As Blood: The Fox Sorceress (Cauldron Publications 2009), White As Bone, Red As Blood: The Storm God (Cauldron Publications 2011), The Heart of The Fire (Cauldron Publications 2021) and Broth from the Cauldron: A Wisdom Journey Through Everyday Magic (She Writes Press 2021)Interview Date: 12/7/2021   Tags: MP3, Cerridwen Fallingstar, Wicca, Wiccan, greenstone, weather, Beltane rituals, the elements, fire, wind, water, earth, calling the whales, magic, past lives, imagination, intuition, dreams, Patricia Sun, Spirituality, Ecology/Nature/Environmental

We Are Not Who We Think We Are, with Peter Coyote, Explores the practice of meditation to catch a glimpse of who we truly are. His mask workshops provide for the possibility of “the disappearance of your everyday self [along with] self-criticism, self-consciousness, and a sense of shame…[allowing for] absolute freedom.” It allows us to experience Buddha's idea of no fixed self. Peter Coyote is an award-winning actor, author, director, screenwriter, and narrator who has worked with some of the world’s most distinguished filmmakers. He’s won several Emmys for his narrations and was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest in 2011. In 2015 he received “transmission” from his teacher, making him an independent Zen teacher. He’s conceived mask training experiments and workshops as tools to give us a reprieve from the repetitive weight of our normal attachments and habits. His books include The Rainman’s Third Cure: An Irregular Education (Counterpoint 1998/2015), Sleeping Where I Fall: A Chronicle (Counterpoint 2015), Tongue of a Crow: A Book of Poetry (Four Way Books 2021) and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Meet Buddha: Masks, Meditation & Improvised Play to Induce Liberated States (Inner Traditions 2021)Interview Date: 12/30/2021     Tags: Peter Coyote, mask, Pantalone, Lone Ranger, Tonto, acting, improv, street theater, enlightenment, San Francisco Mime Troop, ego, Samantha Paris, Voicetrax, Thelonious Monk, Paper and Glue documentary, French artist JR, emptiness, engaged Buddhism, karma, compassion, kindness, Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Buddhism, Philosophy, Art & Creativity, meditation

A spiritual experience has been described by some as an encounter with the presence of the infinite within our finite universe of time and space. It takes on many forms and can be conceived of in a wide variety of ways. In his integral view, McIntosh challenges us to hold two seemingly paradoxical worldviews: an infinite, nondual universe and a personal God. Steve McIntosh, J.D. is a leader in the integral philosophy movement He’s President and Co-Founder of the nonprofit, social policy and think tank organization: The Institute for Cultural Evolution. He founded the consumer products company Now & Zen and practiced law and held an executive position with Celestial Seasonings Tea Company. He is an honors graduate of the University of Virginia Law School and the University of Southern California Business School. Besides these accomplishments, he enjoys Olympic-class bicycle racing. He is the author of Integral Consciousness: The Future of Evolution (Paragon House 2011), Evolution's Purpose: An Integral Interpretation of the Scientific Story of Our Origins (Select Books 2012), and The Presence of the Infinite: The Spiritual Experience of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness (Quest 2015)Interview Date: 10/22/2015    Tags: Steve McIntosh, theism, nondualism, nonduality, traditional spirituality, modernism, post modernism, spiritual progressionism, progressivism, progressive theism, spiritual evolution, beauty, truth, goodness, panentheistic, interconnectedness, mindfulness, nondual unitive experiences, progressive spirituality, pluralism, cultural creatives, evolutionary spirituality, fundamentalism, secular spirituality, atheists, religious naturalists, free will, triunity, integral philosophy, oneness, wholeness, Bede Griffiths, polarity, quantum physics, David Bohm, Philosophy, Spirituality

The Greek myth of Sisyphus unveils our valiant and irrepressible desire to create something unique out of our lives despite our despair and our defeats. This deep conversation plunges the depths and fullness of this misunderstood myth. It is a parable for the modern world and our fight against the hell of the pandemic and the rise of authoritarianism in the world today. Phil Cousineau is a freelance writer, filmmaker, photographer, art and literary tour leader, teacher of creativity, mythographer, storyteller, and an all-around Renaissance man. He's published over 40 books and has over 25 documentary film writing credits. He is also host and co-writer of "Global Spirit," a nationally broadcast television series. His books include Wordcatcher (Viva Editions, Cleis Press 2010), Beyond Forgiveness: Reflections On Atonement (Jossey-Bass 2011), Stoking The Creative Fires (Red Wheel/Wiser 2008), Burning the Midnight Oil: Illuminating Words For the Long Night's Journey Into Day (Viva Editions 2014), The Book of Roads: Travel Stories from Michigan to Marrakech (Viva Editions 2015), The Art of Pilgrimage revised (Conari Press 2021) and The Lost Notes of Sisyphus (Sisyphus Press 2021)Interview Date: 11/17/2021     Tags: Phil Cousineau, Joseph Campbell, Albert Camus, Greek mythology, Mythology, Philosophy

A good poem takes us on a treasure hunt for the ineffable emotions that toss us like flotsam and jetsam on the relentless pounding waves on the seas of life. It’s the sacred text of life and guides us in being ever curious and observant, helping us to notice even the smallest details of life as it awakens our own creative energies of Divine Imagination. Margaret Barkley is a teacher, poet, and curious observer of humans and nature. Her poetry has been published in the Redwood Writers poetry anthologies Beyond Distance, And Yet, and Crow, in which she was an Award of Merit poet. She holds an MA in Psychology with a focus on group facilitation and emotional intelligence and has taught for over twenty years, including at Sonoma State University and the University of San Francisco. Her latest love is leading women’s retreats in the Grand Teton National Park. She is the author of a book of poetry: Ribs (Finishing Line Press 2021)Interview Date: 11/4/2021      Tags: Margaret Barkley, poetry, poems, Robert Bly, Junkyard Dog, ecstasy, grief, loss, suffering, soul, Michael Meade, Art & Creativity, Writing

The hurts and disappointments that we suffered in childhood often leave lasting scars to our inner sense of safety and security. They show up later in the form of trigger reactions. Campbell describes the ultimate goal of inner work as making effective decisions that come from the higher brain versus the knee jerk tendencies of our primitive, lizard brain. Susan Campbell, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and the author of close to a dozen books on relationships and conflict resolution. She leads seminars internationally, is a couples therapist, relationship coach and trainer of professional coaches. She also works with private clients through her relationship coaching practice. Her books include Getting Real: Ten Truth Skills You Need to Live an Authentic Life (H.J. Kramer 2001), Saying What’s Real : 7 Keys to Authentic Communication and Relationship Success (H.J. Kramer 2005), Five-Minute Relationship Repair: Quickly Heal Upsets, Deepen Intimacy, and Use Differences to Strengthen Love (John Gray) (H. J. Kramer 2015), From Triggered to Tranquil: How Self-Compassion and Mindful Presence Can Transform Relationship Conflicts and Heal Childhood Wounds (New World Library 2021)Interview Date: 11/24/2021     Tags: Susan Campbell, reactive brain, amygdala, lizard brain, adrenaline, cortisol, emotional triggers, triggered response, trigger signatures, self-soothing, inner self-compassion, Archetype of good mother, conditioned mind, compassion, polarization, reactions, pausing, pause agreement, survival alarm system, reactive brain, Relationship, Psychology, Health & Healing

Millions of spiritual seekers have, in their library, a dog-eared copy of the spiritual classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation. Here is an intimate and first-hand account of the way master teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi taught, as told by his student and now Zen teacher himself, Tim Burkett. These delightful stories are not to be missed. Tim Zentetsu Burkett, Ph.D. is Guiding Teacher of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is also a licensed psychologist and a former director of People Incorporated, a large mental health agency in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has been a student of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and later Katagiri Roshi, in whose linage he is a dharma heir. Suzuki Roshi’s book of talks, Zen Mind, Beginner Mind (Shambhala 2011), is a classic for all spiritual seekers. Tim Burkett is the author of Nothing Holy About It: The Zen of Being Just Who You Are (Shambhala 2015) and Zen in the Age of Anxiety: Wisdom for Navigating Our Modern Lives (Shambhala 2018)Interview Date: 9/24/2015     Tags: Tim Burkett, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, Katagiri Roshi, San Francisco Zen Center, aspiration, longing, boredom, stillness, contact high, chatterbox café, spiritual bypassing, concentration meditation, Japanese Samurai movies, kindness, attention, fear body, Zen stick, Tibetan Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhism, Zenefit, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Meditation, Spirituality

Sluyter says not to worry about thoughts during our meditation; they are inevitable. Often we must deal with such sounds as voices or traffic rolling by. He instructs that, “It’s all a texture of the silence, which actually you are at your core. It’s just resting in what you are in your own essence.” He also suggests that we find the meditation style that suits us. Dean Sluyter has taught natural methods of meditation and awakening throughout the United States and beyond since 1970. He’s taught at colleges, yoga studios, corporate offices, and maximum-security prisons. He’s known for his funny, down-to-earth style, and for making life-transforming teachings accessible and easy. He is the author of many books including The Zen Commandments (Tarcher/Putnam 2001), Why the Chicken Crossed the Road and Other Hidden Enlightenment Teachings (Tarcher/Putnam 1998), Cinema Nirvana: Enlightenment Lessons from the Movies (Three Rivers Press 2005), Natural Meditation: A Guide to Effortless Meditative Practice (Tarcher/Penguin 2015), Fear Less: Living Beyond Fear, Anxiety, Anger, and Addiction (TarcherPerigee 2018)Interview Date: 4/23/2015  Tags: Dean Sluyter, Zen meditation, Mahareshi Mahesh Yogi, Transcendental Meditation, principle of least action, boundless happiness, Nirvana, guided visualization, beingness, monkey mind, attention, sky meditation, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, worry, prisoners meditating, benefactor meditation, mediating on the breath, Mr. Rogers, Sri Mooji, Meditation, Personal Transformation, Self Help, Buddhism

Miller has reviewed and conducted interviews with leading scientists in America who are investigating the effects on humans of psychedelic medicines such as LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin and Ayahuasca. This has revealed that certain psychedelic medicines administered by proper protocol, have shown that altered states of consciousness can facilitate creativity and psychophysical healing. Richard Miller, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and host of the syndicated talk radio show Mind, Body, Health & Politics. He’s founder of Cokenders Alcohol and Drug Program and has been a faculty member at the University of Michigan and Stanford University. He also served as advisor on the President’s Commission on Mental Health and a founding board member of the Gestalt Institute of San Francisco as well as a member of the national board of directors for the Marijuana Policy Project. He also restored and reopened the Wilbur Hot Springs Retreat facility in Northern California. He is the Editor and author of the book Psychedelic Medicine: The Healing Powers of LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, and Ayahuasca. (Park Street press 2021)  Interview Date: 9/30/2021  Tags: Richard Miller, Psychedelics, LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, Ayahuasca, PTSD, alcohol, LSD scientists, Dave Nichols, ethnobotanists, Guardian Grange, Stanislav Grof, M.D., Oregon bill SB109, Rick Doblin, Ph.D, MAPS, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, NORML, National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Law, clozapine, Roland Griffiths, Ph.D. at John Hopkins, Robert Whitaker, Health & Healing, Psychology, Social Change/Politics