The Spiritual Forum

“What if the gospel writers intended it not to be historical fact? What if it was meant to be a story?” These are the questions posed by author Geoff Roberts (now deceased) in his book, The True Origins of Jesus: The Myth Behind the Man. In this episode Rev. Carol talks about these ideas with her guests, Colm Holland and Dean Wilkinson. Colm was featured in The Spiritual Forum podcast episodes 121 & 122. He is the publisher of the global bestseller The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and the author of the Amazon #1 bestseller The Secret of the Alchemist. On matters of faith and religion, Colm takes a Jungian view where the power lies in myth and the many ways unconditional love effects change for good. He identifies as an “alchemistic Christian.” Dean Wilkinson is an industry disrupter and lifelong learner. He is trained in spiritual direction, leadership, and business. Having spent much of his life in all levels of church service and leadership, Dean experienced a completely new and different Bible when he read it “for the first time” without the lens of prior teaching. He now encourages people to be open to all that Christ can be and to not abandon their faith because they think they need to take the bible literally. Colm is the editor of the book, The True Origins of Jesus: The Myth Behind the Man, and Dean wrote the forward. This was a lively conversation and these are some of the topics we discussed: We read the Bible as if we already know, not with fresh eyes There are hidden truths in the Bible that we don’t see when we look at it literally There were multiple competing religions during the emergence of Christianity Gnosticism was a dominant faith in the early Christian years; the Gnostics view was divinity was not about believing in an external deity, but finding the God within Myth gives shape to chaos - the human psyche concretizes myth There is a similarity between Beatitudes, gospel stories and Buddhist teachings – content, verse and pentameter Carl Jung was concerned about Christianity being about sinlessness and not the full spectrum of humanity What is the definition of Christianity? There is a diaspora of agony for those who have rejected the literal but also the divine You have to go to the darkest places to find God – not just the light Religion is meant to bind us together Unity churches emphasize the inner Christ/Divine spark, do not interpret the Bible literally and welcome everyone! Book link: https://www.amazon.com/True-Origins-Jesus-myth-behind/dp/1789049040 ©️ the spiritual forum 2023

“The Light of Man brings science, religion, history, spirituality, quantum physics, metaphysics, and belief systems all together to create a pivot, a transformational moment in the world's history and what people believe God or a higher power is.” — Kevin McCrudden In this episode Rev. Carol talks with motivational/leadership speaker turned filmmaker, Kevin McCrudden, about his award-winning documentary, The Light of Man. The Light of Man® is about the origins of God, God's relationship with humankind, and humankind's relationship with God (aka Spirit, Creator, Mystery, Source, etc.). It has guest appearances by renowned physicist/consciousness researcher, Dr. John Hagelin, physician/philosopher/NDE expert, Dr. Raymond Moody, and the Dalai Lama among others. The film has been selected for viewing at 20 Film Festivals around the world, most recently The Cannes World Film Festival in Cannes, France. It was awarded the Best Inspirational and Best Short Documentary in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, London, Paris and Rome. Kevin is a practicing Catholic and found himself inspired to bring the idea of the Divine Light in humankind to life via film in hopes of awakening and inspiring humanity to evolve spiritually. Here's what we talk about: How are we evolving? (hint: we're not!) All religions point to the same thing - a higher power There are multiple ways to interpret the Bible God/Creator/Source/Spirit created ALL beings with a spark of divinity There is an explosion of Light at conception There is Light at death The journey is inward not outward Science universally points to God/Creator/Source The miracles and synchronicities associated with the making of The Light of Man The power of meditation The meaning of Namaste The Light of Man documentary: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22183984/ The Light of Man trailer: https://youtu.be/F3yHaOfh3Jk

“Now is a critical time to use our collective power ot dream up a better world for our shared-dream reality." Dr. Howard Eisenberg "Where there is no vision the people perish." Proverbs 29:18 Dream It to Do It - The Science and the Magic is Howard Eisenberg's most recently published book. Recognizing the many existential threats facing us today, Howard is committed to sharing how reality works in the hopes of bringing a better world into being. During his life-long quest to discover the true nature of reality, Howard became a medical doctor with postgraduate training in both psychology and psychiatry, and is also a lecturer in parapsychology at the University of Toronto, and associate professor of medicine at the University of Vermont. As a psychiatrist, he doesn't prescribe drugs, but works with his patients' awareness. In this episode we discuss many things including: The connection between imagination & reality Imagining beyond the obstacle The power of belief, the placebo effect Our culture’s widespread intentional manipulative programming How we are caught up in a collective nightmare and feeling powerless Valuing the dream world which can be more real How lucid dreaming changes everything – we can participate in creating reality Plato’s allegory of the cave and how our ignorance imprisons us The importance of thinking beyond the filters we identify with (political, religious, etc.) The child’s mind & seeing with soft eyes https://drhowardeisenberg.com/book-dream-it-to-do-it/ https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Do-Science-Howard-Eisenberg/dp/1737916908

If we were to begin with a blank slate, how would we organize ourselves? What society would we establish that would meet our needs for protection and services while honoring spiritual principles and non-aggression? In this episode Rev. Carol and Mark Gober have a conversation about these questions. It may be a bit of a mind bender, but you are invited to come along for the ride and rethink some fundamental premises that we have inherited and accept by default - maybe even start imagining a new world. Mark was a guest on The Spiritual Forum podcast – Episode 178 – An End to Upside Down Thinking. He is quite a prolific writer having published five books in five years including An End to Upside Down Liberty, which is the focus of this episode. We cover quite a range of ideas including: · How mutually agreed upon contracts work via consent · The way we do government is not aligned with spiritual principles · The left & right argue over ways to control · History/scripture about the consequences of seeking a leader who “will lead us and fight our battles” · The human propensity to off load inner authority to experts · Voluntaryism versus statism/applying spiritual principles to how we organize ourselves · The non-aggression principle, Natural Law and the Golden Rule · Our failure of imagination · Taking steps in line with our divine evolution · Non dual volutaryism https://markgober.com/

Have you considered that your relationships are a spiritual practice in themselves? Linda Bloom is a psychotherapist and marriage counselor who teaches communication seminars and relationship workshops. She is the co-author of the best-selling book, 101 Things I Wish I Knew When I Got Married; also Simple Lessons to Make Love Last, Secrets of Great Marriages and That Which Doesn’t Kill Us: How One Couple Became Stronger at the Broken Places. Linda and her husband Charlie have been married for 50 years and are living examples of making relationship a daily spiritual practice. In this episode we focus on Linda and Charlie’s latest book, An End to Arguing – 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships, which was just published. Here are a few areas we cover in our conversation: •The importance of doing your own work •Forgiveness meditation as a central practice •The need to loosen attachments •The practice of being with feelings •Seeing your partner (or friend, sibling, etc.) through the lens of appreciation and gratitude •The importance of inviting your partner into conversation •Making agreements Website: https://bloomwork.com/ Books: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/linda-and-charlie-bloom Free e-books https://app.robly.com/subscribe?a=2ec85ee30b32f83a0cf2b18b108f3a0d An End to Arguing book: https://www.amazon.com/End-Arguing-Linda-Charlie-Bloom/dp/1646638085

Twenty years ago, Vincent Tolman was found dead at the age of 25 in the bathroom of a small restaurant. He had been dead for over half an hour when paramedics arrived. They put him in a body bag and took him away. A rookie paramedic had a feeling that he should try to resuscitate Vincent, knowing he would risk his career by breaking all protocols. Miraculously, he restarted Vincent's heart. Vincent was in a coma for three days and he remembers what happened on the "other side" while he was dead. He tells his NDE story in his book, The Light After Death, My Journey to Heaven and Back. In this episode, Vincent shares his incredible experience and expounds upon the ten principles he learned while purifying his soul on this extraordinary journey. These are timely messages for today's world and this is a very hopeful conversation! They principles/lessons are: 1. Be authentic & vulnerable 2. Understanding the purpose of life 3. Love everyone (which includes all beings) 4. Listen to your inner voice 5. Use technology responsibly 6. Release prejudice (even against the intolerant) 7. The power of creation (we all have it) 8. Avoid negative influences 9. The purpose of evil 10. We are all one website: https://thelightafterdeath.com/ book: https://www.amazon.com/Light-After-Death-Journey-Heaven/dp/B0BK8FLXV8

If you are a regular listener, please provide feedback on The Spiritual Forum podcast here: https://revcarol.wufoo.com/forms/mbzaqtj1kis579/ If we realized the divine potential of our children, how would we educate them? Our current “one size fits all” system is limiting and based on compliance/conformity. Dr. Edith Ubuntu Chan is devoting her life to co-creating a new paradigm. Dr. Edith (a Magna Cum Laude graduate from Harvard University in Applied Mathematics) left her traditional software career to pursue her unconventional childhood dream to be a Chinese Medicine Healer. She is also an author(SuperWellness), speaker, coach, and mama of two luminous kids. In 2021, she launched the Luminous Education Revolution program, supporting families in transitioning into the new paradigm of education, homeschooling/unschooling, village building, and awakened parenthood. An exciting and hopeful future is emerging! In this episode we cover many topics including: •Dr. Edith's profound darkness meditation that awakened her to human potential and her story of conscious pre-conception communication with her children •Living in a connected way •Spirit babies coming to build a new experience of what it means to be human •Luminous kids and how kids naturally learn •Self-directed learning •The distortion of rewards and punishments (i.e. obedience training) •Parenting and educational paradigms that are congruent with the new world that is emerging through us •Bringing heaven to earth https://www.dredithubuntu.com/ https://www.luminousrevolution.com/

If you are a regular listener, please provide feedback on The Spiritual Forum podcast here: https://revcarol.wufoo.com/forms/mbzaqtj1kis579/ Shawn Murphy started his spiritual journey at the age of 14 after leaving the Catholic Church. His search for a logical explanation of Christianity took him on a journey through history, philosophy and eighteen different religions. As an engineer and entrepreneur, his curiosity led his search for a logical explanation of the spiritual world and the original teachings of all the prophets and Jesus. He has published four books and numerous papers on religion, and spirituality. He is a prolific writer on Quora with over 6.6 million views and the creator of three spaces there: The Spiritual World, Early Christian Wisdom and Torn Between Two Worlds. In this episode we have a lively exchange and cover: •The first Christians •Scientifically based theologians •Origen of Alexandria •The consistency of spiritual and material laws •Socrates, Plato & Aristotle (who contributed what) •The order and logic of God/Creator •The making of a true philosopher •The book of Revelation as history, not prophecy •The Restoration of All Things (Origen’s teaching) versus the Doctrine of Salvation •Rhetoric versus Wisdom Shawn Murphy links: https://linktr.ee/tornbetweentwoworlds

If you are a regular listener, please provide feedback on The Spiritual Forum podcast here: https://revcarol.wufoo.com/forms/mbzaqtj1kis579/ When her 24-year-old son died unexpectedly, Vanessa May was broken open and unable to find the help she needed. As a consequence, she determined her own ways to navigate the complex grieving process. As a nutritional therapist and well-being coach, she is now a certified grief coach and can guide people who are going through what she has been through with heartfelt compassion. Vanessa’s holistic grief coaching looks at all aspects of the grieving process and how it can affect not only our emotional and mental well-being, but also the body and the spiritual. Her recently published book, Love Untethered, is a very raw and authentic accounting of her experience, which will help anyone who is going through the grieving process or trying to understand someone who is. In this episode we talk about many things including: · Continuing bond theory (death ends a life, not a relationship) · How sharing oneself deeply and authentically connects us and raises consciousness · The use of mediums in the grief process · How trauma grief involves body, mind & soul · Finding purpose · The importance of listening and avoiding victim shaming · Growth through suffering · Spiritual bypass · Spiritual awakening and faith Author website: www.vanessamay.co.uk Holistic grief coaching, nutritional therapy: www.wellbeingandnutrition.co.uk Instagram: @may.wellbeing Twitter: @maywellbeing Love Untethered Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Untethered-Live-When-Child/dp/1803410485/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3588U039UAP54&keywords=love+untethered+vanessa+may&qid=1671730528&sprefix=%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1 Love Untethered Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-untethered-vanessa-may/1140825652

If you are a regular listener, please provide feedback on The Spiritual Forum podcast here: https://revcarol.wufoo.com/forms/mbzaqtj1kis579/ Elizabeth Monroy is an international filmmaker, visionary artist and author of the recently published book, The Infinite Human. In her book, she shares truths that have been hidden in plain sight while taking readers on a journey into esoteric knowledge, supernatural phenomenon and cosmic disclosure, ultimately guiding them in the process of co-creating the infinite New Earth. Elizabeth also founded the New Consciousness Renaissance School in Florence Italy for the creation of conscious media and she is currently creating an eco-community in Quintana Roo, Mexico. In this episode we have a very lively conversation and cover many topics including: The danger of frequency manipulation (5G) The impact of food contamination and degradation The Hopi prophecy and two timelines True divine technology coming on line The Law of One versus the parasitic structures we live in Hidden history The hero’s journey and shadow work Attuning to the vibrational frequency of God What 2023 brings Stepping into our soul mission (it’s going to be great!) website: https://www.infinitehuman.com/ book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1958184004 film school: https://elizabethleemonroy.wixsite.com/florencefilmschool/new-conscious-renaissance-school NOTE: Personally, I have wondered about all the 5G towers going up during the covid lockdowns, as if their construction was ‘essential work.’ I find the towers blot the beautiful landscapes of the countryside and ask myself, “Why? Why do we need these? Who asked for them?” It feels like a technological imposition that none of us really need or want. I am doing my own research and encourage you to do yours. You will of course find a lot out there that supports the narrative that 5G is here to help and has no health impacts. But is that true???? Here are a few links to start your journey: https://www.baesystems.com/en-us/productfamily/electronic-warfare https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/mind-reading-and-mind-control-technologies-are-coming/ https://frankreport.com/2020/04/05/is-the-real-vector-of-coronavirus-5g-radiation-and-a-stealth-electronic-war-on-civilian-populations/