Exploring Nature, Culture and Inner Life

Vicki Robin Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money Join host Michael Lerner in a conversation with the “prophet of consumption-downsizers,” Vicki Robin—co-author of the national best-seller, Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence and author of Blessing the Hands that Feed Us; what eating closer to home can teach us about food, community and our place on earth (Viking 2014). Vicki has influenced literally hundreds of thousands of people to rethink their consumption and to value the vast non-material forms of pleasure, security, freedom, and prosperity available to all of us. Her work focuses on the intersection of the “big picture” and our daily lives. Vicki Robin Vicki Robin, a prolific social innovator, writer and speaker, is coauthor with Joe Dominguez of the international best-seller, Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence. Her new book, Blessing the Hands that Feed Us; what eating closer to home taught me about food, community and our place on earth tells how her experiment in 10-mile eating not only changed how she ate, but also renewed her hope and rooted her in her community. Vicki has helped launch many sustainability initiatives including: The New Road Map Foundation, The Simplicity Forum, The Conversation Cafes, The Turning Tide Coalition, Sustainable Seattle, The Center for a New American Dream, Transition Whidbey and more. For fun, Vicki is a comedy improv actress, appearing frequently with her troupe, Comedy Island. Find out more about Vicki on her website. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Diana and Kelly Lindsay Something More Than Hope Host Michael Lerner talks with Diana and Kelly Lindsay, authors of Something More Than Hope: Surviving Despite the Odds, Thriving Because of Them. In April 2006, Diana was diagnosed with incurable stage IV lung cancer. Her doctor estimated the odds of her making it to 5 years were 1%. “How do I make it into the 1% Club?” she asked herself. The answers Diana and her husband, Kelly, discover together—about the healing power of love and joy, and the body’s astonishing ability to communicate its needs down to the cellular level—have not only kept her in good health for seven years but deeply enriched both their lives. The conversation explores how Diana and Kelly sought to see life differently when the world became unrecognizable. “It’s about overturning assumptions, embracing obstacles, and opening one’s heart, mind, and spirit. It’s not just about who we are but what we are—and what we’re capable of doing,” Diana says. We held this conversation on August 8, 2013 in the Lindsay’s living room on Whidbey Island north of Seattle with a circle of a dozen friends who have all been touched by cancer. Find out more about Diana experience on her website. Diana and Kelly Lindsay Diana met Kelly Lindsay when he was a biology major and she was a dance and music major at Stanford University. During nearly 40 years of marriage, they have taught college students and children, been global activists, and built the marketing and financial skills to found their own company. In 2006, Diana and Kelly Lindsay were chief executives of Lindsay Communications, a high-tech marketing and communications company serving hundreds of companies from Fortune 100 multi-nationals to start-ups. When she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, they realized the customers they most needed to communicate with were Diana’s cells. While she learned how to visualize them and ask for their guidance, he created a high-bandwidth grid with his hands as a Reiki master to power those cells back to health. Today Diana and Kelly speak to anyone facing seemingly insurmountable odds, inspiring them to find something more than hope. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Duane Elgin The Living Universe Join Michael Lerner in conversation with social visionary Duane Elgin, best selling author of Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life that is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich; and Changing Images of Man, which was co-authored with Joseph Campbell. For more than three decades, Duane has defined the cutting edge in consciousness research, in the ecology movement and in future studies. Duane Elgin pioneered the “Voluntary Simplicity” movement with his now classic first book of the same name. Duane Elgin Duane is a social visionary who looks beneath the surface of the turbulence of our times to explore deeper trends transforming our world. In 2006, Duane received the International Goi Peace Award in Japan in recognition of his contribution to a global “vision, consciousness, and lifestyle” that fosters a “more sustainable and spiritual culture.” His books include: The Living Universe: Where Are We? Who Are We? Where Are We Going? (2009) and Voluntary Simplicity: Toward a Way of Life that is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich (2010). With Joseph Campbell and others he co-authored the book Changing Images of Man (1982). He worked as a senior social scientist with the think-tank SRI International where he coauthored numerous studies of the long-range future. He has also studied ESP and human consciousness in depth. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Eric Karpeles Jozef Czapski's 20th Century Life Polish painter and writer Jozef Czapski (pronounced CHAP-skee) is virtually unknown to American artists and readers of the English language, though he is a figure of considerable historical, political, and cultural importance in both Western and Eastern Europe. Moved by the quality of Czapski’s work and the integrity of his life, Commonweal Board Member Eric Karpeles is writing a book that will be both an introduction to his character and achievements, and a critical assessment of his painting and writing, placing this creative legacy into an historical context. Fresh from his return after a long research trip to Poland, Eric presents an illustrated talk about Czapski to TNS, followed by a conversation with Michael Lerner. Eric Karpeles Commonweal Board Member Eric Karpeles is a painter and writer. Born and raised in New York, he has also lived in India and in France, settling in Bolinas in 2007. His painting career has been shaped by the quest for a spiritual presence in art, and by a negative response to the elitism of the contemporary marketplace. The Rockefeller Chapel is a room-sized painting he completed in 1996, a permanent installation at the HealthCare Chaplaincy in New York City. Karpeles writes about painting and the intersection of literature and visual aesthetics; his book, Paintings in Proust, translated into several languages, was a “book of the year” in the NY Times, the Times of London, and The Wall Street Journal. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Ilene Serlin, PhD Dance and Psyche: How Moving Moves Us Join Michael Lerner in conversation with Ilene Serlin, psychologist and registered dance/movement therapist. Ilene apprenticed with Anna Halprin and worked with the New York Psychological Association in the 1970s to require creative artists in hospitals. She’s been a psychologist for 30 years on Union Street in San Francisco and Mill Valley, California. Ilene takes American psychologists to Israel to facilitate art therapy for trauma victims there, and has worked with autistic children using dance and art therapy. She created a video on Dance Movement Therapy for women with breast cancer, and is the author of Whole Person Healthcare, introduced by Dean Ornish. Ilene Serlin, PhD Ilene is a psychologist and registered dance/movement therapist in San Francisco and Marin. Past-president San Francisco Psychological Association, Fellow APA, and past-president Division of Humanistic Psychology, she taught at Saybrook University, Lesley University, UCLA, the NY Gestalt Institute, and the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich. Editor of Whole Person Healthcare (2007, 3 vol., Praeger) more than 100 chapters and articles on body, art, and psychotherapy, she is on the editorial boards of PsycCritiques; American Dance Therapy Journal; Journal of Humanistic Psychology; Arts & Health: An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice; Journal of Applied Arts and Health; and The Humanistic Psychologist. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Angeles Arrien, PhD Nothing Special: The Mystery of Everyday Life As a cultural anthropologist, Dr. Angeles Arrien’s research and teaching focused on values and beliefs shared by humanity cross-culturally, and on the integration and application of multi-cultural wisdoms in contemporary settings. She taught universal components of leadership skills, communication, health care, and education, showing how indigenous wisdoms are relevant in our families, professional lives, and our relationship with the Earth. Join us for conversation with Angeles and Michael Lerner—where they explore her writings, her Basque roots, her life journey and inspirations, what she’s doing now, and what is still to come. Angeles Arrien, PhD Angeles was a cultural anthropologist, award-winning author, educator, and consultant to many organizations and businesses. She lectured and conducted workshops worldwide, bridging cultural anthropology, psychology, and comparative religions. Her work is currently used in medical, academic, and corporate environments. Her books have been translated into thirteen languages and she received three honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of her work. Angeles’ books include The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary; Signs of Life: The Five Universal Shapes and How to Use Them, (Winner of the 1993 Benjamin Franklin Award); and The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom, (Winner of the 2007 Nautilus Award for Best Book on Aging). Her recent book, Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life is a Gold Medal Co-Winner of the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Award) in the category of Inspiration and Spirituality. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Angeles Arrien, PhD Nothing Special: The Mystery of Everyday Life As a cultural anthropologist, Dr. Angeles Arrien’s research and teaching focused on values and beliefs shared by humanity cross-culturally, and on the integration and application of multi-cultural wisdoms in contemporary settings. She taught universal components of leadership skills, communication, health care, and education, showing how indigenous wisdoms are relevant in our families, professional lives, and our relationship with the Earth. Join us for conversation with Angeles and Michael Lerner—where they explore her writings, her Basque roots, her life journey and inspirations, what she’s doing now, and what is still to come. Angeles Arrien, PhD Angeles was a cultural anthropologist, award-winning author, educator, and consultant to many organizations and businesses. She lectured and conducted workshops worldwide, bridging cultural anthropology, psychology, and comparative religions. Her work is currently used in medical, academic, and corporate environments. Her books have been translated into thirteen languages and she received three honorary doctorate degrees in recognition of her work. Angeles’ books include The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer and Visionary; Signs of Life: The Five Universal Shapes and How to Use Them, (Winner of the 1993 Benjamin Franklin Award); and The Second Half of Life: Opening the Eight Gates of Wisdom, (Winner of the 2007 Nautilus Award for Best Book on Aging). Her recent book, Living in Gratitude: A Journey That Will Change Your Life is a Gold Medal Co-Winner of the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Award) in the category of Inspiration and Spirituality. Angeles Arrien died in April 2014. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Rachel Naomi Remen, MD Symbols, Rituals, and Archetypes: Speaking the Language of the Deep Unconscious Mind The “affective domain” is the learning domain concerned with values, calling, and meaning, and is the basis of authentic community and sustained action and commitment. Although the affective domain is widely recognized as the foundation of direction, purpose, and deep satisfaction in work and in life—as well as the basis of spiritual hardiness in meeting with obstacles, difficulties, and stress—traditional models of education are not designed to accomplish such learning. Join Michael Lerner in conversation with Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, about her journey balancing her life as mystic, scientist, and educator. Rachel Naomi Remen, MD Rachel is clinical professor of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and founder and director of the Institute for the Study of Health and Illness at Commonweal. She is one of the pioneers of integrative medicine and relationship-centered care. As a clinician, she was a therapist to end-of-life people and their families for more than 30 years. Dr. Remen is the founder and director of The Healer’s Art curriculum for medical students, which is now taught in more than half of American Medical schools and medical schools in 7 countries abroad. She is co-founder and medical director of the Commonweal Cancer Help Retreat Program, one of the first integrative care support groups for cancer patients in America. Dr. Remen’s bestselling books, Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal and My Grandfather’s Blessings: Stories of Strength, Refuge and Belonging, have more than a million copies in print and have been published in 21 languages. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Lynnaea Lumbard, PhD New Stories: Who We Are, What We Are Becoming, Where We Are Going Join Michael Lerner in a conversation with Lynnaea Lumbard—co-president of New Stories, a non-profit educational organization serving as a resource center, creative collaboratory, and project incubator in support of emerging new stories for who we are as humanity, what we are becoming, how we are changing and where we are going together. Three principle foci of New Stories are (1) strengthening great transition stories, (2) fostering thriving communities, and (3) the Whidbey GeoDome Project, headed by Rick Ingrasci, a portable inflatable dome with an internal projector that offers the experience of the universe story in a way similar to a planetarium. Lynnaea Lumbard, PhD Lynnaea is a transformational psychologist, an ordained interfaith minister, and a wilderness guide. Her interests include depth psychology, conscious evolution, community weaving, social change philanthropy, and evolutionary spirituality. Lynnaea is co-president of New Stories, a nonprofit educational center on Whidbey Island. Lynnaea works at New Stories with collaborators who include her husband, psychologist and ordained minister Rick Paine, author Duane Elgin (Voluntary Simplicity and The Living Universe), entrepreneur Jeff Vander Clute, life coach Rick Ingrasci, and many others. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.

Stephan Schwartz Trends That Affect Your Future and Consciousness Research Join Michael Lerner for a conversation with Stephan Schwartz, the creator of the free daily on-line Schwartz Report: Trends That Will Affect Your Future. Stephen tracks significant social trends while postulating the reality of non-local consciousness. Integrating tough-minded social trend analysis with a deep knowledge of consciousness research, Schwartz arrives at challenging non-obvious approaches to thinking about social change. Stephan A. Schwartz Stephan Schwartz is a senior Samueli fellow at the Samueli Institute, columnist for the journal Explore, and editor of the web publication Schwartz Report. He has spent a lifetime focused on exceptional human performance, particularly involving nonlocal aspects of consciousness, and is one of the founders of modern remote viewing. Parallel with that, he has researched and written about trends that are shaping the world for many years. He is the former research director of the Mobius Society, research director of the Rhine Research Center, senior fellow of the Philosophical Research Society, scholar in residence at Atlantic University, and adjunct professor at John F. Kennedy University. He is the spokesperson for the Parapsychological Association, and a former board member; co-founder of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness of the American Anthropological Association, the International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, and the International Remote Viewing Association. He is the author of four books, 20 chapters in others, and more than 100 technical papers and peer-reviewed publications. Find out more about The New School at tns.commonweal.org.