Showing results by narrator "Michael Toms" in All Categories

Characterized by petty rivalries, self-indulgence and lack of responsibility, our actions fail to fulfill what Robert Bly describes as our true soul longing. With characteristic irreverence and storytelling from various cultures, Bly tells us what we should be doing about green-haired adolescents and idle elders, not to mention televisions and computers. His insightful focus illuminates the truths and possibilities of a culture caught in an adolescent phase of development.

Bly describes the three necessary and sequential life phases symbolized by three colors - the "red, white and black," in the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "Iron John." He casts a penetrating light on these male life stages, describing complications that arise, for example, when a boy skips the red and goes directly to the white. He also discusses how these stages, when fulfilled, affect men's relationships with women.

Seventeen-year-old Stephanie Armand doesn't believe in ghosts or spirits. Despite her six-year-old sister insisting a masked figure is hiding in her closet, and the rumors at school, Stephanie isn't convinced her father's latest renovation project - a crumbling Victorian mansion - houses the soul of a monster. So when the very charming (and paranormal-obsessed) Lucas Cheney takes an interest in both Stephanie and her notorious home, Moldavia, the supernatural and romantic activity escalates to an all-time high.

Topics explored in this dialogue include: why the life and work of Rumi is relevant in today's world, what is Rumi's connection to the Divine, comparisons of Rumi and other great religious leaders, why Rumi is skeptical about language, where do you find Rumi's passion in today's world, what Rumi might be doing if he were alive today, and what is the connection between Rumi's revelations and the Sufi tradition.

Hidden in the mountains, the indigenous peoples of Mexico have kept alive the spiritual path of the ancient Toltecs, one of the most powerful Mesoamerican spiritual traditions alive today. Tracing their lineage to a time before the Aztec, the Toltecs recognize Earth as a living being, share a profound communion with their land, and demonstrate unusual powers of perception.

An interview with Father Bede and two musician friends becomes a profoundly moving musical excursion through the deep truths and feelings of the various spiritual traditions represented in their South Indian Christian-Hindu ashram.

One of the oldest tools for revealing the territory of the unconscious, the Tarot has been used for centuries to tap deep levels of self-knowledge. Here, Arrien, a native Basque and anthropologist, speaks of universal archetypes in the Tarot, and how these archetypes can be used for self-understanding. The power of symbols and how they impact our life so much of the time is also covered by Arrien in this expressive dialogue.

From Carlos Castaneda's first book, The Teachings of Don Juan to The Power of Silence, millions of readers have long enjoyed the fantastic teachings of don Juan Matus, the Yaqui shaman from northern Mexico. Here, Victor Sanchez offers practical techniques based on Castaneda's writings, including experiencing the body as a field of energy, the not-doings of the personal self, stopping the internal dialogue, the magic of attention, setting up dreaming, the warrior's greatest love, and more.

The combination of the latest brain research with the new image of reality's shape emerging from quantum physics challenges us to see ourselves anew, according to Pearce, who provides a wealth of knowledge about how we develop, learn, create and relate to the universe we inhabit. He suggests that intelligence is much more than just brainpower and may have its source in the human heart. For anyone interested in understanding how we learn and grow, his ideas are challenging and profound.

Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, O. Henry Award and Edgar Awards, the 19 writers in this 2005 edition are not just considered some of the best Southern writers, but among the best American writers period. With works by such writers as Dennis Lehane, Moira Crone, Robert Olen Butler, Cary Holladay, Tom Franklin, and Rebecca Soppe, this collection provides an electrifying current of deep, dark subjects set in the brutal, but charming south.

Acknowledged as one of the greatest religious teachers of this or any other age, the late J. Krishnamurti was a visionary whose ideas are still ahead of his time. New Dimensions host Michael Toms was fortunate to capture this philosopher's penetrating wisdom in 1983, just a few years before his death at the age of 90.

Father Dom Bede Griffiths was a revered mystic who grew beyond his Christian traditions to embrace and embody the philosophical grounding of eastern thought. His gift of unconditional love and the divine presence he brought to this world were transformative to his students. In this conversation, Brother Wayne Teasdale and Asha and Russill Paul share their experience of Father Bede and his legacy, and the promise it holds for the world we face today.

A voice is calling in the darkness. A voice that only Cally can hear. Vila has abandoned his crewmates, searching for the mythical water of life.

With Cally acting suspiciously, Tarrant and Grant face danger at the heart of paradise. A gift is being offered. A gift that will cost one member of the Liberator crew dearly. But will Cally accept?

Since 1948, the BBC's iconic annual lecture series has provided a platform for brilliant, entertaining individuals to discuss and develop their ideas on radio. The topics range from art and science to history, culture, politics and more, and each Reith Lecture - which is a little longer than a TED talk - is followed by a lively question-and-answer session showcasing the speaker's expertise, wisdom and wit. This collection brings together 10 of the very best Reith Lectures, chosen by the series producer, Jim Frank.

This dialogue reviews Sheldrake's theory of "morphic resonance," which challenges some fundamental assumptions of established science. Sheldrake offers a revolutionary alternative to the mechanistic worldview, and points toward a new understanding of the nature of life, matter and mind. One of the more profound implications of Sheldrake's account here is his suggestion that the brain may be more like a tuning system than a recording device.

Hewey Calloway and his brother Walter are young men looking for work. Their first job puts them in the middle of a territory war between two powerful ranchers, C.C. Tarpley and Eli Jessup. It's a tough trail for two green cowpunchers and the forks in that trail may lead the brothers in different directions.

A Christian monk who lived in India for over 30 years, the late Father Griffiths shares some remarkable insights about the contemplative life. He builds a bridge linking the Gnostic tradition of early Christianity and the mystical tradition streaming down through the centuries with the ancient philosophies of Vedanta and Buddhism. The results are fascinating and profound.

There are no limits to your ability to think, according to psychologist Dyer, who suggests that you can imagine yourself doing anything. The power of the mind is limitless. He encourages us to put our consciousness on what we are for rather than what we are against.

Full of high energy and zest for life, psychologist and best-selling author Dyer suggests a myriad of methods for becoming more conscious parents and living life more fully.

"The whole job of learning how to produce miracles for yourself is to convince yourself that you already have this power," says Wayne Dyer. He describes the "real magic" available in every life as the undeveloped powers existing within each of us.