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COMMUNICATING THE WISDOM THAT'S CHANGING THE WORLD
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| Serenade of the Flies by Justine Willis Toms  One spring, my friend the late Sedonia Cahill invited me to join her on a vision quest she would be leading the following summer. It was pretty easy to say yes, because I knew that any adventure headed up by Sedonia was bound to be exciting. Besides, spending a couple of days in nature seemed like a good idea--some of my fondest memories are of camping in the mountains with friends and family--so at the very least the invitation held the potential of a very pleasant trip.
I got my first inkling that this trip was likely to be more than a holiday in the desert when Sedonia cautioned me that the quest would begin as soon as I accepted the invitation. She further reminded me that a decision to go on a vision quest is not something entered into lightly. She hinted that I might notice a shift in the content of my dreams and even of my waking thoughts as soon as I made the decision, and asked me to take particular notice of them during the months preceding the trip. She was prescient in her warning. Once I accepted her invitation, long buried emotions started creeping out from their dark corners and playing havoc with my mind. I began to ask myself, "What have I gotten myself in for?" It turned out to be an arduous seven-day quest. The first day was devoted to caravanning to the desert, the second day to setting up base camp. The third day we were acclimated to the actual quest, and sent out to find our spots and establish a place where we would not see one another, and yet still be able to let our leaders know we were okay. The fourth, fifth, and sixth days were devoted to our solo time in the desert, with the instruction that during the last night we were to stay up all night praying, and being receptive to receiving a vision in answer to our prayers. We fasted for those three solitary days, and were allowed only water to drink. Our equipment was the bare minimum: rattle, journal, pen, tarp, and a sleeping bag. The first morning I wondered with real concern what I could possibly do to entertain myself for the next seventy-two hours. I thought I might catch up on some long overdue sleep, but soon discovered that it was much too hot on the desert to enjoy a good snooze during the daylight hours. Sedonia had suggested that we pay close attention to any animals that might show up. I looked forward to spotting coyotes, but was more than a little apprehensive of running into rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and scorpions. Much to my disappointment the first animals that showed up were flies--relentless, wicked, buzzing flies. There were at least a dozen of them circling my head doing their fly thing, making the most distracting sounds. I waved my hands, but that seemed to excite them even more, and their grating whirr went into overdrive. Nothing I did would discourage them or make them leave. I briefly considered getting under my tarp and just sweating it out for the whole three days. I soon became convinced I would be driven completely mad by the end of the three days. My fellow questers would find me wandering around in the heat babbling to myself, "The buzzing, the buzzing." This definitely wasn't the Zen adventure I thought I'd signed up for. There was no place to hide, no screen door barrier to slam shut. I was in the flies' living room and they were determined to entertain me as their "honored" guest, no matter how insistent I was to the contrary. I was their captured audience, their revenge for every spider that trapped and devoured their cousins in her web. I was wrapped in a buzzing net of sound, and no amount of struggle was going to set me free. Exhausted by it all, I finally resorted to my meditation practice. Sitting straight with my legs folded, hands resting relaxed on my knees, eyes partially closed, breathing easily in and out, I began to calm down. The cacophony of the flies began to calm down as well. It didn't go away, but either I started to get used to it or it actually became a mellower hum. Soon my aggravation was displaced by curiosity. Was I hearing individual flies? Were they buzzing on different notes? Were they making melodies, complete with harmonies? I imagined myself with a set of the finest Bose headphones over my ears as I began hear a blended ensemble of the music of the flies. Like a Mariachi band, they were serenading me. Smiling, I realized these tiny beings were bringing me a gift. It was simply a matter of focus. I could continue my fruitless efforts at trying to control that which could not be controlled. Or, I could relax, be curious, and stay open to a new experience. What had been intolerable only moments before became pleasant and enjoyable. I enjoyed the serenade for a few minutes, then decided to take a walk. As I stood up, my tiny companions went into an ecstasy of excitement and burst into a jumble of jazz and I laughed out loud as I imagined them acting like a bunch of excited puppies getting ready to go out for a walk. I even said out loud to them, "Yes, indeed, we're going for a walk." A short distance down the path they left, and didn't return. When we all gathered together at the end of our solitary days, the other questers reported being visited by all the animals I expected to see--coyotes, vultures, even a rattlesnake or two. No one reported on being visited by a flight of flies. It was my singular pleasure. When we decide to take time out to listen and pay attention to what's most true and sacred in our lives what shows up can be surprising. Even a "lowly" creature we rarely pay attention to, like a fly, can be a teacher. |
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Special Announcement We have added another 132 programs to our digital archive You may download them as individual programs Or Join our listening club and hear any of them as streaming audio To find a list of them click here |
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January 2008 Broadcast Schedule
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| The Broadcast Week Beginning Wednesday, Jan 2-8, 2008
There is a practice that some are bringing back from India called Deeksha or the Oneness Blessing. Ardagh traveled to India at the request of the Oneness University and interviewed more than 300 people who had received extraordinary benefits from this blessing. He also met those who were critical and who were very wary of this phenomenon. Through his personal experience of the blessing and the interviews he did, Ardagh concludes that Oneness Blessing is a good thing. When asked if this is a shortcut to enlightenment he replies, "I'm not really a big believer in enlightenment. It feels to me that it is a term that people use very loosely and no one seems to agree as to what it means... I believe, however, that this phenomenon of blessing definitely speeds up the process of evolution of consciousness to allow greater and greater oneness." Ardagh describes the origin of the blessing and suggests that the most reliable measure of spiritual maturity is happiness. This revelation and more serves as the focus for this edition of New Dimensions with our guest Arjuna Ardagh. (Hosted by Justine Willis Toms and Michael Toms) Arjuna Ardagh was educated in England at Cambridge University, where he earned a master's degree in literature. Since the age of 14 he has had a passionate interest in spiritual awakening, and he began to practice meditation and yoga at that time. In his late teens he trained as a meditation teacher. After graduating from Cambridge, Ardagh devoted himself completely to the call he felt inside. He studied and lived with a number of great spiritual teachers, both in Asia and the United States and is the founder of the Living Essence Foundation in Nevada City, California, a nonprofit church dedicated to the awakening of consciousness within the context of ordinary life. He is the author of The Translucent Revolution (New World Library 2005); Relaxing into Clear Seeing (Self X Press 1999); How About Now (Self X Press 1999); and The Last Laugh (a novel) (Self X Press 2003); as well as the creator of Let Yourself Go (Sounds True 2006), a six CD audio set; and Awakening Into Oneness: The Power of Blessing in the Evolution of Consciousness (Sounds True 2007). To learn more about the work of Arjuna Ardagh go to www.livingessence.com or www.awakeningintooneness.org
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The Broadcast Week Beginning Wednesday, Jan 9-15, 2008
A true global citizen, Marisa Handler was born in South Africa to a Jewish family. They moved away from the imposed apartheid to California's San Fernando Valley, when she was eleven years old. She has since become an activist for social justice, and is inspired by the wisdom of her spiritual convictions of compassion, and her understanding that the process of deep listening is the true road to world peace. She's lived in Jerusalem and traveled to Jordan, Egypt, India, Nepal and throughout the U.S., speaking and organizing for the Tikkun Community. She has also spent time in Central and South America as well as Cuba. Handler says, "I realize that sometimes the work we were doing, trying to make things better, seemed to be actually pushing people apart and really making things worse. In thinking about how can we make things better; how can we bring people together, I became convinced that listening has to be a key." Marisa Handler has written for Salon.com, the San Francisco Chronicle, AlterNet, Tikkun, and Orion. She has worked as an activist with numerous organizations, including Direct Action to Stop the War, United for Peace and Justice, and the Tikkun Community. She is the author of Loyal to the Sky: Notes from an Activist (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2007). To learn more about the work of Marisa Handler go to www.marisahandler.com
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| The Broadcast Week Beginning Wednesday, Jan 16-22, 2008
Many researchers have investigated the science of time cycles by using the Mayan Calendar, which tracks the 5,125 year Long Count ending in the year 2012. Some will recall the Harmonic Convergence that took place in August 17, 1987 and which pointed to the final 25 year cycle of the Mayan Calendar and its multi-faceted possibilities. Combined with her own in-depth research and that of biologist Carl Johan Calleman, she describes the implications for the earth and for our consciousness as we near the year 2012. Clow says, "Things seem to be getting worse. But from my point of view as a teacher, because I work with consciousness, I think the most important thing for us to do at this point is to overcome fear." This revelation and more serves as the focus for this edition of New Dimensions with our guest, Barbara Hand Clow. Barbara Hand Clow is an International Mayan elder, Cherokee Record Keeper, and widely acclaimed ceremonial teacher, teaching at sacred sites throughout the world. She is the author of numerous books including, The Pleiadian Agenda (Bear & Company 1995), Catastrophobia (Bear & Company 2001), Alchemy of Nine Dimensions (Hampton Roads 2004),The Mind Chronicles (Bear & Company 2007), and The Mayan Code: Time Acceleration and Awakening the World Mind (Bear & Company 2007). To learn more about the work of Barbara Hand Clow go to www.handclow2012.com
The Broadcast Week Beginning Wednesday, Jan 30 - Feb 5, 2008
The overall mortality rate from cancer hasn't changed in 60 years despite the billions invested to find a cure. There's hardly a family in America that has not been affected by this dread disease. You may have lost a family member, a friend, a significant other, or a colleague at work. There's much that can be done to prevent and/or cure cancer. Medical Doctor and researcher, Lynne Eldridge tells us that research shows that 80 to 95% of cancers are environmentally caused. She points out, "Right now we are spending 25% more than any other country on the planet in healthcare. We are number 42 in life expectancy. Even if we were spending 300% more, does that mean we are going to get there?... We are disease oriented here instead of wellness oriented." Avoiding and/or preventing cancer as well as fostering optimal health serves as the focus for this conversation. Lynne Eldridge graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School with prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha honors. She completed her residency through the University of Minnesota with time spent in Hawaii studying human exposure to pesticides. Dr. Eldridge practiced family medicine with a passionate emphasis on prevention for over 15 years in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, before devoting herself full time to researching and speaking internationally on cancer prevention and nutrition. She's the author of Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time: Practical Advice for Preventing Cancer (Beaver's Pond Press 2007). To learn more about the work of Lynne Eldridge go to www.avoidcancernow.com
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The Broadcast Week Beginning Wednesday, Jan 23-29, 2008
Protecting our environment is no longer just the job of environmentalists. With the reality of global climate change upon us, we’re all waking up to the fact that saving the planet is everybody’s business. But how can we make a difference fast enough to avert a global crisis? Climate scientists tell us that we have less than ten years to dramatically cut our carbon emissions before we reach a point of no return. Yet most of the large-scale solutions on the table will take far longer than that to implement. Fortunately, necessity is the mother of invention, and among the climate change pioneers there are those who feel that, if we step out of the box of the traditional social change model, we'll discover that we already have everything we need to make a huge dent in our carbon footprint—almost overnight. This "new social change formula" serves as the focus of this dialogue with David Gershon, who says, "What we've been looking at is a strategy I call 'Cool America.' The core of that program is a cool community campaign which is scaling up eco-teams within a community... This is a bold idea, and says if 50 to 90% of the carbon footprint of a community is the residential sector, and we've been able to demonstrate that 25%, on average reduction per household participates, we can scale up these eco-teams and can get this 20% reduction by 2010." (Hosted by Craig Hamilton) David Gershon is the founder and CEO of Empowerment Institute and co-founder of Empowerment Training Programs. He is one of the world's leading authorities on behavior change and large-scale transformation, and over the past three decades, has applied his expertise to a broad range of societal and environmental issues. At the height of the Cold War, he conceived and organized one of the planet’s first major global initiatives, the "First Earth Run," during which a torch of peace was passed around the world. David is the author of nine books including the bestselling Empowerment: The Art of Creating Your Life As You Want It (Empowerment Institute 1989) and Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5000 Pounds (Empowerment Institute 2006), Journey for the Planet: A Kid's Five Week Adventure to Create an Earth-Friendly Life (Empowerment Institute 2007). He is currently writing Reinventing the Social Change Formula: Social Creativity and the Practice of Empowerment. To learn more about the work of David Gershon go to www.lowcarbondiet.net
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 The Art & Science of Mind/Body/Healing www.thehealingmind.org |
 Expand Your Consciousness in Optimal Learning Environments www.conferenceworks.com |
 Parties with a Purpose; Celebrating what's working in our communities, for people, for business and for the environment www.greenfestivals.com |
 Redefining Spirituality for an Evolving World www.wie.org |
 Tap into Your Inner Speaker and Communicate with Ease www.speakingcircles.com |
 Transform the Way You Live and Lead with Purpose, Passion, Energy, and Joy www.getclarity.com |
 Books for the Evolving Human Spirit www.hamptonroadspub.com |
 To Help Individuals Realize Their True Relationship with Life Through Higher Self-Studies Guy Finley, Director www.guyfinley.org |
 Publishing Books that Change Lives www.newworldlibrary.com |
