Authentic Living

Rosanne Cash comes to the Authentic Living show this week to discuss her latest book, Composed: A Memoir, the powerful, poetic and poignant story of her own inner journey, which touches us at a deep essential and spiritual core. Rosanne is one of America's preeminent singers and song writers with fourteen albums and eleven # 1 singles to her credit. Her albums, which reach people from across the various music genres, include: Right or Wrong, Seven Year Ache, Somewhere in the Stars, Rhythm and Romance, King's Record Shop, Interiors, The Wheel, 10 Song Demo, Rules of Travel, Black Cadillac, The List and The Essential Rosanne Cash. First known as the daughter of Johnny Cash, she moved on to find and live into her own genuine perspective, talent and personality, as she created song after song that reflected on the deeper meaning of life. She is also the author of two other books, as well as several essays and short stories published in major national magazines. You don't want to miss it!

With so much information floating around out there in the spiritual world about how to manifest abundance and, in the secular world about how to attain your goals, it's difficult to consider such concepts as staying in the moment. Michael Brown, our guest today, helps us bridge the gaps. Author of two books we'll be talking about today, "The Presence Process" and "Alchemy of the Heart," as well as a DVD entitled "Awakening to Innocence / Inner Sense," Michael can teach us all how to both release the imprinting of our childhood and begin to experience the now of authenticity. In Michael's own words "The Presence Process is not about changing who or what we are. This is impossible. Instead, it is about releasing our attachment to our manufactured identity so that we may gently return to an awareness of our authentic Presence." Who are you, really? Come listen to Michael and explore the inner terrain of yourself.

Today we are very fortunate to get an opportunity to talk to bestselling author Andrew Solomon, writer and lecturer on psychology, politics, and the arts and winner of the National Book Award for The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression. He is an activist in LGBT rights, mental health, and the arts. His latest NY Times bestselling book, and the subject of our interview today, entitled Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity, is also the winner of several awards, including being chosen at among the NY Times Ten Best Books of 2012. It has been called "A bold and unambiguous call to redefine how we view difference… A stunning work of scholarship and compassion (Carmela Ciuraru, USA Today) distinguished similarly by many other notables for its exceptional profundity, compassion and insight. Today we are going to take an intimate look at this entire concept of loving differentness. Don't miss this unique opportunity to gain insight into the power of love.

Most of us have been raised to be good. We were to share, be kind, be loving, say thank you when we didn't feel grateful, say I'm sorry when we weren't, hug people we didn't want to hug and say we loved people we didn't even know, much less love. But the idea of goodness held a magical quality for most of us. We thought that IF we were good enough, THEN we would be worthy, we would be loved and we could finally rest secure. We assume, therefore, that being real means being less than good—and the magic will go away. We assume that then we will not be worthy and we will not be loved. But being real doesn't mean being bad, mean, unkind or unworthy. Being real means being genuine. And this show is not only going to clarify the difference but it will bring home the reasoning for why we drop the act of being good and begin to adopt and adjust to our genuine Self. Don't miss it.

The first question before that, of course, is "Can people really change?" Well the answer is "yes," but we've all heard about those Road to Damascus changes that leave us scratching our heads and waiting for them to change back, right? Well, Bruce Grierson, author of the book, all about these kinds of changes, and entitled "U-Turn," is going to talk to us about the mystery of this kind of complete 180 degree shift in a person's consciousness. I read his wonderful article in the March 15, 2015 issue of Psychology Today, entitled "Eureka," and knew I had to get him for this show. This one is going to be fascinating. Don't miss it.

Joan Borysenko is back this week for the third time to talk with us about guilt, for guilt can be a major block to our resilience factor. Her latest book, "It's Not the End of the World: Developing Resilience in Times of Change" will be combined with one of her earlier books, "Guilt is the Teacher, Love is the Lesson" in an in-depth discussion of this devilish master craftsman of our lives. In the extreme, many of us live whole lifetimes driven by guilt and responsibility for other people's stuff. But most of us worry over guilt at least some of the time. It works us over and compels us at times to do things that are not only unnecessary but often come down to downright interference with other people's lives. And it eats at us from the inside out, through that niggling little voice that just won't seem to let go until we finally give into it. Well this week, we are going to help it let go. Don't miss this important discussion.

We hear the word "abundant" quite a bit these days. Mostly we think of this word in terms of money. We can't seem to help it. Our world is virtually run by money. When we want something, the first thing we think of is whether or not we can afford it. When we want to go somewhere, the first thing we think of is how we will pay for it. This is the way the world works. But it is not the way abundance works. In fact, abundance is the truth of our existence—we just don't see it. During this one hour show, we are going to learn all about the nature of abundance and how we can learn to see it. Don't miss it.

In our third week of our Countdown to Heaven, we are talking to Bruce Lipton, bestselling author of The Biology of Belief about his latest book, The Honeymoon Effect: The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth. We all understand either the actuality of the honeymoon effect, or the dream of it. But most of us see it as temporary—because we have to get back to "real life." The Honeymoon Effect is a state of bliss, passion, energy and health resulting from huge love. But we cannot imagine that we can have that on a regular basis. But Lipton tells us that the Honeymoon Effect is not a chance event that happened to us because the right circumstances collided, but rather it is a personal creation. In fact, he tells us that love is the most potent growth factor for human beings. How can we manifest this heaven on earth? Tune it to find out—and to hear the clip from Oprah's upcoming Super Soul Sunday. Don't miss it.

Do you find yourself doing all manner of things you don't really want to do? Do you often hear yourself saying "I have to…"? Do you find yourself having fantasies of saying what you've always felt about someone who gets your goat just about every time you see them? Do you look back on your yesterdays thinking of the many times when you have been used and/or abused by others? Well, you can get out of the game anytime you want. Really, you say. But you don't know my mother (or father or husband or wife). You don't know how hard it is for me. Or you might try saying, the most fatalistic of all excuses: "That's easier said than done," with a vacuous sigh that heaves responsibility back onto the world. But, really, you can. You can get out of the game anytime you want. How? Well, that's what we'll be talking about this week. Don't miss it.

For centuries we have been attempting to fight the good fight, to finally put an end to evil once and for all. Mostly we think that we will accomplish this through government, philanthropy, and the power of wealth in groups of people bound together on a mission to do away with evil. But we also think of it very personally, so that we must go to war within ourselves against the "evil" within. And if someone were to say to most of us that there is no such thing as good or evil, we would vehemently argue that a) it is just that kind of thinking that creates even more evil and b) that if we ever were to stop fighting the great battle, we would not only lose our sense of nobility, but we would be overwhelmed with all the evil that really is always lurking around trying to find an open door to fly through. We are terrified of realizing that though we have been fighting this battle for centuries, nothing has changed. And yet that is the truth. So, what is to be done? Tune in to find out.

"What's-a-mattah? Got a guilty conscience?" Remember hearing this as a child? I do. And I remember that having a "guilty conscience" meant that you'd done something wrong. When you put that in reverse, you come to understand that we might not know we've "done wrong" unless we have a "guilty conscience." We were all raised on this notion that guilt is a good thing. It helps us know when we've done or are about to do something wrong. On the other hand we all know those people who identify as "guilty". They introduce their problem with guilt by saying "I'm a good Catholic," or "I'm Jewish," or "I was raised Baptist." What these more extreme illustrations clearly demonstrate is that guilt is taught. In other words, guilt is not natural to us. Many would say, "well, of course it isn't, that's why we need to teach people to feel guilty." But what if guilt, any guilt, actually blocks the pathway to an authentic connection to the divine? Let's talk about it.

Today we are so honored to have Iyanla Vanzant here to talk to us about her latest book, Forgiveness: 21 Days to Forgive Everyone for Everything. Iyanla Vanzant, NY Times Bestselling author; host of the number one reality show on the OWN network, Iyanla: Fix My Life; and frequent guest on Super Soul Sunday and Oprah's Life Class, is easily one of America's most profound spiritual leaders, who empowers individuals all across the globe to live into the truest self. Her body of work spans over three decades and includes CDs, television, radio and on stage performances, 15 published books, and 5 New York Times Bestsellers, which have been translated into 23 languages. Iyanla's no nonsense approach to helping others to live healthy and whole demonstrates her clear capacity for delivering the absolute truth with love. She warms our hearts while pushing us to grow. Today we are going to get to talk with her about the purpose, the power and the freedom of forgiveness. Do NOT miss this show!

Isn't that what we all want—to get what we want? And if I told you today that all you would have to do to get what you want is to do A, B and C, you'd probably do it, right? Well, that's what's been happening—with all kinds of strategies, from commercials for toothpaste to marriage proposals, people are always promising to give us what we want. There are two primary problems with this: 1) most of us don't know what we really want; and 2) there is no bargain with the universe which will absolutely guarantee that after we have done A, B and C we will definitely have what we want. These promises leave out the possibility of the wondrous mystery of life. There is, however, a trust we can offer to ourselves, a trust that defines the divine as desire. And we absolutely can own that trust. Tune in today to find out how.

There is not one single shred of any endeavor humans ever make that is not touched by the myth of morality. Myth? Why am I calling this a myth? Because the entirety of the good/evil polarity is based on a misperception about who we are. Because we believe that we are separate from the divine, we have devised a plan to be reunited, which involves us being good enough for such a reunion. And of course if we are "bad" then we just don't get to be reunited with the divine. Regardless of faith we all have this deep sense of separation from the divine. And morality is at least part of the plan to do something about that separation. But because we truly are not separate from the divine, we can get out of the morality game. Want to know how? Tune in.

What is the purpose of your life? Do you know? Do you think you should know? What if you knew that you could not know the purpose of your life until it is over? Would that change your feeling about your life? Your judgments of its value? Many of us have been taught that we must know our life's purpose so that we can get in line with it. The superfluous "they" tell us that there is one specific purpose for each life and if we do not get in touch with it, we will live a failed life. Therefore, many will forestall their own plans until they get clear on a purpose. Many college students are trying to divine their life's purpose before deciding on a major. Many at 30, 40, 50 and even later, are still saying, "I wish I could talk to someone who could tell me my life's purpose." Well today, we are going to talk about your life's purpose. Don't miss it.

Here we are again at another new beginning. At least it is one that most of us recognize as a new beginning. The problem, however, with new beginnings is that we think we have to throw out the old to have the new. We think of it in very black and white, purist terms. But what if you knew that you didn't have to eliminate anything to have something new? Things don't die when new things are born. Rather things are integrated when new things are born. But what does this mean? What does it mean to integrate something old to find something new? Aren't we just supposed to think of something we want, stop thinking negative and start thinking positive as we work toward our new goals? Well here it is the 8th of January. Is that still working for you a little over a week into the New Year? What is the difference between a drive to a new goal, and a drive that comes from integrated material? Today we are going to learn how to begin again. Be here—you don't want to miss this.

In our third week of our Countdown to Heaven, we are talking to Bruce Lipton, bestselling author of The Biology of Belief about his latest book, The Honeymoon Effect: The Science of Creating Heaven on Earth. We all understand either the actuality of the honeymoon effect, or the dream of it. But most of us see it as temporary—because we have to get back to "real life." The Honeymoon Effect is a state of bliss, passion, energy and health resulting from huge love. But we cannot imagine that we can have that on a regular basis. But Lipton tells us that the Honeymoon Effect is not a chance event that happened to us because the right circumstances collided, but rather it is a personal creation. In fact, he tells us that love is the most potent growth factor for human beings. How can we manifest this heaven on earth? Tune it to find out—and to hear the clip from Oprah's upcoming Super Soul Sunday. Don't miss it.

Most of us have been taught that when we meditate, one of the things we might hope to achieve is an altered state of consciousness in which we feel elevated emotional connections such as bliss and ecstasy. And we also know that when we use substances such as alcohol, LSD, cocaine, crack, marijuana, narcotics, benzodiazepines, and others, we will probably experience an altered state of consciousness. What does this mean? It means that reality seems to shift—we see and feel things differently so that the difference now seems more real than the previous reality. At this point we may begin to wonder what is real. Seeking altered states of consciousness has become a national obsession to the point of a national addiction epidemic. But others seek the same through meditation. Is this the real point of meditation? If not, what is the point of meditation? And what is the truest state of consciousness? This show will answer these questions. Don't miss it.

Neale Donald Walsch is a modern day spiritual messenger whose work continues to touch the world in profound ways. With an early and deeply felt connection to spirituality, Neale spent the majority of his life searching for spiritual meaning before beginning his very public Conversation with God, a NY Times Bestselling series that has touched and inspired millions around the world. In addition, he has published 16 other works, and a number of video and audio programs. Neale's work has redefined God and shifted spiritual paradigms around the globe, and because of that redefining process and the response to it, he built the Conversations with God Foundation, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to inspiring the community of the world to move from violence, confusion and anger, to peace, clarity and love. And this week we'll be talking to Neale about change, based on his bestselling book "When Everything Changes, Change Everything." Don't miss it!

An interesting age-old phenomenon of human psychological/spiritual processing is that we tend to look for the light. Indeed, we look for light even when everything is really dark—often ending up creating an illusion of light, when seeing the dark would be a much smarter thing to do. We fear the dark, assuming that within it are all manner of monsters, even demons who will devour us if we but see them. We tend to think that the darkness—in whatever form we imagine it—is the worst possible thing. But what if the truest light can only be found in the dark? What if sitting in the dark is the only possible light? What if seeing the monsters is imperative to our evolution? Well then, while we are running from the dark, pretending that we've found the light, we miss the truest light. This show is going to be all about learning to be with, sit with, walk in the dark. Since it is so very prevalent in our lives—this might be a good time to listen.