Exploring Conciousness : East & West

The program features Sraddhalu Ranade, a teacher and scientist from the ancient Hindu tradition of Vedanta, who comes to the Global Spirit studio from the Sri Aurobindo ashram in South India to meet Peter Russell, an author and spiritual practitioner with decades of relevant research and a background in physics and psychology from Cambridge University.

The Mystical Experience

In this Global Spirit program, host Phil Cousineau joins Brother David Steindl-Rast, Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man and Maata Lynn Barron to shed light on some of the common attributes of those who yearn for and reach, however momentarily, what they describe as a direct experience of God or the Divine. From the ancient Jewish Kabbalah and Islamic Sufi practices, to the spiritual illumination and epiphanies experienced through monastic contemplation, "The Mystical Experience" explores both experiential and analytical approaches to this rich subject.

Dreams, Visions and Realities

This program features Yidumduma Bill Harney, a master storyteller, painter, and highly-respected Wardaman elder who is committed to teaching traditional practice and understanding to the youth in his culture, and Stephen Aizenstat, a dream specialist who has studied the way symbols, archetypes and individual’s dreams reveal “Nature’s dreaming.”

Art and the Creative Spirit

This lively program explores various sacred art forms with artists working with the spiritual aspect of the creative process-Buddhist Lama Lhanang Rinpoche and Pueblo Indian sculptor Estella Loretto. Visually engaging and emotionally uplifting,their conversation imparts new insights and discoveries about sacred art and the creative spirit within spiritual traditions from parts of the world as seemingly disconnected as Tibet and the American Southwest.

FORGIVENESS AND HEALING

This program explores forgiveness and healing on a personal and societal level, featuring psychotherapist Dr. Ed Tick and his wife Kate Dahlstedt who lead a group of traumatized Vietnam War vets back to the land where they fought and killed. Program guest Azim Khamisa traces how he learned to forgive the boy who murdered his own son. Now Khamisa works with the killer’s grandfather to foster forgiveness and healing workshops with young audiences all over the world.

EARTH WISDOM

This program focuses on the wisdom of indigenous peoples and their values and practices that have promoted heightened consciousness, spiritual harmony and a life in balance with nature. Filmed at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, host Phil Cousineau joins over 2000 representatives of native societies throughout the world attempting to get their voices heard on climate change and other critical environmental issues.

From the Heart of the World

This poignant film carries a strong warning from a remote South American tribe that cautions us, the “younger brothers”, to give up our
self-destructive ways and honor the planet before it is too late. After four
centuries of seclusion, the Kogi - considered to be the last surviving pre-Colombian civilization - asked filmmaker Alan Ereira to visit their homeland in the Sierra Nevada mountains of northern Colombia and carry back their message to the rest of us.

IN SEARCH OF ECSTASY

This program explores the “ecstatic state” — a global phenomenon found in many spiritual, religious and wisdom traditions. Host Cousineau is joined by guests Sobonfu Somé, author and teacher of African spirituality, and Andrew Harvey, a British scholar specializing in the works and teachings of Jalaluddin Rumi. This program explores the ecstatic trance in cultures around the world, and the special role it plays in spiritual and religious practices.

Sound of the soul

An inspiring antidote to religious fundamentalism and violence, SOUND OF THE SOUL ultimately reveals the essential Oneness among all faiths, so aptly expressed in the Afghan singer Farida Mahwash's closing affirmation: "Music has no religion, no borders, no boundaries. Music is the sound of the soul." This program features an interfaith discussion of the film with Marla Kolman Antebi and Sarah Talcott, organizers of Jewish and Christian interfaith youth projects, and Kabir Helminski, a muslim, sufi teacher and musician.

Oneness -- The Big Picture

In this program, Deepak Chopra, physician and best-selling author of books on spirituality and mind-body healing, shares his philosophical insights on Oneness, with co-guest Riane Eisler, social scientist, best-selling author and historian. Their engaging discussion alternates with segments from the documentary film One The Movie, directed by Ward Powers.

The Journey Towards Oneness

Beneath the seeming differences that separate the world’s religions, there is a deep undercurrent of teachings that point in the direction of Oneness, or “Unity Consciousness” - the indivisible totality of all creation, all beliefs, all religions and of the universe itself. This program explores the concept of Oneness, and traces its evolution and expression through seemingly different religious and spiritual traditions. Physicist Ravi Rivindra and Sufi mystic Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee bring a wealth of insights and revelations to the discussion, spanning the realms of both science and mysticism.

The Spiritual Quest

The Spiritual Quest is often understood as a desire to reach God, or to attain spiritual enlightenment. It is a search that is often challenging, full of questions and uncertainties. In this program, Phil Cousineau hosts comparative religion scholar Karen Armstrong and Professor of Buddhist studies Dr. Robert Thurman for a discussion of The Spiritual Quest as both a personal and religious phenomenon.

The Shaman, the Spirit Healer, and the Earth

Compared with those who grew up in the western, industrialized world, indigenous peoples have a profoundly different relationship to Nature, to the Earth and to the realm of the Spirit. For native peoples everywhere, life is a gift that must be respected and honored.

In this Global Spirit episode, host Phil Cousineau is joined by Flordemayo, a Mayan spirit healer, and Angaangaq, an Eskimo-Kalaalit Shaman from Greenland. Meeting for the first time, these two indigenous guests share their ancient wisdom and knowledge about man's relationship to nature, as well as the profoundly sacred nature of all life — including sacred healing practices from the world of spirits, animals and plants.

MUSIC, SOUND AND THE SACRED

This program explores the transcendent qualities of spiritual and sacred music with guests Rev. Alan Jones and Grammy-award-winning singer Joanne Shenandoah a member of the Native American Onondaga tribe. The program features liturgical musical performances in Latin and a live studio performance by Joanne and Lia Shenandoah.