Godspeed Institute

Godspeed Institute - Mystical Prayer Across Traditions, with Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee - 06/22/14

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is an author and teacher in the Naqshbandi Order of Sufism. He has specialized in the area of dream work, integrating the ancient Sufi approach to dreams with the insights of modern psychology. In recent years the focus of his writing and teaching has been on spiritual responsibility in our present time of transition, and the emerging global consciousness of oneness. His latest book is Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism, which explores the inner listening of the heart, and the secret of ‘prayer without ceasing’ in which we discover how prayer becomes alive within the heart. This book brings together the Christian and Sufi mystical traditions in the oneness of love to which they both belong. It will benefit any practitioner of prayer, anyone who is drawn to discover a relationship with God within their heart.   Topics in this engaging hour include: Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism; what inspired this book; what defines “mystical prayer”;  Llewellyn’s Christian background, discovery of Sufism, and the common ground between the two through mysticism; St. Teresa of Avila, Attar, St. John of the Cross, Rumi; the necessity of prayer; the stages of prayer; the silence within the heart; the mystery of divine presence; oneness; the need to pray for the Earth; devastation from the illusion of separation; the Jesus Prayer and the dhikr; the power of name; the breath as bridge; Divine unity – a merging and melting that transcends the mind and its notions of duality; and much more.

Godspeed Institute - “The Suffering is Big.” Grace Street Ministry, with Mair Honan - 06/15/14

Today on the Godspeed Institute we welcome Mair Honan, UCC minister and co-founder of Grace Street Ministry – a compassionate outreach ministry to the homeless and marginalized in Portland, Maine, offering support through presence, prayer and advocacy.  Topics in the hour include: Caer’s reflection on the homeless from The Saints’ Guide to Relationships, Volume 3; a walking ministry; history of Grace Street Ministry; remembering the sacred in the midst of it all; the imagined and real boundaries between those who have little materially and those who have much; how ministry can be as simple as sharing a cup of coffee in Dunkin Donuts… to being with people “who have been beaten and discarded and are sure that God does not exist in the reality of their suffering”; hope; fear; overflowing shelters; being authentic; greed; her personal journey to this ministry; Caer’s Tip for Your Spiritual Toolbelt; and more.

Godspeed Institute - Expecting the Good: An Hour with Gola Wolfson Richards - 06/08/14

Gola Wolfson Richards holds a BA in Human Development Psychology, a Master’s in Theology / Philosophy and Psychology of Change in The Book of Changes. His career in Human Development spans more than four decades.  

He has lectured on Contemplative Education for Global Conflict-Resolution for Dartmouth College's Novela Symposium, Duke University Graduate School for Environmental Engineering, The University of Maine's first International Peace Conference, the C.G. Jung Society at Bowdoin College, Education for Peace at the University of Montana in Missoula, and has participated as the Maine faculty of "Religion and the Challenge of America."  

Wolf hosts the "Speaking for Virtue" radio broadcast from the University of Southern Maine, featuring early 20th century poetry and prose by authors such as Frank Crane and Edgar Guest.  In this engaging hour, Wolf joins Caer to talk about consciousness, change, sage qualities and character, his organization Broadcast Wisdom, and much more.  

For more information, visit www.godspeedinstitute.com

Godspeed Institute - An Atheist Who Prays: Sigfried Gold - 06/01/14

An atheist, Siegfried Gold took up prayer out of desperation. Overweight by 110 pounds and depressed, the 45-year-old software designer saw himself drifting from his wife and young son. He joined a 12-step program for food addiction that required — as many 12-step programs do — a recognition of God, or a Higher Power, and a spiritual approach to living.    

Four years later, Gold is trim, far happier in his relationships and free of a lifelong ennui. He credits a rigorous prayer routine — morning, night and before each meal — to a vivid goddess that doesn’t exist.  While Gold doesn’t believe there is some supernatural being out there attending to his prayers, he describes himself as nonetheless having had a “conversion” that can be characterized only as a “miracle.”  His life has been mysteriously transformed, he says, by the power of asking. 

-This, from an article about Mr. Gold by Michelle Boorstein in the Washington Post. 

He joins Caer today to share about his journey.

Godspeed Institute - Beyond the River’s Gate, with Dr. Stewart Bitkoff - 05/25/14

Stewart Bitkoff holds a doctorate in education and is an avid student of Sufi Mysticism and the Perennial Philosophy.  He is the author of 'A Commuter's Guide to Enlightenment,' 'Sufism for the Western Seeker,' and The Ferryman's Dream.' Bitkoff is a frequent contributor to “Sufism: An Inquiry” and “Sacred Journey Magazine” and writes for multiple online entities, including the Philadelphia Spirituality Examiner, Wisdom Magazine, New Age Journal, and more.  In this engaging hour he discusses his latest book, 'Beyond the River's Gate,' a spiritual Q&A on life's most essential questions, from the Sufi perspective.  

For more information, visit stewartbitkoff.com 

Godspeed Institute - Mystical Prayer Across Traditions, with Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee - 05/18/14

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Ph.D. is an author and teacher in the Naqshbandi Order of Sufism. He has specialized in the area of dream work, integrating the ancient Sufi approach to dreams with the insights of modern psychology. In recent years the focus of his writing and teaching has been on spiritual responsibility in our present time of transition, and the emerging global consciousness of oneness. His latest book is Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism, which explores the inner listening of the heart, and the secret of ‘prayer without ceasing’ in which we discover how prayer becomes alive within the heart. This book brings together the Christian and Sufi mystical traditions in the oneness of love to which they both belong. It will benefit any practitioner of prayer, anyone who is drawn to discover a relationship with God within their heart.   Topics in this engaging hour include: Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism; what inspired this book; what defines “mystical prayer”;  Llewellyn’s Christian background, discovery of Sufism, and the common ground between the two through mysticism; St. Teresa of Avila, Attar, St. John of the Cross, Rumi; the necessity of prayer; the stages of prayer; the silence within the heart; the mystery of divine presence; oneness; the need to pray for the Earth; devastation from the illusion of separation; the Jesus Prayer and the dhikr; the power of name; the breath as bridge; Divine unity – a merging and melting that transcends the mind and its notions of duality; and much more.

Godspeed Institute - Mary Lou Quinlan, Bestselling Author Of The God Box - 05/11/14

Join Caer for a moving Mother's Day hour with Mary Lou Quinlan - leading authority on women and bestselling author of The God Box:  Sharing My Mother's Gift of Faith, Love and Letting Go.  Mary Lou is the author of three breakthrough books, including What She’s Not Telling You, Time Off for Good Behavior, and Just Ask a Woman.   Her latest book is The God Box, Sharing My Mother’s Gift of Faith, Love and Letting Go, which we explore in this hour.   Mary Lou holds an MBA from Fordham University and an Honorary Doctorate in Communications from her alma mater, Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia where she earned a B. A. in English.   For more information, visit  Just Ask a Woman and The God Box Project.  Also visit the Godspeed Institute.

Godspeed Institute - Sufi Talks: Teachings of an American Sugi Sheikh, with Robert Frager PhD - 05/04/14

Caer Hallundbaek welcomes Robert Frager, Ph.D., founder of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, CA, where he is currently Professor of Psychology and Director of the Spiritual Guidance Masters Program.

Dr. Frager is a Sufi teacher in the Halveti-Jerrahi Sufi Order, an international order based in Istanbul, Turkey. He is president of the Jerrahi Order of California and has been a Sufi spiritual guide for over 25 years. Additionally he received a 7th degree black belt in Aikido and has been an instructor for over 45 years. His latest book is Sufi Talks: Teachings of an American Sufi Sheikh.

Topics in this engaging hour include: an event that touched Robert’s heart and changed his life; Sufi Talks – a collection of conversations about spiritual topics, drawn from his weekly teachings; the Sufi order as an unbroken chain; apostolic succession; saints;  the opening of the heart; the heart as a temple and a mediator; the practice of chanting and energizing the heart; surrender to God; more about his upcoming book; restoring character; ‘waking before we die’; Aikido; and more.

For more information, visit www.godspeedinstitute.com.

Godspeed Institute - An Hour With Noel Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary - 04/27/14

Caer speaks with Noel Paul Stookey, the "Paul" of Peter, Paul & Mary – legendary singer, songwriter and musician who passionately believes in bringing the spiritual into the practice of daily life.Now, at 74, with Betty, his spouse of 48 years, the Stookeys share about their life and what has touched them and upheld them, including music, faith and love. Don't miss this very special show. Noel Paul Stookey has been altering both the musical and ethical landscape of this country and the world for decades. He moved to New York City when he was 20, looking for independence, but what he found were “Peter” and “Mary,” and a career that took on a life of its own. Their very first album soared to the top of the charts, where it stayed for two years.  He has performed in intimate coffeehouses, at the White House, and in massive stadiums. At the 1963 March on Washington when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, Peter, Paul and Mary delivered the compelling “If I Had a Hammer” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Generations have been touched by his enduring classics, including “The Wedding Song” and “In These Times.” To learn more, please visit The Godspeed Institute, noelpaulstookey.com, www.onelightmanycandles.org, and www.music2life.org.

Godspeed Institute - Food and Divine Nourishment with Mary Lane - 04/20/14

‘All sorrows are less with bread,’ wrote Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote. We know the importance of food in terms of survival, in terms of deep, basic connection to another human being, and we are beginning to discern better paths in terms of health. Our relationship with food is primal and lifelong, and can also be a lifelong challenge. In this episode, Carole Hallundbaek explores the fascinating topic of food and spirituality with Mary Lane – a professional chef of 30 years, and the author of ‘Divine Nourishment: A Woman's Sacred Journey with Food.’ Topics in this hour include: What nourishment is, according to Lane; what form it takes in our culture today; her awakening and deepening of understanding of the connection between food and nourishment; her book, Divine Nourishment, and how it offers ‘support in reclaiming lost and rejected aspects of ourselves'; Lane's own journey with food; her career as restaurant owner, private chef, caterer of numerous health and spiritual retreats; living and eating seasonally as a road-map to physical and spiritual health; the need for balance; how we can learn to recognize our authentic self through the eyes of nature;  Carole's reading from Dear Little One: Thoughts to My Child in an Uncertain World, in recognition of the anniversary of 9/11; applying daily use of healthy organic seasonal foods, recipes, tonics, practices, and cleanses that are nourishing and appropriate for alignment with the seasonal journey; how Lane's work focuses on women and the Divine Feminine; this week's Godspeed Tip for your Spiritual Tool Belt; and more.