Godspeed Institute

Godspeed Institute - Rabbis Without Borders - 09/30/12

Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu is Director of Rabbis Without Borders, and is known for thinking “outside the box.” Rabbis Without Borders is a program of CLAL - The National Center for Learning and Leadership – a leader in religious pluralism, linking Jewish wisdom with innovative scholarship to deepen civic and spiritual participation in American life. Rabbi Sirbu is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Vassar College. A trained hospital chaplain, she has worked at Beth Israel Medical Center, Lenox Hill Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Her published articles include: “Leadership During Uncertain Times,” and “Theologies of Suffering: How Judaism can Help You Cope.” Topics in this engaging hour include: What Rabbi Sirbu means by thinking “outside the box”; Rabbis without Borders - how it came about, what the program does; working across denominations to create vibrant Jewish and civic life; making meaning; life events and celebrations; what drew her to becoming a rabbi, and how the role manifests today; the core of faith; a poem by Rabbi Rami Shapiro; the value and wisdom of religious traditions; tension between religions; religious pluralism; her writings about suffering, grieving and healing; jewishvaluesonline.org, and other great resources featuring Jewish response to many questions about life; religious tolerance; and more. For more information, http://godspeedinstitute.com/

Godspeed Institute - 09/23/12

Godspeed Institute - 09/09/12

Godspeed Institute - Charles Thomas Jr., Author of "Scars, Exile and Vindication" - 09/02/12

Charles Thomas Jr. is the author of the book 'Scars, Exile, and Vindication: My Life as an Experiment,' newly published by Tate Publishing. It tells the autobiographical story of a young man born and raised in Flint, Michigan whose journey led him from devastation to inspiration. In his words, “Scars remind us that the past is real and give us motivation to move forward into the future with an attitude of optimism and a promise of better days to come.” Topics in this hour include: Flint, Michigan and the 1989 film ‘Roger & Me,’ by Michael Moore; some of Thomas' experiences of fear and violence growing up in Flint; the effect of these experiences; the critical role of a supportive family; the role of adversity in life; education; failures and scars in a culture of material achievement and awards, and what they hold for us; fear; the spiritual aspect of his journey; faith; Caer's Tip for your Spiritual Toolkit; and more. For more information visit www.godspeedinstitute.com

The Godspeed Institute - The Wisdom of Daoism with Dr. Norman Girardot - Repeat Program - 03/04/12

Joining Caer in a conversation on Daoism is Norman Girardot, University Distinguished Professor in Religion Studies at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. His special research areas include Chinese religious tradition, especially Daoism, popular religious movements, the rise of the discipline known as “comparative religions,” and the relation of religion and outsider or visionary art. He is the award winning author of The Victorian Translation of China; Daoism and Ecology; and Myth and Meaning in Early Daoism: The Theme of Hundun. Topics in this engaging hour include: Girardot’s course on Jesus, Buddha, Mao, and… Elvis; the First Church of Elvis the Divine; humor; where religions come from; creation from a Daoist perspective; the Three Pure Ones; the Triune God in Christianity, or the Holy Trinity; yin and yang; when Daoism emerged; Lao Tzu; the Dao Te Ching; the word Dao translated as "way" or "path”; how Daoism is practiced; Daoist views on ecology; the growth of evangelical Christianity in China; philosophical and religious Daoism;  the unity of spirit and matter; humility; Caer’s Tip for your Spiritual Toolbelt that you wrap around yourself each day; and more. For more information, visit godspeedinstitute.com

Godspeed Institute - Rabbi Rami Shapiro - 08/19/12

Godspeed Institute - 08/12/12

Today's guest: Fr. Thomas Schirghi.

Godspeed Institute - Repeat Program - 03/25/12

“There is No Religion Higher than Truth.” This is the motto of The Theosophical Society in America, founded in New York in 1875 with three main purposes: to form a nucleus of the Universal Brotherhood of Humanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, or color; to encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy, and Science; and to investigate the unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent within the human being. The Society is composed of lifelong students belonging to any religion - or to none. Rooted in Ageless Wisdom, and engaging knowledge that is religious, scientific and esoteric, their bond is not the profession of a common belief, but a common search and aspiration for Truth. Joining Caer Hallundbaek to discuss theosophy is Tim Boyd, president of the Theosophical Society in America. Topics in this hour include: what Theosophy is; the beginnings of the Society in America; Oneness of all things; the nature of Divinity; wisdom through the ages; reconciling humanity's scientific, philosophical, and religious disciplines and practices into a unified worldview; how the Theosophical movement inspired the New Age; ‘the unexplained laws of Nature and the powers latent within the human being’; remembering; truth; how 'all souls are identical with the Universal Oversoul'; study, meditation and service; how Theosophy helps us relate to others and effect religious tolerance; Caer's Tip for your Spiritual Toolbelt; and more. For more information, visit www.godspeedinstitute.com.

Godspeed Institute - The Journey to Redemption - 07/29/12

Jonathan Brent Burgard was born near an air-force base in Mount Holly, NJ. As his father was in the Air Force, he moved often – attending 3 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 3 high schools. With all that movement, he couldn’t really settle down or get very comfortable in any one place. As a teenager, the need for friendship and attention moved him toward to the arts, and he began acting in high school productions. Theater became his passion and his profession. At 6’ 6” tall, with a great singing voice and quote “biceps like tree trunks,” Jonathan landed the role of Gaston, the villain in Beauty and the Beast, whom he has played in more than 400 performances across the United States. He has starred in over 30 different productions, working with some of the top names on Broadway, and is currently the face of Slim Goodbody – touring nationally, educating children about good health. But his is not merely a lonely-kid-makes-good-on-stage story. Jonathan is the author of the new book The Journey to Redemption: An Adventure in Choice & Faith. In this hour he shares with Caer Hallundbaek the spiritual journey of a potentially wayward life changed by faith.

Godspeed Institute - PRAYER OF THE HEART IN CHRISTIAN AND SUFI MYSTICISM - 07/22/12

PRAYER OF THE HEART IN CHRISTIAN AND SUFI MYSTICISM, WITH LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN-LEE 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 & 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. For more information visit www.godspeedinstitute.com