Past episodes of the awesome radio shows on OMTimes Radio - the Cutting Edge of Conscious Radio
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 06, 2018
Tuesday Feb 06, 2018
Aired Tuesday, 6 February 2018, 5:00 PM EST
National Town Square, Part 2 - The New “Common Sense” and a Coherent Voice for We the People
A Conversation With Richard Lang, Author, Virtual Country And Rev. Lupton Abshire, Democracy Calling And… YOU!
“We need a new PRECEDENT. Government of, by and for the people where the government does OUR bidding, not the bidding of the highest bidder.” — Swami Beyondananda
Two weeks ago, our guest Richard Lang laid out an outside the (ballot) box strategy where a key missing ingredient can be added to “government by the people” — the PEOPLE!
His new book, Virtual Country: Strategy for 21st Century Democracy, offers a simple and yet radical (meaning: to the root) way for we the people to have “an individual vote, a collective voice” that could very well call forth a “new common sense.” Writes Richard:
“By accessing and quantifying our common sense, one issue at a time, in an authenticated, secure, easy-to-use way that gives each citizen a voice and a vote, we can begin to define our collective values, desires and priorities as a nation, and in so doing, transcend the partisanship and polarization that has gripped our democracy.”
To discuss what a National Town Square might look like, how it could work, and why and how it can rebalance the balance of power in favor of we the people, we will also be talking with Rev. Lupton Abshire, Director — Strategic Outreach for the National Town Square. He’s an Episcopal priest with over 25 years of experience serving faith communities around the country and in East Africa. His academic background includes degrees in organizational behavior, theology and philosophy. Originally from the Washington D.C. area, he lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his four teenagers, three dogs, two birds … and one wife. Lupton will talk about how and why he got involved with this project, and offer a unique perspective that bridges spiritual, personal and political.
And for the first time, YOU the listener will be able to join us with your questions and comments! Remember the show is broadcast live Tuesday at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET. We will begin taking questions at half past the hour, and you can call in at 202-570-7057. As our friend Caroline Casey would say, “Co-operators are standing by!”
Join us this Tuesday, February 6th as we explore a way to “overgrow” our corrupt and dysfunctional two-party pay-to-play duopoly, and discover “who we are” together.
Tuesday Jan 30, 2018
Tuesday Jan 30, 2018
Aired Tuesday, 30 January 2018, 5:00 PM EST
The Mondragón Experiment, Worker Ownership and Thrival for All
A Conversation With Georgia Kelly, Praxis Peace Institute
SWAMI’S DICTIONARY
Thrival: The stage beyond survival where we all weave a web of mass-construction and reap a “world win”. — Swami Beyondananda
There’s a famous joke purportedly told by a Soviet delegate during a meeting to discuss trade between the two countries during the Cold War Era:
What’s the difference between capitalism and communism?
In capitalism, man exploits man. In communism, it’s the other way around.
The 20th century offered up plenty of evidence that — given human nature, and the nature of the “dominator virus” that has dominated human affairs for the past 5,000 years — despite the best intentions, neither system has created social justice or sustainable economic well being.
The problem with any ideology is, while it might be a helpful place to be “coming from”, it doesn’t allow the flexibility required when we’re ready to stop defending positions and begin actually solving problems.
That brings us to this week’s program featuring the Mondragón Cooperatives in the Basque region of Spain. Writes Georgia Kelly, our guest this week:
It seems that Mondragón has taken the very best ideas from both capitalism and socialism and created a hybrid that supports people, as well as their ideas, health, education, personal development, and society. Whatever one calls it, it works. And, it works better for more people than any other economic system today.
And ironically, this “hybrid” that can look suspiciously like “socialism” was hatched by a Catholic priest in the mid-1950s during the Francisco Franco right wing fascist regime. Based on a philosophy of human values, respect, and equality, the mission of the Mondragón Cooperatives is to “create wealth within a culture, to foster a people-centered society instead of a capital-centered society, to honor work with dignity, and to limit the number of work hours.” Mikel Lezamiz, the recently retired Director of Dissemination at the Mondragón Cooperatives Corporation, said “People are the core, not capital. This is the main point. If capital has the power, then labor is simply its tool.”
Producing everything from computer chips and bicycles to elevators and auto parts, the Mondragón Cooperatives is the tenth-largest Spanish company and the leading business group in the Basque country. At the end of 2014, it employed 74,117 people in 257 companies and organizations in four areas of activity: finance, industry, retail and knowledge.
If you’re curious as to why and how this business has become so successful, and ways that their lessons and ideas can be applied in other places, like the USA, tune in to our interview with Georgia Kelly, who has visited Mondragón numerous times, and leads annual tours there.
If the name Georgia Kelly rings a bell, it’s because this is the same Georgia Kelly who was a world-renowned harpist, composer and recording artist in the 1980s and 1990s, whose albums have been listed in Billboard’s top ten in Classical Crossover and New Age charts. Currently she is director and founder of Praxis Peace Institute whose mission is to produce “cutting-edge educational programs that address the structural problems impacting social and political decision-making.” In addition to annual excursions to Mondragón, Georgia via Praxis has produced conferences in Dubrovnik, Croatia and most recently in Sonoma, California.
Join us this Tuesday, January 30th as we explore a workable model to “we-distribute” wealth and replace “trickle down” with “bubble up.”
Tuesday Jan 23, 2018
Tuesday Jan 23, 2018
Aired Tuesday, 23 January 2018, 5:00 PM EST
National Town Square — A New National Institution to Represent “Us” and “We-Distribute” Political Power
A Conversation With Richard Lang, Author of Virtual Country
“We don’t need a revolution to overthrow the system. We need an evolution to help us overgrow it.” — Swami Beyondananda
If you’ve had the sense that the will of the ordinary citizen in America has little or no impact on what legislation actually gets passed — you’re right. A study conducted by Princeton University in 2014 concluded: “The preferences of the average American appear to have only a miniscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.
In other words, a huge majority of American citizens can support a policy like, for example, Net Neutrality — but if this policy flies in the face of what the most influential corporations want … well, we’ve seen what’s happened to Net Neutrality in recent months. And, if the overwhelming majority of Americans OPPOSE a policy — like the war on drugs — if more powerful interests want to continue it, those citizens may as well be talking to a wall.
Could this be why fewer Americans exercise their right to vote than any other “democratic” country in the world? Might be we need to rename our system “Futilism” because of the futility of voting for a candidate, who does the bidding of the highest bidder instead of doing your bidding?
Our guest this week, Richard Lang, has come up with a “meta-strategy” for bringing the collective (and amplified) voice of we the people to the forefront of politics. The idea starts with an observation: For the first time in known human history, it is now possible to convene an unlimited number of citizens, in one place, at one time, to cast collective, non-binding, advisory votes on any issue of collective concern or importance.
Think of it as Freedom of Assembly 3.0.
Richard, a software developer who launched a highly successful company, Burst.com in the 1990s, launched another company, Democrasoft to help “evolve democracy and empower individuals” in the 21st century. The result is his Virtual Country book, and the National Town Square platform.
Writes Richard, “National Town Square is a new national institution for civic engagement, focused on issues instead of political parties and blind ideology — a powerful new counter-balance to the corrupting influence of big money in politics.”
Imagine … a space — nongovernmental, non-corporate, nonpartisan, independent of the mainstream media — where each citizen can have a voice and a verifiable vote , and these votes can be tabulated to indicate not just how citizens feel about certain issues, but how strongly they feel.
What if ten million or twenty million or fifty million American voters declared, “We want this”? While that vote would have no legal standing, simply recognizing the overwhelming support for a certain policy would provide pressure on legislators to adhere to the people’s will. Or face opposition at the polls.
Another important feature / factor of National Town Square. Each citizen who participates has a verifiable and secure (as secure as a bank card) vote on any issue that can be changed, should new information emerge. No bots. Only real people.
If your curious as to how this institution can be put in place, and safeguarded inside a “walled garden” to insure its integrity, please tune in for this enlightening and inspiring conversation about what can only be called an American evolution.
Find out more about the National Town Square here: https://www.nationaltownsquare.us/
Find out more about the Virtual Country book here: http://www.virtualcountry.us/
Tuesday Jan 16, 2018
Tuesday Jan 16, 2018
Aired Tuesday, 16 January 2018, 5:00 PM EST
How Bat-shit Crazy Became the New Normal: Donald Trump’s “Family” Values
A Conversation With Steve Villano, Author of TIGHTROPE: Balancing a Life Between Mario Cuomo and My Brother
“Our President is a champion of ‘family values’ — Gambino Family values.” — Swami Beyondananda
Over the past week or two, the media buzz has been about Michael Wolff’s book that has called into question Donald Trump’s emotional and mental capacity to govern.
My guest this week, author Steve Villano, offers a much, much deeper analysis of the “shituation” tracking Donald Trump and the Trump family history to the KKK and the Mob. Villano’s new book, TIGHTROPE: Balancing a Life Between Mario Cuomo and My Brother, chronicles his own “balancing act” when he was head of New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo’s New York City Press Office while his brother was connected with the John Gotti crime family.
As we will learn, the book is much more than a personal history.
It’s the story of Italians in America, including discrimination and even lynchings. It is also a chronicle of “Mob rule” (i.e., mobster rule) in New York and the long history and relationship between the Donald Trump family and the various crime families in New York. So why is this important?
Because Steve Villano argues that Robert Mueller’s case against Donald Trump is not just about collusion with Russia, but as being part of a worldwide criminal syndicate. For example, did you know that Donald’s dad Fred Trump’s business partner in the 1950s was a capo in the Genovese Crime Family, Willie Tomasello?
According to Villano, both Trump and Tomasello were hauled before a U.S. Senate Committee to be grilled about misuse of federal funds in housing they built in Brooklyn. This was the same housing where the elder Trump sought to exclude blacks, resulting in a successful lawsuit by the Federal government. “THAT,” says Villano, “was the case where Trump hired Roy Cohn to represent him, and Cohn introduced him to a new crop of mobsters. I think it’s important to establish that ALL of Trump’s money–from the very beginning–was Dirty Money.”
Speaking of discrimination, did you know that Trump’s father was arrested at a KKK rally in May 1927? The Klan was, in addition to anti-black, anti-Jew, anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic, and ALSO anti-Italian. Three months later, in August 1927, two Italians, Sacco and Vanzetti, alleged “radical anarchists” were executed on “trumped up” (no pun intended) charges.
In addition to working closely with New York Governor Mario Cuomo, Steve Villano has been a journalist and his work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsday and Today’s Education. He has also served as CEO of various nonprofit organizations, including the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
If you’re ready to hear a fascinating tale about Steve Villano’s own personal “tightrope”, learn about the history of discrimination against Italians in America, and go deeper into what the Robert Mueller investigation might really be about, join us for this conversation with Steve Villano.
Wednesday Jan 10, 2018
Wednesday Jan 10, 2018
Aired Tuesday, 9 January 2018, 5:00 PM EST
Business As UNusual: How A Life Economy Can Overgrow the Death Economy
A Conversation With Conscious Business Initiative’s Steve Farrell
“Putting the pie-in-the-sky ideal into the down-to-earth real deal is where the karma meets the road.” — Swami Beyondananda
Steve-Farrell_Wiki-Politiki_OMTimes-RadioA little more than a year ago, I heard author John Perkins (Confessions of An Economic Hit Man) speak, and found one piece of his message particularly heartening. Perkins, as you may know, spent years working for the World Bank selling boondoggle projects to developing nations. His book was an exposé of economic exploitation disguised as “development.” He has since turned his focus to exposing the “death economy” that involves four “E’s” (extraction, exploitation, extortion and yes, extinction) and empowering the life economy based on 4 R’s — renewables, respect for the web of life and human life as well, and redefining “growth” as growth in happiness and wellbeing while using more resourcefulness and fewer resources.
The most heartening statement was this: In corporations worldwide, there is an awakening awareness to this new “bottom line” that reflects what Swami has said: “If we lose the earth, there goes our GDP.”
This awakened awareness is now being sparked and cultivated by this week’s guest, Steve Farrell, founder of Conscious Business Initiative and the Conscious Business Declaration.
Steve’s own background, epiphany and transformation make him the perfect convener for this new initiative. He co-founded and led two high growth technology companies based in Silicon Valley in the 1990’s that were featured in INC 500 Magazine. His companies included some of the brightest minds in the technology corridor. Steve walked away from the Valley because he felt a deeper calling, a calling to transform an emerging vision into reality. At its core, it was about a shifting paradigm where business attunes to the interconnection among all stakeholders, including stockholders, employees, and the community, as well as with the sacred inherent in all life.
Join us this week as we discuss the why, the what, the who and the how of the role business can play in helping us “live into” the simple prescription Joe Simonetta offered on last week’s show: Be healthy, be kind, respect the environment.
As Director of Humanity’s Team, sponsor of Global Oneness Day, Steve Farrell will offer plenty of examples of how this theme and meme of “oneness” is helping to reorganize the business world around this evolutionary idea.
Tuesday Jan 02, 2018
Tuesday Jan 02, 2018
Aired Tuesday, 2 January 2018, 5:00 PM EST
7 Words That Can Change The World Can A Simple Idea Coalesce A Movement of Movements?
A Conversation With Author Joe Simonetta
“Of course Jesus believed in evolution. Otherwise he would have said, ‘Now don’t do a thing till I get back’.” — Swami Beyondananda
At a time when “reality” is up for grabs, and the chasm between competing worldviews in this country seems almost unbridgeable, could there possibly be a unifying thought, idea, human aspiration that can unite us?
Architect, author, and Harvard Divinity School graduate Joe Simonetta thinks so, and he has boiled it down to seven simple words. No, I won’t tell you what those words are. You’ll have to tune in to find out. I will tell you, they are NOT the seven words that George Carlin said cannot be said on the air!
In Spontaneous Evolution, Bruce Lipton and I recognized that our world was caught between two competing paradigms, neither of which by itself could take us through the current “existential crisis” of our species. Whether we acknowledge it or not, our species is currently in the question, “do we continue to exist, or not?”
Perched atop the “endangering species” list, and the list of endangered species as well, either we seize the time today and evolve into a wise, coherent, sane and integrated species — or else our time will be seized from us.
The two competing paradigms — monotheistic religion and scientific materialism — each simultaneously hold key pieces to the puzzle, and yet are in other ways obsolete, and “obsolethal.”
Monotheistic religion with its off-planet God, patriarchal and hierarchical system, has condemned our species as “original sinners.” (If you think this is no longer the case consider that one-time Catholic priest Matthew Fox was first silenced and then ex-communicated for writing a book, Original Blessing.)
On the other side of the religious secular divide, we have scientific materialism that insists that only the material world is “real”, and that has given us technology with no morality. Those scientists who acknowledge the ineffable and invisible that every human has observed for themselves (think about someone flashing into your mind, and having that person call a few minutes later) are branded as “quacks”. That’s why Rupert Sheldrake’s TED talk was banned (https://youtu.be/JKHUaNAxsTg) and why neither Bruce Lipton nor I were EVER interviewed on NPR.
Meanwhile, there IS an evolutionary upwising, as integral thinkers recognize that each stage of evolution “includes and transcends” prior stages. That means we take the value from each prior meme, and weave it into a new and more complete awareness.
This is why Joe Simonetta’s (http://7wordschangetheworld.com/author/) work has such potential in these evolutionary times. His simple prescription for a world of thrival for each and all is based simultaneously on the fundamental awareness “under-truthing” all religious and moral thought, AND can be shown to work by observation, without need for an invisible off-planet God. Writes Joe in his book, 7 Words That Can Change The World, “Sacredness is not about a Supreme Being. It’s about a way of being.”
In an information age when we are overwhelmed by content, this might just be the context we have been seeking. Please join us for an enlightening conversation to start the New Year, and maybe a new world.
Tuesday Dec 26, 2017
Tuesday Dec 26, 2017
Aired Tuesday, 26 December 2017, 5:00 PM EST
Eco-Astrology: The Planetary Ecosystem, the Human Ego-System and the Evolutionary Upwising
A Conversation With Eco-Astrologer Stephanie Austin
“I don’t make predictions because I don’t want to lose my non-prophet status.” — Swami Beyondananda
Astrology.
Before I met my wife Trudy, I was a skeptic. Anytime anyone asked, “What’s your sign?” I would reply, “Slippery when wet.” Ha-ha- ha.
However, I couldn’t discount Trudy’s insights about my own personality based on this ancient tool. Then there was the time we were watching our first World Series together, and the announcer was Joe Morgan. At one point, she asked, “Is he a Virgo?”
Looked it up in my trusty Baseball Encyclopedia and sure enough he was. So I devised a test. I chose three of my family members whom she had met, but didn’t know their birthdates. For each, I gave three possible birthdates, one of them correct. In all three cases, she picked the correct birthdates, based on what she knew about their personalities.
Now it’s 30 years later, and over time I have cultivated great respect for how heavenly bodies might be impacting our earthly lives. And so as one year ends and another begins, I decided to consult my favorite wise woman astrologer, Stephanie Austin, not to hear any “predictions” but to put our times into cosmic context.
Stephanie Austin M.A. is an astrological counselor, teacher, and writer, specializing in life purpose, career, and relationship since 1986. Her background includes a Master’s degree in Consciousness Studies, a Bachelor’s in Psychology, and extensive explorations in holistic health, eco-psychology, meditation, and inner work. An adjunct professor at John F. Kennedy University for 15 years, Stephanie has written for the Mountain Astrologer magazine since 1990. She is the also the author of two e-books, EcoAstrology: Finding Our Way Home and Life After Twinkies: A Holistic Guide to Dietary Change. Her EcoAstrology Update newsletter, covering current astrological alignments and how to work with them, is available via email subscription.
Writes Stephanie:
EcoAstrology combines myth and mysticism with transpersonal psychology and the new physics. It provides an owners manual and roadmap for identifying and staying on your path. It outlines potentials, not predictions. It details what you came to learn, and what you came to share. It validates what you already know in your heart and soul.
If you’re ready for a true “meta-view” of where we’ve been and where we might be headed, one that combines ancient wisdom, modern science and an “evolved” view of evolution, join us for this enlightening and entertaining conversation. I predict you will gain helpful insight into these times of challenge and opportunity.
Tuesday Dec 19, 2017
Tuesday Dec 19, 2017
Aired Tuesday, 19 December 2017, 5:00 PM EST
CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES: Breaking the Trance of War and Standing for Justice
A Conversation With Author David Swanson (War Is a Lie) and Activist Jul Bystrova
“If war is a necessary evil, why not stand for peace as a necessary good?” — Swami Beyondananda
It used to be that the “work of heart” I most associated with Christmas was the Frank Capra movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” But ever since my friend Shanti Norman recorded John McCutcheon’s song, “Christmas in the Trenches” in 2000, I have held that extraordinary piece of work as best symbolizing the light that can shine in times of greatest darkness.
After World War I started in 1914, the Pope suggested a truce around Christmas time. The generals pursuing the war didn’t like this idea one bit, and in fact one of their concerns was that the enemy trenches were so close, that soldiers could hear the enemy speaking to their comrades, and even smell the food they were cooking.
What came to be known as the “Christmas truce” happened at a number of places along the front lines. As the song suggests, peace might have “broken out” due to soldiers hearing their enemies singing Christmas carols in their native tongue, and then joining in singing in two languages. As soon as the “enemy” was “re-humanized” after the dehumanization necessary to get ordinary humans to kill other ordinary humans, the trance was broken. In some cases, the trances lasted a day, in others three days. Despite this brief respite of sanity, the war continued nearly three more years, killing 18 millions soldiers and civilians and wounding another 23 million.
This week’s first guest, David Swanson, talks about how humanity can collectively break the trance of war. David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, and radio host. He is director of WorldBeyondWar.org and campaign coordinator for RootsAction.org. Swanson’s books include War Is A Lie and When the World Outlawed War.
We then talk with activist Jul Bystrova, founder of Era of Care, who has literally been “in the trenches” as an activist for justice. Last year, she spent months at Standing Rock, as a witness and as one “making a stand” against the war of exploitation against native peoples and the earth. Please join us this week to explore the “new edge” that encompasses activism and pacifism.
Tuesday Dec 12, 2017
Tuesday Dec 12, 2017
Aired Tuesday, 12 December 2017, 5:00 PM EST
EXPLOITATION AND SEXPLOITATION: Beyond Shame and Blame, Victims and Villains
A Conversation With Relationship Specialist, Sexologist and Empathy Expert Veronica Monet
Why is it that so many self-righteous males who claim to be following the Big Guy Upstairs are really following the little guy downstairs? — Swami Beyondananda
It started with Harvey Weinstein… and has now turned Al Franken into Frankenstein.
Over the past month, more and more men in high places have been accused of inappropriately touching women in private places. This obviously has been going on for centuries, so why is it coming to the surface now? Is this backlash against the groper-in-chief currently in the White House? Is this the new Inquisition against abusive male power? Will it lead to more retribution, or will there be a breakthrough?
This week on Wiki Politiki we interview Veronica Monet, a one-time sex worker who now offers perspective and wisdom through her platform, The Shame-Free Zone. A wise woman who has earned her wisdom through experience, Veronica will take us beyond the shame (psychiatrist James Gilligan says that shame “is the primary or ultimate cause of all violence, whether toward others or toward the self”) to a deeper awareness of how we got to this point, and ways we can heal.
So many awakened people I’ve spoken with have been having mixed feelings about the shame-fest / blame-fest that has been fueled by the #METOO movement. On one hand, obviously those who’ve used the privilege of power to exploit and hurt women (or other men) need to be called out, and this behavior must stop. On the other hand, there has been an orgy of blame and retribution that like so many media-fueled campaigns create more heat than light. Ironically, progressive icons like Al Franken and Garrison Keillor have been toppled, while Emperor Copious Gropius and his sidekick Roy Moore remain unmoved.
So, how DO we turn the heat down and the light up? What are the lessons learned, and what is the new field we establish? How do we relate male exploitation of the feminine to the “rape” and violation of Mother Earth? How do we transform shame into something more generative?
Tune in this Tuesday to discover how we shift the “scared” masculine and feminine into sacred dance partners.
Tuesday Dec 05, 2017
Tuesday Dec 05, 2017
Aired Tuesday, 5 December 2017, 5:00 PM EST
Defying Gravity: How the Power of Levity Can Uplift Us in Unfunny Times
A Conversation With Firesign Theatre Co-Founder Phil Proctor
We must all laugh together, or else we will cry separately. — Swami Beyondananda
It was the summer of 1969, and I found myself in Berkeley visiting a friend. I had just smoked some particularly strong California weed, and that put me in an altered state. What happened next would alter my state even more …
As I walked into her house, I heard a strange radio show playing, a quiz show called “Beat the Reaper”… it sounded so real, and yet the premise was entirely bizarre: The contestant was injected with some deadly disease, and if he or she guessed the disease in time, they’d be given the antidote. After a while it became apparent I was listening to some dark parody, kind of Bob & Ray meet the Twilight Zone. I soon discovered I was listening to the Firesign Theatre, and from that moment on I was hooked.
Don’t Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers… All Hail Marx and Lennon… I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus… Everything You Know Is Wrong… and more. Rolling Stone magazine called the Firesign Theatre “the Beatles of Comedy”… the “M.C. Escher of Comedy” would fit just as well.
That’s why I am thrilled that this week’s guest on Wiki Politiki is Phil Proctor, one of the founders of Firesign Theatre, as well as a prolific and sought after voice talent (name any Disney animation, he’s in it!). Yes, he’s funny. And he’s more than a wise guy. He’s a wiser guy.
He’ll share some of his wisdom on the uses of comedy to “go sane” in crazy times, and include some of his own stories of “guerilla comedy” during the Vietnam War years, and a mind-blowing story of someone you would least expect to be a Firesign Theatre fan.
Phil Proctor also publishes Planet Proctor, his monthly comedy digital zine and continues to write and perform comedy in LA and around the world.
Tune in … you’ll laugh while you learn, and learn while you laugh!
As a special treat, this show will have a call-in segment in the second half, so you can CALL IN and ask Phil questions… and maybe even get some answers. Here is the number to call 202.570.7057
Join us Tuesday, December 5th at 2 pm PT / 5 pm ET right here: http://omtimes.com/iom/shows/wiki-politiki-radio-show/