In “Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet,” author Deepak Chopra captures the spellbinding life story of Muhammad through a compelling novel.

According to the introduction,

“Higher consciousness is universal. It is held out as the ultimate goal of life on earth. Without guides who reached higher consciousness, the world would be bereft of its greatest visionaries — fatally bereft, in fact. Muhammad sensed this aching gap in the world around him. He remade the world by going inward. That’s the kind of achievement only available on the spiritual path. In the light of what the Prophet achieved, he raises my hope that all of us who lead everyday lives can be touched by the divine.”

In a culture bombarded with a media that often only covers extremist viewpoints of Islam, it is refreshing to see a novel written about Muhammad that writes about Islam and Muhammad from a fair perspective. Written as a novel that is rooted in historical detail, Deepak Chopra’s book brings the Prophet to life through the eyes of those around him.

“Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet” is available on Amazon if you click here.

In 1970, at the age of only 19, Radhanath Swami left his home in America seeking adventure and spiritual knowledge. After trekking across Europe for months, he reached his long hoped for destination: India, where he lived for many years as a wandering monk. This led him to encounters with spiritual teachers such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the Dalai Lama and also took him on an adventure filled spiritual experiences and meetings with other interesting people.

Throughout Radhanath’s journeys, he learned the value of a life devoted to God and also felt a strong desire to help relieve suffering. One result of this has been that for the past twenty years he has initiated a number of acclaimed social action programs including Midday Meals, which feeds more than 200,000 plates of nutritious vegetarian food to indigent children daily; missionary hospitals and eye camps; eco-friendly farms, schools and ashrams; and a number of emergency relief programs throughout India.

Radhanath Swami recounted his story, which is filled with bizarre characters, mystical experiences, and dangerous adventures in his recently published memoir, “The Journey Home – Autobiography of an American Swami.”

I recently had the chance to interview Radhanath Swami. He shared with me what it was like living in India with no money as a wandering monk — including a scary encounter he had with a mongoose that crawled up his back. This led to a conversation about suffering where he talked about how he responded to the initial suffering he felt when the mongoose crawled on him and then fell asleep on him. He talked about how we can find meaning in suffering if we look for ways that it can help us grow and become more connected to God. He also shared with me how his meeting with Mother Teresa, Dalai Lama and other spiritual teachers inspired him to engage in community service projects to help relieve other people’s suffering….

You can listen to our entire conversation by clicking the button below.

You can purchase “The Journey Home” on Amazon by clicking here.

Rick Bognar is the author of “Wrestling with Consciousness” a book contrasting and comparing the inside world of pro wrestling that he spent 10 years in as “Razor Rick Titan” to a spiritual awakening that he has been experiencing for the last 10 years. I recently interviewed him about his book, what he has been up to now and the transition he went through as he tried to find a new career after the fame and fortune of his life as a professional wrestler disappeared.

In our conversation Rick and I talk about:

– How Lo-Jong Mind training helped Rick get out of the ego and aggressive states that Wrestling conditioned him to be in

– Advice for people who are trying to switch to a more heart-centered career

– Reactions to the book from readers, wrestling fans and professional wrestlers

– His upcoming speaking engagements and book signings

You can listen to our entire conversation by pressing the play button below.

For more information about Rick and his book, Wrestling with Consciousness, please visit Rick’s web site at http://www.razorricktitan.com/

Who could forget how Wall Street crumbled in October 2008? That Wall Street fiasco combined with a stunning feature in the New York Times, caused Career Intuitive Sue Frederick to be booked solid for the next two years with high-powered executives, CEOs, conservative bankers, every day workers, and housewives calling her, asking what the future holds.

Today, thousands of Americans are still facing layoffs and unemployment, and are being forced to reinvent themselves and their careers to survive. And many others are trapped in jobs that leave them frustrated and unfulfilled, longing for something better.

For all of these people, I See Your Dream Job: A Career Intuitive Shows You How to Discover What You Were Put on Earth to Do by Sue Frederick is a much needed guide to finding one’s true calling and how to realize it. In the book, Frederick explains how to calculate one’s unique path using birthdates, and describes the values, talents, and interests inherent in each path, according to the principles of numerology. She then offers practical advice on how to find one’s life’s mission using information to make it happen in the real world, including:

- Tapping into one’s intuition
- Ending negative thoughts and behaviors
- Taking inspired action
- Using the pain from one’s past to fuel future success

For example, Sue suggests that we stop asking: “Who do I think I am to try a new career?” and instead ask ourself:

“Who do I think I am to ignore the work I came here to do? Who do I think I am to ignore the gifts and talents I brought with me? Who do I think I am to ignore the purpose of my life story?’

I See Your Dream Job is available on Amazon.com by Clicking here. For more information on working with Sue, you can visit her Web site at http://www.careerintuitive.org/.

Wrestling with Consciousness is an autobiographical story written by Rick Bognar comparing the inside world of pro wrestling he spent 10 years in to a spiritual awakening he has been experiencing for the last 10 years.

The book gives a fascinating contrast between the ultra-aggressive, ego-driven and violent nature of Rick’s life as a professional wrestler compared with his desire to grow spiritually and live a more compassionate life. This was not always an easy transition for Rick to make. He writes about how he applied the lessons he learned throughout his spiritual awakening to finding a new career after the fame and fortune of 10 years of professional wrestling disappeared, emotional suffering he overcame, and how he created an authentic and loving relationship with his girlfriend.

Rick’s honest reflection of his life offers the reader hope and a real life example of how we can make similar dramatic transitions in our personal, spiritual and professional life. Rick provides the reader with specific inner work, tools and a mindset for how we can incorporate our spiritual practices and beliefs into challenging life situations with our friends, family and job while still maintaining a sense of compassion and love no matter what the exterior circumstances may be.

Wrestling with Consciousness is available on Rick’s Web site at http://www.razorricktitan.com/books.html

Nick Bunick fought his way up from the poor streets of Boston to living the American Dream. After playing college football and graduating from the University of Florida, Nick became a successful businessman. Then astounding spiritual events occurred in his life that inspired him to write Time for Truth (Hay House September 2010).

Time for Truth reveals how Jesus’ messages of love have been distorted into fear and messages of compassion into messages of guilt. Time for Truth will give you a new and profound understanding of your relationship with God, the spiritual world, the purpose of life, hypnotic regression and how Angels are active in our life.

For example, in our conversation, Nick explains the phenomenon of seeing the numbers 444, what that means and shares a personal anecdote from his life about seeing 444 and its significance. Nick also talked about how he used hypnotic regression to access vivid memories and detailed information from his past.

You can listen to our 25 minute interview by pressing the play button below:

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For more information on Nick you can visit his Web site at Nickbunick.com. (His Web site has a section specifically devoted for people who have experienced the 444 phenomenon to leave comments).
Time for Truth is available to purchase on Amazon by clicking Here.

Naked in Eden is based on Robin Easton’s life in the ancient Daintree Rainforest of Queensland, Australia. It is the story of a young woman who at the age of twenty-five is dangerously disconnected from life. She walks away from society, leaves the United States, and goes to live with her Aussie husband in the remote Daintree Rainforest of Queensland Australia. Her world was so completely impacted by the ancient rainforest that she was inspired to write Naked in Eden, a true story filled with adventure, animals, and plants.

Living among poisonous snakes, stinging trees, and huge spiders, Easton quickly realized that she had become part of the food chain. If she wanted to stay alive, she had to face her fears and be as acutely aware as the rest of life in the forest. In Naked in Eden, Easton explains that for her, Nature was both teacher and healer.

She says, “In the forest I felt raw and exposed…I couldn’t hide from myself in the same way I’d been able to in the outside world.” She explains that the more we participate with Nature on its own terms, the more we learn and understand its language, the more likely we can move towards the deeper levels of healing, peace, love, balance, and respect.

Naked in Eden raises the following questions.

- Why is the human connection with Nature often so healing?

- Some believe that Nature offers solutions to human problems, and that we just need to learn how to listen and apply. How can people take ownership for improving their health, living conditions and personal fulfillment using materials and lessons found in Nature?

- If we believe that only certain places are sacred — as long as we have a few national parks, wildlife refuges and zoos — will that be enough?

Naked in Eden is available on Amazon if you Click Here

Do you feel stuck in one or more areas of your life? Are you relying on caffeine, antidepressants, anxiety medications or alcohol to manage your stress or well-being? If so, you might be suffering from what author Jonathan Ellerby has identified as “Inspiration Deficit Disorder.” In his new book, “Inspiration Deficit Disorder: The No Pill Prescription to End High Stress, Low Energy and Bad Habits”, he reveals this modern epidemic and offers practical and holistic solutions for regaining your vitality and living your best life.  For example,  Jonathan quotes from his mentor Wanagi Wachi and explains,

“There is something within you that is greater than anything that was ever said or done to you.  As soon as you remember that, then you are not the hurt, stress, chaos or confusion of your life – these are only feelings and passing experiences.  They are not you.  When you know that, there’s hope.  Knowing you are a spirit (energy and essence) is enough to give you the space you need to examine your life and seek a deeper experience.”

“An inspiration deficit occurs whenever we feel unfulfilled or somehow unexpressed in an important area of life – something is missing; a job we don’t like, a struggle with self image, a relationship we aren’t satisfied with, are all examples of where we may feel an inspiration deficit. When we let these deficits persist into addictions, bad habits, poor health, and high stress – sadly most people have it to some degree and it impacts their health and happiness more than they know,” shares Ellerby.

In “Inspiration Deficit Disorder,” Ellerby offers a roadmap back to your “essential” self. He encourages readers to listen to their inner spirit and ask “Is there more to who I am?”…”Is there more I have to share with the world?”

“Inspiration Deficit Disorder” is available on Amazon if you Click Here

In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy with Sally Jenkins (Henry Holt, July 13, 2010) takes readers on an extraordinary journey of faith and love and shares unforgettable lessons about the power of giving. The Tuohys’ deeply inspiring memoir offers readers a detailed picture of a family that makes giving a way of life, the huge blessings that decision has brought to them, and the ways we can all make a difference in our own communities.

Below is Q & A with Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy Authors of In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving

Q: Besides dominating the New York Times bestseller list, The Blind Side has also broken Hollywood records. Why do you think your family’s story has captivated so many people?

A: We think people love the story because they recognize some aspect of themselves there. We want to be the kind of people who really make a difference in the world, but so many people are convinced they don’t have the resources to be that kind of giver. We wrote In a Heartbeat to share our story in our own words precisely so that people will begin to realize that they can be the kind of people who help change someone’s life.

Q: Let’s talk about the problem of homeless and needy children in America. How do you believe this problem can be solved?

A: There are a lot of intractable problems in the U.S., from terrorism to health care. But the problem of children in need is curable; we can all do something about it today, individually, through the smallest acts. If every church in the U.S. sponsored one child, we could wipe out the problem of homeless children in this country. There are a million Michaels. Not every kid has the potential to become a star player in the NFL, but he or she may be the person who grows up to cure cancer, or becomes a great husband or wife to someone.

Q: How do you respond when people marvel at the risks you took as you brought Michael Oher into your family?

A: You know, you take a risk every day of your life. When you get in your car and drive across a bridge you take a risk. You don’t know if your tires are good, or if the pilings are going to hold, or if the bridge will fall in. But you don’t really stop and think about it, do you? You don’t get up every morning and kick all four of your tires. You don’t stare at the bridge and say, ‘Yeah, I think it’ll hold me.’ How did you know that bridge wasn’t going to fall? Yet you went right ahead and crossed it. Everybody takes risks, every day. You just don’t realize that’s what you’re doing.

Q: How do you define “cheerful giving”?

A: This is not giving to impress someone who may be watching, and it’s not giving because you feel guilty. The Bible says it best: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”– II Corinthians 9:7

Q: In the book, you sum up your philosophy of giving in “The Popcorn Theory.” Tell us more about that.

A: The Popcorn Theory is about noticing others. It’s about seeing, not turning away from the immediacy of someone in need. It starts with recognizing a fellow soul by the roadside-even if he doesn’t seem to belong in your lovely red brick neighborhood and he is the biggest damn piece of popcorn you ever saw and his problems seem too immense to take on. It’s about assigning that person value, and potential. Like popcorn, you don’t know which kernel’s gonna pop. They just show up. It’s not hard to spot ‘em. The Popcorn Theory goes like this: “You can’t help everyone, but you can try to help the hot ones who pop right up in front of your face.”

Q: What if I don’t have many resources? How can I be a cheerful giver without a bunch of extra money?

A: Too often we think we lack the means to improve someone’s lot. We’re wrong. The Popcorn Theory doesn’t require you to write a large-scale check, or to take a hungry boy with eyes like leaping flames into your household. But it does require that you perceive the person standing right in front of you, and extend a hand in kindness. Consider this story we heard from a U.S. Senator during a trip to Washington for an Adoption Coalition convention:

There is a little-known Congressional initiative to give internships to young people who were so unwanted they have aged out of the foster care system. This Senator employs one such young man. One day the Senator passed by the mailroom, and paused and turned around. He noticed that his intern, fresh out of foster care, had reorganized all the old files. “This room has never looked so clean,” the Senator said. “You did a great job.” A few minutes later the Senator decided to get a cup of coffee. He returned to mailroom and found that his intern had tears streaming down his face. “Son, did I offend you?” he asked. “No,” the young man said. “That’s the first time anyone has ever told me that I did something good.” This gift had nothing to do with money. What this kid needed most was encouragement and self-worth, and that’s what he was given.

Q: As you share your story, one of the points you stress is that generosity is not just your personal value. It’s a core value for the entire family. What specific things have you done as parents to help your kids become cheerful givers?

A: One of our practices is something we call “Get one, give one,” which means when you receive something, give part of it away. To impress the lesson on our daughter Collins, we sent her to camp with underprivileged kids and on a searing mission trip to the Guatemala City Dumps, where she saw families living in lean-tos amid the garbage, yet with pictures of Christ hung amid the wreckage. Collins came to
understand how fortunate she was: “He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” (Acts 14:17)

She also learned how important it was to share some of what she’d been given. Long before Michael came into our lives, Collins and Sean Jr. learned to accept the presence of kids sleeping on the sofa or lounging around the house. Friends at the Briarcrest School whose parents worked two jobs. One afternoon 7-year-old Sean Jr. came home to find them playing with his X-box. He sought out Leigh Anne and said, “What gives?” She replied, “We’re just helping them out. Be generous.” Sean Jr. went back downstairs and watched the brothers play a video game. “I’ve got the winner,” he said.

Q: In the book, you point out that the most important gifts your children gave each other had nothing to do with money. Tell us about those gifts.

A: As Michael became a member of the family, he and our other kids gave each other two small but crucial mutual gifts-loyalty and protection. At Ole Miss, Collins and Michael went everywhere together, and they and their friends achieved a new level of racial integration at that old southern school. Even now, when our family attends Michael’s games, he remains extremely protective of his sister, insisting on one
occasion that his teammate walk her to the car to keep her away from unruly male fans. And for Sean Jr. having Michael in his family means they do more as a family-he gets much more of each of them.

This is one of the blessings of cheerful giving. We have always felt that Michael gave us far more than he received. All we did was put a roof over his head. He has given us back a stronger sense of home and family.

In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy with Sally Jenkins is available on Amazon if you Click Here

Consider for a moment that life is not a random event or an accident of circumstance and that the essence of who we are continues, even beyond death. In Seeking Soul Mates, Spirit Guides, Past Lives, we can discover new meaning to our lives and garner valuable insights into experiences.

My good friend, Cynthia Litman, recommended this book because it demonstrates how we can recognize and embrace the spiritual relationships that determine our life’s path. Taking us on a journey, illustrated by his professional and personal experiences, author Richard Scheinberg offers us a fresh and intimate glimpse of the fascinating world of eternal love and the enduring soul. Reading his heartfelt advice inspires us to embark on a soul searching expedition of our own.

Seeking Soul Mates, Spirit Guides and Past Lives is available on Amazon.com if you Click Here