During the month of December most of the focus is on Christmas, however there are several other celebrations that also take place during the month, including Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, the Human Light Celebration and Bhodi Day. My guests were Jim Downard of the Inland Northwest Free Thought Society and the Spokane Secular Society who joined me to talk about the Winter Solstice Celebration in Spokane on 12/21 and Marci Halili-Akoma, a Southern California Native who has been celebrating Kwanzaa for the past 30 years, joined me to to talk about the meaning of Kwanzaa. This program originally aired on 12/19/10.

When tragedy struck Leslie Stickel, with the suicide of her mother, she discovered how life can change instantly and with the potential to destroy our happiness and stability. Leslie reached for her faith in God to get her through, and in her book Hope Defined, she shares her story and her journey of healing with heartfelt honesty and offers hope to anyone going through a loss. Leslie speaks publically about her experience and is actively involved in suicide prevention and awareness. She has been a Social Worker for 25 years, working with at risk youth, victims of domestic violence, homeless veterans, disabled and the elderly. Leslie is married and has two

Tiffany Lanoix earned a Master's degree in Sociology at the University of California, Irvine in 2005. Currently, she is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Los Angeles Valley College where she also serves as faculty advisor for the Sexual Equality Club. We will be discussing the sociological idea of the social construction of reality, which is basically the idea that nothing has any inherent meaning. In other words, reality is dependent upon the socialization process, or the process by which a person learns their culture. Tiffany connects this concept to spirituality and religion by asserting that the world and the experience that a person wants to live in can be created in spite of their circumstances, since those circumstances only have the meaning that they are given. This show originally aired on 11/7/10. Contact Information: lanoixtr@lavc.edu

Stan Hughes, aka Ha-Gue-A-Dees-Sas, (Seneca for "Man Seeking his People), discussed his newly released book, "Medicine Seeker: A Beginner's Walk on the Pathway to Native American Spirituality." Stan is a retired public school administrator with an extensive publication background, including an Editor's Choice Award from the International Library of Poetry. He was born on Yakima Indian territory in Washington State and grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. While he is not enrolled in a federally recognized tribe himself, both of his grandmothers were of Native American decent. He was trained by traditional Shamans from northern California and participated in the Rite of Passage to Warrior Status in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. He is a Vietnam era veteran who served from 1959-1965. This show originally aired on 10/17/10. Contact Information: www.medicineseeker.info.

In the midst of the uproar and protests that have surrounded the plans by developers in New York City to build what has been dubbed the "Ground Zero" Mosque, more than 30 Southern California religious leaders gathered on August 20th in downtown Los Angeles to show their support for the project, despite widespread opposition. Leaders representing more than a dozen faiths, including Jews, Muslims, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, Universalists, Mormons and Sufis, held a news conference in front of the Islamic Center of Southern California and issued an open letter warning that "the growing 'fear and hysteria' over the New York mosque is un-American and based on a distortion of the facts." Stephen Rohde, along with members from Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, participated in a Los Angeles gathering in support of the controversial "Ground Zero" Mosque. We will be discussing that gathering and the mission of the organization, as well as the perspective of the ICUJP on the "Ground Zero Mosque" controversy.

Stephen Rohde is a constitutional lawyer, lecturer, writer and political activist. He is the Chair the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, a founder and current President of Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace and Co-President of the Progressive Jewish Alliance. He is a past president of the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Mr. Rohde is the author of American Words of Freedom, which explores the origins, history and meaning of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. His most recent book is Freedom of Assembly which is part of the American Rights Series. He is also co-author of Foundations of Freedom published by the Constitutional Rights Foundation and has written numerous articles and book reviews on civil liberties and constitutional history. Mr. Rohde received his B.A. degree in Political Science from Northwestern University in 1966 and his J.D. degree from Columbia Law School in 1969. He is senior partner with the law firm of Rohde & Victoroff in Century City specializing in communications and intellectual property law, civil and appellate litigation and constitutional law. This show originally aired on 9/19/10. Contact Information: http://icujp.org

Kamori Cattadoris, founder of Ancient Traditions, began her spiritual quest at the tender age of 7 when she realized that she could not accept what the nuns and priests were preaching about God and Jesus and the Bible at the Catholic church and school she attended. Her very interesting journey led her to found Ancient Traditions, a gathering that meets weekly at the Woman's Club of Spokane, WA.

Ancient Traditions promotes the balanced development of both Mind and Heart through action in the midst of life. The primary aim of the curriculum is to de-program the Mind from the prison of anxiety-based delusions and polarized beliefs, while at the same time, learning to restore the Mind's curious, open state, in order to receive Wisdom from the Heart. While religions require adherence to prescribed beliefs, Ancient Traditions instead turns within to where one's own Inner Guide indwells. "Beliefs have their place in human development, but they hinder the unfolding of our highest potential when they do not grow and change with our evolving awareness". This show originally aired on 9/5/10. Contact Information: http://ancienttraditions.org

Ann Marie Floch will be discussing her new book, Soul of a Woman. Even with all of the strides that women have taken over the past century, some still believe that they are not equal to men. Some have even gone as far as to say that women were not supposed to have souls and have drilled this notion into young minds that continue to pass it on to generations to come. The Soul of a Woman offers a new challenge to the women of the world; a chance to embrace their newfound souls and bring about the changes the world needs for its survival. Written in a beautiful poetic style, each chapter focuses on a different type of woman. Throughout the journey of a woman's soul, she may move through one, two, or many of these different identities until she finds her own. Now is your chance to truly discover The Soul of a Woman.

Author Ann Marie Floch lives in Spokane, Washington, where she spends much of her time writing. After teaching junior high and high school for many years, she now focuses on family and marriage counseling, as well as retreat work. In addition to being a Reiki Practitioner, she is involved in many groups and is team teaching a series of workshops for strengthening families. Ann Marie is currently working on three other books and plans to write many more.This program originally aired on 8/15/10.

Contact Information: http://strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TheSoulOfAWoman.html

Chris Rodda is the Research Director for The Military Religious Freedom Foundation which is dedicated to ensuring that all members of the United States Armed Forces fully receive the Constitutional guarantees of religious freedom to which they and all Americans are entitled by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the US Constitution. MRFF believes that religious faith is a Constitutionally guaranteed freedom that must never be compromised, except in the most limited of military circumstances, because of its fundamental importance to the preservation of the American nation and the American way of life. We discussed the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, its history and mission, the work that it is doing, and some of the responses that the organization has received. The program originally aired on 7/18/20. 
Contact Information: http://militaryreligiousfreedom.org/

Eric Petersen is the editor of a book of Thomas Jefferson’s writings entitled Light and Liberty: Reflections on the Pursuit of Happiness. In it, he has laced together carefully chosen expressions reflecting the eloquent genius of Thomas Jefferson. Happiness, hope, liberty and peace are among the topics in Jefferson’s own words compiled after ten years of studying his reflections in reports, state papers, speeches and twenty thousand letters.

Eric S. Petersen is a partner in the law firm of Hawkins, Delafield and Wood LLP. He graduated cum laude from Brown University in 1970 with a degree in American History, and from the University of Chicago Law School in 1973. He has appeared on numerous radio and television programs including ABC, CNBC, CNN and the Fox News Channel and offered lectures around the country and as far away as the University of Iceland and the Senate in Prague. He enjoys marathon running, meditation and international travel, and has studied Jefferson's life and works since 1993. This program originally aird on 7/4/10. Contact Information: www.lightandliberty.org.

8: The Mormon Proposition is a documentary film that the filmmakers say exposes the Mormon Church's historic involvement in the promotion and passage of California's Proposition 8 and the religion's secretive, decades-long campaign against gay rights. The film takes place in California and Utah as Mormons, following their prophet’s call to action, wage spiritual warfare with money and misinformation against gay citizens, doing everything they can to deny them marriage and the rights that come with it. 8: The Mormon Proposition opens in theaters on June 18th, 2010, two years after the first gay marriages took place in California (June 17th, 2008), and it will be showing in Spokane, WA at the Magin Lantern Theater. My guests for this program are Spencer Jones and Tyler Barrick, a gay couple that was married in San Francisco before the passage of Proposition 8. They are featured in the documentary. Contact Information: www.mormonproposition.com or contact Laura Kim at laura@redflagreleasing.com.

Alfreda Lanoix is founder and facilitator of Love At Work-The Exchange, a weekly fellowship in Los Angeles, CA, that she describes as equal parts group therapy session, metaphysical discussion, social gathering and new school revival. She is also author of an upcoming book titled: "Go to Hell", which as she puts it, is intended to inspire and encourage readers with honesty, clarity and even "comic relief", as they face everyday challenges and realizations. Through Love At Work and her book, Ms. Lanoix is focused on beginning a movement that is blurring the societal dividing lines of race, religion, spirituality and sexuality. This program originally aired on 5/30/10. Contact Information: www.facebook.com/alfreda.lanoix

The Compassionate Interfaith Society (CIS) is a student led group at Eastern Washingtin University, founded by Skyler Oberst, that meets weekly to discuss various topics related to religion and spirituality. Skyler started the club after seeing hateful demonstrations towards people of different faiths, and after being a club for only two quarters, the CIS is one of the largest clubs on the campus, with members from fifteen different religious and spiritual traditions!

The group is currently focusing on Islam, and the practices and misconceptions that are often associated with the tradition. Members of CIS visited a Mosque in Spokane, and were privileged to join in prayer, sermon, and a discussion over lunch. They are scheduled to participate in a video-conference with Al-Najah National University in Palestine to speak about Islamaphobia in the United States, and they also have plans to work with the Muslim Students Association to have an Islamic awareness day on the EWU campus in the fall. CIS members are also active in the Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Wiccan communities, helping everyone from Sravasti Abbey and the Universal Compassion Movement to the local synagogues and churches with support and community service in any way possible, and encouraging mutual affirmation, if not respect. This program originally aired on 5/16/10.
Contact Information: r.s.oberst@gmail.com

Dut to technical difficulties, this podcast abruptly ends about five minutes before the completion of the interview. My apologies.

Chunta is a Tibetan Buddhist who is visiting Spokane from Nepal. She has worked with Denise Attwood of Ganesh Himal Fair Trading Company in Spokane, WA, developing a co-op in Nepal. We will be discussing her life experiences and the work that she is currently involved in that focuses on Fair Trade. This show originally aired on 5/2/10. Contact information: http://ganeshhimaltrading.com.

Dr. Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, is a contributing editor at the Daily Beast (http://thedailybeast.com/author/reza-aslan/). Dr. Aslan has degrees in Religion from Santa Clara University, Harvard University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, as well as a MFA from the University of Iowa, where he was named the Truman Capote Fellow in Fiction. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities, and the Pacific Council on International Policy. He serves on the board of directors for both the Ploughshares Fund, which gives grants for peace and security issues; and Abraham's Vision, an interfaith peace organization; and PEN USA.

Dr. Aslan's first book is the New York Times Bestseller, "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam", which has been translated into thirteen languages, short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award in the UK, and nominated for a PEN USA award for research Non-Fiction. His most recent book is "How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror", followed by an edited anthology, "Words Without Borders: Writings from the Middle East", which will be published by Norton in 2010.

Aslan is Cofounder and Chief Creative Officer of BoomGen Studios, the first ever motion picture company focused entirely on entertainment about the Greater Middle East and its Diaspora communities. He is also Editorial Executive of Mecca.com. Born in Iran, he now lives in Los Angeles where he is Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. Additionally, Dr. Aslan is a regular guest on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Dr. Aslan is appeared in Spokane as a part of the Get Lit Literary Festival sponsored by Eastern Washington University.

This show originally aired on 4/18/10. Contact information: www.rezaaslan.com

In a return visit to Spokane, Venerable Geshe Thupten Phelgye, will be expanding on his conversation about the Universal Compassion Movement. We will be discussing how we identify the "real" enemy.

Geshe Phelgye by was born in Tibet in 1956 and escaped to India with his family when he was three years old. He became a monk at the age of seventeen, completed the rigorous eighteen year course of traditional studies in Buddhist philosophy that earned him the title "Geshe" (PhD) from the Sera Monastic University in 1991, and followed that with Buddhist Tantryana studies at Gyumeh Tantric Monastry. In 1993 he dedicated five years to a meditation retreat in the mountains of Dharamsala.

In 1998, with the blessing of the Dalia Lama, Geshe Phelgye established the Universal Compassion Movement. In 2001 he was elected as a member of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile where he currently serves. Over the years Geshe Thupten Phelgye has been giving talks around the world advocating vegetarianism,interfaith dialogue and Universal Compassion. He will be speaking at several events in Spokane in the months of March and April, including Eastern Washington University, Whitworth University, Gonzaga University, North Idaho College, Unity Church, and the Unitarian Universalist Church. For more information contact Lori Lindman at lorilindman@earthlink.net or visit http://universalcompassion.org.

Sister Cathy Beckley is a Sister of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. According to their website, "as Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, we're unabashed about our passions: education, social justice, spirituality and the arts." Sister Cathy has a blog (http://sistercathy.typepad.com), she loves watching sports, golfing, and the movie "what the bleep do you know?". We will be talking about her spiritual journey, her life as a sister, and the values of the Holy Names Sisters. This program first aired on 3/1/10. Contact Information: http://holynamesvocations.org or e-mail cathysnjm@gmail.com.

Rev. Paul Graves is a Sandpoint, ID resident, retired United Methodist minister, and founder of Elder Advocates, an elder care consulting ministry. We will be discussing his column in the Spokesman Review titled: "Stumbling Blocks Can Litter Faith Journey." Contact: elderadvocates@nctv.com or 208-610-4971. This program originally aired on 2/15/10.

Join me and my guest Dr. Lauri Costello as we celebrate the Second Year Anniversary of Revolutionary Spirituality. In a reprisal of last year's anniversary show, I will be the one who is interviewed by my guest.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I am airing what I believe is Dr. King's most powerful and provacative, though not often heard, speech entitled Beyond Vietnam. The speech was delivered on April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church in New York city, and ironically was given one year to the day before Dr. King was assasinated. He was 39 years old. The speech is even more important today as the parallels between Vietnam and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are strikingly similar.