Dr. Wayne Dyer Interviewed By Arielle Ford

In the below article, contributed by bestselling author, Arielle Ford, Dr. Wayne Dyer speaks about his film, "The Shift," as well as his diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Dr. Wayne Dyer Opens Up About His Film, His Life

by Arielle Ford

Dr. Wayne Dyer, who is affectionately called the "father of motivation" by his fans, began his career as an author in the early 1970s by traveling the country alone and selling his first book, Your Erroneous Zones, from the trunk of his car. That book went on to sell more than 30 million copies, and became the best-selling book of the 1970s. Despite a childhood spent in orphanages and foster homes, he has overcome many obstacles to make his dreams come true. Today, he spends much of his time showing others how to do the same.

As an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development, he has written more than 30 books, 18 of which have been national bestsellers. Several of his books have been featured as PBS specials, which has resulted in raising more than $150 million for national public television.

There is now a film that encompasses his core teachings, The Shift, which is available through www.SpiritualCinemaCircle.com. Dr. Dyer appears as himself, along with a star-studded cast. In The Shift we discover that every life has a turning point, a shift, a choice to make about what really matters.

AF: What’s the most important, life-changing thing that you’d like people to walk away with after seeing this film?WD: That everyone has a dharma, a destiny, a “calling of the soul.” Every bird, every tree, every person comes into this world with something it is destined to do. All of the creatures on the planet don’t get confused about this. They are what they are. Human beings, because they take on a false self, or ego, start to believe that what they do or what they have defines them. The Shift illustrates that when you are at peace and you let go, you will be guided into your dharma. You will be living a life of meaning rather than ambition. That is the “shift.”

AF: What’s a memory that stands out about the making of the movie?
WD: At one point, after I had done a scene many times, I realized that I was trying too hard. I was trying to be an actor and remember my lines. Then I remembered that the words in the script were guidelines. I just needed to be myself. At that moment the movie shifted from being a trial to allowing myself to just be me.

AF: What are some of your all-time favorite movies that have touched or inspired you?WD: My very favorite is "Déjà Vu" by Henry Jaglom (featured in Spiritual Cinema Circle’s Vol. 10 – 2007) I’ve seen it 50 times. This film opens up all the possibilities about life, love and fate — you begin to realize that this universe has endless possibilities. "Brother Sun, Sister Moon," the story of St. Francis of Assisi is my second favorite movie. I also loved "Forrest Gump" and "A Man for All Seasons."

AF: You’ve recently been diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. What can you share about this experience? WD: When you come into this world with big dharma, you get big challenges. This is just another one of them. As a child I lived in an orphanage. My parents left me when I was little. My wife left me. I have had serious addictions in my life that I have let go of. I will be able to understand it, make it work for me, and help other people. I haven’t judged it or been angry with it. I am not worried about healing it. I am working to live with it. I think when you fight anything, you weaken yourself. I am inviting it to stay in peace and harmony with me or leave. It’s up to it. It’s just another life force. Elisabeth Kubler Ross said, “When you shield the mountain from the windstorms, you will never see the beauty of the carving.”

You can receive "The Shift" plus three great short films for FREE when you sign up for a trial membership of Spiritual Cinema Circle (just pay a small shipping fee). This is the only DVD service dedicated to films about love, compassion and inspiration. Simply go to: www.spiritualcinemacircle.com

For more information about Wayne Dyer, his books and workshops, please visit www.DrWayneDyer.com.

About Arielle Ford:
Arielle Ford is the bestselling author of THE SOULMATE SECRET: Manifest The Love of Your Life With The Law of Attraction. She is also a founding partner of www.SpiritualCinemaCircle.com. Her Web sites include www.soulmatesecret.com and www.everythingyoushouldknow.com.

The Omega Institute Brings Thich Nhat Hanh to NYC

I am honored to have been among the group of people gathered at The Beacon Theater in New York on Friday night to hear Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh speak about mindfulness, peace, compassion, joy and happiness, and how to achieve it in everyday life. The following day he led a group of people in a day of mindfulness, including a mindfulness peace walk around a busy New York City block to prove that mindfulness and peace can be found anywhere, at any time.

When I first entered the theater on Friday night, a screen showed an artwork of calligraphy done by Thich Nhat Hanh with the words, “Peace in oneself, Peace in the world,” and as the audience awaited his arrival, followers of his led the group in the practice of mindfulness mediation.

Once he arrived, the monks on stage sang and chanted in a way that not only brought you into the present moment, but relaxed every part of your body and mind. Before they began, Thich Nhat Hanh told the audience “the collective energy of mindfulness generated by the chanting will penetrate every cell in our body, and we will feel the stress, anger and pain in our heart relieved.” In essence, the monks created in the audience, what each of us can create in any moment we chose to practice mindfulness.

“I view humanity as a garden and each of us a flower,” said Hanh. “To me, peace and compassion are the two most beautiful flowers to contemplate. We do have the seeds of compassion and peace within us and if we know how . . . we can cause them to grow and bring forth flowers.”

The way to grow these seeds is through mindfulness, he explained, which brings us into the present moment – the here and now – and can be done during any activity, whether simply breathing, walking or even drinking a cup of tea.

“The past is already gone and the future is not here yet. With mindfulness, we can find peace and happiness in the present moment,” he said. “We have a tendency to run back to the past or go to the future – that brings suffering. Practice mindfulness to avoid the pull of the past and the future.”

By staying in the present moment, becoming aware of each step we take, how we hold a cup in our hand as we drink our tea, or the toothbrush as we brush our teeth, we can realize there are many conditions for us to be happy about in the present moment, including the fact that we are alive. And in doing so, we can connect to God or source.

“Peace, joy and happiness should be looked for in the present moment,” he said. “To me the kingdom of God is not an abstract idea. We can touch it not only with our mind, but also our hand and body. It is in the here and now, and by giving in to the present moment that we can touch the kingdom.”

He told the audience, God is available 24 hours a day. The question we must ask ourselves is, are we available to the kingdom of God?

“You need to bring yourself into the here and now, the present. It takes one breath, or one step and you are in the kingdom,” he explained.

However, he cautioned for people not to look to the present moment in hopes of avoiding all suffering. “The kingdom is not a place without suffering. Suffering is a very big part of building the kingdom,” he said, explaining that most people are afraid of suffering and spend so much time trying to run away from it when the truth is, suffering is needed.

“Without the mud, there cannot be a lotus flower. Without suffering, we cannot find compassion and happiness,” he said. “My definition of the kingdom is a place where there is understanding and compassion – it is with suffering. Just as there is no lotus flower without mud, there is no understanding without suffering.”

It is by suffering that we are given the chance to develop compassion and offer it to others, he explained. Suffering and pain cause us to grow and gain understanding, not only of ourselves, but of others. And once we can understand and recognize the pain of others, compassion can arise within us.

In talking about the world at large, Hanh explained there is more suffering than is needed because the problem is many have not yet learned from their suffering because they continue to fear it.

“People are afraid of suffering. We try to cover up our suffering with consumption. We turn on the television. We pick up the telephone and talk. We go to the Internet. We pick up a novel to read. We do everything not to be in touch with our suffering, and we bring more suffering, hate and anger because many of the items we consume are toxic. We watch the news, we read an article and by consuming these every day, we make the problems worse.”

However, the energy of mindfulness can help us take care of our pain and suffering. We can embrace our suffering in the same way a mother embraces her newborn baby when it begins to cry, he explained. She may not know what is wrong with the baby, but once she embraces it, it usually brings some relief. The same is true with our own suffering. We may not know the source of our pain or sorrow, but by embracing it with mindfulness, we can find some relief, he noted.

“With mindfulness we have a boat, and we don’t sink in the river of suffering,” said Hanh.

A person can learn how to use “the garbage in the garden,” or the suffering in his or her life “to create compost to nourish the flowers in the garden,” he said, noting we should not be afraid of the fear, the despair or the garbage in us. “You can handle the garbage in a way that it can make compost and nourish the garden. A good practitioner can handle the garbage, the afflictions, and turn it into a flower.”

Transformation is possible, said Hanh, explaining the Buddha is not a God, but a human being, and that every man and woman has the seeds of mindfulness inside of them that in time becomes a Buddha.

In order to nourish these seeds, there is the need for a spiritual practice, whether through mindfulness, meditation or prayer, which allows us to “go home to ourselves.” He explained mindfulness can help us be in the present moment and understand what is going on in our minds, our bodies and our consciousness.

To begin to practice, he suggested the first step to mindful breathing as follows:

Breathing in, say silently to yourself, “I know this is my in breath.” Breathing out, say silently to yourself, “I know this is my out breath.”

In doing this, we can learn to abandon the past and the future. There is no struggle to breathe in and out because breathing comes naturally, he said. “You can enjoy your in breath and out breath and you don’t have to make any effort. You can do it on the bus, driving a car, sitting in the grass or watering the vegetable garden. Mindfulness is always mindfulness of something – mindfulness of breathing, mindfulness of walking, mindfulness of tooth brushing. Our breath brings our mind back to our body and our body and mind become one.”

The following day, Hanh led a full workshop, including a walking meditation on the streets of New York City, but he explained we can walk with mindfulness at any time. “Try slow walking when you are alone – breathe in and pay attention to your in breath, and as you take one step, say silently, “I have arrived,” meaning you have arrived in the here and now.

“You can enter the kingdom of God with one step,” he said.

With one step, or one breath, we can enter the present moment. We can be grateful for a heart that beats, for eyes that allow us to see the beauty surrounding us, and for the breath that keeps us alive. No matter how much we collect or how wealthy and famous we are – we can realize we possess life, which Hanh believes is the greatest miracle of all.

“God, the Universe and Where I Fit In” – A Must Read by Psychic Medium Dr. Laurie Ann Levin

I first met Dr. Laurie Ann Levin in a rather routine way for the publishing industry - her publicist contacted me with a pitch. However, our meeting at the publicist’s office in New York City was anything but routine.

I sat down in the conference room and handed Levin a binder copy of our September 2008 issue with Joe Vitale on the cover, and while she was flipping through it, she smiled and asked me, “Who is Gina? Is that your sister?”

I quickly searched the files in my brain to figure out where I wrote about my sister in the issue, or a past issue, or even online somewhere, that she would know my sister’s name – but I came up blank. Both Levin and the publicist must have noticed the confused look on my face because Levin said, “Your mother is here and she is calling out to your sister.”

Considering my mother passed away eight years prior to our meeting, you can imagine my surprise!

“She does this all the time,” said her publicist. And while I have been to mediums who can communicate with departed souls on “the other side,” I certainly wasn’t expecting to hear from my mother in the middle of a business meeting!

The next two hours went by in a haze, and while I tried to remain professional, talking about the magazine and the possibility of her writing a column for us, she interjected with messages from my mother throughout that were so accurate, comforting and all around amazing, I knew this woman was special. Today, I am honored to call her a friend.

That was more than a year ago, and in the beginning of this month, Levin released her first book, “God, the Universe, and Where I Fit In: A Psychic's Reflections on Figuring Out the Rest of Your Life,” a compelling autobiography where she explains her own spiritual journey, and reveals how she discovered and honed her own intuitive and psychic abilities, as well as how we can all tap into the divine guidance that is always available to us.

Once a successful agent at the Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles, working with the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna, Levin used her intuitive sense – before she knew what it was – to spot talent in those she signed to the company. But after helping her mother transition to the other side from cancer and sharing her beliefs about life after death, or what she calls “life after life,” a term coined by Dr. Raymond Moody, a dramatic change took place within her, and she left Hollywood and her budding career as a movie producer.

Levin went back to school, earning a degree in psychology, and armed herself with the goal of pioneering a new way of treatment by combining intuition and spiritual guidance with psychology and alternative healing practices.

It is through her journey readers learn the transformative power of divine guidance, and understand one simply needs to ask for it, trust and act on it once it shows up to reap its rewards.

And one of the most amazing stories in the book is how she met her husband, Gerald Levin, former CEO of AOL/Time Warner – who wrote the introduction to the book. The story will give you chills and make even the biggest skeptic believe in the power of true love and destiny.

Today, Levin is the founder and CEO of Moonview Sanctuary in Santa Monica, Calif., and lectures around the world about her unique approach. I believe she has a tremendous amount to offer the world – I know she has taught me a lot over the past year – and I highly recommend this book.

To preview a 20-second video preview of the book click here.

And tune in to The View on Oct. 16 to see Dr. Laurie Ann Levin channeling for Barbara Walters!

Witnessing the Power of Meditation Through Biofeedback

Elevated Existence’s contributing editor Mehgan Belanger shares her experience with meditation and what she learned from a biofeedback machine at a Science Center!


For roughly a year, I’ve known the physical and emotional effects practicing meditation can have on a person, but it wasn’t until recently that I witnessed its power firsthand through a makeshift biofeedback session, and came to realize the intangible benefits of meditation.

I first began meditating when I found myself in a stressful period of my life and needed to find a way to cope with the frustration and emotions I was feeling. I didn’t turn to meditation immediately, though, and first tried journaling my experiences and exercising. Although these were good ways to “blow off some steam,” the effects were temporary, and I wasn’t feeling the relief I knew my body and mind craved.

After repeatedly hearing and reading about meditation’s benefits, I finally decided to experiment for myself. I downloaded a few guided meditation podcasts to my iPod, among them episodes from The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Chill Meditation and Mediation Oasis.

The first few times I meditated, it was as if a veil was lifted from my eyes and mind. My senses felt attuned to the world around me. The beauty in the mundane was revealed and shouted out to be noticed. It was as if I was a modern Dorothy who had stumbled upon an undiscovered Oz lying hidden my previously black-and-white existence.

I also relished in the feeling of a silent -- or at least quieted -- mind. And I found that on my way to work and before I fell asleep at night, my mind no longer ran a repetitive marathon through my checklist of “to-dos” and “don’t forgets.”

Months later, I found myself more calm and less emotionally driven than previously. Of course there was still stress in my life, but the feeling that I was drowning (and frantically flailing to keep my head above the water of projects in my personal and professional life) had abated.

And while this was more than enough proof for me that meditation has a substantial impact on my consciousness, an unexpected experience with biofeedback revealed to me even more evidence of the power of meditation.

I recently visited the newly opened Connecticut Science Center with some companions, and among the many exhibits there was an interactive biofeedback display called “Mind Ball.” There, two people could don headbands that measured alpha and theta brain waves, which were displayed on screens above the subjects. In the middle of the two participants, there was a yellow table with a clear tube that stretched from one person to the other, and inside the tunnel was a little beige ball placed in the center. Based on the participant’s state of relaxation, the ball would move away from a person who was more relaxed and towards a person whose brain was more active.

After watching a few other visitors try their relaxation skills with varied results, I strapped on the headband along with one of my companions. As the experiment began, I silently repeated a mantra from one of The Chopra Center’s podcasts –- thinking “So” when inhaling, and “Hum” when exhaling.

Almost instantaneously the little ball in the tube began a steady and quick path away from me. The ball picked up speed as I repeated my mantra, and only once did it slow its course when another one of my companions made a joke about what was happening, and my mantra was broken as I laughed.

Looking at the brainwaves displayed on the screen after we had finished the experiment was the truly amazing part of the entire experience. Whereas the previous participants and my companion had erratic spikes and dips in their measured brainwaves, mine started off at a high level and rapidly plummeted to a level lower than any of the other subjects we had seen. My brainwaves continued a fairly even course at the bottom of the screen until the moment I had laughed, where there was a spike back to its original level, and again fell as I regained my mantra.

Visualizing how my brain responds during meditation was an enlightening experience, one that helped reinforce my decision to pick up the practice, and one that I will share with others in my recommendation of it.

For more on meditation, click here for Elevated Existence's FREE preview article on "Finding the Right Meditation for You."

The Spiritual Side of Olivia Newton John

Like many of us, I grew up watching and listening to Olivia Newton-John – from her iconic appearance in the movie “Grease” to her amazing music career that continues today.

But while flipping through the TV channels one day, I came across the show “Healing Quest” on PBS, and I discovered another side of Olivia Newton-John – her spiritual side.

Newton-John is one of the hosts of the spiritual wellness show, and in Elevated Existence’s newest issue she reveals how that came to be, as well as how she fell in love with and married her husband John Easterling, founder of The Amazon Herb Co.; how she survived cancer and is currently working on building The Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center in Australia; what led her to create her two spiritually focused CDs – “Gaia” and “Grace and Gratitude” – how a sign from her mother and a dream led to the creation of her spa, also called Gaia, in Australia, and more.

Here is a sneak peek at a portion of the Elevated Existence September 2009 Cover Story featuring an interview with Olivia Newton-John:

An Inspired Voice

When Olivia Newton-John first discovered she had breast cancer, a Buddhist friend said to her, “Congratulations. Now you will grow.”At the time she wasn’t sure what he meant, but now, more than 16 years later, she understands.

“The more we go through in life, the more we grow,” she tells Elevated Existence. “You don’t grow in life without difficulties, so you can make a decision to get angry or bitter, or choose to learn and be grateful. It’s your choice, and I chose to feel grateful that I was given a second chance at life and love.”

Newton-John is now cancer-free and continues to thrive today at the age of 60. Like anyone faced with a life-threatening illness, she initially felt fear. However, she eventually began to examine her spiritual beliefs and made the conscious decision to stay positive, which she feels aided in her recovery.

“I think all belief systems take you to the same place. They are all to find peace and wellness, and I did everything I could for my mental health, my spiritual health and my body’s health,” she says. “I tried to keep a positive spirit because that was really important to my healing, as it is for anyone going through [cancer].”

It was during her recovery that she wrote the lyrics for her album “Gaia: One Woman’s Journey,” which features songs such as “Trust Yourself,” “Not Gonna Give Into It,” and “Why Me?” Inspired by the time she spent in a Brazilian rainforest a year before her diagnosis, the title track, “Gaia,” is written about Mother Earth. “I was actually inspired to get out of bed in the middle of the night and write these songs,” Newton-John recalls.

“At the time, I didn’t think I was going to sing anymore, but these songs just wanted to come out. They kept waking me up, and this album was a healing for me.”


To read the entire article, you can subscribe to Elevated Existence – only $10 for one year!

To see what else is in the September issue, including a free preview article, click here.

Madonna's Spiritual Side: In Here Own Words

I’m going to just say it – I think Madonna gets a bad rap.

Yes, she has spent most of her career creating controversy, stirring things up for publicity and angering political and religious groups around the world – to name a few – not to mention her own brother who penned a not so flattering book about her. But I have always admired her drive, her strength and her intelligence. When Madonna does something, she goes big or goes home, and she applies the same tenacity and drive the public sees in her work to her spiritual beliefs and practice. I, for one, can’t help but admire that.

Still, she has come under attack from many about her beliefs and her practice of Kabbalah, and I just can’t help but wonder why. Madonna may be rich and famous, but Madonna is a human being like the rest of us. She longs for connection, a meaning to life and an understanding of the Universe. Don’t we all? She happened to find what she is looking for in Kabbalah – which essentially teaches us all to be responsible for our own actions, to love one another as we want to be loved, and to give onto others as we wish to receive. Isn’t that what any spiritual or religious belief system is essentially teaching?

I believe we can all learn a tremendous amount from Madonna and her spiritual journey. She lives a life of fame and fortune most of us will never understand or experience, and still she longed for more – she longed for meaning. She serves as an amazing example of how without some type of belief or connection to a higher power, all the money, fame and material things we desire mean nothing when it comes to happiness and inner peace.

"I traveled the world many times over, performed in soccer stadiums, appeared in films, dined with state leaders, collaborated with great artists and achieved what most people would view as a high level of success, but I still fel something was missing in my life," she said in her article on YNet News.

Maybe I have a soft spot for Madonna because like her I lost my mother young. Maybe I can understand the longing she feels to make sense of it all because of that. And maybe its because I too was brought up Catholic and found myself still searching for answers. But I think Madonna says it best herself in an article she wrote for a YNet News in Israel titled, "I Found an Answer," about her journey into the world of Kabbalah. I think if you read it, you too will identify with the human being and her search for meaning behind the famous name.

Read it here and let me know what you think.

Tammy Mastroberte
Founder, Publisher & Editorial Director
Elevated Existence Magazine

A Poem About Reducing Stress

I originally wrote this for Elevated Existence's blog on Intent.com, but wanted to share it here in case our followers of Elevated Ideas Online didn't see it! I hope you enjoy it! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!


Stress Less

Stress is a burden we all seem to bare,
In a world of oneness it's something we share.

But those who have died look upon us and say,
Remember the truth, and stop stressing today.

For we are all infinite beings you see,
Just connect with your source, it knows where you should be.

Take one day at a time, and know all will get done,
Surrender your burdens to the infinite one.

Remember God gives only what we can take,
In truth there is nothing our souls cannot shake.

So make your To Do lists and manage your time,
It's all an illusion some day you will find.

Be loving in heart, and grateful in mind,
Find joy in your work, and treat yourself kind.

When it starts to unravel or fall off the track,
Just return to your soul, it knows the way back.

By Tammy Mastroberte
Founder, Publisher & Editorial Director
Elevated Existence Magazine
www.elevatedexistence.com