Alice Grist, Interview #82

Name: Alice Grist

Where you live: England, UK - in the Middle, but was born in the North, near Manchester.

What you do as a vocation or avocation? I'm an Author and professional Tarot Card reader.

Your two favorite books: I love so, so many books it is hard to whittle it down to two. But of recent ones I have read these intrigued me for different reasons.
The Island - Aldous Huxley - a classic! Fantastic vision of a Utopian spiritual society.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt - just a darned good thriller - perfect holiday reading.

Your two favorite songs:Hey Al by Superevolver - a song written by my husband for me - as such it has to be my number 1!
Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley

Why you are interested in spirituality? When I was very young my father was a Vicar at a Church of England Church, I was the vicar's daughter and thought I was famous! Following my parent's divorce Dad lost his faith somewhat and toyed with a number of alternative spiritualities. He settled on Wicca. I was a young teenager at this time and Dad involved me with some of the 'fun' aspects of Wicca such as healing, tarot, meditation and pagan picnics. As I grew older I forgot about my spiritual inclinations and got on with university and eventually setting up home with my now husband. A few years ago I was going through a dark transitional time in my life and whilst feeling lost I went for Reiki healing. This led me to spiritual development classes and a renewed interest in all things spiritual. It was during this time that I started to write about spirituality, at first for a local magazine but this eventually this led to The High Heeled Guide to Enlightenment. I realized there were few spiritual books for a mainstream modern female audience, and that women were more likely to grab a 'chicklit' book. My book aims to bring spirituality to those readers. I remain interested in spirituality of all kinds and am now working on my second book.

Your favorite quote: A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge. Thomas Carlyle

Your favorite web sites: Fun and functional ones I'm afraid, You Tube, Myspace, Facebook, Google, Newspaper Websites. Also http://www.superevolver.com/

Your hero? My Mum. She doesn't realize how amazing she is. Bringing up three rowdy teenagers whilst attaining a first degree in Psychology and going on to grasp her dream career. She has also done this whilst battling against a disability caused by having polio as a child and now suffers the after effects of post-polio. Despite being tired a lot she is utterly fabulous, kind and generous. She's the best!

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn? Wow, all the ones I keep failing at! It's hard to know what you aren't doing right until you fall into the same patterns time after time. I would like to clear the tendency to be critical of others when perhaps it is myself I should be being critical of. All negative thought patterns have got to go!

A place in the World where you feel spiritually connected - Kentucky USA - where all my family on Mum's side live. Also the Lake District and Wales in the UK - just beautiful. Anywhere in nature or by the sea.

Website, Amazon Link and Publisher's Website:
http://web.mac.com/alicegrist

http://www.o-books.com/product_info.php?products_id=611

madis senner, Interview #81

Name: madis senner

Where you live: Syracuse, NY

What you do as a vocation or avocation? I am dedicated to nurturing Mother Earth and understanding our dynamic relationship with her. I am keen to learn about Mother Earth and her subtle body; the various planes of existence, earth chakras, spirit lines (what some call ley lines), etc. and how they all work and how we interact with her. I also look to learn how to apply this knowledge to her, as the mystics did by focusing on their chakras or various parts of the subtle body to exponentially advance their spirituality. From this I have learned that space matters and where we meditate, pray or make sacred structures will influence our results. I am also passionately interested in learning about the structures that ancient cultures made such as stone circles or mounds to tap into Mother Earth. I educate others about this and how to gain sentience of Mother Earth. As Sri Aurobindo says our evolution is intimately connected to Mother Earth.

Your two favorite books: My two favorite books are interpretations of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Swami Vivekananda’s Raja Yoga and Swami Satyananda Saraswati of the Bihar school’s Four Chapters on Freedom: Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Your two favorite songs: Amazing Grace, songs by Krishna Das.

Why you are interested in spirituality? In 1997 my life changed as I left Wall Street and I felt as if I was being called by God. In February of 1999 I accepted the call to be God’s servant. It is God’s lead that I have followed ever since, whether it was advocating for a local Muslim targeted and selectively prosecuted by the Bush Administration (Dr. Rafil Dhafir) or getting people to pray in 2002 around Onondaga Lake (Syracuse, NY where the Haudenosaunee prophet the Peacemaker planted the Tree of Peace and gave us the Great Law of Peace that would serve as the model for our constitution and democratic form of government.) It was a stretch for me at the time to think that land has special meaning or significance, but here I am and http://www.motherearthprayers.org/ is the result.

Your favorite quote: “Give with one hand, get back with two,” my mom Linda Senner.

Your favorite web sites: Bihar School’s Yoga Journal has a search menu that allows you to access their archives that contain all sorts of great information: http://www.yogamag.net/

Your hero? Jesus

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn? To have the compassion and caring Jesus had to turn the other cheek and not resist even if it means your death.

A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?" My favorite place is any of the sacred sites within Mother Earth’s soul in upstate NY; an area that has been a well spring of spirituality and social justice for the USA and the world. Where democracy, the women’s movement, America’s Second Great Awakening, the New Age movement, Spiritualism, Evangelicalism and a host of other initiatives were born.

To learn more about madis senner and Mother Earth go to: http://www.motherearthprayers.org/