Dawn Baumann Brunke, Interview #93

Name: Dawn Baumann Brunke

Where you live: Wasilla, Alaska

What you do as a vocation or avocation?
Writer & editor. Animal communicator & dreamer.
I'm the author of three books: Animal Voices; Animal Voices, Animal Guides; and Shapeshifting with Our Animal Companions. All three are about talking with animals. Really? Can we talk with animals? Yes, that's the hook, but deeper still the books are about connecting in a heartfelt way with nature and our planet, with others -- especially those who think differently than we do -- and, perhaps most challenging, with ourselves.
I'm also the editor of a health & wellness magazine here in Alaska. I love to help new writers find their voice.
And I dream. A lot. I'm fascinated by the stories that come to us in our dreams. A theme throughout my writing -- and my life -- is how we might make better use of all that untapped wisdom.

Your two favorite books:
Only two? The favorites I'm reading right now are The Holy Man/Woman trilogy by Susan Trott, The Secret Teachings of Plants by Stephen Harrod Buhner and The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

Your two favorite songs:
Today my two favorites are k. d. lang's version of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and 'Peace Train', both the original by Cat Stevens and his newer version as Yusuf Islam.

Why you are interested in spirituality?
I've always been curious why people believe what they believe, and how different cultures use myth/stories to speak about the divine. I think some of the juiciest questions of life arise out of this thing we call spirituality. For me, spirituality holds our greatest fears (death, the unknown) and our greatest longings (love, discovery of self, connection with god/all that is). It shows us where we are, within ourselves and within the world.

Your favorite quote:

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there." --Rumi

Your favorite web sites:

ted great talks and "ideas worth spreading"

lumosity fun place to recharge the old brain batteries

betterworldbooks good for readers; good for the earth

amazon helpful place to check out book excerpts

netflix because I can easily watch a film a night

craigslist cool place to sell & buy locally

Your hero:

I think we're all heroes; I think we all have amazing abilities and unique qualities that we have to share with the world. It's inspiring that certain people are willing to take on these projections--the greatest, the fastest, the highest--and reflect that outward, encouraging us to find our own hero within. Right now my heroes are the polar bears. These highly adaptive, intelligent survivors who spend long, dark winters alone on the arctic ice are the ones who shine bright within my dreams.

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn?

Trust, trust, and more trust.

A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?"

Near or on water. There is something about water that speaks to me deep inside.

To read more about my books and/or contact me: http://www.animalvoices.net/

Sherre Zwelling Hirsch, Interview #92

Name: Sherre Zwelling Hirsch

Where you live: Los Angeles. CA

What you do as a vocation or avocation? Rabbi, writer, mom

Your two favorite books: The Places you will Go by Dr. Seuss: The Lonely Man of Faith, Soloveitchik

Your two favorite songs: I hope you Dance Leanne Womack; Lucky by Jason Mraz

Why you are interested in spirituality? Pursuing something greater than myself is in my blood. Coming from a long line of spiritual seekers and rabbis, I knew from an early age that I was asking questions of meaning and purpose long before most people.

Your favorite quote: Luck is the residue of design.

Your hero? My mom. She has lived her life with courage, bravery, humility, compassion and humor.

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn? To stay in the present even when it feels intolerable. All feelings pass. They are not facts.

A place in the world where you feel spiritually 'connected?' so many places. God is everywhere I let God in. Sometimes even the market."

You can see more of Rabbi Hirsch's work at http://www.sherrehirsch.com/

David Ensign, Interview #91

Name: David Ensign

Where you live: Arlington, VA

What you do as a vocation or avocation? Pastor, Clarendon Presbyterian Church; peacemaker with Christian Peace Witness; seeker of justice with People of Faith for Equality Virginia

Your two favorite books: Taylor Branch's trilogy, America in the King Years and David Duncan's The Brothers K

Your two favorite songs: Suite Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills and Nash and the entirety of Rutter's Requiem

Why you are interested in spirituality? I am always interested in what I cannot quite grasp that has, nonetheless, grasped me

Your favorite quote: 'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'

Your favorite web sites: espn.com, si.com and cbssportsline.com because, as some president observed, I prefer to start the day with the sports page because it contains stories of human triumph rather than the front page which is filled with human failure; textweek.com because it is such a useful site for preachers; dailykos.com for its progressive politics; facebook because it helps me stay connected with far-flung friends

Your hero? Martin Luther King, Jr.

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn? patience

A place in the world where you feel spiritually 'connected?' Camp Hanover outside of Richmond, VA

You can find me virtually at http://faithfulagitation.blogspot.com/ and http://clarendonpresbyterian.org/

Benyamin Cohen, Interview #90

Name: Benyamin Cohen

Where you live: Atlanta, GA

What you do as a vocation or avocation? Content director for the Mother Nature Network (http://www.mnn.com/)

Your two favorite books: Thinking for a Living by Joey Reiman and Driving Mr. Albert by Michael Paterniti

Your two favorite songs: "Ode to Joy" by Beethoven and "Adon Olam" by Joshua Nelson

Why you are interested in spirituality? Because my family is full of rabbis

Your favorite quote: "Don't get caught watching the paint dry." - Gene Hackman in "Hoosiers"

Your favorite web sites: slate.com, msnbc.com, mnn.com, thedailybeast.com, facebook.com

Your hero? Michael J. Fox for having optimism in the face of adversity

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn? Being content with life

A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?" Small synagogues and big churches

Twitter: www.twitter.com/myjesusyear
Web: http://www.myjesusyear.com/

Rebecca, Interview #89

Name: Rebecca

Where you live: Chicago, IL

What you do as a vocation or avocation?

I am active in helping to build an emergent church,

Wicker Park Grace (http://www.wickerparkgrace.net/)

and to host the monthly Emergent Village discussion group in our area.

Professionally, I am looking for a position that will allow me to use my recently acquired Masters in Public Policy to be a change agent on behalf of marginalized communities.

Basically, after being a high school teacher and a non-profit manager, I want to change the world at a systemic level.

Your two favorite books: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson and The Collected Works of Tamora Pierce (http://www.tamorapierce.com/). The former is a perfect combination of the post-Modern ironic tone and a good action story for smart people and the latter are several series of books with strong adolescents as their protagonists. I re-read at least one every year to remind me that I am still embarrassingly adolescent in many ways in my development. But that means that I can still change the parts of me that I don't like. There is hope there.

Your two favorite songs: Leonard Cohen's "Anthem" and Vance Gilbert's "Unfamiliar Moon" (http://www.vancegilbert.com/). The redemption offered in "Anthem" recently saved my stressful experience of planning a second wedding and the music of Vance Gilbert has been a touchstone in my life for the last 15 years.

Why you are interested in spirituality? I seem to be wired this way. My mom once left me a voice mail because she had been reading about how they may have found a gene for spirituality. She worried, in the most motherly of ways, that mine might be mutated . I still laugh when I think of that message and regret accidentally deleting it. I think she was referencing the dissatisfaction that I've felt for so much of my life with the way spirituality gets lived out in most Christian churches that I've been attached to. I had a major ugly-duckling-realizing-I'm-actually-a-swan moment when I found the emergent Christianity movement. What I strive for is to live a life of meaning and continual transformation to deepen my awareness and contribution to creating shalom or rightness in this world. I believe we are all a little incomplete and we can only find that completeness in a community that reflects and welcomes God and God's law but have a fairly non-traditional idea of what that law probably is.

Your favorite quote: "How am I to talk of God to the millions who have to go without two meals a day? To them God can only appear as bread and butter." Gandhi

I think this quote can be interpreted both physically and metaphysically. Millions of folks are also starving for God in the form of something other than what traditional church has offered them.

Your favorite web sites: http://www.soulemama.com/;

http://www.accordionsandlace.wordpress.com/;

http://www.postsecret.com/;

http://www.arloasutter.blogspot.com/;

http://www.julieclawson.com/

Your hero? I haven't thought about this one in awhile. Right now, I'll default to my dad since he's 62 and still reflecting on himself and how his behavior affects others. He's always trying to be more loving. He's come a long way and still has a long way to go but he never stops and rests on his laurels. I would like to have that said about me at any point in my life.

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn? I would like to be self-confident enough that I can see other people's behaviors as reflection of their own internal conflicts rather than personal attacks on my right to exist in comfort. I know that it is true in theory but I'd like to be able to live it out in practice. Making space for others to be who they are seems to be an act of intense love.

A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?" Sitting with my husband at church or synagogue.

Read more about Rebecca at these sites:

http://www.princessmax.blogspot.com/
http://www.fiftypercenters.com/
http://www.up-rooted.blogspot.com/

Jan Phillips, Interview #88

Name: Jan Phillips

Where you live: San Diego, CA

What you do as a vocation or avocation? Teach/speak/write

Your two favorite books: The Gift by Hafiz; Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks

Your two favorite songs: Alphabet Mantra, My Body, My Temple from my CD Singing for the Soul

Why you are interested in spirituality? Interested in life and all life is essentially spirit

Your favorite quote: "There is someone out there who needs you. Live your life so that person can find you." Balinese dancer

Your favorite web sites: http://www.ted.com/ http://syracuseculturalworkers.com/

Your hero? bill moyers

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn? i reside in the heart of my staunchest opponent

A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?" HERE

http://www.janphillips.com/

Jan is the author of The Art of Original Thinking-The Making of a Thought Leader

Divining the Body

Marry Your Muse

God is at Eye Level

Making Peace

A Waist is a Terrible Thing to Mind

Stephen P. Edwards, Interview #87

Name: Stephen P. Edwards

Where you live: Sarasota, Florida, But I’m originally from Blackpool England

What you do as a vocation or avocation? I have my hand in many different things. I travel around the country teaching students about financial literacy, the importance of having it, and how it will impact their life. I also teach them how to get it.

I teach financial principles from a perspective of helping others and by having financial literacy you cannot be taken advantage of.

I teach people how to face their fears and break free from the things that have been holding them back.

It is my passion to help navigate people through the transformative shift we are seeing our planet and concousness go through right now.

I invest actively in real estate. I am the author of Communion-Cating with God, and Your Miracle Life Audio program. I am currently writing a new book called Quantum Wealth, which will teach people the true meaning of wealth, which is not just a lot of money. The book will also show you how to get it. I am a speaker on subjects such as money, wealth, real estate and spirituality. I do mind body and spirit transformative weekend seminars.

Your two favorite books: Conversations with God by Neil Donald Walsch. I just finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and loved it. I also enjoy books by Gregg Braden.

Your two favorite songs: Truly Madly Deeply; Savage Garden & Amazing; Seal

Why you are interested in spirituality? I believe we are living in the greatest time to ever be alive and currently we are experiencing a great shift. We are heading to a period of enlightenment and it is my joy to help people transcend through this time. I have always felt a connection with a higher power and realized that we all are connected and have that connection. Some people know how to access it and some do not. It is my passion to help every one connect to that higher power and thus live a life of miracles, a life that is full.

Your favorite quote: Every thing done in darkness eventually comes to light.

By Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Your favorite web sites: I enjoy Facebook because it gives me a chance to connect with people. J

Your hero: My Mum, she is amazing and strong, my Auntie Barbara for her strength, Nelson Mandela, Soldiers fighting for our freedoms, Mother Theresa, Jesus, Buddah, Ghandi,

A spiritual lesson you hope to learn? To continuously live in the present and in the NOW.

A place in the world where you feel spiritually "connected?" I feel most connected when I am spending time with my wife Jenn.

The number 23 has a profound impact in my life and when I see it, the number reminds me to get present.

We love Hawaii, Mexico and New Mexico (Angel Fire).

I do not have to go any where to feel connected, I can feel that way in my home, car, on a plane, while listening to music etc.

You can reach me at: http://www.seemiracles.com/

http://blog.seemiracles.com/