A Conversation With Gangaji

A lot has been said about the subjects of karma, fate and destiny. Is the course of our lives predetermined? How is it that some people seem to live a life of abundance while others face huge difficulties? Most of us have probably experienced a bit of both. Is it possible to change our karma? What is the difference between choice and choicelessness? In this episode Gangaji also shares her thoughts on responsibility and the power we have over our karma.

In October of 1998, a talented musician named Craig Johnson, along with millions around the world, was rocked to his core by the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard. It was a hate crime, a hate crime against gays. In the years that followed Matthew Shepard's death, although they never met, he and Craig would become brothers in the deepest sense. At the core of Craig's story is the question, is love present in the midst of the unthinkable?

Coming up this month on Epiphany Grammy Award winning musician Craig Hella Johnson takes us on a journey that began with the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard.  It asks the question, can love be found in the midst of the unthinkable? Look for it on February 15th.

The bubble of me is made up of my body, my thoughts, my worries, as well as my hopes, dreams and desires. In and of itself, it's neither good nor bad. It's just part of being human. But sometimes there can be a preoccupation with this bubble of me, which perhaps is a distraction from a deeper anxiety. In this conversation, Gangaji also looks at the bubbles we create around our political, social or spiritual beliefs. Is it important to reach beyond our own bubbles? And if so, how do we do that?

 When we feel back into a corner, asking for help can be seem difficult. In fact, it can be sort of an act of courage to do it. In those moments when we call out for help, if we let go of what that might look like, is there a guarantee that our prayer's will be be answered? What about other categories of help, like giving help? When does offering help serve and when does it interfere? When is it actually a distraction? When we move beyond our daily hopes and fears, is there a final prayer just to be free?

Mica Carew comes from a long lineage of medicine women. Her grandmother taught her that if you quiet the mind you can hear another person's body.  From the age of nine, that's the medicine she practiced. In her twenties, she turned her back on her native medicine.  It was a sincere and desperate prayer for help that took her on a journey she never could have imagined.

To say that the US presidential election of 2016 has created a firestorm around the world would be an understatement. While some people are happy with the outcome, the election of Donald Trump has left many shocked, angry and in fear of the future. In this special episode, Gangaji responds to some of the questions and reactions that have naturally come to the surface. Do we have the capacity to bear the fallout from this, no matter what side we're on? Important questions for the sobering times we find ourselves in. Some of us feel blindsided. Where do we go from here?

It's easy to think that a sudden and profound awakening has more meaning than more subtle awarenesses that happen over time. It's like a thunderbolt versus an onion. It's natural to want to compare the two but the question is, are those comparisons worthwhile? Could it be that it's  ordinary moments that are the true openings to realizing who we are? Could these moments be the final call for us to stop trying to fix ourselves and realize what has been here all along?

To bring our conversation from August's episode, When We Disagree, full circle, we've included this special bonus clip.  This monologue from Gangaji's compilation Being in Peace shows us where war originates from within ourselves and how it is then projected out into the world.  In this lucky lifetime, Gangaji points to this rare opportunity to call off this war on ourselves and finally be at peace.  

Pro-choice, pro-life, pro-guns, anti-guns, racism, immigration, sexuality, financial equality, the debate around different social and political issues that have stirred a heated debate for many. What if our disagreements lead to hate, even if our hate is a result to those who say hateful things? Who's right and who's wrong? What happens if we throw away the requirement that we have to agree with each other at all? In the midst of these heated emotions and passionate opinions, is there room for love and respect?

At first glance, giving up hope doesn't seem like the best idea. After all, isn't hope what helps us make it through difficult times? We hope for good health, financial stability and fulfilling relationships. We hope for a life without suffering, where our most sincere wishes can come true. What would life be without hope? If we didn't have hope would we risk falling into some sort of abyss? Is hope what keeps us afloat or is it actually something that contributes to our suffering? This month, we're looking at the surprising obstacle that hope can create, as we discover what is possible if we are willing to let it go.

All of our iTunes subscribers are in for a treat this month as we share with you a special advanced preview of the next podcast that we hope to add to Gangaji Radio. The inspiration for the show is to connect all of us through our own teaching stories. Sharing these remarkable personal stories, Epiphany brings to life the profound impact our "aha moments" have, not only on our own lives but on everyone around us, including people we may never even meet. Your help will not only allow us to launch this important new offering, but it will also support the continuation of A Conversation with Gangaji. This pilot episode, Teachings from Grief, is about love, loss and courage, and what is possible when they all come together.

Shame is probably one of the most avoided words in the English language. And no wonder. It seems dark and sticky and secretive by it's very nature. Shame can arise from anything from abuse to sex to doing something we feel embarrassed about to simply being in a human body. The story of shame can wind its way through every part of our lives. What happens when we finally stop to face our own experience of shame? The answer could be both liberating and life-changing.

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought you looked too fat or too thin?  Does the way you feel in your body ever seem frustrating or even intolerable? This month Gangaji is joined by author Geneen Roth. She is known by millions by her New York Times #1 Bestseller Women, Food and God. Together they get at the root of this sometimes painful relationship we have between our self-worth, what we look like and our relationship with food.

There's Ram Dass saying that goes, if you think you're enlightened then go spend a week with your family. Family relationships can evoke the most explosive emotions. A certain kind of remark or tone can come from anyone else and mean nothing, but with family, in an instant, we feel like we're ten years old again. The bonds that began in our earliest memories of childhood have the power to influence how we relate to life in general...who we marry, what we do for a living, where we live. The question is...Can we all just get along? And.....do we even need to?

We will all lose someone we love in the course of a lifetime. There will be that moment when we face the stark reality that we will never be able to touch or hear or be with that person ever again. It is in those moments when grief surges to the surface, using all its force to gain our attention. If we fully meet this grief, is it possible to discover something that we may have not known before? Some may ask where people go after they die because they seem gone, but is that really true?

If you enter the word “spirituality” as a google search, you'll come up with about 145 million results. Clearly there's an abundance of blogs, youtubes, retreats, etc. to help us on our spiritual journey. But if you find one person who changes your life in profound and unmistakable ways, do you keep searching or does finding that teacher, once and for all, end your search? What is the difference between taking advantage of a plethora of offerings or overindulging? When it comes to finding a teacher, are you in an open or a committed relationship?  

The right book or person or opportunity shows up at just the right time. You meet someone unexpectedly who says just want you needed to hear. What are these moments of synchronicity? Are they just coincidence? Or has your intention or desire attracted these things that have somehow shown up in your life? Is there something beyond manifestation? If the peace and fulfillment we are looking for are available to us any time by inquiring inward then what is the role of positive thinking and synchronicity?

  It's often said that if one is certain of the love that lies within oneself the choice to be in a relationship or to be single is freed up. In that, relationships are no longer centered around insecurity and identification. Some people feel better when they're in relationships, but that's not entirely a good thing if they're rooted in dependency. Some people are more accustomed to being single, but what if that's not by choice? And what about the feeling of loneliness we sometimes feel no matter who we're with? This month, we're asking, what does it mean to be alone?  

When it comes to relationships, fear of abandonment can lead to all sorts of forms of self-betrayal. In trying to manage this very human fear, we can sometimes ignore our own knowing, all in the name of not being left. Ironically, these subtle or not so subtle attempts to escape being rejected actually results in our own abandonment. Telling the truth about ways we betray ourselves is ultimately liberating, but what do we do when we are betrayed by the person we are in a relationship with? Gangaji shares her own experience when it comes to this inner and outer betrayal.