Chris Grosso The Indie Spiritualist

Chris brings on Damien Echols to discuss Ceremonial Magick and the spiritual path. They explore the practice and the important role it has had in Damien's life. Damien Echols is a ceremonial magician and artist who lives in NYC with his wife and cats. He spent 18 years on death row for a crime he did not commit and wrote the book "Life after Death" about his experiences.

This week on the Indie Spiritualist, Chris has an insightful conversation with the spiritual teacher and author, Gabor Maté, about trauma, addiction, and recovery. What do we get out of our addictions? How does trauma cause us to disconnect from ourselves and dismiss our own experience? Gabor raises these important questions and provides guidance to rise above our suffering and self-abuse so that we may better care for ourselves and our loved ones.   Show Notes Addictions Are Not The Problem – Gabor and I discuss how addictions are not the problem but instead are the person’s attempt to solve a problem in their life.   Growing Up – Gabor and I explore the emotional and psychological conditions of children and their environment while growing up as a key component of the root cause of addiction.   Trauma, Addiction, and the Brain – Gabor talks about the relationship between trauma, our brain, and addiction.   Making Change – Gabor breaks down how we can begin to understand and then work with the traumas in our

On this episode of The Indie Spiritualist, Chris has on poet and author, J. Ivy. As a performance poet & author, Ivy’s passionate delivery always leaves spectators transfixed in a state of inspiration. His motto, “Dreams Don’t Come True, They Are True” has guided him from his hometown Chicago to hundreds of cities. J. Ivy’s new goal to get one million people to write a letter to their fathers is themed as “One Million Letters Written, One Million Hearts Healed!” This campaign’s mission is to help inspire healing through writing for children and adults who have grown up in fatherless homes, which will in turn help to prevent this hurt and imbalance from being perpetuated. Listen to Chris and J go deep about family, forgiveness, and inspiring the next generation.   Show Notes Chicago – J reminisces about his childhood years when he was still known as James Richardson and what it was like growing up in Chicago during the late seventies and early eighties. Changes – J talks about his experience of being a you

In this episode of The Indie Spiritualist Podcast, Chris has a compelling discussion with Ram Dass. From addiction to finding compassion for Donald Trump, Ram Dass shares his perspective on the spiritual path and using love to overcome our darkest moments.  

Tehya Sky Podcast   Tehya Sky is a metaphysical guide and healing facilitator who offers retreats and workshops internationally. Her work focuses on helping us integrate our humanity and our divinity, as well as honor our unique callings. Sky lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more, visit tehyasky.com   Dysfunction — Tehya discusses her formative childhood years, working in the music industry in LA, and finding her way onto the spiritual path.   Spirituality Today — Tehya and I discuss spirituality and whether people are looking for something different today or not.   Something Different — Tehya talks about what from A Ceremony Called Life offers that many of today’s “self-help” books don’t.   Influences — Tehya shares some of the important influences in her life, and I share about an experience including Radiohead, acid, and the millennium.   It All Is — Tehya and I discuss how spirituality can imbue all areas of our lives.   Vulnerability — Tehya shares about how vulnerability and how accepting our vu

Interspirituality with Kurt Johnson Episode Recap Show Notes: • Early Years – Kurt discusses some of his early life events—including depression, scientific studies and much more—and how they led him to his life’s passion. • Wayne Teasdale – Kurt shares about his deep friendship with the wonderful Brother Wayne Teasdale, the impact he had on his life, and the continuing impact his work has in the world. • Interspirituality – In The Coming Interspiritual Age, Kurt writes, “Interspirituality is the natural discussion among human beings about what we are experiencing. In academic terms, it’s the intersubjective discussion among us all about who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. In the context of religion, interspirituality is the common heritage of humankind’s spiritual wisdom and the sharing of wisdom resources across traditions. In terms of our developing human consciousness, interspirituality is the movement of all these discussions toward the experience of profound interconnectedness, unity con

Podcast Interview Bio Chandresh Bhardwaj is a seventh-generation lineage holder from a family of Indian gurus practicing the Tantric tradition. He is an internationally acclaimed speaker and founder of the Break The Norms Movement, with locations in New York, Los Angeles, New Delhi, and Amsterdam. For more visit breakthenorms.com.   Episode Outline:   • A Family of Gurus – Chandresh talks about his childhood and how he grew up in a family of spiritual Gurus.   • The Seeds of Questioning – Chandresh talks about the passing of his sister and a close childhood friend when he was younger, both of which happened within a few years of one another, and how they became a catalyst that planted seeds of questioning in him, particularly about life and death and meaning and how to live.   • Pain As A Teacher – Chandresh shares how we can use the pain in our lives as a catalyst towards our spiritual growth and development.   • Break the Norms – Chandresh talks about the Break The Norms movement and how that began.   • Tod

Jack Canfield Episode Recap   Bio   You probably know Jack Canfield as the co-creator and co-author of the New York Times #1 best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul book series which currently has 225 titles in the series and more than 500 million copies in print in 47 languages.   He is also the founder and President of the Canfield Training Institute, which trains entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, managers and sales professionals in how to accelerate the achievement of their personal, professional and financial goals.   Jack has personally helped hundreds of thousands of people on six different continents become multi-millionaires, business leaders, best-selling authors, leading sales professionals, successful entrepreneurs, and world-class athletes while at the same time creating balanced, fulfilling and healthy lives.   Jack is a dynamic speaker and was recently inducted into the National Speakers Association’s Speakers Hall of Fame.   He has appeared on more than 1000 radio and television shows including

Alanna Kaivalya Episode Recap   Bio   Alanna believes Yoga is for everyone and each student can develop the self-empowerment needed to embark on a personal journey to meaningful transformation. On this principle she founded The Kaivalya Yoga Method, a fresh take on yoga emphasizing the individual path while honoring tradition. Teaching students since 2001, teachers since 2003, Alanna has written and developed teacher trainings worldwide for top studios and independently. In January she debuted a comprehensive 200hr-online teacher training with YogaDownload. She holds a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, has authored numerous articles and two books: Myths of the Asanas, an accessible practitioner’s guide to stories behind beloved poses; Sacred Sound, a yoga “hymnal,” illustrating the role of chant and mantra in modern practice. Look for her third book, Yoga Beyond the Mat, in Autumn 2016. She lives in New York City with Roxy the Wonderdog.     E

Bio Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx, Against The Stream, The Heart of the Revolution and Refuge Recovery, is a Buddhist teacher, author and counselor. He has created a Buddhist approach to addiction recovery called Refuge Recovery, that includes peer lead meetings as well as a professional treatment center. He is also the founding teacher of Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society, with centers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Nashville and over 20 affiliated groups around North America. He teaches meditation classes, workshops and retreats internationally. Noah holds a Masters degree in counseling psychology and lives in Los Angeles.   Episode Outline:   • Dharma Punk – Noah talks about his experience with addiction and how it led him to the Buddhist Path.   • A Community Effort – Noah revisits the origins of Refuge Recovery and shares about all of the preparation that went into the endeavor.   • Refuge Recovery –In the Refuge Recovery book, Noah writes, “Refuge Recovery is a practice, a process,

  Bio Zach is the host of the “It’s All Happening” podcast, an infrequent blogger/writer and a seasoned digital marketer and brand strategist. Zach is also a practitioner of bhakti yoga as taught through many of the Vedantic systems of Northern India. Through the practice of bhakti yoga he has found keys that unlock doorways that allow the soul to experience it’s true nature of being eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. In addition to bhakti yoga, Zach has been influenced by many different methods and traditions of consciousness exploration ranging from trans-humanism to Buddhism and clinical psychology. Zach is also a frequent pundit on the political systems that are fueling societies economic systems and structures. At the core of all of Zach’s work is the belief that we have been fused together by the adoption and collective practice of using technology, spirituality and mysticism to define the very nature of who we are.   Episode Outline:   • Beginnings – Zach talks about growing up with Timothy

Betsy Chasse is an internationally known film Maker and author, most notable at the Co-Writer, Director and Producer of What The Bleep Do We Know?! In 2014, she produced the acclaimed Song of the New Earth, which premiered at The Seattle International Film Festival. She has authored 4 books including What The Bleep Do We Know: Discovering the Endless Possibilities to Altering Your Everyday Reality and in 2014 Tipping Sacred Cows. She recently released her latest book, It Came Out Of My Vagina, Now What?!, A hilarious book on parenting written with Co-Author Debbie Spector Weisman, and is in production on a new feature documentary, LEAP, which explores the world of Coaching (Life, Relationship, Business and Executive) to be released late 2016 / early 2017.

Mary O’Malley is an author, counselor and awakening mentor in Kirkland, Washington.  In the early 1970’s, a powerful awakening led Mary to begin changing her relationship with her challenges, freeing her from a lifelong struggle with darkness.  Mary’s latest book, What’s In the Way Is the Way, provides a revolutionary approach for healing your fears, anxieties, shame, and confusion, so you can live from a place of ease and well-being. Visit her at: www.maryomalley.com and www.whatsinthewayistheway.com 

Eben grew up in Ojai, California a mile from the home of rebel spiritualist Jiddu Krishnamurti. Eben great aunt was Paramahansa Yogananda's personal assistant and driver for a year at the Mount Washington Ashram in 1949. His father, when he was 6 years-old, also met Yogananda, so the thread of spirituality was woven into Eben’s life experience long before he became aware of its richness and beauty. During his teen years, in the 80's, Eben was a pioneer of the hardcore skateboarding and American hardcore punk rock scenes. He skated, played in bands, went to shows, and today acknowledges his place as a part of that greater movement. The same spirit guided him as he entered his life in recovery from alcohol and drug addiction, and ultimately, into his life as a spiritualist.      

Mona Haydar is a poet, activist practitioner of Permaculture, meditator, composting devotee, mountain girl, solar power lover and a tireless God-enthusiast. She practices a life of sacred activism, poetry, contemplation and advocacy for living gently upon the Earth. She teaches classes and retreats on mindfulness and Islamic spirituality, leads workshops on creative writing and performs her poetry. Her words have found homes in the hearts of seekers, wanderers, poets, artists, lovers and stewards of the Earth. She grew up in Flint, Michigan, graduated from the University of Michigan and has since lived in Damascus where she studied Arabic and Islamic spirituality then went on to live in the mountains of Northern New Mexico at Lama Foundation and in the Redwood forest of Northern California with her husband and son. Mona and her husband, Sebastian set up a stand in Cambridge, Massachusetts with signs that read 'Talk to a Muslim' 'free coffee and donuts' 'free conversation' and 'Ask a Muslim' encouraging open a

A former criminal lawyer and psychotherapist, Jeff Brown is the author of Soulshaping: A Journey of Self-Creation, and Ascending with Both Feet on the Ground. Endorsed by authors Elizabeth Lesser, Oriah Mountain Dreamer and Katherine Woodward Thomas, “Ascending” is a collection of Jeff’s most popular spiritual graffiti — quotes, soul-bytes and aphorisms frequently shared in social media. He is also the author of the viral blog Apologies to the Divine Feminine (from a warrior in transition) and the producer and key journeyer in the award winning spiritual documentary, Karmageddon, which also stars Ram Dass, Seane Corn, David Life, Deva Premal and Miten. He has written a series of inspirations for ABC’s Good Morning America and appeared on over 200 radio shows. His third book, Love it Forward, was published on Valentine’s Day, 2014. He is also the owner of Enrealment Press (www.enrealment.com) and the creator of a new online school, Soulshaping Institute (www.soulshapinginstitute.com), which launched in Februar

Tara Brach is a leading western teacher of Buddhist meditation, emotional healing and spiritual awakening. She has practiced and taught meditation for over 35 years, with an emphasis on vipassana (mindfulness or insight) meditation. Tara is the senior teacher and founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington. A clinical psychologist, Tara is the author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge.

Don Miguel Ruiz is a renowned spiritual teacher and internationally bestselling author. He has spent the past three decades guiding students to personal freedom through his profound insights regarding the nature of human reality. His landmark bestselling book, The Four Agreements, contains practical steps for long-term, personal transformation and has been read by millions around the world. Don Miguel is also the author of The Mastery of Love, The Voice of Knowledge, Prayers, and the New York Times bestseller, The Fifth Agreement, a collaboration with his son, don José Ruiz. Each of his books are international bestsellers. The wisdom don Miguel has brought to the world has earned him respect around the globe. He has dedicated his life to sharing his message through practical concepts in order to promote transformation and ultimately change lives for the better. More at www.miguelruiz.com.

Barbara Marx Hubbard is a prolific educator and author of seven books, including a revised and updated edition of her seminal work Conscious Evolution. She is an evolutionary thinker who believes that global change happens when we work collectively and selflessly for the greater good. Visit her online at barbaramarxhubbard.com. Episode Outline: • Vocation of Destiny – Barbara discusses what initially led her life’s path of exploring conscious evolution, including the atomic bomb, church, college, meeting President Eisenhower and more. • Conscious Evolution – Barbara discusses evolution becoming conscious in humans and how turning into evolution by choice, not chance can help expedite the process. • Evolution or De-volution – Barbara discusses Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s statement that there are two different kinds of people on earth—homo-progressive and bourgeoisie—and the impact on evolution by each. • The New Story of Evolution – Barbara discusses the evolving nature of humans and the universe as part of c

Adam Bucko is an activist, spiritual director to many of New York City’s homeless youth, and co-author of a the award-winning book called "Occupy Spirituality: A Radical Vision for a New Generation". He grew up in Poland during the totalitarian regime and spent his early years exploring the anarchist youth movement as a force for social and political change. At the age of 17, Adam immigrated to America where his desire to find his path towards a meaningful life led him to monasteries in the US and India. His life-defining experience took place in India, where on his way to a Himalayan hermitage, he met a homeless child who lived on the streets of Delhi. This brief encounter led him to the “Ashram of the Poor” where he began his work with homeless youth. After returning to the US, he worked on the streets of various American cities with young people struggling against homelessness and prostitution. He eventually co-founded The Reciprocity Foundation, an award winning nonprofit dedicated to transforming the liv