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Into the Magic Shop — Education
Into the Magic Shop

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many were overwhelmed with stress, anxiety and depression. While this epidemic of stress has been growing over the past decade, it has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the divisive nature of political discourse. As a result, many people feel disconnected, inauthentic, and unhappy, while questioning the source of their unhappiness when they presumably have “everything”—an absence of compassion, for oneself and others, is often the source of the problem. Many of us don’t understand the nature of self-compassion nor the power of compassion to improve our lives and alleviate our suffering. By entering the “Magic Shop”, Jim will share his wisdom and introduce a variety of techniques to change the course of one’s life and share his own lessons learned through the exchange of untold stories of his guests. He will interview authors and experts in the fields of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, spirituality and religion, as well as individuals with unique points of view. He will also engage his listeners by answering their questions and also at times interview listeners who are willing to share their own stories of challenge and hardship.

Copyright: © 2021 Jim Doty

Latest Episodes:

Lynne Twist: The power of a life of service Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

We all need a purpose to help us feel fulfilled, but Lynne Twist, founder of the institute ‘The Soul of Money’, author of Soul of Money, and co-founder of the Pachamama Alliance, has made a bigger commitment. She wants to transform the conditions of life on this planet.

Lynne isn’t just a global visionary, she’s actively working toward alleviating world hunger, as well as supporting social justice and environmental sustainability.

“With the climate crisis it's the Mother speaking very convincingly: ‘you're off course, I'm giving you feedback, big, big, powerful feedback. It's happening for you, not to you, it's humbling you. You need to change course’.”

In this latest episode of Into The Magic Shop, Lynne shares her incredible journey from developing her spirituality as a child, to winning the Stanford poetry contest, to becoming a pro-activist, and subsequently discovering EST (Erhard Seminar Training, later Landmark Forum) with Werner Erhard, before meeting Mother Theresa.

“Whether people believe in God or not, when you saw Mother Teresa, you saw the largest definition of what we would call God. Not somebody in the sky somewhere, but the experience of God living within a human being.”

Mother Theresa taught Lynne that money is called currency because it’s a current, it’s not designed to be accumulated. Money, like water, needs to flow, to purify, clean and grow.

“The vicious cycle of wealth is challenging and intractable, and it has as much misery as the vicious cycle of poverty.”

So, if you’re looking to live a more purposeful life, download and listen to Lynne’s story and let her inspire you to take action.

On today’s podcast:

Why we are a manifestation of our past
Why EST was transformational
Meeting Mother Theresa and working to end world hunger
Why privilege is as brutal as poverty
Why the pandemic and climate crisis are happening for us

Links:

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado: the courageous girl not letting her past define her Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

Your past does not define your present, and it certainly does not define your future. Today’s guest is living proof of that. Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. She ultimately overcame her demons through mountaineering, and is the first openly gay woman to climb the Seven Summits.

Her determination to overcome her trauma saw her first try to run away from it, before seeking solace in alcohol, becoming a functioning alcoholic:

“And that's something that I've candidly shared in the book, that journey of how we fool ourselves, how we can pretend to appear something else.”

Her mother persuaded her to take part in an ayahuasca retreat in Peru, and as she was high, she recalls her inner child grabbing her hand and pulling her into the mountains.

“That was the most magical vision that I had from this powerful session of ayahuasca, which is what has led me to this incredible journey.”

Without knowing what or how she was going to do it, she headed to the Himalayas to get to base camp on Mount Everest.

“Instead of being afraid, there was this powerful reconnection, there was this sense of safety and security that I had never felt from any other human.”

Sylvia's incredibly moving story demonstrates how resilient we truly are. So, if you’re looking for a focus, for a purpose, let Sylvia’s story inspire and encourage you.

On today’s podcast:

Surviving sexual abuse
The transformative power of psychedelics for trauma
Finding courage through mountaineering
Her foundation - Courageous Girls

Links:

https://www.silviavasla.com/

Rick Hanson: How to Reach the Upper Echelons of Human Potential Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

If you’re curious about the practical science of lasting happiness, don’t miss New York Times best selling author of Buddha’s Brain and most recently, Neurodharma, Rick Hanson, on this episode of Into The Magic Shop.

When you see people who operate at the upper reaches of human potential, it can seem a million miles away when you’re down in the trenches of everyday life.

“The qualities that we see in people who are very far along, [even] farther along than I am, are really helpful when you're dealing with stress. It's useful to have a lot of emotional balance. It's useful to have strong, steady mindfulness. It's useful to have an open, caring, warm heart as you deal with things like the Coronavirus.”

Rick’s latest book draws upon the latest brain science and applies it to the most penetrating analysis of the mind. We all have the potential to handle stress, heal old pain, feel at ease with others, and rest in the sense of our natural goodness.

“You're reminding me of those lines from Gurdjieff, the mystic last century who said, drugs are like a telescope. They'll show you what's possible, but then you've got to walk there on your own. And I think that's true for a lot of things.”

So, how can you grow a little today, to improve your tomorrow? To learn 7 practical ways to change your brain and your life for the better, download and listen to this episode.

On today’s podcast:

7 practices of the highest happiness
Why we need to be self compassionate
How dopamine can help you meditate
Why focusing on the whole brings you into the present
Is consciousness simply a neurochemical process?

Links:

https://www.rickhanson.net/books/neurodharma/

Jennifer Aaker & Naomi Bagdonas: The power of humor and why it can change everything Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

Humor can be your biggest secret weapon in business. So much so, this episode’s guests, Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, wrote the book, ‘Humor, Seriously’, about it.

In this episode of Into The Magic Shop, Jennifer and Naomi discuss just how much humor can impact business and how it can ultimately change everything. Because humor isn’t just an emotional response, it plays a huge role on our mental and physical health, as well as our general well being, it even affects our longevity:

“The biggest thing to overcome is to recognise this is not about telling jokes and being funny. It's about fundamentally shifting our mindset and navigating the world in a different way. And that is on the precipice of a smile.”

From why funnier bosses are deemed to be more competent, to what can you do when your joke falls flat, in this incredibly revealing episode, let the stand up comedian and the Stanford professor share with you why humor is all about making a connection:

“Laughter is a fundamental melody of human conversation. It is something that is so easy to connect people. And it's a melody that we all know the tune to, and we all know how to sing along.”

On today’s podcast:

How humor impacts our health
Why humor is all about making connection
How to use the levity reframe
The four different humor styles
What to do when your joke fails

Links:

Humor, Seriously

Jon Hamm: How a Hollywood A-lister defines success Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

What is it about A-listers that we find so appealing? They’re no more special than the rest of us. Yet their impossibly glamorous existence is a world away from what we know. But are their lives and experiences really in stark contrast to ours?

In today’s episode of Into The Magic Shop, Jim lifts the curtain on A-List actor Jon Hamm, best known for playing Don Draper in Mad Men, revealing the monumental challenge he had to face of losing his Mom to cancer when he was just 10 years old:

“I recall from back in those days of thinking, what's tomorrow, what's the next day, what's the next month, what's the next year, what's the future? And feeling bereft in a lot of ways but not really having the capacity to understand it or put it into words.”

Don’t miss Jon opening up about his childhood and early career. From how therapy helped him finish college, why he gave himself 5 years to make it in Hollywood, how he defines success, and why you can’t let your past define your future.

“I've got a lot of friends who've gone through a lot of things in their lives: success, unhappiness, and every place on the spectrum. And there's always something to be learned from it. And if you're going to let it define you, then that's a rough road. If you're going to use it to help move forward, that's the more therapeutic way to do it.”

So how much do you really know about the people who are hugely successful on the silver screen? Because, as you’ll discover in this episode, all that glitters isn’t gold.

On today’s podcast:

How losing his Mom to cancer shaped his early life
How a therapist helped him get back on track
Finding success with We Were Soldiers
His first acting role as Winnie the Pooh
Why you can’t let your past define your future

David DeSteno: What religion can teach us about living a longer, healthier, happier life Feb 23, 2022

Show notes

How do we live longer, healthier, happier lives? That is the question David DeSteno, psychology professor at Northeastern University, explores in his new book - How God Works: the science behind the benefit of religion.

In this latest episode of Into The Magic Shop, David shows how inextricably linked religion and psychology is, and the rewards that a religious life can bring:

“Religions tell people: you should be good, you should be kind, you should be honest. But within the practices they're also giving people the tools to make that so .... Saying you believe in God doesn't predict anything, but engagement in spiritual practices, people who do that live longer, healthier, and happier lives.”

While religious practices around the world demonstrably improve emotional and physical well being, David says you don’t have to be religious to benefit from the wisdom of religion:

“If you look at religious rituals, things like Ash Wednesday, it's a reminder that death may come sooner for any of us. And when that happens people turn toward the things that bring true happiness in life: social connection, care, and service toward others.”

So, if you’re looking for a way to live a more meaningful, fulfilled life, don’t miss David share how to incorporate religious rituals into your life, in a non-religious manner.

On today’s podcast:

What techniques actually improve people’s lives
How religion helps us deal with life’s challenges
Why faith practices increase people's health
The benefits of practicing gratitude

Links:

How God Works

Marianne Williamson: Why we need to say the quiet part out loud Feb 13, 2022

Show notes

The world that we know is dying, says Marianne Williamson, New York Times bestselling author, spiritual leader, political activist, and presidential nominee for the 2020 election.

So how courageous are we willing to be? How blunt are we willing to be? How serious are we willing to be? How much truth telling are we willing to tell?

Now is the time to say the quiet part out loud.

Marianne recalls her father telling her as a child: ‘go and beat the system, kids, beat the system’. And she’s been doing that ever since:

“They use the culture war issues to distract us from the real problem, which is the corporate ownership of our Congress and White House. You know, our Congress is a system of legalized bribery at this point.”

In this latest episode of Into The Magic Shop, Marianne discusses all things public policy, kindness, compassion and miracles:

“I have optimism about everything because I believe in miracles. But I believe that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

We will get it right in the end, says Marianne, the question is though, whether the change will be a painful violent one, or a wise and tender one?

On today’s podcast:

How Biden hasn’t made good on his election promises
The corporate ownership of Congress and The White House
Becoming an anti war demonstrator activist
The intentional universe

Links:

Sam Harris: What is the Illusion of Self? Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

Where does our experience of self fit in with our experience of consciousness?

“I can notice a sound, and notice that consciousness is prior to that sound and not reducible to it, not merely identical to it. The fact that I can notice a sound from outside the sound itself, proves to me that I'm not the sound. The sound is an object from the point of view of consciousness, so too with the sense of self.”

This is just one of the many topics discussed in this Into The Magic Shop episode with esteemed neuroscientist, philosopher, and New York Times bestselling author of five books, Sam Harris.

Why do we still hold onto religious beliefs when we live in the age of science? How much freewill do we actually have given that fundamentally our mere existence is a biochemical process? Why is consciousness such a hard topic to explore? And what is the illusion of self?

“I'm not saying that people are illusions. And it's not a mystery, really, that I wake up as me in the morning, and I don't wake up as you. It's more the sense that there is a subject, very likely in our heads, which is the actual position from which we experience our experience. And if there is an experience there, well, then that must be appearing in consciousness in some way. Otherwise it couldn't be noticed.”

This is one philosophically exploratory episode that covers a lot of ground, so sit back, open your mind and get ready to head into the magic shop to find out more.

On today’s podcast:

The problem of death and impermanence
Why we still rely on religion
What is freewill?
Consciousness is not the feeling of self
The illusion of self

Links:

Sam Harris

Dr. Gabor Maté: Understanding the Nature of Addiction Jan 27, 2022

Show notes

If you suffer from an illness, either mental illness or physical illness, take a moment and think back to your childhood - was it ‘a happy childhood’?

Dr. Gabor Maté has dedicated his life to exploring the nature not only of addiction but of trauma too. He’s discovered that diseases don’t just come along randomly, out of the blue - they reflect the course of a person’s life, beginning in childhood. And nowhere is this more true than for addiction:

“The whole point about addiction is that it’s a short term benefit for long term pain. So what I'm saying about addiction is that it's not a disease, it's actually a solution to a problem, the solution of emotional pain.”

In this episode of Into The Magic Shop, Gabor reveals how he’s never met someone with addiction who didn’t have childhood trauma:

“Parents often have their own issues, invariably, as parents, as I did, we pass on our issues to our kids until we've worked them out ourselves. So a lot of these happy childhoods despite all the parental love and even the external stability, there is a lot of emotional suffering.”

From how to train yourself not to be reactive, to how adverse childhood experiences impact us in later life, this episode is varied, but it all comes back to one thing and that is this:

“The desperation to find peace and resolution is not going to come from the outside. And that's where you have to start reflecting internally. But you have to get there. And usually it takes us a lot of suffering to get to that point.”

On today’s podcast:

Addiction stems from childhood trauma
Train yourself not to be reactive
Adverse childhood experiences
Why the prison system itself is criminal
The importance of expressing your own truth

Werner Erhard: Discovering the Man Redefining What’s Possible Jan 19, 2022

Show notes

Everyone has questioned who they are and what their purpose is at one point or another, but very few of us have left our spouse and four children behind to head West and go look for some answers.

But then not many of us are comparable to Werner Erhard, developer of Erhard Seminar Training (EST), later Landmark Forum.

“What motivated me was to discover something that actually made a difference. And for a long time it was about performance. And then it morphed from performance into who am I really? What is it to be really, and just the sense that there was something well beyond what was available to me.”

In this episode of Into The Magic Shop, Werner shares what drives his desire for self-development and his passion for helping others with their own journeys, through the creation of EST.

“It's a fact that we get into this groove over time. Now, some people have a very successful groove. And others of us have either a less than successful or even a disastrous groove. That's not who anybody is really. And the work that I've been able to develop allows people to complete that aspect of themselves by owning it.”

So just how do you transform yourself? And is it possible for anyone to get to simply being? These are the questions Jim and Werner explore in this incredibly illuminating episode. So if you want to be free to be and free to act, instead of being burdened by the reality in which you live, download and listen today.

On today’s podcast:

The origin of EST
Looking to discover rather than know
Why EST has expanded into corporate training
What ruthless compassion really is

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