Showing results by narrator "Michael Toms" in All Categories

Father of cyberpunk William Gibson’s original script for Alien III, written in 1987 as a sequel to Aliens, never made it to our screens, although it went on to achieve cult status among fans as the third instalment that might have been after being leaked online. This terrifying, cinematic multicast dramatisation - directed by the multi-award-winning Dirk Maggs - is the chance to experience William Gibson’s untold story and its terrifying, claustrophobic and dark encounters between humans and aliens, as a completely immersive audio experience.

Acknowledged as one of the greatest religious teachers of this or any other age, the late J. Krishnamurti was a visionary whose ideas are still ahead of his time. New Dimensions host Michael Toms was fortunate to capture this philosopher's penetrating wisdom in 1983, just a few years before his death at the age of 90.

Krishnamurti addresses love, greed, violence, separation, time, death, conflict, and fear, discussing them all with a clarity and insight that makes the entire spiritual landscape appear newly visible and replete with possibilities. Krishnamurti also has much to say about the source of our problems, both personal and planetary, with appropriate comments on how to resolve them.

The Complete Strategy Collection, a compilation of ancient and historical philosophies, will increase your knowledge of strategy, conflict, and adversity throughout the ages, giving you valuable insight into the past while opening a window to the future. Although each of the works can be considered a manual or diagram for war or engaging in physical combat, the life skills embodied in each can be adapted to everyday life in modern society. Listen and learn how you, too, can take advantage of the strategies of war.

Drunk with the Divine, Rumi wrote 20,000 poems of mystical, ineffable love of God. "There is a ferocity in his longing that maybe we don't understand," says Barks. Listen in and understand a little better. A wondrous, exhilarating look at the exultant poetry of Jelaluddin Rumi, the 13th century Sufi poet, with Coleman Barks.

Topics explored in this dialogue include: how you can address the greatest challenge of our times, the role of the arts in deep ecology, how the shift from linear thinking to systems thinking in the sciences affects us now and in the future, understanding the complexity of living systems and life itself, why creativity is the driving force of evolution, what religion and deep ecology have in common, what's really behind the information age, and the mathematics of complexity.

The capacity to change one's life for the better is inherent within the individual, according to Lester Levenson, creator of the Sedona Method, a self-help program designed to remove blocks to personal growth and foster self-realization. Here Virginia Lloyd, Director of Training for the Sedona Institute, talks about how the "method" came to be and how happiness, achieving goals, overcoming emotional obstacles, having, being, and doing whatever you will or desire are possible with the Sedona Method, as Lloyd shares her experience with refreshing candor. Lloyd is the author of Choose Freedom (Freedom Publication 1983).

This dialogue reviews Sheldrake's theory of "morphic resonance," which challenges some fundamental assumptions of established science. Sheldrake offers a revolutionary alternative to the mechanistic worldview, and points toward a new understanding of the nature of life, matter and mind. One of the more profound implications of Sheldrake's account here is his suggestion that the brain may be more like a tuning system than a recording device.

Bly describes the three necessary and sequential life phases symbolized by three colors - the "red, white and black," in the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "Iron John." He casts a penetrating light on these male life stages, describing complications that arise, for example, when a boy skips the red and goes directly to the white. He also discusses how these stages, when fulfilled, affect men's relationships with women.

An extraordinary visit with one of America's leading poets provides a unique exploration of the mystery of maleness. Bly uses fairy tales to illuminate the dark recesses of the psyche, and the result is a powerful intimation of the male experience and potential. From the soft, feminine male persona to the deeply buried wildman, Bly takes us on a journey through unmapped territory of the masculine. For men and women this is a conversation not to be missed.

"As a man is, so he sees." These words of mystical poet and artist William Blake are just as relevant now as they were when they were written in 1802 - perhaps more so. Throughout his life, Blake undertook a voyage beyond rationality and materialism to an interior, visionary realm where "all things appear as they are - infinite." Yet all human beings, he believed, are capable of opening their eyes to a fuller experience of life.

Topics explored in this dialogue include: how to discover your unique talents - and then pursue them, what is spiritual intelligences and how you can deepen yours, how to start trusting yourself, how do you keep negativity at bay, how life supports risk-taking (and how to be sensible about it!), how to break out of your comfort zone, and mentors: how to find them and how to be one.

Full of high energy and zest for life, psychologist and best-selling author Dyer suggests a myriad of methods for becoming more conscious parents and living life more fully.

If you're looking for ways to live more fully and abundantly, you'll want to listen closely to psychologist Ross, as she describes her own path to prosperity. Numerous insights and practical steps are revealed in the course of the conversation.

Father Dom Bede Griffiths was a revered mystic who grew beyond his Christian traditions to embrace and embody the philosophical grounding of eastern thought. His gift of unconditional love and the divine presence he brought to this world were transformative to his students. In this conversation, Brother Wayne Teasdale and Asha and Russill Paul share their experience of Father Bede and his legacy, and the promise it holds for the world we face today.

The oldest human quest serves as the central focus for this wonderful exploration into how truth is revealed. Learning to listen to the inner voice, living in relationship, suffering and liberation, finding providential help along the way and much more are covered by Needleman as he speaks to the depth and breadth of the spiritual search. He emphasizes the power of the oral tradition and the need to be open and receptive to truth when it appears.

Stripping away the known and seeing reality for what it is, rather than for what our thoughts represent it to be, provides the theme for this compelling conversation. The late theoretical physicist David Bohm addresses the nature of thought and thinking, and how our conditioned minds become subordinate to the way we think.

The life of Huston Smith reads like an adventure novel. One of the foremost religious scholars in the world today, Smith has lived in a missionary household in China, monasteries in Japan, and a sweat lodge in North America. Smith has engaged many of the contemporary wisdom giants, including Thomas Merton and the Dalai Lama, and believes in the eternal mystery of life, cautioning against our "tendency to reduce the Divine to where it is easily manageable by our finite mind."

Since 1948, the BBC's iconic annual lecture series has provided a platform for brilliant, entertaining individuals to discuss and develop their ideas on radio. The topics range from art and science to history, culture, politics and more, and each Reith Lecture - which is a little longer than a TED talk - is followed by a lively question-and-answer session showcasing the speaker's expertise, wisdom and wit. This collection brings together 10 of the very best Reith Lectures, chosen by the series producer, Jim Frank.

Scientist Rupert Sheldrake brings you years of extensive research on animal behavior, challenging traditional scientific assumptions that pets do not warrant serious study. Well-known for his controversial and revolutionary theory of "morphic resonance" and "morphogenetic fields," Sheldrake applied this to his subject with ingenious questions that have resulted in confirmation that animals do indeed possess psychic and intuitive abilities.