Is the world out of balance because we do not understand the dreaming?

When I watched the new show, Dreams, Visions and Realities I was struck by how important it is that these two worlds come together... The dream time and the waking... the inner and the outer. It seems this conversation shows how it can be done... it shows us possibility of another way of being. One connected to the other, seamlessly.

As Dr. Stephen Aizenstat says in the show, dreams are important because they connect us to our essential nature and help us to navigate towards our true direction. It is a space we need to respect for there is an intelligence at work. What if every human was navigated by their true nature? How different would our relationships, sense of belonging, and the dynamics of our world, be?

One of the reasons we created GLOBAL SPIRIT is to engage you, our community, in a lively discussion -- and through the miracles of technology, this is possible. So please participate by watching the show on January 22, 9pm ET/6pm PT on Link TV or online, and engaging in the live chat with Dr. Stephen Aizenstat to follow. It's easy! Just go here.

You can post questions in advance here below, or on Facebook. Please invite your friends. We look forward to being with you on January 22. You never know... asking the right question of a dream specialist might just change your life.

"What I got from the show Mystical Experience is seeing the beauty of universal diversity when wisdom, patience and respect are in the conversation." - Shahid Muhammad, chat participant quote via Facebook

Question: Does fearfulness lead to aggression and fundamentalism? Do those on the spiritual path go through a fundamentalist stage? What is the best way to address fundamentalism inside and with others? What can we learn from this new understanding about how we work with those that come from a fundamentalist perspective?

From Memorial Day to Veterans Day, Dog Bless You, a non-profit community created by explore.org founder Charlie Annenberg Weingarten, will celebrate dogs and soldiers in America through a new campaign called Dog Bless USA. Funds raised by a challenge grant on the Dog Bless You Facebook page will be used to give service dogs to war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). explore.org will donate one service dog to a veteran suffering from PTSD for every 5,000 "Likes" on the community page, up to 100 dogs or $500,000.

Post-traumatic stress disorder affects as many as 20 percent of military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. This crippling anxiety disorder causes anger, depression, major stress, fear, agitation, and numbness. Hidden from sight, PTSD isn't as obvious as physical injuries but can be just as serious. And sometimes the best therapy is the companionship of a service dog.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and an assortment of dog and veteran related organizations have come together to raise awareness of PTSD and the healing role that dogs can play in people's lives. This unique campaign offers people a chance to participate in spreading the word and raising money simply by clicking "Like" on the Dog Bless You Facebook page. The community page is comprised of over 260,000 people already, and features photos, videos, and discussions aimed and educating and inspiring. Join today.

Egypt: Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has made significant changes to his Cabinet to placate those accusing the new government of being slow at implementing reforms. However, protestors do not see the reshuffle as sufficient and continue to protest against the government. Egyptian state-run television reported that preparatory work will start on September 18 for the Egyptian parliamentary elections, which were recently postponed to November.

Bahrain: Leading opposition group al-Wefaq National Islamic Society announced its withdrawal from Bahrain’s national dialogue. It attributed the withdrawal to Manama’s failure to accept any of al-Wefaq's reform proposals, including initiatives for a constitutional monarchy, an elected government, and for drafting a constitution. Bashra al-Hindi, a member of al-Wefaq's dialogue delegation said, "The existing administration [does] not care for a real dialogue." Three other opposition groups said they may also pull out of the talks.

Tunisia: Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi said violence in the country is aimed at preventing elections from taking place. He warned that extremist political groups are trying to derail the date of the elections but confirmed that they will be held on October 23, as scheduled. Tunisia's recent protests led to the death of one person during a wave of riots that swept the capital Tunis and a number of other cities.

Syria: Syrian security forces continue their military operations in cities and town throughout the country. According to the Syrian Coordination Committees, ten people died in the al-Khalidiya region in Homs when a funeral was targeted by gunfire. The crackdown led to the deaths of several of people, including a 12-year-old boy, and to the injury of dozens. This military escalation was met with massive demonstrations in a number of areas as part of what was named the Tuesday of "Nashama al-Furat" by the Syrian opposition.

Link TV and ViewChange.org are proud to present the world broadcast premier of the documentary To Educate a Girl. Produced by Frederick Rendina and Oren Rudavsky, in collaboration with the United Nations Girls Education Initiative and UNICEF, this film explores the necessity of increasing access to education for girls in the developing world. Link TV's Caty Borum Chattoo has written an article for the Huffington Post expanding on these issues and giving background into the film and the monumental goal of achieving gender equality in education:

For millions of girls around the world, going to school is a life dream that's out of reach. Why? Early marriage, child labor, pregnancy, lack of access, violence. Solving the problem is a gauntlet deeply grounded in cultural traditions and the ripple effects of poverty -- seemingly impossible.

In 2000, then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued the challenge: How can the nations of the world work together to stop the gender inequality around education?

His declaration, a formal recognition of the terrible tragedy of leaving an entire generation of girls behind, established the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (UNGEI), a partnership that includes UNICEF and other organizations working around the world to provide equal access to education to girls by 2015. And as it turns out, educating girls is not just a moral duty or altruistic pursuit. As data from UNICEF and others now document, providing girls in the developing world with an education is a key link in the fight to alleviate global poverty and its many implications, including HIV/AIDs, challenges with sustainable development, and on and on...

Read the rest at the Huffington Post's Impact blog

Live in the San Francisco Bay Area? Join producer Lisa Aliferis for a screening of Who Speaks for Islam?: Muslims on Screen at 7pm on Thursday, May 19, at the St. Mary Magdalen Parish Hall (2005 Berryman @ Milvia, Berkeley, 94709).

Entry is $15/person, and  all proceeds benefit School of the Madeleine Parents Association. (Free parking available in large lot entered off of Berryman @ Henry Street)

This one hour program is a highly informative look at how Muslims have been depicted in American film and television and how those portrayals are evolving away from negative stereotypes and toward more nuanced and balanced characters.  The show's host is Ray Suarez correspondent on PBS's The NewsHour and former host of Talk of the Nation on NPR. Producer Lisa Aliferis will answer questions immediately following the screening.

Can't make the screening? Watch online!

Note that this is not a fundraiser for Link TV, nor is LInk TV hosting the event.

The immediate threat of violence permeates throughout the documentary No Child is Born A Terrorist, as explore.org filmmaker Charlie Annenberg confronts an ever-present feeling of potential danger. Yet one calming influence exists in the form of a man who seems to stand above it all, everyone's friend and guide into an unknown world. That man, the great Juliano Mer-Khamis, was killed on Monday, April 4th, shot to death outside the very theater he hoped would provide alternative outlets besides aggression.

Juliano Mer-Khamis, right, with Charlie Annenberg and Zakariya Zubeidi

Mer-Khamis was a living bridge between Palestine and Israel. Half Palestinian, half Israeli, he was an actor who devoted his life to increasing cross-cultural understanding and artistic expression in one of the most oppressive areas of West Bank, a refugee camp in the city of Jenin. It was there where he opened The Freedom Theater in 2006 along with Zakariya Zubeidi, former military head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Mer-Khamis was the son of Arna Mer, a prominent Jewish Israeli political activist, and Saliba Khamis, a Palestinian Christian. Arna Mer opened the original theater in 1987 as The Stone Theater, and Juliano was devoted to carrying on his mother's legacy. Mer-Khamis documented his mother's work in the 2004 film "Arna's Children," which won first prize a the Canadian International Documentary Festival. His best-known roles were in the 1985 film "Rage and Glory" and 2000's "Kippur."

Charlie Annenberg and the explore Team traced the steps that Mer-Khamis walked everyday, getting a firsthand view of this unique man's influence and dedication. The camp is home to more than 16,000 Palestinian refugees, half of whom are under 18. Mer-Khamis' work gained extra significance in this atmosphere, instilling an understanding of tradition and culture in Palestinian youth. In the film, Charlie conveys that, "The theater gave the kids in the camp a stage to express their joy, their frustration, anger and hope."

Palestinian security forces have made an arrest in the killing, although the suspect has yet to confess. With Mer-Khamis' death, No Child is Born a Terrorist becomes a living tribute to a person that described himself as "100 percent Palestinian, 100 percent Jewish" and sought to create a foundation for peace beginning with the youth. In the film, Mer-Khamis states his belief in Palestinian youth, saying, "As human beings, if you give them meaning, if you give them something to live for, they are not going to become terrorists, they will not be violent." His work will live on through The Freedom Theater.

Watch the explore film, No Child is Born a Terrorist, online now:

(Euronews: 1226 PST, April 5, 2011) The situation in Misurata -- the rebels' last major stronghold in western Libya -- is increasingly catastrophic as the latest amateur video footage shows. Evacuees from the city said forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are staging a "massacre" there.

A resident of the besieged city, a spokesman for the Libya Freedom Group, talked to Euronews and described conditions: "The water has been cut off for about two weeks and the electricity is cut off for about three days and the food is running low for the people right now.

Premiering this week on Link TV - "Adrenaline Junkie," a brand new special episode from the groundbreaking explore series. Follow the explore Team as they make their way from Hawaii to Venice Beach to Jackson Hole, seeking out new adventure sports and learning how rescuers keep thrill seekers safe.

They begin on the North Shore of Oahu, speaking with elite Jet Ski rescue lifeguards at one of the most exciting and dangerous surf breaks in the world. Surfers here catch huge waves, but when something goes wrong every second is a matter of life and death. Specially trained lifeguards navigate the massive waves on Jet Skis to reach those in trouble, and are serious about carrying on the traditions of Hawaiin lifeguards.

The explore team then heads to Venice Beach, California, where a unique organization is providing an opportunity for action sport athletes with physical disabilities to get their fix of adrenaline. Think it's hard to land a backflip or a hand plant on a skate ramp? Kids with the Life Rolls On foundation pull off these tricks in wheelchairs with no sweat.

Next stop is Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where explore accompanies an avalanche rescue team on a heart-pounding mission in the deep powder of Wyoming's Rockies. Rescue workers use an incredible amount of knowledge about avalanches along with the latest technology to find people buried in the snow. Yet as the clock ticks closer to likely suffocation, the noses of their dogs become the best resources in finding victims.

explore is known for travelling to every corner of the globe. The team stays in the United States in this episode and instead journeys deep into the human psyche to discover what leads us some of us to take risks and others to devote their lives to risking everything to save a life. All in all, they explore what makes humans push the boundaries of physics in the never-ending pursuit of adrenaline. Don't miss the West Coast primetime premier on Wednesday at 8pm PST/11pm EST and on Thursday morning at 3am & 9am PST/6am & 12pm EST. Or, watch now online!

This is a continuation of a conversation I had with the lovely human being and great shaman Sandra Ingerman.

Interview with Sandra Ingerman, Part 2 by global_spirit

In this podcast we talk about:

How joy and love are our responsibility to the future.
How can an really listen to what the earth needs from us.
Sandra’s work with Fundamentalist Christians.
Shamanism and the the Bible.
What is the difference between Shamanism and Mysticism?
Integrating mystical experience.

Again, we would love to hear your comments here or on Facebook.
Much Gratitude.

Megan