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 February, 2015. His newest books, a higher consciousness love story called An Uncommon Bond, and Spiritual Graffiti– another quotes and inspirations book- came out in 2015. He lives outside Toronto, where he both writes and makes regular plans to do a yoga class that never quite materializes. You can also connect with his work at www.soulshaping.com and www.karmageddonthemovie.com.
Episode Outline:
- Jeff’s Early Years – Jeff talks about finding himself on the verge of opening a law practice when he heard a little voice inside telling you to stop, how that process unfolded, and learning to become more aware of his emotions and their accompanying wisdom.
- Karmageddon – Jeff speaks candidly about his documentary Karmageddon and his experience with spiritual teacher Bhagavan Das, which was rocky at best.
- Spiritual Graffiti – Jeff and I discuss his most recent book, “Spiritual Graffiti,” beginning with the introduction, “A Call to Authenticity,” and elaborating on this excerpt, “Although I use the word “spiritual” in the title, make no mistake as to my meaning. By spiritual, I do not mean anything that is exclusively transcendent, etheric, or blissful. I don’t mean anything steeped in artificial forgiveness, wishful thinking, radical detachment, ego-bashing.”
- New Cage Movement – In Spiritual Graffiti, Jeff coins a term, “New Cage Movement” which he describes as, “What I once honored as a new age for humanity, I now refer to as the “New Cage Movement”, as I witness seekers fleeing their humanness—and opportunities for deeper transformation—in droves. I use this term to describe the ungrounded, dangerous and simplistic elements of the New Age movement…” and we explore in-depth.
- Spiritual Bypassing – Jeff and I explore another excerpt from Spiritual Graffiti which addresses spiritual bypassing. As Jeff writes, “The real dawning of a new age for humanity requires that we let go of the ungrounded notion that real spirituality exists independent of our human experience. This is the big lie, perpetuated by masters of self-avoidance masquerading as enlightened masters. Yes, we are spiritual beings having a human experience. But we are also human beings having a human experience. They are one and the same.”
- Enrealment Press – Jeff discusses his decision to forgo traditional publishing and start his own publishing company called “Enrealment Press,” what that entailed, and his experience with it since.
Recommendations:
Jeff’s Books: Soulshaping, Ascending With Both Feet On The Ground, An Uncommon Bond, Spiritual Graffiti
Jeff’s Movie: Karmageddon
Other Books: Indie Spiritualist, Everything Mind