Bodhi Tree is proud to host guest speakers. Following is a list of some of our recent guests. Click on each to view the transcripts of their lectures.

	Guest Speakers
	Lynn Andrews   José Argüelles  4/2004  Lucia Capacchione   Andrew Cohen   Phyllis Curott  2001  Lama Surya Das   David Deida  1/2003  Amit Goswami   Thom Hartmann  5/2003  Thom Hartmann  2000  Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D.		Kingma  1995  Steven Levine   Maitreya Project  4Q 2002  Franz Metcalf   Jacob Needleman   Dr. Judith Orloff   James Redfield and   Michael Murphy   Don Miguel Ruiz   Sharon Salzberg  3/2003  Leonard Shlain  1998		Huston Smith  6/2003  Starhawk   Ron Teeguarden   Eckhart Tolle   Alberto Villoldo   Doreen Virtue and Steven Farmer  2004 New!  Roger Weir  7/2001  Hank Wesselman  1998  Marianne Williamson  2004  Fred Alan Wolf  7/2004
	Last Updated: May 14, 2007

Doreen Virtue,  author of Angel Medicine, and Steven Farmer,  author of Power Animals came to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in November 2004 to present and discuss their books. They have been married for several years and frequently travel and lecture together. Doreen Virtue is a lifelong clairvoyant who works with the angelic, elemental and ascended-master realms. Doreen holds Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. university degrees in counseling psychology, and is a former director of inpatient and outpatient psychiatric facilities at various hospitals. Stephen D. Farmer, Ph.D. is a spiritual psychotherapist, shamanic practitioner and minister. First up, Steven presents his book Power Animals, which instructs and guides you to connect with your power animal. Then Steven introduces Doreen Virtue, who discusses her book, Angel Medicine. Both a spiritual adventure story and a reference book, Angel Medicine is a three-part work that relates the story of Doreen's recovery of memories of Atlantian healing methods along with messages from Hermes -- the Egyptian and Greek prophet and deity -- and the angels. For more information about Doreen Virtue, go to www.AngelTherapy.com, and for Steven Farmer, please visit www.StevenDFarmer.com.

Marianne Williamson   lectures internationally in the fields of spirituality and new thought. She teaches the basic principles of A Course in Miracles and discusses their application to daily living. Her inspirational words have provided encouragement to thousands and brought solace to people with life-threatening illnesses. Frequently drawing on incidents from her own life, she has the extraordinary ability to reach out and embrace people and illuminate their lives. She came to Los Angeles and the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in December, 2004 to talk about her book The Gift of Change and the tremendous social upheaval that we face. Following her presentation are short reviews of a selection of her books. For more information about Marianne Williamson please see www.marianne.com.

Roger Weir   Roger Weir has taught at University level since 1965 and publicly offered his visionary work in Los Angeles since 1980. The publication of his book Our New Aion is the first blossoming in book form of a vast reservoir of compelling work. Our New Aion was first presented in 1994 as a series of four lectures in commemoration of the death of his daughter Sarah. The work covers four themes and spans traditional wisdom school patterns and their emergence into a future civilization. It draws upon material from the forthcoming books, "Jesus In Alexandria", "Shared Presence Bodhisattvas" and "Hermetic America". The fourth part of the book is about our future civilization, which will span our entire star system. The lectures for Our New Aion were transcribed and updated in 2001 for this publication. Roger Weir came to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore to talk about his book in July 2001. What follows is an edited version of that presentation. In progressive two-year cycles, and for the past several years, Roger Weir has been teaching every Saturday at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore Annex. Weir’s presentations draw upon a deep sensitivity, insight, and understanding of the entire range of "all that is" and "is-not", from East to West, and from the dawn of the cosmos to the distant future. The presentations are not simple to grasp because they encompass a complex formulation, a high level of vocabulary, and concepts juxtaposed in unusual ways and defined pristinely. However, his lectures are mysteriously compelling and fill you with the sense that you have experienced something unique and valuable. Weir challenges us to listen, read and comprehend in new and transformative ways, to "see" with new eyes and to learn "how to learn" spontaneously. Weir’s teachings may be the key to our survival and successful function in the 21st century and beyond. All of Weir’s lectures have been recorded, initially on audio cassettes, but starting in 2000, on video cassette as well. Beginning in 2004, lectures are also available in a CD and DVD format. These cassettes may be purchased individually or in complete sets. In addition, sets of audio cassettes are available for other lecture series such as "Hermetic America". Audio cassettes are $10.00 each and video cassettes are $20.00. Please contact the Shared Presence Foundation directly to acquire cassettes or additional information. Shared Presence Foundation: 310-279-9668.

Photo Credit: Bruce Fields Phyllis Curott   is a graduate of Brown University and NYU School of Law, and is a practicing attorney, dividing her time between New York City and her travels. In addition, she is a film producer and author. Also, for over twenty years, Curott has been a Wiccan High Priestess and the founder of the Temple of Ara. As a High Priestess she is president emerita of the oldest and largest international religious organization in the Wiccan tradition. She lectures frequently around the world and is widely respected for her work promoting civil rights and religious freedom. For additional information about Phyllis Curott, please see her web site: www.phylliscurott.com. Phyllis Curott appeared at the Bodhi Tree in October, 1998 to talk about her book Book of Shadows and offered us a fascinating window on the world of a witches' circle. What follows is an edited version of that presentation by Camilla Denton. "A witch is somebody who has learned to take the blindfold off and to see the world as sacred. When you realize this, you see that the magic is also in you. Magic is the relationship we have with divine energy." - Phyllis Curott The books of Phyllis Curott are: Book of Shadows: A Modern Woman's Journey Into the Wisdom of Witchcraft and the Magic of the Goddess (1998) The Love Spell: An Erotic Memoir of Spiritual Awakening (2005) Witch Crafting: A Spiritual Guide to Making Magic (2002) Reviews of these books appear after the presentation by Phyllis Curott.

Dr. Hank Wesselman   came to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in February, 2004 to discuss his book Spirit Medicine: Healing in the Sacred Realms. Dr. Wesselman's co-author for this book is his wife, transpersonal medical practitioner Jill Kuykendall. In Spirit Medicine, they present us with a cross-cultural consideration of illness, healing, and health care from the ancient wisdom of the traditional peoples. Spirit Medicine provides you with the singular key to success that energy medicine by itself lacks. It will also provide you with a perspective derived from the Hawaiian kahuna tradition, of which knowledge of the soul cluster, as well as the multileveled nature of reality, forms a foundation. Included with the book is an experiential CD. Dr. Hank Wesselman is a scientists, anthropologist, shaman and professor. His work reflects his warm-hearted humanity, erudition, and startling experiences. In person, he is an extraordinary and engaging story teller and conversationalist. For information about Hank Wesselman and Jill Kuykendall, you may access their web site: www.sharedwisdom.com. The books of Hank Wesselman are: The trilogy of books describing his mystical journey: Spiritwalker (1996) Medicinemaker (1999) Visionseeker (2001) His other books are: Journey to the Sacred Garden (2003) Spirit Medicine: Healing in the Sacred Realms (2004), co-author is Jill Kuykendall Little Ruth Reddington and the Wolf (2004)

Fred Alan Wolf   combines his talent for quantum physics with a sharp philosophical mind, a poet’s heart, and the mystic’s visionary quest. He is one of the foremost representatives of new-paradigm thinking in science. Using the discoveries of quantum-relativistic physics, he has been able to bring scientific rigor into the study of such elusive phenomena as mysticism, shamanism, dreams, the relationship between the mind and the body, and the nature of reality. In his work, Wolf explores the basic operations of thinking, sensing, feeling, and intuiting form and shape the primary material of our conscious and unconscious life. He calls it the "new alchemy" and he writes that reshaping this primary material gives rise to forces that transform the world and us, namely creation, animation, resistance, vitality, replication, chance, unification, structure, and transformation. And in a summing up, he adds, "The ultimate goal of all this being the transmutation of information into matter; matter arises from the mind - a vast field of influence commonly envisioned as the Mind of God."

José Argüelles   has devoted his lifetime to a pursuit of the study of the nature of art, time and history. The course of his work reflects a highly intelligent, organized, original and independent spirit. His many books are a demonstration of the themes that have inspired him and evoke an original understanding of the evolving nature of consciousness. The root of all his endeavors lies in the examination of the holistic science that unifies body and mind, sense and nature. He writes, "From the beginning of my pursuits I have been moved by my intuitive awareness of our intrinsic wholeness as humans, and the knowledge that this wholeness is a reflection of the wholeness of Earth, the solar system, and the cosmos itself." His work expresses a profoundly radical break with Western scientific and academic modes of thought. By putting together the mathematical codes of the Mayan calendar and being initiated into the Mayan prophetic tradition, Argüelles has taken on the prophecy mantle, and his life task has become to define the "time science" of which the prophecies are a manifestation.

David Deida,   teacher and author, is revolutionizing the way men and women learn to grow together spiritually and sexually. In January, 2003, Deida appeared before a standing-room only crowd in the Bodhi Tree Bookstore Annex to discuss his book, Finding God Through Sex: A Spiritual Guide to Ecstatic Loving and Deep Passion for Men and Women.

Daphne Rose Kingma   is a working psychotherapist who has helped thousands of individuals and couples understand and improve their relationships. She is the author of numerous acclaimed books. She writes, "In each of us there is a tremendous ongoing for love. The love we desire is not only the euphoric butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling of new romance, but also the ineffable consolation of being deeply known, received, and cared for, the profound sense of peace and security of spirit that comes from being deeply connected with another human being."

Huston Smith   is widely regarded as the most eloquent and accessible contemporary authority on the history of religions. His The Religions of Man, first published in 1958 when he was 38, is the most widely used text in introductory religion courses. (A new version is entitled The World's Religions.) Called the "world's ambassador to religions everywhere" by Thomas Moore, Smith has learned firsthand from the teachings of priests, rabbis, monks, Zen masters, philosophers, teachers, and believers. In the 1950's, he worked with Timothy Leary on psychedelic drugs. His job was to compare drug-induced states of consciousness with the experiences described by mystics.

Thom Hartmann Unequal taxes, unequal accountability for crime, unequal influence, unequal privacy, and unequal access to natural resources and our commons - these inequalities and more are the effects of corporations winning the rights of persons while simultaneously being given the legal protections to avoid the responsibilities that come with these rights. Hartmann tells the intriguing story of how it got this way - from the colonists' rebellion against the commercial interests of the British elite, to the distorted application of the Fourteenth amendment - and how to get back to a government of, by, and for the people. He offers specific legal remedies that could truly save the world from political, economic, and ecological disaster through actions that can be taken by citizens, courts, legislatures, and local communities. Thom Hartmann is an award-winning author of more than a dozen books, and international relief worker and psychotherapist, a former business and marketing consultant, and the founder and former CEO of seven corporations that have generated over a quarter-billion dollars in revenue. The father of three grown children, he and his wife live in central Vermont.

Leonard Shlain   Dr. Leonard Shlain is a physician and surgeon with a lifelong interest in the arts and humanities. His acclaimed book Art & Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time, & Light appeared in 1991, followed by The Alphabet Versus the Goddess in 1998. His book Sex, Time, and Power: How Women's Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution (August, 2003) is an in depth exploration of themes first introduced in his book The Alphabet Versus the Goddess. He appeared at the Bodhi Tree in October, 1998 to discuss his book The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, and what follows is a partial text of Dr. Shlain's presentation. Reviews of his books follow the presentation. Leonard Shlain says, "I wanted to know what event in culture could have been so immense and so pervasive as to change the sex of God?" And he adds, "I think that the thug who mugged the goddess was actually literacy."

Sharon Salzberg   Sharon Salzberg has been practicing and studying Buddhism for more than thirty years, and during this time, has trained with some of the foremost masters of India, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. She is an acclaimed spiritual leader and meditation instructor as well as cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society, a center devoted to meditation training, and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Massachusetts. She is the author of the noted book, Lovingkindness: the Revolutionary Art of Happiness.

The Maitreya Project   A rare collection of Buddhist relics is making its way across the United States. The Bodhi Tree Bookstore was honored to be the host to the relics on Saturday, November 30, Wednesday, December 4, Thursday, December 5, and again on Thursday, December 19, and Friday, December 20, 2002. There was a steady stream of visitors who were visually and spiritually captivated by the large golden Maitreya Buddha statue with a backdrop of stunning thankas. For many, the relics invoke the exceptional spiritual power of their former beings. A mere perambulation of the relics is said to be of great merit and help promote well-being in one self and in all beings everywhere. At the Bodhi Tree, the exhibit was hosted by Victoria Ewart, who is the Relic Tour Manager, and Martin Wassell, producer of the video, "Heart of Tibet: An Intimate Portrait of the 14th Dalai Lama."

James Redfield And Michael Murphy   When James Redfield self-published the Celestine Prophecy in 1993, it enjoyed a ground swell of enthusiasm that made it one of the best-selling spiritual novels of all time. Its theme of synchronicity inspired many to a new, experiential spirituality, and it fostered a special relationship between its countless readers. Redfield continued his story in The Tenth Insight, published in 1996, followed by The Secret of Shambhala in 1999. Michael Murphy began his quest into the nature of human potential as a psychology major at Stanford University. In 1961, he co-founded the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, which has become the leading personal growth center in the world. He is the author of Golf in the Kingdom and its sequel, The Kingdom of Shivas Irons, The Future of the Body, and The Life We Are Given (with George Leonard). Sylvia Timbers is a documentary filmmaker with a background in consciousness studies and psychological and spiritual development. Global visionaries James Redfield and Michael Murphy came to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in January 2002 to talk about their new book, God and the Evolving Universe.

Lynn V. Andrews   Lynn V. Andrews writings reflect the juxtaposition of our urban lives with the magical existence expressed by the wisdom of her native American teachers. After some eighteen books and countless seminars, Andrews is currently recognized as a leading voice in personal development. Following the practice of her teachers, she tells stories and relates experiences -- that at first may seem unrelated. But when the fragments and pieces are brought together, they form a coherent whole. Andrews writes, "There is magic in this world if you want the world to be magical. If you want life to be special, it will be. No one wants to be bored or consumed by ordinary drudgery. But what happens, all too often, is that when magic is presented to us, we don't believe it, because we don't trust ourselves. We don't realize what can really be accomplished. We don't realize that if we wish to, we can take other forms. We can sit in the presence of the great masters, angels, or ancient seers of wisdom and find peace and wisdom, but it takes many small deaths, the giving away of old limitations, to get there." The following is edited from her Bodhi Tree presentation in November, 2001.

Jacob Needleman   Jacob Needleman is not an abstract philosopher. He always tackles those issues that have a direct impact on our lives - such as time, love, or money. He searches for insights from the world's great wisdom teachings since modern religions, in his view, offer more doctrine than meaningful inner experience. For example, in Time and the Soul: Where Has All the Meaningful Time Gone . . . and How to Get It Back, he explores our modern "time starvation." In A Little Book On Love, he pondered why, after "falling in love," most of us seem to "fall out" as well? In Money and the Meaning of Life, he wrote about our relationship to money. Now, in The American Soul, Jacob Needleman offers an innovative look at where America has been, where it stands today, and where we might go from here. His book weaves together politics, history, religion, philosophy and mythology and, most importantly, takes a fresh look at the lives and ideals of our nation's founders and heroes.. And he examines the issues of morality and truth, conscience, compassion, war and peace, and the role of government. He visited the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in February, 2002. The following is edited from that presentation.

Alberto Villoldo Alberto Villoldo, Ph.D. is a classically trained anthropologist who has studied with shamans and healers in the Amazon and the Andes mountains for over twenty years. An accomplished teacher of energy medicine, he is also the founder of The Four Winds Society (www.thefourwinds.com) which offers programs on shamanic healing and shamanic expeditions. He is the author of several other books including Healing States, The Four Winds and Island in the Sun. Shaman, Healer, Sage offers an account of the healing practices of Native Americans and, in particular, how this ancient knowledge has survived among the descendants of the Inkas. Alberto Villoldo spoke at the Bodhi Tree on May 6, 2001. The following is an edited version of that presentation.

Amit Goswami During his visit to the Bodhi Tree, quantum physicist turned consciousness scientist, Amrit Goswami, spoke with urgency and passion about the discoveries of quantum physics. For centuries, religion and science have offered conflicting views of how our universe and life came into being. Did God create everything, or is it all merely the result of the physical or material principals described and measured by science? As Goswami told us, a whole new picture emerges when we gaze in wonderment through the "visionary window" of quantum physics. We find that the discoveries of science closely resemble what the mystics have been saying for centuries, namely that consciousness -- rather than matter - gives rise to our universe. As a result, instead of reducing our world to mechanistic formulas, science itself points the way to new dimensions of meaning and fulfillment.

Ron Teeguarden The Bodhi Tree spent several hours with Ron Teeguarden. He spoke to us about Chinese herbs, the three treasures of Ching, Chi, and Shen, and the beautiful simplicity of Taoism. The following was adapted from that interview.

Charlotte Kasl Charlotte Kasl, Ph.D., formerly a professional pianist, is a practicing psychotherapist, lecturer, workshop leader, Quaker, and Reiki healer. She has a longtime involvement with social activism, feminism, Eastern spiritual practices, and alternative healing. She has written extensively on addiction, relationships, sexuality, and healing, and weaves together many aspects of spirituality and psychology to bring a holistic, empowering approach to her work. Her books include If the Buddha Dated; Finding Joy; Many Roads, One Journey; Women, Sex and Addiction; A Home for the Heart; and Yes, You Can! A Guide to Empowerment Groups. In If the Buddha Married, she combines key teachings of Buddhism with elements of psychology and other spiritual traditions to talk about creating enduring and vibrant relationships on a spiritual path.

Andrew Cohen Since Andrew Cohen's awakening in 1986, he has spoken of one thing: the potential for total liberation from the bondage of ignorance. His teaching is vast and subtle, yet direct and revolutionary in its impact. Through his public teachings, books and his meeting with spiritual leaders of almost every tradition, he has tirelessly sought to convey that spiritual liberation's true significance is its potential to completely transform not only the individual, but the entire way that human beings live together. He is the founder and guiding inspiration behind What Is Enlightenment magazine, a groundbreaking forum for penetrating spiritual inquiry about the most important spiritual issues of our time. The following is an edited version of Andrew Cohen's Bodhi Tree Bookstore presentation. Edited by James Culnan.

Lama Surya Das , a highly respected American teacher of Tibetan Buddhism, recently visited the Bodhi Tree to present his new book, Awakening the Buddha Within. This is an edited version of his comments. After the talk, a Bodhi Tree staff member who hadn't attended went to lock up the room where the event had taken place. She returned looking quite amazed, and said, "Who gave that talk? You can still feel something - there's love in that room!"

Steven Levine spoke at the Bodhi Tree on May 6, 1997, a few weeks after his good friend Ram Dass was struck down by a cerebral hemorrhage. Against a backdrop of uncertainty about Ram Dass's health, Levine's talk was especially significant. We understand now that Ram Dass is recovering, and we send him our best wishes.

Eckhart Tolle was a research scholar and supervisor at Cambridge University before his life was radically changed by a spiritual awakening. After further contemplation and study, he became an exceptional counselor and spiritual teacher. Tolle speaks about the nature of human unconsciousness and dysfunction as well as its most common manifestations, from conflict in relationships to warfare between tribes or nations, and he speaks with the intention of drawing his listeners into a new awareness. Tolle came to the Bodhi Tree last November to talk about his new book, and to tell us about the radical state of being that is available to all. What follows is an edited version of his talk. Edited by James Culnan.

Franz Metcalf uses the teachings of the Buddha to answer questions about our daily life dilemmas, and demonstrates the Buddha's relevancy in this day and age. Each question is answered by words found in the sacred texts, and by a contemporary explanation of how to apply these teaching to our lives. The Buddha was a person just like us and struggled with life just as we do but he discovered the answer to life's deepest mysteries. Because he was born into an Eastern culture, his teachings address our modern problems in similar ways to Jesus Christ, but with a greater emphasis on the value of all living things and in a tone that is less patriarchal. Buddhism can speak directly to us, without demanding that we give up our freedom. Frantz Metcalf's hope is that we allow the sense of "What Would Buddha Do? to permeate every aspect of our daily routine to help us find our own Buddha nature, and to allow that nature to guide us through life. -- SM

Starhawk first published The Spiral Dance, her seminal work on the goddess religion in 1979, when she was in her twenties. Today, even as it draws on the truly ancient, this book remains essential, contemporary and politically relevant. There has been tremendous growth in the goddess movement in the past twenty years. In her 1989, tenth anniversary edition introduction, Starhawk wrote about her shift away from a polarized view of the world as a dance of "female" and "male" qualities and energies, and toward an inclusive view of gender and energy. To facilitate this, and other shifts in perspective, the twentieth anniversary edition supplements the original text with a running commentary, as well as new versions of old myths and, occasionally, new interpretations of the material. The book is still an unparalleled reference on the practice and philosophies of witchcraft, and a guide to the ways in which we can turn to the goddess to develop our power, and integrate all aspects of our existence. This is brilliant, comprehensive overview of the growth, suppression, and modern-day reemergence of Wicca as a Goddess-worshipping religion that has left an indelible mark on feminist spiritual consciousness. To present the 20th anniversary edition of The Spiral Dance, Starhawk spoke at the Bodhi Tree in December, 1999. Edited by Camilla Denton.

Don Miguel Ruiz was born into a family of healers and raised in rural Mexico by a curandera (healer) mother and a nagual (shaman) grandfather. He initially embraced a secular life choosing to become a doctor (surgeon) until a near death experience pulled him back to his heritage. He devoted himself to mastering his ancient ancestral wisdom, studying with his mother and a powerful shaman in the Mexican desert. His grandfather, who has passed on, continues to teach him in his dreams. In the tradition of the Toltec, a nagual guides an individual to personal freedom. Don Miguel Ruiz is a nagual from the Eagle Knight lineage, and is dedicated to sharing his knowledge of the esoteric teachings. Ruiz has an exceptional ability to explain the shamanistic way of life, and his teachings can lead to dramatic personal growth, love and a greater sense of well being. The link above is an edited version of Ruiz's Bodhi Tree Bookstore presentation. In his presentation, Don Miguel Ruiz discusses his first book The Four Agreements. Subsequently, he is the author of The Mastery of Love and The Four Agreements Companion Book.

Dr. Judith Orloff: As a mystic, medical intuitive and psychiatrist, Dr. Judith Orloff explores how our mind and its relationship to the fundamental mystery of life is the key to vitality and health or to sickness and death. In her belief that we are the keepers of an intuitive intelligence so powerful it can tell us how to heal, Orloff advocates integrating modern science and intuition to diagnose and treat illness, and promote wellness. Judith Orloff teaches and writes engagingly, with warmth intelligence and deep compassion. "There is magic in what is invisible," she says. "Allow yourself to be touched. Be innocent again so nothing is kept from you. You can feel the intuitive code everywhere: in the warmth of your breath, your body, in the soft rustling of leaves in the wind, in the sea at midnight. Be very quiet. Listen carefully . . . the moon, the earth, the stars all know its secret. Now let them whisper it to you." The link above is an edited version of her Bodhi Tree Bookstore presentation. Edited by Stan Madson

Thom Hartmann is an award-winning author, international lecturer, teacher and psychotherapist, who is noted for his innovative thinking. In his new book, he offers a thoroughly researched analysis of how far our global civilization has gone off-course, and shows how we can -- and must -- change our lifestyle by reconnecting with ancient wisdom. His message is a passionate and challenging call to consciousness, advocating a spirituality and ecology that offers hope for the future. The link above is an edited version of his Bodhi Tree presentation. Edited by James Culnan

Lucia Capacchione is an art therapist, artist and author of several books, including Recovery Of Your Inner Child and The Power of Your Other Hand. She began her career with the designer Charles Eames, and was also mentored by Buckminister Fuller. After she was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Capacchione came to explore writing and drawing as methods for personal growth and healing. Her complete recovery - which she achieved without medication -- led her to change careers and become an art therapist. Many of her books are used as texts in expressive arts therapy, psychology, creative writing and art courses. The link above is an edited version of her Bodhi Tree presentation. Edited by Camilla Denton