Segment 1: The Larger Context of Peace and Love.
Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll show is internationally acclaimed author and spiritual leader Marianne Williamson. Marianne has published ten books, many of them New York Times Best Sellers, as well as been a guest on shows such as Good Morning American, Larry King Live, Charlie Rose and Oprah. She founded Project Angel Food in Los Angeles and the Department of Peace Campaign, a grass roots campaign to establish a United States Department of Peace. Her latest project, Sister Giant (http://sistergiant.com), was created to help foster a new conversation and consciousness in American politics. Its mission is to transform the political environment in America by engaging women in politics.
Marianne grew up in a generation where the idea of spiritual and philosophical pursuits was not separate from the idea of political pursuits. She saw her political pursuits within the larger context of peace and love. Marianne’s interest in the philosophical and spiritual ideas that were so pervasive in the 70’s remained a life-long calling for her. When she read A Course in Miracles a world opened up for her, although at that point in time there was no professional niche as there is now. In time her interest in philosophy and spirituality became what she “did” full time: writing books about miracles, shifts in consciousness and the personal spiritual journey.
Segment 2: A Cancer Underlying Other Cancers.
Marianne believes that the undue influence of money on our political system is like a cancer underlying other cancers. She speaks of two important points: the United States has a 23.1% child poverty rate and we have the highest incarceration rate in any nation in the world (and in history). We spend more on prisons than on education, and there is a direct correlation.
Our job is not to try to convince others of our beliefs but to speak with greater savvy and organizational skills to those who already see the world the way we do. Those who speak with a loving tongue are not speaking loud enough. Violence is the most primitive form of conflict resolution and as long as we rely on primitive forms and not rise to more sophisticated forms we will continue to have problems.
Segment 3: Sister Giant.
The purpose of the Sister Giant event (Nov 10-11, 2012) is to reconnect our own higher philosophical and spiritual visions with the idea of serious political issues. We need to see politics within the context of the larger yearning for the evolution of the species. Marianne will be moderating and hosting the event, and guest speakers will focus on child poverty, incarceration and the Citizens United issue.
Segment 4: A Purpose Greater Than Ourselves.
Marianne believes that enlightenment is the path of the heart. The violence of the heart is behind all human suffering. Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. When the heart is open, a miraculous power flows through us and makes the universe self-organizing and self-correcting. When we are willing to heal ourselves we become used for a purpose greater than ourselves. If we learn to use that power collectively, there is no end to what we can accomplish.
To listen to the complete interview: