Best Of The Aware Show With John Densmore: Origins of Creativity with The Doors' Drummer Part 1

 What is the secret to artistic genius? How can some people perform moving pieces of music, or write a thrilling manuscript, or create a deeply emotional piece of art? Do they have unique gifts? Today's guest is Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and iconic drummer of The Doors, John Densmore. In this uplifting interview, he talks about his latest book, "The Seekers – Meetings with Remarkable Musicians (and Other Artists)." Inspired by mystic G.I. Gurdjieff's classic work, "Meetings with Remarkable Men," Densmore's latest book is a collection of short vignettes of his encounters with musicians such as Patti Smith, Lou Reed, and Janice Joplin, as well as spiritual teachers like Ram Dass, the Dalai Lama, and Joseph Campbell. Each a luminary in their own right, Densmore shares stories of the creative thread that runs through each mystic, musician, and teacher as he searched for the origin of creativity and artistry. He shares several experiences he's had with LA Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel and how so much can be learned in the moments of silence between notes. The universal language of music is always a direct connection to one another's heart. This is Part 1 of the interview. Info: JohnDensmore.com.

With the continuing crisis, how will it be possible to have peace in the Middle East? With so much separation, how can people remember their hearts and come together? Today Lisa continues the conversation with Ora and Ihab Balha, a Jewish and Muslim couple living in Isreal who exemplify love, despite the extreme conflicts in the area in which they are living. Together they co-founded "The Orchard of Abraham's Children'' nonprofit organization, a holistic educational and communal organization dedicated to transforming Jewish-Arab relations for a shared future, as well as the "Human First Community Center" in Jaffa, Israel. Today Ora and Ihab talk about the idea of peace, and how it exists; you just need to tap in. Peace is the future. The education system in Isreal is all about division based on religion and culture. This can be changed. By separating Jewish and Arab people, it creates ignorance. By coming together, and going to school together, we can learn about one another. We can enrich each other with our differences and find similarities to connect. Ignorance creates fear and that fear creates violence. An education system can address this by bringing students together. Ora and Ihab talk about how they start with teaching the children, and then the kids bring home information to their parents. They have also started a community center for adults. It's not just early childhood education. It's for the entire family. This can create change. Slowly it becomes impactful. They have an open prayer room and everyone is welcome. People come to visit from all over the world to pray and meditate. The local community branches out to the neighborhood and around Isreal. They have various locations in which they work with Israelis and Palestinians, as well as the global community. People have lost hope, but when they see that it's possible to learn the tools and create peace, they can feel inspired. Ora and Ihab also discuss how the education they've developed helps not only people, but the Earth as well. It's about sustainability. They talk about how we are just stewards of the land; no one actually owns it. We belong to the land. They also talk about their interfaith gatherings and the similarities between the various religions. When they started out, people made fun of what they were doing. Now people take note and are very interested. They want to get involved. It is difficult to shift people's minds in the beginning, but when they see what's possible, they become inspired and want to invest in peace and education. It is possible to change the paradigm and Ora and Ihab are leading the way through their work together. They are working to stop the war and bring peace. They remind us that we are all part of the human family, and it is possible to live in abundance, love, and peace. We just need to open our hearts and come together. If interested in donating and learning more, pls visit: www.orchardofabrahamschildren.org

 Although it seems that we live in a world filled with tragedy, especially as we hear about wars raging in the Middle East, there are still so many people there doing good in the world. In today's show, Lisa interviews Ora and Ihab Balha, a Jewish and Muslim couple living in Isreal who exemplify love, despite the extreme conflicts in which they are living. Together they co-founded "The Orchard of Abraham's Children'' nonprofit organization, a holistic educational and communal organization dedicated to transforming Jewish-Arab relations for a shared future, as well as the "Human First Community Center" in Jaffa, Israel. Ihab Balha explains as a Muslim man how he was challenged to a fight by a Jewish man who came running into a restaurant screaming hateful words toward Arabs. They got into a physical fight. Frequently this many would run into this restaurant shouting the same words and fighting with men there. Eventually Ihab decided to wait for him and attacked him outside. The Jewish man was surprised and said how they should schedule the next fight and invited him to fight at his home. Ihab talks about how they scheduled it, and when he arrived at the man's house, the man broke down about his wife leaving him. This led to a conversation about the importance of love and human connection. Together they talked about relationships and spoke from their hearts. They continued to meet, to talk, and to express their fears and anger. Slowly more Jewish people and Muslim people began to gather with them, just to talk. They decided to have a meeting in the Holy Land between the Israeli and Palestinian people. They were anticipating approximately 10 people. More than 300 showed up. They invited people from various religions including priests, Sufis, and rabbis. One man talked about his daughter being killed by an Israeli soldier. Another person talked about how a Palestinian man killed his son. Together they cried and shared their pain. Afterwards they hugged each other. At the second meeting, more than 1000 people came and for the third meeting, more than 5,000 people of various religions attended. This was essentially the biggest peace project in Israel. They did not talk about politics – instead they talked about being Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. They built bridges. Ora Balha talks about how she met Ihab when she was visiting the Sinai desert in Egypt. They saw each other and immediately fell in love. Even though Ora is Jewish and Ihab is Muslim, they talk about how love "took" them. It took over. They had to rise above cultural and societal differences. Ora moved in with Ihab in Jaffa. Because of the difficulties, they couldn't share this with anyone, including their families. When Ora first met Ihab's father, it was especially challenging. Their families could not get over their prejudices, but every time they met, Ora and Ihab would express only love. Finally, after a struggle of several years, their families accepted one another. It took time, but Ora and Ihab stayed true to their love. They also talked about the importance of choosing love. Even if you are afraid, when you choose love, people can see that and then reflect it. They also discuss what happened when they had their son and how they educated him. He learned both Hebrew and Arabic at home. They celebrated all of each other's holidays. When it came time to send him to kindergarten, they couldn't find a school that was teaching what they were at home, so they decided to start a kindergarten.  They were young and didn't think about the future as much, so they started a very small school in Ihab's father's yard. Two children joined. They brought in both a Jewish teacher and a Muslim teacher.  The community started to hear about them. In the beginning, it was hard, but slowly more children joined. By the end of the first year, 16 children were involved. They opened a second group the following year and a third group by the third year. Currently they now have nine kindergartens, an elementary school, and a community center which focuses on adults. It offers music and activities. They have more than 100 staff members.  They invite people to remember that we are human first. God chooses all of us. We complete each other. Info: www.orchardofabrahamschildren.org

Have you heard of communities where people regularly live to be healthy in their 80s, 90s, and even beyond? Is it possible that cultural beliefs can affect our health and longevity? Clinical neuropsychologist and founder of Biocognitive science, Dr. Mario Martinez, is an expert in the healthy aging process. He lectures worldwide on how cultural beliefs affect health and longevity more than genetics.   In today's interview he discusses ideas such as how our immune systems have their own moral system and how resilience has an immune-boosting factor. He also considers how archetypal wounds affect our DNA and RNA and can be passed through the generations.  His research demonstrates how thoughts and their biological expression co-emerge within a cultural history, even as current science continues to divide mind and body, and ignore the influence cultural contexts have on the process of health, illness, and aging. Cultures that view growing older as positive are associated with increased wisdom and have higher numbers of centenarians living healthier lives than cultures that view aging as a process of inevitable deterioration. He also teaches how joy requires sufficient self-esteem to accept it without self-sabotage.   Dr. Mario Martinez is the author of "The MindBody Code." Learn more about his field of "biocognition" in today's interview. Info: www.biocognitive.com. 

How do we begin to understand the division and the chaos that surrounds us? Lisa continues the conversation today with the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism Andrew Harvey. Andrew is a religious scholar, mystical teacher, and author of more than 40 books, and discusses how to birth the new in times of extreme turbulence.   He explains how the response to chaos is to become more luminous yourself. Find deeper and deeper energy and compassion within yourself and respond from calm and spaciousness. A lighter perspective can deconstruct the narrative. You must change your consciousness. You can only do that when you recognize you are Divine. Your emotions are sacred. These are the gifts of the Sacred Feminine. This is the Law of the Universe. The feminine teaches us how to open to love, while the masculine helps us to structure that love. This gives us power.    Andrew shares how he's been working on his book for several decades and intensely for the past several years. His research, which included very credible sources, helped him to open up connections. He shared a story of finally being able to write the Preface of the book and the marriage of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. After he wrote it, he went to breakfast. Upon his return, he found his condo engulfed in flames. He lost absolutely everything including his most beloved feline. It was the hardest suffering he had ever experienced. This was less than one year ago. It completely transformed his life. Andrew talks about how he felt like he had died but then was resurrected. He felt calm after this experience. It opened the door to new possibilities. We are currently living in a severe dark night, but this is what Andrew believes is part of what will give birth to a divine new humanity. We can all become warriors of the new. We now have the chance to change and transform, by working with our self first. This is pure alchemy. We can now recognize the truth and be a source of inspiration. This is Part 2 of the interview. Info: www.andrewharvey.net

In honor of March being Women's History Month, we ask the question -- What does it mean to be a Warrior Goddess? To our guest today, author and teacher HeatherAsh Amara, that means reclaiming both our power and our compassion as women. We must have both of these qualities. It's a renewal of our commitment, passion, and creativity.   Even though women today juggle many roles and often put the needs of others ahead of their own, oftentimes they feel like they're not enough. Women can feel like they are not able to speak up and have their voices heard. Although things may have changed on the outside, on the inside we may still feel self-doubt where we don't honor ourselves deeply. We often put ourselves last, especially when we recognize how women tend to be caretakers. HeatherAsh advises us to take time for self-care. It's so important. She suggests setting up "date nights" with ourselves, whether this means going out to a museum, or taking a long bath at home. HeatherAsh talks about the idea of receiving and recommends that we ask for support, so that we are not placing the entire burden on ourselves. HeatherAsh also offers tips as to how to raise a Warrior Goddess daughter. We must be the role models. HeatherAsh also discusses her book, "Warrior Goddess Training." She'll show you how to release the layers of expectations to finally see yourself for the authentic, perceptive, perfect woman you already are! Info: warriorgoddess.com  

How do we navigate this period of oppression and division? How do we live in modern times with all the chaos that surrounds us? Religious scholar, mystical teacher, and author of more than 40 books, Andrew Harvery, joins us today to talk about how to birth the new in times of extreme turbulence. Andrew is also the founder of the Institute for Sacred Activism. We are all experiencing the destruction of the old firsthand, but where do we turn? Andrew offers wisdom by discussing his latest book, "The Magdalene Revolution: The Rise of the Sacred Feminine and the Birth of Radical Equality."  Andrew shares a firsthand experience he had many decades ago involving a vision of Mary Magdalene at her cave in the south of France. He felt an enormous peace in this place, yet he was outraged at how the church had demonized her. Upon leaving her cave, he turned back and saw her in golden light. Andrew believes Mary Magdalene is an essential part of Jesus's story. He understands that she is the sacred partner of Jesus. She was the first to see Jesus after Resurrection yet the Bible, written by men, painted her as a lunatic. Andrew explains how the Sophianic Gospel shows that Mary Magdalene and Jesus recognized the divinity in one another. She helped him come deeper into his body so they could bring in a love force to birth a new humanity. Mary Magdalene's evolution was very complex. In the Gnostic Gospels, it is believed that she was the sacred partner to Jesus. She also had great skill in healing and liberating people. As they grew united in the mission, she became more empowered and more illumined. She taught the Feminine Mysteries to groups of women as she expanded. The Sophianic Gospel talks specifically about Mary Magdalene's sacred spirituality.  Once you bring together the messages of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, you see a life force of love is being birthed. This represents enormous joy and power. It's a whole new level of radiant empowerment.    Andrew believes that Jesus, Mother Mary, and Mary Magdalene are all incarnations of the Divine, fully empowered and sacred. Andrew has done extensive research, and he shows how there are fragments in the Bible that tell the story. He presents a grounded version of how they actually lived. This story is a completion and a missing piece. It is ripe for this time as a vast hunger is rising in humanity. This is an expression of love and connection of all of creation. This is the gift of the Divine Feminine. Spirit and Matter are being healed through this resurgence. This is Part 1 of the interview. Info: www.andrewharvey.net

What's it like when you are the only African American dancer in a world of all white dancers? Lisa continues our very special interview with Jennifer Jones, the first African American Rockette. Jennifer talks about growing up seeing Broadway shows with her parents. She told her high school guidance counselor that she wanted to go to college and major in dance. Her counselor told her that she wasn't ready for college yet, although at a very early age, she always dreamed of being on stage. She was so passionate and started at a local community college before moving to New York City, auditioning, and getting hired to be a Rockette. She talks about how spectacular Radio City Music Hall is. It literally took her breath away! She shares the excitement of the famous Christmas Spectacular show and how she poured her heart into each show. She was performing up to six shows a day. Jennifer discusses resilience, and what she had to break through to make her dreams come true. She noted that this year is the 100-year anniversary of the Rockettes and a big event will be planned to celebrate. She also talks about her challenges, and how important it is to believe in yourself. She discusses the importance of being resilient. When she turned 50, she went to her doctor to request a colonoscopy. The doctor told her she was young and had nothing to worry about as she was healthy and had no family members with colorectal cancer. Jennifer listened to her powerful intuition and got a colonoscopy anyway. The doctors determined that she had colorectal cancer, and she was told she had five years to live. She felt embarrassed by this diagnosis as she was always the "healthy one" in her family. She was physically fit and a vegetarian. She met with a specialist and had four rounds of chemotherapy. To the amazement of her doctors, the tests showed dramatic improvement. She explains how she decided to meditate more, let go of toxic relationships, drink green juices, and so much more. She knew she needed to change the way she ate and the way she thought. In 2019, she was deemed cancer-free! Jennifer talks about testing early for colorectal cancer, and especially in the African American community. If there's a history, in your family, it's important to test even earlier. She shares how her symptoms started as pressure in her abdomen, so she began changing her diet and meeting with doctors. She talks about organizations who can offer early detection and additional support including Colorectal Cancer Alliance: https://colorectalcancer.org and Colon Cancer Foundation: https://coloncancerfoundation.org. Jennifer's groundbreaking memoir is titled "Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette." This is Part 2 of the interview. Info: rockettejenn.com.

Today's very special interview features Jennifer Jones, the first African American Rockette. Jennifer shares her story of growing up seeing Broadway shows with her parents. From a very early age, she dreamed of being on stage. She was so passionate and knew in every cell of her body that that would be her home. Jennifer talks about resilience, and what she had to break through to make her dreams come true. She talks about the dance history of the 1920s and how the Rockettes were formed in 1925. The founder thought that Americans would love to see women of the same size and race perform the exact same moves on a dance line. During this time period, Black dancers had their own troupes, as Blacks and whites did not perform together. Jennifer was hired as a Rockette in 1987. She was the very first Black woman to join the dance line. She saw an ad in the newspaper and her friend encouraged her to audition. She wasn't familiar with the Rockettes, as she'd never seen them. She saw only white women auditioning and realized she was the only Black person. She was so nervous and intimated, she decided to leave. A voice inside of her said, "Stay!" She decided to do so. She auditioned, got measured for height and weight, and the stage manager invited her to come back. Even though she went to the call back, she still didn't realize who the Rockettes were. She didn't know their history. She was hired and they immediately sent her for media training. She met with the choreographer who said she was "misquoted" by the press and that's what Jennifer needed to say during interviews. Many people, from managers to choreographers to fellow dancers, were not happy that she was on the line. Jennifer talks about being assaulted and repeatedly insulted. It took extreme perseverance on her part to follow her dreams of being on stage. She talks about how so many women auditioned and how they were not allowed to be a Rockette simply because of their skin color. Through her perseverance, her dream came true! Her groundbreaking memoir is titled "Becoming Spectacular: The Rhythm of Resilience from the First African American Rockette."  She discusses specific mentors who helped to encourage her along the way. She received fan mail, as well as difficult hate mail. Some people didn't feel she should be there, but her parents, family, and mentors helped her along the way. She was a Rockette for 15 years, then another dream came true – she danced on Broadway! She discusses how staunch and strict the "Rockettes" brand is at Radio City. She didn't feel she could speak her truth without repercussions. They are still very strict with the brand. They do allow for slightly varying heights and weights. The draw for so many is that it's an incredible precision troupe. It has evolved over the years. They are trying to include more nationalities. The main focus is still precision and elegance. Jennifer hopes that she helped to inspire the Black women on the line today so they can experience the joy of the sisterhood of being a Rockette, dancing at Radio City Music Hall.  This is Part 1 of the interview. Info: rockettejenn.com.

How can we make our lives better through technology? And can ideas like quantum physics and AI possibly be likened to spirituality? Our guest today, Professor Riz Virk, began his career as a software engineer, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist after graduating with a computer science degree from MIT. Yet, after work and on the weekends, he devoted his time to spiritual inquiry. He studied shamanic dreaming, energy healing, consciousness, various religions, and other forms of spirituality. During his career, he also developed video games. He began exploring quantum physics, which surmises that nothing is actually real. Then Riz considered the great spiritual texts which talk about maya or a world of illusion. He thought about the idea that our reality is really like a video game. Riz talks about different levels of reality and how it works in the world of video games. Who is controlling the reality? It's very similar to having a spiritual experience. He also discusses the role of AI and how it impacts us. Currently a professor at Arizona State University, Riz is the author of numerous books including his most recent "The Simulation Hypothesis." Info: www.zenentrepreneur.com and www.bayviewlabs.com. Riz Virk will be speaking at the upcoming Conscious Life Expo held at the Hilton LAX in Los Angeles FEB 20-23. Experience visionaries, change makers, and planetary influencers exploring advancements in science, UFO disclosures, spirituality, metaphysics, and healthy lifestyles. The Expo presents provocative panel discussions, interactive workshops, free lectures, special events, live concerts, and a healthy food court. Featuring more than 200 speakers and 350 vendors, attendees can experience the latest innovative modalities in physics, science, health, and longevity. Celebrate a new paradigm for evolved consciousness! Info: consciouslifeexpo.com Lisa Garr will be hosting a Workshop with Soul Reader Sondra Sneed, "Messages from Source," on Sunday, FEB 22 at 6 pm Pacific at the Conscious Life Expo. This inspiring session will offer guidance, predictions, and direct communication from Divine Source to support you during these rapidly shifting times. Discover insights to help you navigate change with greater trust, clarity, and purpose. Info and tickets:  theawareshow.com/CLE2026 and consciouslifeexpo.com