The Astral Attic

Suzanne Mitchell, the Pride of Chicago, guest-hosted the show for the first time last Sunday and did a beautiful job! 

I was under the weather: fever, chills, the whole bit. No swine in sight, just generally yucky. So here is Suzanne, interviewing a great supporter of the show from Day 1, Lauren Archer. They clicked like longtime pals are expected to but with a seamless presentation of Lauren’s advocacy of the mind-body connection on articulate display. I was able to be a listener at my leisure for once; the hour reinforced my belief that we provide quality conversation on topics that matter to how people live their lives. No partisan talking points, no weeping for our country or wailing over the malfeasances of the goat du jour. Just smart people that love to talk about ways and means of self-improvement. And we like to leave room for enduring mysteries in this world. Some radio listeners find that stuff exciting and I’m happy to say that I am one of them. For a guest in this genre, you have to go far to beat Lauren. She is brilliant, incisive, compassionate. And always looking to grow. That’s why we bring her back again and again. Lauren Archer’s website is www.positivecentral.com 

In the second hour, Suzanne brought on our favorite “numbers lady,” Karen Cornell. Numerology is a mystery to me: I cannot understand how numbers could have a mystical significance. Nor do I see any way that they hold correspondence to what we may roundly expect during measured parts of our individual lives. But it is perfectly natural to Karen. Owing largely to Pythagoras, numerology has ancient roots. Now considered a pseudo-science, its popularity survives thanks to New Age enthusiasts and the relatively few who study and practice it. I’m no one to judge; numbers have always been too cold and fixed in their courses to attract me for long. Maybe I’m just too inclined toward flights of fantasy and a feel for irony to appreciate the mathematician’s world. But Karen Cornell, a warm and funny human being, is right at home there. She lets the “pseudo” tag roll off her back: If the mainstream cynics don’t get it the way she does, that’s their loss. She takes to any forum available to let the world know that numbers actually are a reliable way of interpreting destiny. Me? I still am not sure. However, Karen encourages me to hold out for more real-life evidence that they do have that potential. You can get more info about her at www.angelwood.com

So it was Ladies’ Night. Our friend Janice Smith was kind enough to come over and screen the calls. She joked to Suzanne afterwards that she wanted to be our intern. Don’t tempt us, Janice. You were pretty solid on the phone with zero experience going into it. We like you a lot and thanks a million for the act of friendship. But the glue, as always, keeping the party ship afloat, was Michael Roberge. You give him a problem, he does whatever is needed to make the situation good for everyone. And brings the Y-chromosome with him, don’t forget. Even in my delirium, I heard quality talk on the air. Take a bow, Michael. Take a BIG bow, Suzanne. A good time was had by all. 

Back from a trip/vacation/journey to Chicago, Suzanne and I welcomed three of the most decidedly affirmative people we could think of to the show last night. 

Cynthia Chomos is a certified feng shui expert. She explains new facets of that ancient philosophy each time she returns to the show; I find myself wishing we had more time, every time. Plan on another shot of Cynthia before long because I’ve yet to catch her unawares on anything regarding the wise use of personal space. It’s a more important subject than I ever would have guessed.

Dr. John Ryder made a triumphant return to our share of bandwidth with a somewhat different exposition of his book, Positive Directions. John is a patient man, as evidenced by his deft parrying of my pesky questions. I wanted to approach his work from various angles, the better to see if his clinical strategies are useful in various situations with different kinds of people. When the archived hour is up on this site, listen closely to what he has to say about the virtue of delayed gratification. Powerful! Also see www.positivedirectionsbook.com for more on a must-read for all you self-improvement freaks that are not afraid to do your homework.

A big welcome and an even bigger Thank You to my friend and sweet benefactor, Kristen Marie Schuerlein, who joined the show as of last night. Not only is she our newest sponsor, Kristen Marie is a valuable contributor! Her brand new feature, Affirmaminutes, offers insights and warm affirmations to keep wrapped around you like one of her trademark blankets throughout the week. Listen for her wise counsel and strong encouragement each week at the bottom of the second hour. For more on Kristen and her dynamic success story, see www.affirmagy.com and be inspired! 

This week, my friend and mighty metaphysical maven Susan Harmon will guest host. She is known for combining her psychic talents with a passion for social justice. She also leads the Emerald Spiral co-op in West Seattle. You have heard about them on the show. Now enjoy hearing Susan do an interview with author Cheryl Simone, whose mystical searches ought to make for some illumined talk radio. And don’t be surprised if some of the Emerald Spiral gang grace the second hour. For more on this unique spiritual group, check out their website. www.emeraldspiral.com

Producer Suzanne and I are headed to Chicago for Easter, birthday celebrations (Suzanne and her father share a birthday) and family all over the place. We return in time for the following show on the 19th, probably with a story or two to share. Happy Easter!

Dr. Judith Orloff was my guest this past Sunday. I read her latest book, Emotional Freedom, from cover to cover. Time well spent! Here is what I wrote on the Amazon review page:

“Dr. Orloff has made it to the NY Times Bestseller list with her latest title and deservedly so. I do not read much self-help lit anymore. I’m caught in the “been there, done that” mentality. It takes a book with lively prose and a cogent advocacy of constructive principles to grab me. Dr. Orloff succeeds with Emotional Freedom: her multi-modal emphasis on transforming your emotional life has the ring of medical authority and enough spirituality to satisfy my need to tackle problems (and problem people) with tools not solely derived from the clinical areas. If you desire a guide to healing your emotions without the cookie-cutter approach that cheapens a lot of personal growth “systems”, I highly recommend this book.”

If you feel the need to deal with your emotions because you are tired of them dealing with you, I suggest you pick up a copy. This is not just a pep talk in hardcover; it’s some hard work you will be signing up to do. And I suspect that, guided by Dr. Orloff, you will make inroads toward that elusive goal of personal transformation.

I spent the second hour with former TV horror host, John Stanley. He has put out a DVD called Watch Horror Movies: Keep America Strong! John was a big part of the successful Creature Features show on Bay Area television during the 70′s to the mid-80′s. A horror and science-fiction expert, John has seen and reviewed thousands of movies and TV shows of those genres. He has also interviewed many of the giants thereof, including Ray Bradbury, Roger Corman, Vincent Price, Gene Roddenberry and all the other Star Trek luminaries. He recounts his glory days on the tube with a scrapbook memoir called I Was A TV Horror Host. Personally, I hope he puts the book and DVD together in a packaged set. Lots of nostalgia for sale there! John will be as much of a recurring guest as our schedules permit. He is a great guy, warm and funny. Hope that comes across in the interviews. He deserves to be recalled fondly. For more on his unique niche in pop culture, see www.stanleybooks.net

I had wanted to interview Concetta Bertoldi for nearly a year. Sunday night, she was as energetic and upbeat as you might expect from the author of Do Dead People Watch You Shower? A psychic medium with a growing reputation, Concetta has a way of painting a landscape portrait of life on The Other Side. Her first book was written in a Q and A format and the effect is to give readers a detailed look into the Afterlife as well as some sense of what it is like to do her kind of work in realms of Spirit most of us will not see until we, well, you know, get there. Her sequel is called Do Dead People Walk Their Dog? If the answer is No then I can’t account for the title. I’ll be in line at the bookstore this month when it is released. Concetta is welcome on my program anytime. For her website, go to www.concettabertoldi.com

Mike Hernandez was, as usual, a charming and illustrative guest in his role as Tarot Master. He makes good use of the imagery on the cards he turns over; Mike also relies on his “guides” for clarity and insight. I envy him his facility with ideas that appear to come from disembodied sources, especially since they seem so benignly practical. With Mike, I like to toss out the phone numbers and wait for listeners to avail themselves of his counsel. I won’t say that the lines on the show are blinking like a Christmas tree but that will come in time. I enjoy the collaboration of host, guest and caller in talk radio. It makes for more synergy, I believe. And Mike is another guest that I make time for whenever Suzanne can book him. Speaking of my estimable producer, thanks to Suzanne for letting Mike do his Tarot thing with her on the show. Turns out that the card for her was one with which I have dealt in the past. That allowed me to kibbitz. We Virgos LOVE to kibbitz….