In January Balanced Living Magazine interviewed Deepak Chopra, MD, world-renowned expert in mind-body medicine and widely acclaimed bestselling author. Since publishing his first book, Creating Health, in 1986, Dr. Chopra has written more than thirty-five books, nearly all bestsellers. An endocrinologist by trade and a scientist at heart, Dr. Chopra stands head and shoulders above all others in the self-actualization field.

Dr. Deepak Chopra has long been a proponent of the theory that everything happening in the universe is, at a fundamental level, synchronized and interwoven with everything else. “Every thing in our universe is interconnected, and is interdependently polarizing with everything else,” Dr. Chopra explains. “This level of existence is orchestrated by pure spirit. When we allow this spiritual orchestration to take place in our life, our experience will be one of harmony. When we are in harmony with this life force, we experience quite effortlessly the spontaneous fulfillment of our desires.”

In Dr. Chopra's recent book, The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, he describes seven ways in which we can increase our experience with spirituality. He explains that one key is the way in which we experience our non-local self, or our soul and spirit. The non-local self can also be thought of as the virtual or the spiritual domain. Dr. Chopra explains, “It cannot be confined by a location – it is not 'in' you or 'out there.' It simply is. It is the level of existence of intelligence or consciousness.”

The non-local self is the realm of pure potential and infinite possibilities, two terms that have become synonymous with Dr. Chopra's message. He has said it many times to millions of people all over the world: we are all connected to everything that exists and everything that is yet to come. This message is the main theme running through his new book, which discusses coincidences and their role in our life. Dr. Chopra feels very strongly about the significance of coincidences and even considers them to be the key to creating the life of our dreams. He tells us not to ignore coincidences, but rather to regard them as spontaneous gifts from spirit. Consider them miracles. “Anytime you engage in the giving of love, anytime you have the attitude that you are worth the worship of the divine, anytime you have wonder or curiosity, you are opening yourself up to synchronicity and coincidence,” he asserts. “Miracles happen every day. Miracles are not merely possible, they are abundant.”

Dr. Chopra also encourages us not to discount our non-local self when considering health, healing and even recent diet crazes. “Westerners need to get rid of the notion that external things will help improve our health,” he told us. “Health is not only physical; it is spiritual and emotional as well. We're looking for the magic bullet. We want a quick fix, a pill, surgery. We need only look to the answers inside us. We each have a tremendous capacity to heal ourselves. The state of our spiritual life has a direct bearing on the functioning of our bodies, including metabolism, digestion, respiration and all other physiological activities. Yet we often ignore our spiritual needs. There is, however, evidence that this is beginning to change,” he ended happily.

Dr. Chopra also related the masculine and feminine archetypal energy of the human soul to modern-day living. He defines archetypes as “repetitive themes that reside at the level of the collective, universal soul. They are representations of our collective soul's yearnings, our deepest desires. These themes have been embedded in literature and cultures throughout the ages.” He explained that in the grander scheme of things, it is the masculine “soul” energy that has long dominated the world.

A long-time student of theology and the world's religions, Dr. Chopra points to our extensive human history of worshipping masculine gods in all of our cultures as an affirmation of this masculine domination. He added, “The war on terrorism, the war on drugs, the war on AIDS, the war on poverty. All are metaphors of our culture, a culture having given little attention to the feminine energies inherent in us all. The feminine aspect, the Shakti in Indian tradition, is the power of beauty, the power of intuition, the power of creativity, the power of nurturing, the power of passion, the power of love. If we recognize this energy we can accomplish anything. If we fail to honor this creative feminine power, we risk extinction because we then become a predatory society.”

Archetypes are great influencers, and we play out their themes over and over in our everyday lives. They are images and ideas that guide us toward our soul's ultimate destiny. Archetypes are larger than life, and if we are self-aware while striving to match their proportions, they help us understand and define who we are. Dr. Chopra told us, “There is an exercise in my new book, The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, where I guide readers through an exercise to discover their own personal archetypes. Readers can find their own divine feminine, the essential nurturing force filled with life-giving energy. This is how we find our soul's yearning through the masculine and feminine archetypes within us.”

Dr. Chopra is currently working on his next book, The Soul of Leadership, which is due out this fall. His goal in this book is to help enlighten corporate executives by teaching them how to use their intuition and creativity instead of force and high-stress approaches. Dr. Chopra says, “I incorporate principles drawn from quantum physics, spirituality, mind-body medicine, a blend of Eastern and Western philosophies, as well as cutting edge business practices.” It is no coincidence that Dr. Deepak Chopra is making inroads in corporate America and no surprise that big business is responding to the call of pure potentiality.

Dr. Deepak Chopra will visit Cleveland on Monday, April 26 for a lecture at Severance Hall. For more information please visit www.cloudninemarketing.com or www.helenmoss.org or call (440) 338-7007.
.