NAT: Ron and Mary, can you share about the changes happening at the University of Santa Monica (USM), your vision for USM’s future, and most of all, what on earth is Spiritual Psychology anyway?

R&M: We’d love to, and we’d like to start by acknowledging that for us, it all began in 1978 when we first met John-Roger. At the time, we were both on the faculty of New Mexico State University in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology where we were training professional counselors at the master’s and doctoral levels. Needless to say, that first meeting was a tremendous convergence, and for the next two years, we had a continuing dialogue with J-R about educational philosophy and the importance of practical mastery education. Not surprisingly, we shared a dream of enlivening, relevant, heart-centered education and, based on that common dream, committed to working together to bring forward an educational institution based on these values-centered precepts.

And so, the first programs began in 1980, and for the past 35 years, we’ve been continually developing a very unique form of education—unique in that it’s built not so much upon learning information, which is really “learning about,” but rather on true learning, which is “learning by doing.” In other words, experiential education purposefully engages students in learning through direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase awareness, develop skills, clarify values, and develop people’s capacity to make a meaningful contribution to their communities.

When you pair experiential education with a Spiritual perspective, you have what we refer to as Soul-Centered Education, which is both sacred and relevant. It’s education that inspires, heals, and transforms. It’s the education that serves the greater Spiritual Awakening that is taking place on the planet at this time. And best of all, it’s fun! As USM Founder John-Roger put it, it’s truly education the way you always wished it would be. It’s what we’ve been doing and will be continuing to do.

NAT: So what is it that’s changing?

R&M: Only the form. And it’s so interesting that this shift was really instigated by changes at the U.S. Department of Education that had the effect of changing the way credit hours were to be counted in awarding degrees. The new regulations would only count experiential education at half the credit value of didactic, or lecture, hours. And thus, we had to decide to either replace a considerable number of experiential hours with lecture hours or extend each weekend by an additional day.

NAT: Wow—that’s really something. I suspect this distinction is something hardly anyone knows.

R&M: We suspect you’re right.

NAT: So what did you do?

R&M: We prayed a lot! And after many times of placing the decision in the Light, heartfelt prayers for Spirit’s guidance, and conferring with USM’s Board of Trustees and USM’s Chancellor, we decided that it was for the Highest Good to simply let go of degreed programs and move forward converting USM’s offerings into Certificate of Completion Programs. And this is exactly what we’ve done.

In the academic year that completed August 31, USM offered Soul-Centered Living I: A 10-month Certificate of Completion Program (SCL I), and the 7-month Soul-Centered Professional Coaching Program.

In February, we offered the ever-popular Couples Workshop: The Heart and Art of Relationship, an event that is open to the public. We also designed and delivered a brand-new offering for USM grads called Advanced Spiritual Psychology: Transcending the Deeper Levels—a three-part series. It’s very enlivening for us to offer the deeper levels of this work designed to support participants in Awakening into the Awareness that they are nothing less than the Presence of Love.

In August, we offered the Loyalty to Your Soul Weekend Workshop, based on our book by the same title. This is very popular and an excellent introduction to the Principles and Practices of Spiritual Psychology. It’s also a wonderful refresher for USM students and grads. This year, nine women from Mexico City chose to join us for the weekend. Their enthusiasm for the work was inspiring. Perhaps this will lead to USM events in Mexico City.

This fall, it is our intention to offer: This fall, it is our intention to offer:
Soul-Centered Living: A 10-Month Certificate Program in Spiritual Psychology

and

Consciousness Health, and Healing: A 10-Month Certificate Program in Advanced Spiritual Psychology

Enrollment for both classes is currently at a record high, and we are looking forward to facilitating these two Programs, as it will be the last time that the two of us will be the lead facilitators in these events.

NAT: And what would you say is the result of the change from degree offerings to Certificate of Completions offerings?

R&M: We are grateful to share that USM is alive and well. There’s a great freedom that has emerged in being released from the academic format and all that was required to maintain it. We are now free to focus very directly on Spiritual Awakening and the deep healing available through the beautiful Spiritual energy field that is the Soul of USM. Not surprisingly, the quality of experience in the classroom has remained as high, if not higher. And why not? After all, we’re continuing to grow along with everyone else, and this is reflected in the life-changing quality of life our grads continue to report just as the students before them.

NAT: And your vision for USM’s future?

R&M: As we see it, moving forward will mean spending more time mentoring USM graduates in taking their USM education and sharing the Principles and Practices of Spiritual Psychology with others in a variety of different contexts. For example, David and Bonnie Paul have been using their USM-learned Principles and Practices with great success in the Freedom to Choose Workshop in prisons in California.

On September 16 and 17, USM grads, Kirk Souder and Licia Rester-Frazee, will be facilitating Soul Purpose 2017, a new USM workshop for business leaders who are experiencing a calling to use their gifts, abilities, and experience in service to co-creating endeavors of greater meaning, social impact, and fulfillment.

For more than three decades, USM graduates have used their transformation in consciousness to actively transform the worlds of business, medicine, media, coaching, law, education, family, and more. We currently have a grad who has thrown her hat in the ring, seeking to be elected as the governor of her state.

We see ourselves working with grads on developing Programs that will enhance and support the worldwide outreach of the Principles and Practices of Spiritual Psychology, as we know experientially just how powerful and freeing these Principles and Practices are.

NAT: And that brings us to perhaps the most essential question. Just what is Spiritual Psychology and why do you perceive it as so important and valuable.

R&M: Briefly, Spiritual Psychology is the study and practice of Conscious Awakening, which begins with the awareness that we simultaneously reside in two worlds. The one we are most familiar with is known as physical world reality. It’s the world of our everyday existence, and we know it through our five senses.

However, there is another reality beyond five-sense reality that is multidimensional and spiritual in nature. For our purposes, we define Awakening as waking up into this “other” reality where we experience our Essential Spiritual Nature as Loving, Peaceful, Joyful, Free, Enthusiastic, Beautiful, Creative, Wise, and more!

For example, when most people become upset, they blame their disturbance on some outside event that has happened and is beyond their control. The way they voice this is by the phrase, “I am upset because . . . “ and then they tell you what they perceive as responsible for their disturbance.

In Spiritual Psychology, we have found that it’s much more empowering, as well as resulting in much more positive outcomes, when people learn how to take responsibility for what they’re experiencing independent of whatever is happening “out there.” After all, the experience they are having is happening within their own consciousness. What if there was a way to relieve the inner disturbance such that they would no longer experience disturbance regardless of the outer circumstance? Moreover, if this were possible and they did release the emotional disturbance, they’d be much more effective at dealing with the original situation that “seems” to have “caused” the upset. As we see it, a more accurate description is that, rather than “cause” the upset, the outer event merely “triggered” the upset already present within the person’s consciousness.

And here’s the best part. Since Spiritual Psychology, as we practice and teach it at USM, is experientially based, a person need not take anything on faith nor have any particular beliefs. All that’s really required is an open mind so that one’s process can be validated by one’s own personal experience. We’d say, on the basis of more than 5,500 graduates over the past 35 years, that it’s proven itself to be effective. And the best news is that no one needs to take our word for it. They can come and experience it for themselves and then decide whether or not they wish to go into it more deeply.

Awakening into the Awareness of who you truly are and living your life from within that Awakened state is the essence of Soul-Centered Living. As the evolutionary tide is rising and larger numbers of people are Awakening to the Awareness that they are, in fact, Divine Beings having and using a human experience, the Principles and Practices of Spiritual Psychology provide both context and tools for living into that Awareness.

In fact, our latest book, Remembering the Light Within: A Course in Soul-Centered Living published by Hay House in February 2017, is an excellent resource (and we might add, an enjoyable read) for someone who would like to learn and apply these tools in their everyday life.

NAT: Now that is really inspiring. Ron and Mary, it’s not only been a pleasure but enlightening as well to have this conversation with you. My wish and prayers are for the continued success of both you and USM.

R&M: Thanks, Nat. As always, it’s a pleasure and a privilege talking with you. May the Awareness of Spirit’s Love flood us all.