Elephants and Ecstasy, the Sangita Iyer Story

09/15/22 • 55 min

Ganesha, the elephant-headed god in the Hindu pantheon, is revered as the removal of obstacles, but in many Ganesha temples in India, particularly in the state of Kerala, birthplace of Sangita Iyer, live elephants are held, shackled as prisoners. In other instances, elephants are kept by entertainment entrepreneurs to perform in numerous festivals. To Iyer, this is enslavement of beings who really are godlike in their majesty, patience, and intelligence. Listen in to hear how "elephant people" inspired this former TV news reporter to found Voice for Asian Elephants Society, make the award-winning documentary, Gods in Shackles, and write the book Gods in Shackles, a recent number 1 bestseller on Amazon. You'll also learn what elephants are doing to stem climate change, and why the World Bank says that every elephant in the wild makes a $1.75 million lifetime contribution to planetary integrity through their role in carbon sequestration. Voice for Asian Elephants Society find out Sangita Iyer and how you can help Asian ElephantsGods in Shackles by Sangita IyerFind out about Victoria Moran and Main Street Vegan AcademyLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Animals as Spiritual Beings With Rev. Sarah Bowen

Does your dog or cat meditate with you? Interfaith minister and animal chaplain Sarah Bowen contends that other-than-human beings do this naturally and have spiritual lives every bit as rich as ours. Meet this fascinating woman, author of Spiritual Rebel and Sacred Sendoffs, as we discuss these ideas, along with Sarah's early life as a preacher's kid (she brought a mouse to church and quoted Bible verses as grounds for keeping him there), and her current outreach via the Compassion Consortium (spiritual center for animal advocates), the Compassion Consortium Animal Chaplaincy Training Program, and as a contributing writer for Spirituality and Health. Find out about Sarah Bowen, award winning spirituality author and animal chaplainVictoria Moran and Main Street Vegan AcademyLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The Joy of Ritual With Barbara Biziou

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