The Marianne Williamson Podcast: Conversations That Matter

With ownership comes responsibility, and each of us owns this country. The ultimate guardian of our rights, as well as guide to how to expand them, has been the US Constitution. With the Constitution now under assault, our democracy is under assault, which means our rights are under assault, which means our freedom as Americans is under assault.First things first: know what's going on. We will continue to discuss not only what's happening but also what each of us can do about it. In all our lives, there is something - an article you forward to a friend, a community effort to support this or that freedom, a way to involve yourself in this way or that. As with everything else in life, once you open your mind to something it begins to appear everywhere. The race is on. They will not win. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Enlightenment is a shift in self-perception, from body-identification to spirit-identification. Body identification is a small and limited sense of self. Seeing our essential Self as Spirit, however, we see the body is a priceless garment we wear. It is laid aside when our earthly lessons have been learned, in no way affecting the eternal nature of life itself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

The world has meaning because you are here, and the meaning you put into it is the meaning it will have for you.At a time of chaos, reflection and love are the powers that dissolve the darkness.MW This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

There are only two emotions: Love and fear. And fear is to love what darkness is to light; one is merely the absence of the other. Turn on one and the other disappears…I hope this video inspires in you a greater motivation to choose love. May your day be filled with it…xMarianne This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Every thought is a cause that will create an effect. Joining you in good thoughts for yourself, your loved ones, and the world in the week ahead…MW This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Enjoy! And have a beautiful day…MW This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Given all the chaos surrounding us right now, I thought I should create little Metaphysical Minutes to help us get through it.Some are ready for more in-depth spiritual practice like A Course in Miracles. But if you're just looking for a little spiritual boost to help you get through the day, I hope these are helpful.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Earlier today I posted a video about the shameless Congressional redistricting plan going on in Texas. I said I'd be back with my interview with Beto O'Rourke, so here it is! He's filled with great information and I'm glad to share it.No one need feel helpless in the face of Trump's onslaught, because there's a lot we can do. But We the People need to do it. Beto's organization POWERED BY PEOPLE is doing exactly what needs to be done to help protect the midterms in Texas and elsewhere. It doesn't matter what state you live in or who you are: if they're transgressing against liberty anywhere, they're transgressing against you.This isn't a moment to take our feet off the gas…not even for a moment. We're moved from “threat” to our democracy to full on on-going attack on our democracy. Generations not even born yet will register whether or not we show up for this moment of truth.Wake up. Rise up. And remember what my father used to say: “Don't let the b******s get you down.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Earlier today I posted a video about the shameless Congressional redistricting plan going on in Texas. I said I'd be back with my interview with Beto O'Rourke, so here it is! He's filled with great information and I'm glad to share it. No one need feel helpless in the face of Trump's onslaught, because there's a lot we can do. But We the People need to do it. Beto's organization POWERED BY PEOPLE is doing exactly what needs to be done to help protect the midterms in Texas and elsewhere. It doesn't matter what state you live in or who you are: if they're transgressing against liberty anywhere, they're transgressing against you. This isn't a moment to take our feet off the gas…not even for a moment. We're moved from “threat” to our democracy to full on on-going attack on our democracy. Generations not even born yet will register whether or not we show up for this moment of truth. Wake up. Rise up. And remember what my father used to say: “Don't let the bastards get you down.”

A lot of hope is riding on the 2026 midterm elections, not that any of us are naive about efforts the Trump administration will make (in fact, already is making!) to ensure Republicans keep control of both houses of Congress. A compliant Congress, after all, has been a primary vehicle for the passage of the Project 2025 agenda. I'll gladly interview Congressional candidates who offer hope for real change in Washington. Today's conversation is with J.D. Scholten of Iowa. J.D., now an Iowa State legislator, decided to jump into the race when he saw Senator Joni Ernst's response to a constituent who complained that the Medicare cuts will cause people to die. She said, “Well, we all are going to die.” She then doubled down with a sarcastic apology that was pretty shocking even by today's low standards. Wow. I hope you enjoy my talk with J.D. Washington will be a much better place if Scholten win this race, and I can give a personal endorsement that he's a really, really, really good guy. Here's J.D's website. If you enjoy the interview, I hope you'll throw in some support.

A lot of hope is riding on the 2026 midterm elections, not that any of us are naive about efforts the Trump administration will make (in fact, already is making!) to ensure Republicans keep control of both houses of Congress. A compliant Congress, after all, has been a primary vehicle for the passage of the Project 2025 agenda. I'll gladly interview Congressional candidates who offer hope for real change in Washington. Today's conversation is with J.D. Scholten of Iowa. J.D., now an Iowa State legislator, decided to jump into the race when he saw Senator Joni Ernst's response to a constituent who complained that the Medicare cuts will cause people to die. She said, “Well, we all are going to die.” She then doubled down with a sarcastic apology that was pretty shocking even by today's low standards. Wow.I hope you enjoy my talk with J.D. Washington will be a much better place if Scholten win this race, and I can give a personal endorsement that he's a really, really, really good guy. Here's J.D's website. If you enjoy the interview, I hope you'll throw in some support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

A little change of pace today…I did an interview you might enjoy. Relationships, sociopaths and spirituality are the topics covered in my conversation with author Arielle Ford about her latest book, “The Love Thief.” The book is coming out this week, and if you find the interview compelling you can check it out at at www.thelovethief.com. It's based on a true story and captures insights very relevant to the times in which we live.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

A little change of pace today… I did an interview you might enjoy. Relationships, sociopaths and spirituality are the topics covered in my conversation with author Arielle Ford about her latest book, “The Love Thief.” The book is coming out this week, and if you find the interview compelling you can check it out at at www.thelovethief.com. It's based on a true story and captures insights very relevant to the times in which we live.

I've always been moved by this comment from Martin Luther King: “Power without love is reckless and abusive, but love without power is anemic and weak.” Today's video is a reflection on how to weave the two together, their frayed connection having brought us to point at which we find ourselves now. When we commit ourselves to their reconnection, new possibilities will abound.Sending love and strength to all….MW This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Hi, everyone. Here's an audio version of yesterday's post…MWThe big-beautiful-actually-big-ugly bill that passed through Congress and hit the President's desk on July 4th will cause untold damage to our country. Ironically, the pain will be felt most acutely by those who have supported the President most. Many legislators who voted for the 940-page bill have admitted they didn't actually read it, but rather took other people's (namely Trump's) word for it that it didn't, for instance, cut Medicaid - which it decidedly did, and to the tune of a trillion dollars.As if depriving almost 12 million people of their healthcare isn't enough, that's not even the most dastardly thing about this bill. The most dangerous piece of the legislation, one that cuts into the very heart of our Constitutional system, is its expansion of ICE. The 2024 ICE budget was $9.7 Billion; it now will be increased to an annual expenditure of $48 Billion. Over the next four years ICE will receive $170 Billion, making it bigger than most of the militaries of the world. The ICE budget will now be more than the FBI, the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm), the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), US Marshalls, and the Bureau of Prisons combined. The bill orders 10,000 new ICE agents, adding to the 20,000 agents already on the streets. The annual budget for detentions now rise from $3.4 billion to $45 billion a year, constituting a 365% increase. While ICE is currently holding around 59,000 detainees - nearly half of whom have no criminal records - the new bill calls for adding 100,000 more. And the power of ICE lies not only in its size. It operates outside of due process and the judicial system, meaning the administration has effectively hired its own private police force to do whatever it is they want it to do. Just as Trump forces have managed to effectively neuter the U.S. Congress and our Supreme Court, with the latest changes to ICE they have effectively neutered the regulatory statutes that protect us from police overreach as well. This is not normal.The President campaigned on getting violent criminals off our streets - a goal no one would argue with - but what's happening now is much bigger than that. The administration is not going after criminals; if that were the case, it wouldn't be pardoning some of the biggest while collar criminals in America. They're not just going for criminals; they're going for numbers. Stephen Miller is demanding 3,000 arrests be made per day, even suggesting ICE agents stand outside Home Depots and see who they can round up. They might target one person, then just pick up whoever is standing near them whether they're on a target list or not. This is not about helping America, it's about reshaping it. E Pluribus Unum - the “Out of many, One” First Principle of the United States - provides for a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society united by common principles of liberty and justice for all. Yet those principles are considered anathema to the White Nationalists, Christian Nationalists, and techno fascists who are behind all this. Their goal is to shred the Constitution and demolish our democracy; Victor Orban didn't hang out at Mar-a-Lago just for the scones. Between Project 2025, this Big Bad Ugly bill, and a militarized ICE, they're following a specific blueprint for war on our basic institutions.Paul Dans, former director of the Heritage Foundation and one of the authors of Project 2025 , has said it's succeeding “beyond our wildest dreams.”Millions are asking, “My God, how did all this happen?” There are complicated answers to that question, but what should not be underestimated is the role of Trump's propaganda machine. As with Hitler's Nuremberg Rallies, he has mesmerized millions with the performative power of his lies. In both my campaigns for President, I stated often: “Trump has ushered in an age of political theatre, and we will not be going back.”Using the biggest megaphone in the world, Donald Trump gained the power to do the hateful things he is doing by propagating hateful ideas. He then injected them like poison into the veins of our body politic.Remember when he rode down his elevator and announced about Mexico, ‘They're not sending us their best people?” That was the first shot not in a war against Mexico, but in a war against the United States. Now he's gone all the way to suggesting that immigrants have “criminal genes.” This is more than fear-mongering; it's strategy. The biggest mistake we can make is to laugh at anything he says.Without the President's strategy of demonizing our immigrant community, none of this could have occurred. Those who so often said, “Take him seriously, but do not take him literally,” were seriously wrong. He's not just trolling. He says he hates you today, and he comes after you tomorrow.And he's not done. He now calls liberals and progressives “left wing lunatics” and he says Senators who disagree with him are people who “hate their country.” He went so far in fact as to say he hates Democrats. “Don't you?” he asked his audience. He actually said that he “can't stand” us. When a reporter asked a reasonable question about the the Camp Mystic tragedy, the President said that only an “evil person” would ask such a question.What is being perpetrated here is grand plan to transform the United States from a flawed democracy to an authoritarian dictatorship. It's unwise to assume that the forces behind all this have any intention of stopping with immigrants.Yesterday the President said he's “giving serious consideration” to taking away Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship because she's “a Threat to Humanity.” This is something the Constitution does not give the President the authority to do, of course. But Donald Trump has obvious disdain for anything the Constitution says that might limit his power. Already he has called for ICE to go after American citizens, and both Trump and Pam Bondi have called for a plan to denaturalize some who have become American citizens. The fact that an idea is deranged doesn't make it less dangerous. DOGE has worked with ICE to create the federal government's first “national citizenship data bank.”If all of this feels to you profoundly Un-American, it's because it is. If it bothers you, rankles you, and infuriates you, that means you're a patriot. And you are not alone.The good news is that the American people do not like what's going on. In a new Gallup poll, only 35% of Americans approve Trump's immigration policies now, which means that 27% more people disapprove of them. 79% of Americans now say they believe that immigration is good for the country. Even Joe Rogan is now going after the President about this, unhappy at all the innocent people who have been arrested in the ICE raids. But none of this should surprise him; it's not like all of a sudden the President became a pathological liar. None of it is new. The only thing new is that he doesn't even try any more to cover his tracks. From crypto deals to taking bribes from Middle East power brokers to suing media companies to selling his own brand of unisex fragrance, the President's corruption knows no end. He has increased his personal fortune by billions since he was inaugurated in November. At this point, the question isn't “What will he do next?” The most important question is, “What will we do next?”The only thing that can save us now is for the American people to wake up. A spiritual awakening, mocked and derided by America's pseudo-sophisticated political class (you know, the guys who lost to Trump twice) is the most powerful antidote to the forces of hate. If we allow them to, those forces will kidnap more than our bodies; they will kidnap our spirits. But if we're truly dedicated to love, the purveyors of hatred cannot snatch our soul. From there it follows that they cannot snatch our mind, and then they cannot snatch our country.Love does not make us weaker, it makes us stronger. It makes us stronger because it makes us smarter. It restores reason and not the other way around. Evil is the mental energy of love when inverted and turned into something else. Recognizing the existence of evil, the loving mind understands how to prevent it (start by not allowing tens of millions of people to live for years in chronic economic anxiety, lacking health care, economic or educational opportunity) and knows what it takes to override it (provide those things now). It recognizes the anger and despair which people lacking such things feel, making them vulnerable to all manner of societal dysfunction. Disease doesn't start on the level of symptoms; it starts on the level of feeling and thought.And that's where we must counter it. We must meet the forces of hate with the force of our love. Today's “arsenal of democracy” begins in the mind. No one can take away your conscience unless you are willing to surrender it. Do not allow anyone to limit your willingness to love your fellow man.That is not woo woo; it is the salvation of the human race. Totalitarianism is an extreme and perverse consequence of a world in which we've been taught to think that the needs and interests of others should be seen as secondary to our own. It is the opposite of “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Let's not forget Elon Musk told Joe Rogan that “empathy is the biggest weakness in Western civilization.” And damn right that was a Nazi salute. He didn't even deny it; I don't know why anyone else would.Hannah Arendt, premier political philosopher of the 20th Century, said “the death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism.” She said that a lack of empathy, as well as a lack of critical thought, could lead people otherwise not inherently evil to acquiesce to atrocities.Arendt said the modern mind's obsession with itself led to what she called the “loss of the world.” We become so self-referential that we stop caring about one another, seeing the notion of a “common good” as some quaint relic of former times. This has disunited the United States, endangering us as a country and weakening the gates to the city. It became inevitable then that barbarians would come in.Hitler himself said this: "They refer to me as an uneducated barbarian. Yes we are barbarians. We want to be barbarians; it is an honored title to us. We shall rejuvenate the world.”So much for “It could never happen here.” In our arrogance, our complacency, our distractedness, and our social and political immaturity we made it way too easy for the barbarians to enter. Now that they are here, they are sacking the city. Latino immigrants are just first on their list.So what do we do now? There are some who are seriously focused on the political externalities of the 2026 and 2028 elections, and well they should be. This will include countering all efforts on the part of the administration to rig or even suppress all upcoming elections. TrumpWorld's forces have already begun with plans to further gerrymander Texas, criminalize the behavior of election officials who don't “safeguard” our elections, and so forth.Traditional political and legal efforts are needed, and they are needed badly. But they alone will not be enough to compensate for the lack of moral clarity that made us vulnerable to all this to begin with. That is what we lost, and what we must regain if we are to defeat fascism in our time.Reclaiming that power is up to each of us. No matter what happens, do not allow yourself to lose your own commitment to the humane treatment of other human beings. Do not let them take from you your own moral compass. Do not pass up any opportunity to speak your truth. Do not compromise and do not surrender to the administration's excuses, much less glorification, of sadism and human cruelty. No, “Alligator Alcatraz” is not funny. It is sick and it is inhumane. It is not hyperbole to call it a modern internment camp, and the savage conditions described by those who have been inside the facility are merciless. What is happening in America today is barbaric.To those who say “Well, this is what we voted for,” I do not believe that. I know good people who voted for Trump, and I don't believe that in their hearts they thought they were voting for human cruelty, or masked goons disappearing people, or any of the trauma or terror that our government is now inflicting on innocent men, women and children.I think many of those who voted for Trump do not know what is actually happening, because many of his voters who I've spoken to, when I show them evidence of certain things, make comments like, “Well that wouldn't be right.” And I've realized that our opponent here is algorithms. Their algorithms are so different than ours - we're not just seeing different content, we're being shown different universes. Greedy, sociopathic elements in our society have fostered those differences. Media and social media giants who could care less about providing an honest, objective presentation of facts, and care only about their already multibillion dollar profits, will one day be looked back on as some of the biggest villians in this story. At the end of all this we will have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and it will be a doozy.Others who voted for Trump were simply reacting in anger to a system that had failed them, and had the Democratic party responded to their despair in more fundamental ways - universal health care, a guaranteed living wage, repealing the 2017 tax cut when we had the chance, increasing access to higher education and tech school - the rise of a political strongman would have been far less likely. As it is, the political elite in America chose to ignore every lesson in history and allow this scourge to fester. The Republican party lost its mind over the last few years, but it didn't help that Democrats lost their spine.The institutions we have lived our entire lives thinking would protect us from any enemies of democracy have either fallen, or been deeply compromised. The message of history is now this: “American people: over to you.” I know in my heart we have what it takes to rise to the occasion, to handle this moment, and to save our dying democracy. In the words of Winston Churchill, "Never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”That's our charge today. This isn't an easy time, in fact it's heartbreaking and infuriating. But dark chapters challenged our ancestors too, and they responded with strength and courage. Now so must we. We are called to be deep and serious and mature and wise, and all those things we were born to be. I have no doubt in my mind that we have it in us. The choice whether to become the people we need to be, in order to do the things we need to do, is up to each of us.It's an inside job. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

May I do one thing today that interrupts my fear.Today is the day of my release, as I declare myself free of the bondage of the ego. I will do one thing, however small, to forge a path of greatness where I have formerly cowered in fear.I need not repair every aspect of my wounded self today. I need only practice the thinking and behavior of a greater good. With this, I build new pathways in my brain and in my life.Dear God,Please free me of the habitsThat keep me boundTo a life I do not wish to live.Break the chains that keep meFrom claiming my greater good.I will try today.Please help me.Amen.May I do one thing today that interrupts my fear. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

May I see myself as God sees me.God created me as a perfect creation, and so in spirit I remain.May the light of my internal perfection cast out any darkness in my mortal self. Thus may I express in the world the love that is in my heart.May God's opinion, and not the opinions of others, determine how I see myself. May God's thoughts, and not my own, determine what is possible for me. May my self-perception rest only on the vision that God holds of me.Dear God,Please lift me above the shadowsOf my negative self-perception.Please deliver me from the chainsThat keep me bound to a smaller life.Please show me the beautyYou have placed in me,And give me faith that it is there.Amen.May I see myself as God sees me. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

It is not what I do, but rather who I am, that determines the quality of my lifeI center my mind on the love in my heart, that I might be a beam of light to whomever I meet today.I need not worry what to do or say, for the Holy Spirit will guide my thoughts and actions.My highest function and greatest mission is simply to be, in any moment, the person I am capable of being. May the love of God extend through me to bless the entire world. Thus may I shine and feel the joy of being my true self.Dear God,I surrender myself to You today,That I might find and bethe truth of whoI really am.Amen.It is not what I do, but rather who I am, that determines the quality of my life This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

I choose to awaken from the delusions of the world.If you want to believe that what your physical eyes can see is all that's there, then fine, you can. Stay in that small fraction of perceptual reality if you choose. But at some point, even if that point is at the point of death, we all know better. I've seen cynics become mystics on their deathbed. We are here as though in a material dream from which the spiritual nature of our larger reality is calling us to awaken. The magician, the alchemist, the miracle-worker, is simply someone who has woken up to the material delusions of the world and decided to live another way. In the world gone mad, we can choose to be sane. In order to move ourselves, and our civilization, into the next phase of our evolutionary journey, it's time for all of us to awaken.I choose to awaken from the delusions of the world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Thank you For A Better World, Keith Denning, and many others for tuning into my live video with Brandan Robertson! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

There are two major categories of life for a lot of of us these days: one is taking in everything that's happening around us, and the other is talking to our friends about it.I hope my little spiritual/political musings are helpful. We have to emotionally strengthen ourselves in order to meet the moment. Faced with a humungous challenge, it's time to discover the even more humungous power that lies within us.Amen

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.transformarticles.comHey, guys.I did a Substack Live earlier this evening. The replay is available to paid subscribers.I started by talking about how we need to be “political athletes” - developing our intellectual, emotional, psychological, and organizational muscles in order to respond adequately to this historic moment.Anything positive we do, any energy we generate goes…

Thank you Shelley Sophia Crawford, Wendy Hanophy, Linda A Marshall, Barbara Bell, CF, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.transformarticles.comI got on Substack Live earlier today to discuss the psychological as well as political state of the nation. We have to address both if we're going to make our way through this moment…and WE WILL! MW

Thank you Stephen Nikkola, SUE Speaks, Mystic William, Nadia Munla, Julene Cole, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Our attitude right now is as important as anything else. Current events are an assault on the nervous system and a real challenge to our psyche. We have to prepare ourselves psychologically in order to both endure and transform what's happening.Think of it as emotional weightlifting. We have to make ourselves and keep ourselves strong in order to rise to this moment. And we can. Some ancient energies are being summoned now. Think Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman:) Amazing things happen when we remember what we're made of. If you saw the movie Air Force One, remember when Harrison Ford said to the terrorist, “GET OFF MY PLANE!!!”? It was one of those moments at the movies when an entire audience goes YEAH!!In your mind, tell a certain someone to get his hands off our government. Remember… that government belongs to you. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Big meeting at the White House this week…Hopefully the reporting is true, and Trump indeed is at a point where he's prepared to rein Musk in at last: directing that from now on he will “use a scalpel rather than a hatchet.” Theoretically Trump has said DOGE will play only an advisory role, recommending changes which Department heads themselves will then decide on.We'll see. You never know with these guys...But if it proves to be true, it's a very good news. Anyone who has made even one call, forwarded a social media post, attended a protest, or in any other way participated in the rising cry of protest against the DOGE insanity, can consider this a job well done.Yes, it's only the beginning. And yes, so much is performance art over there. But if the reporting is correct, there's a volcano that perhaps is starting to erupt. For the sake of our country, I hope so. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

While some are still keeping their heads in the sand, many no longer are. We're in a full scale battle not just for the soul of our democracy, but for its body. Among other things the President's speech to Congress was filled with lies, such as the debunked stories about Social Security, or making fun of funds for “transgender mice”, or mocking an African nation “no one's ever heard of.” Fewer and fewer people are in denial regarding the President's penchant for pathological lying. The shift is when people stop pretending to themselves that his lies don't matter.Trump forces have said he's not going to cut Medicaid, while in fact they're already trying. He says they're going to end childhood cancer while supporting environmental policies that are known for contributing to it. Many Republicans in office today are going along with things they know are wrong. There are powerful people in Washington today so high on the drug of proximity to power that they're selling their souls to go along with all this. On some level they know what's happening, but to stand up and speak out entails courage they haven't yet summoned from deep within themselves. History will record whether or not they do. And we're all in process. I'm looking for the miracles in the midst of all the pain. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Sometimes you realize things matter to you that you hadn't ever given much thought. As Americans, we rarely think of something like freedom of religion as relevant to our daily lives. But we're living at a time when freedom in all its aspects is taking up mental bandwidth in ways we might not have previously thought possible.Have you ever thought much about Christian Nationalism? Probably not, but you might want to now. Christian Nationalism is essentially the belief that all major institutions in the United States should be led by Christians - an idea that runs counter to the religious pluralism made possible by the First Amendment. Its adherents see the United States as a specifically Christian as opposed to a religiously pluralistic society. And their philosophical tentacles go way beyond that.This situation is one of many ways in which current events are turning us into sober, mature adults in ways we might not have been before. Freedom of religion and religious pluralism are not just abstract words; they're deeply relevant to a society whose freedom is at risk.But it isn't simply religious diversity that upsets the Christian Nationalist. To them, the “real” America is white, straight and Christian - and they have every intention to use the law to enforce that view. They are a major force behind Project 2025 and the America First agenda. They are strongly against LGBTQ and transgender rights (as of today, transgender Americans will be removed from the military - even those who have achieved stellar feats in defense of our country) and there's an almost eerie The Handmaids' Tale feel to their attitude towards women. The Trump administration, for instance, has declared that no scientific grants will now be given to proposals containing the words “woman” or “female.” It's a strange interpretation of the New Testament in which men subjugating women is deemed a teaching of Jesus, but here we are. There's a proposed Senate Resolution 7 that says the following: “Whereas health care for women should also address the needs of men, families, and communities as they relate to women's healthcare.” The SAVE ACT would make it harder for most married women to vote, and Christian Nationalist ministers claim that women should no longer be allowed to vote at all.I don't mean to be a downer, and I'm sorry to put depressing news into your inbox. But Americans have an unfortunate tendency to ignore a problem until it's right up in our face, at which point people yell “Why didn't anyone tell me about this?!!? when in fact the problem had been only six inches from their nose for a very long time. The time to be aware of all this is now, and awareness is everything. Just knowing about these things gives you power. They become part of your conversation when something needs to be said, whether at a dinner table or on a social media post or with the power of your ballot. Today, a lot of things need to be said.As long as we're a passionately alert citizenry that isn't having any of this stuff imposed on us and enforced by law, we'll be okay. But we're already behind the 8 ball, obviously. At this point each and every one of us has to be awake to what's happening, ready to push back on any efforts to narrow the definition of what it means to be a “real” American. Christian Nationalists seem to have Trump in their pocket, but they don't have to have you or me. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Nothing is more core to American democracy than freedom. The freedom to do, to be, to say, to dream, to create, to work, to play, to speak privately, to speak publicly, to basically do anything we darn well please as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. That is the richness and the glory of this country. People have fought, people have struggled, and people have died so that that ideal could be protected and its franchise expanded. It is beyond comprehension to me that there are those who would now limit that freedom. Who'd unabashedly use the powers of the government not in a way to protect our freedom but to diminish it. Yet that is exactly what is happening, and it's our generation's task to protect that freedom from their assault, no differently than other generations have been called to do before us.Perhaps someone should remind the modern GOP of these words spoken by Ronald Reagan:Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.I've been a professional lecturer for over forty years, invited to speak at churches, universities, hospitals, Presidential libraries, and so forth. Never in a million years did I think that here the United States one of those places would have to get permission from the government before inviting me. Like, what is going on here? Except we know what is going on here. The Carter Center was told that from now on they will have to run all programming by the National Archives before scheduling. The Kennedy Center the same. And there is more. Apparently, Washington wants to run everything now. Yet the Save Act is even scarier, though at a certain point this isn't a matter of degree. This absurd proposed Congressional legislation, under the guise of protecting the integrity of our elections, would demand that a married woman who had changed her name would have to present proof of her citizenship at birth. An actual barrier to voting for the roughly 69 million married women in the United States who have changed their names? Absolutely not. But a damnable inconvenience and serious hurdle for many? Absolutely yes. And let's make no mistake about it. This is part of a larger project undertaken by some people with very old-fashioned views about the rights of women, now empowered by the new administration. I'll have more to say about that soon.So here we are. We mustn't allow ourselves to make excuses for any of this. It will become a slippery slope, if we acquiesce to any of it. Just like many people thought they'd never take away Roe v. Wade, well they did. Don't kid yourself. These people are on the march.They're counting on us to get tired, to find the whole thing too mentally exhausting, to ultimately be okay with their encroachment on our freedoms. I don't know about you, but no matter how tired I get, I'll never be too tired to say “Hell No” to that. It's our duty as Americans to honor and protect our freedom, even when others don't. We'll hold the torch high until this chapter has passed. And I know in my heart that it will. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Today I joined my friend author Daniel Pinchbeck for a Substack Live about the critical moment we're living through.I'm not sure any dialogue about current events is exactly enjoyable right now, but digging deep into what's happening is important. I hope you feel we did that.Here's the video, and paid subscribers will receive the transcript within the next couple of days.xMW This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

As I mention in the video, I haven't heard Musk deny that he's taken on a dictatorial role. I think his strategy is to so convince us what a wonderful job he's doing, that we will gladly give him that role. And many millions are going along.I know. It's bonkers. But right now bonkers is fact.I think their plan is a Dictator-and-King dual leadership thing here, silly and preposterous yes, but the imagery is still dangerous. The U.S. Constitution was written specifically to make sure that neither of those would ever happen here, and right now the Constitution is on fire.Hyperbole, you think? Should I be a good girl and say things a little more, oh, I don't know, academically, with less emotion perhaps? Someone responded to me on social media by asking whether I'm auditioning for a Soap Opera. My point is that we're already in one, but it's so much worse than that. It's real.Okay, so enough with the bad news. We get it. Now, as they say in AA, let's “get into the solution.” A principle of political non-violence is to educate ourselves about the problem. In fact, if more American children had been educated about American history, civics and government over the last few decades, I don't think we'd be where we are. It's astonishing the amount of sheer ignorance of our Constitutional system (I DID NOT SAY STUPIDITY) that permeates the public conversation today. People are more vulnerable to lies when no one bothered to teach us the truth. Also as I mention in the video, allegiance to the U.S. Constitution should not be a Left-Right issue. There's no way we're going to override the danger of this moment unless we're willing to come out of our silos. No point identifying with only this group or that; that's what has turned us into the Disunited States of America. It has weakened us. Rather, identify with the United States of America. With our Constitution. With the principle of rule by law. With adherence to the idea of three co-equal branches of government. With the idea that no man is above the law. With the idea of a government of, by and for the people. Embrace what you want, and when enough of us do that then all the rest will fall away. It's a struggle, yes, but that's the reality of our lives right now. On some level we were born for this. And in my heart I believe that we're ready to take it on. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Denial doesn't serve us right now. Our government is in the middle of a hostile takeover, and we probably have limited time in which to seriously push back. Many of the institutions which would normally have protected us have either fallen or are falling.It's all in the hands of We the People now.We are the most powerful bulwark against the dictatorship lite now proffered by the man/boy geniuses in charge. Our power lies first and foremost in our educated understanding of what's happening. We will turn that understanding into patriotic, devoted action. And with our actions, however small and however large - from a social media post to a constituent call to a protest - we will interrupt the assault that so threatens our country's freedom.I hope my little Firelight Chats are of value to you. In this video, among other things I discuss Hungary's descent into dictatorship . If ever there was a time to read up, it's now. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

I went on RISING this morning and got into a tête-a-tête with Robby about Musk and his current rampage through our governmental agencies. To hear Musk tell it, of course, he's just making things more efficient!You don't feed a hungry child because it's efficient, however; you feed a hungry child because it's the right thing to do. Getting rid of government bloat is a good thing, of course, but Musk and his group of computer nerds aren't just cutting the fact. They're cutting the bone. They're rushing into government agencies about which they know nothing, asking no one anything about it, and simply deleting programs at will in the space of a few hours. Sometimes they delete a whole agency! There's a complete absence of democratic, deliberative, Constitutional process here. Congress created those agencies, all of them are overseen by Inspectors General who were fired almost immediately when Trump took office.Don't kid yourself, anyone. As I said to Robby, this has little to do with fighting corruption. The corruption lies with insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, Big Oil, military contractors and the rest of the corporate behemoth by which DC is legally and not-so-legally bribed each day. If you really wanted to fight corruption, you'd go there. What's happening, unfortunately, is right out of the autocrat's handbook. The Trump/Musk administration has a sinister goal in all this: convincing people that democracy doesn't work, so you may as well give up on it. They - and they only - could do a much better job.The lure of autocracy can be very cunning. Don't buy it, of course. This is tyranny masquerading as efficiency, and gaslighting as a political technique. What's going on here is a power grab and an authoritarian maneuver. Stay awake. Hold on. This country belongs to us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

During the 2020 Presidential election, I frequently mentioned that there were 11 states that didn't require even half a year of public schooling in American history, government or civics. At this point, I don't know how many there are. But I know many millions of Americans now seem ignorant of how our government functions, and don't seem too bothered by the idea that our democracy could go away. If no one teaches you about the Bill of Rights in the seventh grade, how can you be expected to be horrified thirty years later is someone is trying to do away with it it? People's almost giddy embrace of a situation in which a few guys go in and destroy whatever part of our government they feel like destroying that day, is definitely a sign that someone either 1) has no idea how a democracy functions, or 2) is done with it and wants to burn it all down. They also seem quite unaware of how an authoritarian takeover might affect their own lives. The anger people feel about the unfairness of our system is justified, don't get me wrong. But the brilliantly evil deflection that's occurring - turning people against the federal workforce, for God's sake - is a sign that some serious liars are playing with the national psyche. I have two relatives, one a doctor and one an oceanographer, who are genuinely heartbroken that the good work they were doing for their country has now been put on hold. Multiply them by tens of thousands of other civil servants now vilified by people convinced that such “faceless bureaucrats” are the source of their problems. Really…? Medical researchers are the source of our problems? People who feed starving children are the source of our problems? People who monitor fisheries are the source of our problems? People who dispense education grants are the source of our problems? I think not. “But Marianne,” I'm told, “There's so much fraud and abuse!” Which is why Congress created the role of Inspectors General, people responsible for preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in key government agencies like Defense, State, and Labor. Trump removed 18 of those watchdog officials as soon as he got into office.All of this was planned. So… I hope my videos are keeping you company in this darkened hour. I mention a few books in the video (Strongmen, How Democracies Die, and Tyranny) as well as an excellent Kara Swisher Podcast that I think encapsulates what's going on quite well. It's all going to be okay, you know. Long term, this is going to make us better people and a better country. I just feel that. The short and middle term will probably be rough - it already is - but I'm betting on us to rise, to be courageous, and to save our democracy. Nothing less is at stake.I have faith in us, and I have faith in God. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

My topic today is giantism.A group led by Elon Musk offered $97.4 BILLION today to buy Open AI. Let that sink in for a moment, if you will. $97.4 BILLION.To give you some perspective, a billion people on this planet live on less than a dollar a day.Elon Musk already has access to US government computer systems - and the ones he doesn't have yet, he apparently will soon. As owner of X, he controls one of the largest communications platforms in the world. If he's able to buy Open AI, he would undoubtedly be the most powerful man on the planet.We should think very deeply about what it would mean for any one human being to control so much, to so heavily influence so many people's lives. Our world is moving with hyper speed, and we're not in the cultural habit of thinking anywhere near deeply enough about what we're doing and where we're going.That kind of carelessness and lack of forethought over the last fifty years greatly explains how we got to where we are. Right now, in this moment, let's not just go quickly. Let's think deeply. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

There's a difference between negative denial and positive denial. Negative denial is when you put your head in the sand and pretend something's not happening. Positive denial is when you say, “Oh I see what's happening, but I deny its power over me.”Power doesn't lie in looking away from a negative phenomenon such as … oh I don't know, let's say the authoritarian takeover of the United States. Power lies in looking right through it to the other side, with absolute conviction that this will not stand because you say so. It's important to remember: the most powerful role in a democracy is the role of citizen. We don't work for our government; our government works for us. Over the last few decades, many Americans have been mentally trained into a state of learned powerless. We've become mere observers to our own demise, trained to expect too little while the public realm has been raped and pillaged by the most powerful forces among us. Now that has gone from a rolling emergency to a screaming emergency, and millions of Americans are seeing it, processing what's happening, and trying to figure out what's demanded of us now.What we need more than anything else is conviction and courage. If you read or hear a lie, print or say the truth. Read up on things so you'll know what you're talking about. And don't be rolled over. Settle in for the ride. This is a marathon, not a sprint. I do think there will be a “new birth of freedom” that emerges from all this, but not immediately. Just don't let yourself spiral down. Above all, take heart. There are millions and millions and millions of us who absolutely will not stand for this. Know you are not alone. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Panic is setting in as people realize how locked up things are.From the Supreme Court to the House of Representatives to the Senate to the White House - and let's not forget the fourth branch of our government, Elon Musk - the odds are not in favor of our democracy's survival. The full scale assault, coup, whatever words we want to use for it is well underway. There is only one option, but fortunately it's a good one. In the words of A Course in Miracles, ‘There is no order of difficulty in miracles.”What does that mean, exactly? It means that as thoughts change, the effects of our thoughts will change. The world is simply a reflection of our thoughts. That's why Einstein said we wouldn't solve the problems of the world from the level of thinking we were at when we created them. We're not getting out of this mess - we won't be able to change our circumstances - unless and until we ourselves are willing to change the nature of our thinking.There's a saying in AA that every problem comes bearing its own solution. That principle is very much evident now. The arrogant, elitist, smug, amoral, self important shrine to Western materialism that is America's political establishment now finds itself powerless before the might of a political strongman and the movement he created. Without a moral center, you're reduced to either acquiescing to a devil, or you throw cotton balls at him and expect him to be scared. There's really only one place to go at this point, and it turns out to be a place where, had we been there to begin with, none of this would have ever happened.Our strength now lies in admitting to ourselves that we don't in fact have all the answers. Yet there is something in us that does. Such a concept is foreign to the traditional thinker, but traditional thinking is what led us here. To the spiritual among us, our Founders claiming a “firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence” was not mere symbol. Those men didn't deal in symbols. They were dealing with revolution. And so must we: nonviolent revolution, as in Gandhi and King.In the words of President John F. Kennedy, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.” He was talking to the ages then.Now he's talking to us. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

With President Trump's transition team already moving into high gear, people are processing the tremendous changes - and what many fear would be tremendous chaos - that could result from his policies starting on Day One of the new administration. From threats of mass deportations, to legal action taken against his political enemies (I know, I know, “They did it to him, so…”), to militarizing the police response to legal protests, this country could be in for a very dramatic time just down the road.For those of us adamantly opposed to such policies, we need to move quickly in order to be prepared to adequately respond should they come to pass. Our processing needs to be smart, strategic, and courageous. And we need to understand what took us to this point in order to figure out what to do now…The audio above is from a radio interview I gave this morning on The Lisa Wexler Show airing on WICC in Connecticut. I hope you find it interesting. (There is one place where I misspoke. I said I had higher poll numbers at one point than other Democratic candidates, when I meant Republicans. I'm sure you'd realize that, but just in case).Onwards! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

Today I choose happinessThe circumstances of my life may go up and down. For the mortal world is changeable. The immortal world, however, is changeless. For there, there is only love. I build my house on the rock of the immortal world. Today I choose only immortal thoughts. I extend my perception beyond what my senses perceive to what my heart knows to be true. I withdraw my belief that I need anyone or anything to be other than what they are in order for me to be secure. I know that whenever fear expresses itself, love will ultimately prevail. Therefore, I need not fear, nor cry, nor despair to the extent to which I see what is truly true I see only cause for happiness. Happiness is the choice I make today, it does not rest on my circumstances, but on my frame of mind. I surrender to God any emotional habits that lead me down the path of unhappiness and pray for guidance in shifting my thoughts, in cultivating the habits of happiness, I attract the people and situations that match its frequency. I smile more often, give praise more often, give thanks more often, and I'm glad more often for such is my choice.Today I choose happiness This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

For those of you who missed my conversation with Matt Taibbi yesterday, here it is. Matt's one of my favorite people, and our dialog felt mischievous and fun.Thank you Yuri Bezmenov, UndeadFOIA, Josh Kearns, Jayden Levitt, Corey Smith, and many others for tuning into my live video with Matt Taibbi! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe

With the election less than two weeks away my main emotion around it is sad, more than anything else. I've been shocked by how many people have told me they'd prefer not to even vote. They will, of course, because it's our duty…but I understand why they feel that way. Something just seems wrong about the whole damn thing.I've heard smart people make the case for each of the candidates. I'm voting for Kamala, but I've seen too much and been through too much to be judging anyone for whatever choice they're making. Each of us needs to vote our conscience, and for me my highest priority is blocking Trump from a second term. There are many reasons, of course, and what he has done to the Supreme Court alone is enough for me. The court is now a rogue court firmly in the hands of the most corporatist forces, and that was his doing. The greater changes we need will not be effectuated by either party as they exist right now, however. We need to get through this election, and then the greater work will begin…Today I did a Substack dialogue with fellow Substacker Matt Taibbi, centered mainly around the extraordinary article based on his talk at the Rescue the Republic Rally. I have profound admiration for Taibbi, and that writing to me is like our generation's equivalent of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. There's not one paragraph that doesn't scream out the truth to me. I bet you'll agree!I think my conversation with Matt will be posted here tomorrow. Thanks to all of you who care. I'm very interested in your thoughts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.transformarticles.com/subscribe