Michael Beckwith & Rickie Byars-Beckwith - You Gotta Have Soul

Soul! We love things that have it. We all like to think we've got it. But try describing precisely what soul is, and you might just find it difficult to pin down. Even the mere attempt to quantify its indefinable qualities might be viewed as, well, un-soulful. So prepare yourself for a very cool surprise. This wildly imaginative and outrageous conversation about soul, what it is, and what it means to have it, is so heartfelt and profound, one could say it actually has soul!

This exclusive interview features EnlightenNext founder Andrew Cohen, together with Michael Beckwith (founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center) and Rickie Byars-Beckwith (singer, composer, and Agape music director) in their unbridled exploration of the nature of soul. They spontaneously conjure up new pathways, possibilities, and creative connections linking the most fundamental aspect of our humanity—the soul—with its most meaningful expression in real time: having soul. If there was ever any question about it, this interview establishes once and for all that the sincerest spiritual inquiry is also a deeply soulful endeavor.

BIO

Michael Bernard Beckwith is a world leader and teacher in the New Thought–Ancient Wisdom tradition of spirituality. He is the founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center, cofounder of the Association for Global New Thought, and the Season for Nonviolence, which are extensions of his vision of one human family united on a foundation of peace, based on the spiritual origin of every man, woman, and child.

In 1986 Dr. Beckwith founded the Agape International Spiritual Center, a transdenominational community which today counts a membership of 9,000 devoted to the study and practice of New Thought–Ancient Wisdom. Agape's outreach programs feed the homeless, serve incarcerated individuals and their families, advocate the preservation of the planet's environmental resources, and globally build and support orphanages whose children have survived the ravages of war and AIDS.

Dr. Beckwith's renown as a harbinger of the world's quest for peace has drawn into his visionary orbit those whose names are synonymous with this goal. Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas K. Gandhi, shares with Dr. Beckwith the national co-directorship of A Season for Nonviolence. SNV promotes and teaches the principles of nonviolence embodied by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and is endorsed by UNESCO on behalf of its Culture of Peace and Nonviolence Appeal by Nobel Peace laureates. Other notable supporters include Dr. C.T. Vivian, Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne of Sri Lanka, His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet, Coretta Scott King, and Dr. Robert Muller.

As cofounder and president of the Association for Global New Thought, Dr. Beckwith stands, along with other co-creative leaders, members, and friends, at the threshold of an evolutionary leap that dares to call an end to human suffering. As its voice, Dr. Beckwith guides activities such as AGNT's annual Awakened World Conference, bringing together scientists, sociologists, spiritual leaders, economists, and international forecasters—individuals with proven track records in guiding humanity to its highest potential.

Dr. Beckwith teaches meditation, scientific prayer, and speaks at conferences and seminars. He is the originator of the Life Visioning Process, a time-tested technique offering its practitioners a method for putting a stop to being a passive tourist in one's life. He is author of Inspirations of the Heart (currently nominated as a finalist for the Nautilus Book Award), Forty Day Mind Fast Soul Feast, A Manifesto of Peace, and Living from the Overflow.

Rickie Byars-Beckwith, a prolific composer, singer, performer, and music director, is widely known as an intuitive channel of healing music. Rickie's unique talents have brought her acclaim as a pioneer in spiritual music and have earned her an honorary doctorate of music and numerous awards.

Raised in Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia, Rickie emerged early as a unique, multifaceted musical talent learning from choir directors in the segregated school systems of the South. The radio music of the 60's and 70's—especially the sounds of Motown, Memphis, and Liverpool—helped form the foundation of her style. Her rich beginnings in gospel and rhythm and blues were augmented by her studies at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, where she first started composing songs. In New York, she continued to mature as an artist, working as a lead singer with the Pharaoh Sanders Ensemble, Roland Hanna and the New York Jazz Quartet, Howard Johnson, and many others. Billboard magazine lauded her professional recordings, especially the originality of her musical style.

Journeying to California, Rickie continued to discover her own voice while performing in many popular venues throughout the city of Los Angeles. In 1988, she began attending the Agape International Spiritual Center, where the teachings of New Thought-Ancient Wisdom deepened and evolved her music into a whole new realm. Recognizing Rickie's talents and expanding spiritual understanding, Dr. Michael Beckwith, founder and spiritual director of Agape, asked her to form a choir for a special holiday presentation. This 30-voice ensemble grew into the 200-plus voices of the Agape International Choir, which, under Rickie's inspired leadership, is the core of Agape's music ministry.

Together Drs. Michael and Rickie have written lyrics and music performed by the Agape Choir in concert venues worldwide. Always in demand, their performances inspire peace and goodwill in the global community, using the universal language of music. Their collaboration, known the world over as the “Sound of Agape,” heals the body, mind, and heart.

Rickie B.B. (as she is affectionately known) is a multifaceted talent who delivers a dynamic concert as easily as she can facilitate a workshop or a retreat. She has co-facilitated six women's retreats, most recently with esteemed author and spiritual leader Mary Manin Morrissey. She has performed with the Agape Choir at the United Nations and the Lincoln Center in New York, at the Synthesis Dialogues in Rome, and in audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona, Spain.