Bölümler

  • Neil Theise is a professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Through his scientific research, he has been a pioneer of adult stem cell plasticity and the anatomy of the human interstitium. Dr. Theise’s studies in complexity theory have led to interdisciplinary collaborations in fields such as integrative medicine, consciousness studies, and science-religion dialogue. He is a senior Zen student at the Village Zendo in NYC. His life long Jewish practice has involved both traditional observances and formal academic study. In recent years, (to his surprise) he has also undergone shamanic initiation.

    Books: 

    General Audience:

    Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being


    Of academic interest:

    Awakening: Exploring Spirituality, Emergent Creativity, and Reconciliation
    Transforming: Applying Spirituality, Emergent Creativity, and Reconciliation



    Website: neiltheiseofficial.com

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Interview recorded March 9, 2024

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

  • Kimberley Theresa Lafferty is a seasoned teacher-practitioner specializing in constructive adult developmental psychology and Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. She completed over 12 years of intensive Indo Tibetan study including the required retreats. She leads both open and advanced adult educational cohorts aligning developmental psychology and Buddhist theory. Kimberley co-leads, with Terri O’Fallon, the penultimate Minds I year-long developmental course of Stages International. She is an active Board member for the Association for Spiritual Integrity. Kimberley is also a householder as a wife and mother, living in a remote valley of the North Cascades of North America which deeply impacts her worldview and practice.

    Website: The Confluence Experience | Making sense of what doesn't make sense

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

    Summary and Transcript of this interview

    Interview recorded February 10, 2024

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

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  • After receiving his doctorate in the sensory neurosciences from The Ohio State University, Bob Davis, Ph.D., served as a professor for the State University of New York for over thirty years, where he conducted research in the behavioral and neurosensory sciences, taught, and held many high-level administrative roles. He published his research in over 60 articles in scholarly journals, and presented numerous lectures worldwide, which included invited lectures at Harvard, Cambridge, and Peking University. Bob was also awarded numerous grants by the National Science Foundation and The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to conduct research in sensory neuroscience.

    Following retirement, Bob published several articles in the Journal of Scientific Exploration and Edge Science and presented lectures at national and international conferences on consciousness, spiritually transformative experiences, and unidentified aerial phenomena. Bob has also published three highly popular books:

    The UFO Phenomenon: Should I Believe?
    Life after Death: An Analysis of the Evidence, and,
    Unseen Forces: The Integration of Science, Reality and You.

    More recently, he has turned his recent book, Unseen Forces, into a planned documentary entitled - The Consciousness Connection - with Emmy Award winner Dave Beaty of Dreamtime Entertainment and Wilson Hawthorne of Eyeland Telemedia.

    Website: bobdavisspeaks.com
    Bob Davis is an administrator of the Facebook Site called: The Consciousness Connection Facebook group.
    Bob's email
    Bob says, "If you'd like to learn more about the film project or consciousness in general, please subscribe to the Consciousness Connection YouTube channel.

    Summary and Transcript of this interview

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Interview recorded February 3, 2024.

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

  • Brad Laughlin is the author of Living with Enlightenment—A Journey of Love, which is about his 25-year life-partnership with Leslie Temple-Thurston, a teacher of enlightenment, and the profound spiritual transformation he experienced. With Leslie, he is co-author of two books, The Marriage of Spirit—Enlightened Living in Today’s World and Returning to Oneness—The Seven Keys of Ascension.

    Brad is dedicated to finding innovative ways of helping people to awaken spiritually and to find love, joy and inspiration during these times of great change. Using ancient Truth teachings, yogic practices and spiritual psychology, he offers simple yet powerful practices for dissolving old, limiting ego structures that keep us trapped in negativity, pain and fear. Brad’s transformative events are based on the principles of integration and unity consciousness, which help us to know our own inner Divinity—who we truly are.

    Brad and Leslie are co-founders of the nonprofits, CoreLight.org and Seeds of Light.org, CoreLight’s humanitarian arm, serving marginalized communities and AIDS orphans in South Africa. Brad has a bachelor’s degree from Duke University. He is an American by birth, considers himself a global citizen and lives in both South Africa and the United States.

    Anna Breytenbach is an internationally acclaimed professional interspecies communicator with over 20 years’ experience. Native to South Africa and currently based in Europe, she mentors and consults globally. Her focus is exclusively with wild places and beings, facilitating peaceful interventions and greater understanding. This includes predator research, wilderness protection, anti-poaching assistance, reforestation initiatives, wildlife management and rehabilitation. She is currently taking a sabbatical from her usual teaching and public appearances to write a book.

    Anna’s passion is raising awareness and advancing the relationships among human and nonhuman animals, on both the personal and spiritual levels. Her work is the subject of the documentary movie "The Animal Communicator”, watched by tens of millions of people (and a few of their pets), available on YouTube.

    Anna's website: The Animal Communicator | AnimalSpirit
    YouTube Channel
    Anna's first BatGap interview

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Summary and transcript of this interview

    Interview recorded January 28, 2024

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

  • Swami Medhananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order and an academic philosopher, currently serving as Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy at the Vedanta Society of Southern California in Hollywood. He is also the Hindu Chaplain at both UCLA and the University of Southern California. He is Section Editor for the International Journal of Hindu Studies (Springer), overseeing submissions in Hindu and Cross-Cultural Philosophy of Religion. From 2010 to 2021, he was Associate Professor and Head of the Program in Philosophy at the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute in Belur Math, West Bengal. He received his PhD in 2009 from the University of California at Berkeley, where he specialized in German aesthetics. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2006–7) and a Visiting Student at Oxford University (2000–1). His current research focuses on global philosophy of religion, the epistemology of mystical experience, cosmopsychism, Indian scriptural hermeneutics, and Vedāntic philosophical traditions, especially the philosophies of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Sri Aurobindo.

    He is the author of three books: Swami Vivekananda’s Vedāntic Cosmopolitanism (Oxford University Press, 2022), Infinite Paths to Infinite Reality: Sri Ramakrishna and Cross-Cultural Philosophy of Religion (Oxford University Press, 2018), and The Dialectics of Aesthetic Agency: Revaluating German Aesthetics from Kant to Adorno (Bloomsbury, 2013). He is the editor of The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Vedānta (2020) and co-editor, with Benedikt Paul Göcke, of Panentheism in Indian and Western Thought: Cosmopolitan Interventions (Routledge, 2023). He is also the editor of two special issues of the International Journal of Hindu Studies, one on “Swami Vivekananda as a Cosmopolitan Thinker” (2023) and one on “Vedāntic Theodicies” (2021). He has published over thirty articles in leading academic journals.

    He is currently working on two book projects: Karma and Rebirth in Hinduism (Cambridge University Press, under contract) and An All-Embracing Oneness: Sri Aurobindo’s Integral Advaita and the Legacy of Sri Ramakrishna (Oxford University Press, under contract).

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Summary and transcript of this interview.

    Interview recorded January 22, 2024.

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

  • David Doyle lives on the water in the island city of Alameda in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, their teenage son, and Merlin, a rambunctious Rat Terrier. At an early age he set upon a spiritual path and soon put down the books and turned inward. David’s path has been by most standards a very traditional inner practice, starting with Hatha Yoga and quickly moving to Raja Yoga. Meditation was his main practice, with asanas as an adjunct to meditation.

    Early on in his spiritual practice a teacher said that if you master the basics of yoga, and if you practice in earnest, all will unfold – everything you need will come to you. David took this to heart, beginning a life-long practice that for the most part was a solitary journey.

    At 20 years old his third eye opened in a dramatic unfolding, and from there came the never-ending gift of insight and abilities including: clairvoyance, clairsentience, clairaudience, precognition, telepathy and more.

    Some years later David joined the Berkeley Psychic Institute during its heyday and befriended the founder, Dr. Lewis S Bostwick, whom he considers to be his first great spiritual teacher, and friend. He spent over a decade with this group and at its many (at the time) institutes and thousands of students and teachers.

    In 2012, David came to an abiding awakening, and since that time, many changes have taken place in an ongoing process of daily and weekly energetic and auspicious unfoldings, many of which have left him nearly incapacitated.

    Since awakening, David has also become an adept Qi Gong Master under the guidance of Grand Master Shi Yong Yao, formerly an elite teacher-monk at the Northern Shaolin Temple in China. Additionally, many siddhis have developed as byproducts along The Way as well as a massive kundalini awakening and other extraordinary happenings.

    Now, with ten years having passed since awakening, David is ready to share experiences from his fifty+ year journey with a wider audience. He created Monk with Family, a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to the householder, but inclusive of anyone for whom The Way is their life’s focus. David leads a weekly Satsang open to all those interested, and is available for speaking engagements and other spiritual events.

    David A. Doyle: Inventor, entrepreneur, manufacturer, publisher, sailor, skier, burning man (burner), householder.

    Founder: Monk with Family Website

    Founding member of Shaolin Master Qi Gong, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to sharing the teachings of Master Yao. David is registered in China as the: Deputy Director of the U.S. Regional Department of Shaolin Fohanmen.

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Interview recorded December 30, 2023

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

  • After dying of a heart attack on the doorstep of a hospital in 2006 and being brought back to life, Mary knew it was time to write about her lifetime of astonishing mystical experiences which began with a visitation from the mystic Jesus in 1984 during a defining life crisis. It was then that Jesus spoke seven revelations: on forgiveness, judgment, the bible, weight problems, disease, aging and the ego.

    A few years later in 1986 Mary met a monk who initiated her into deeper states of consciousness and in 1988 she experienced the highest state of awareness, self-realization, and received the message that divinity awaits all mankind. A few months following her transformative experience of self-realization, Mary was given a spontaneous experience of her own death while meditating on a bench inside a lobby where she worked at MIT. From that moment she no longer feared death.

    A number of years later during a health challenge Mary had a experience of nature’s healing law of “like cures like” after being introduced to the consciousness-based system of homeopathic medicine, resolving areas in her consciousness that held the root of disease brought on by traumatic events in her early years.

    She enjoys lecturing on these topics and sharing the truth of our divinity and letting go of the false notion of death by embracing our eternal nature. She shares how consciousness is all and why it is so important to embrace consciousness-based medicine to heal our physical, emotional and mental bodies by restoring our consciousness to harmony. As humanity awakens to itself through the upheavals of our times, this book will serve as a testimony to what is possible for humanity as the old paradigms fall away and new paradigms arise.

    This book will bring comfort to the seeker who wants to know their true Self and to answer the questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Does death truly exist? Is self-realization truly possible? If you want to connect with Mary personally, please consider booking a Conversation with Mary.

    Website: Mary Terhune | Awakening Now To Our Higher Consciousness

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Summary and transcript of this interview

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


    YouTube Video Chapters:


    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump interview with Mary Terhune
    00:04:14 - The Mystical Encounter at the Window
    00:08:23 - Inner Awakening and Forgiveness
    00:11:04 - Past Lives and Spiritual Path
    00:14:19 - The Misuse of Mystics' Words in the Bible
    00:18:37 - The Impact of Stuck Emotions on Health and Disease
    00:23:30 - The Experience of Love and Envy
    00:26:48 - Seeking a Context for Enlightenment
    00:30:05 - The Awakening and Reunion
    00:34:24 - Meeting the Monk and the Path of Love
    00:37:38 - Clearing Out Karmic Relationships
    00:42:02 - Being Nourished by the Light
    00:45:33 - Kundalini Awakening and Divine Realization
    00:47:34 - Reclaiming our divinity
    00:50:09 - The Natural State of Being
    00:54:41 - Agony of Separation and the State of Bliss
    00:59:25 - Out-of-body experience and return to the physical body
    01:04:10 - The Veil Between Here and There
    01:08:12 - The End of Experience after Realizing Brahman
    01:12:10 - The State of Divinity and the Space Between Thoughts
    01:14:30 - Living in the World, but Not of the World
    01:17:52 - The Death of the Egoic Structure
    01:20:51 - Near-Death Experience and Miraculous Recovery
    01:24:38 - Seeking a Spiritual Teacher
    01:27:34 - Interacting from a State of Oneness
    01:30:53 - Turia: A Continuum of Consciousness
    01:35:27 - Uncovering the Mother Loss
    01:40:03 - Healing with Homeopathic Medicine
    01:44:04 - The History and Suppression of Homeopathic Medicine
    01:47:57 - The Precipice of Something Huge
    01:51:06 - Farewell and Gratitude

  • Scott Hiegel lives in La Quinta, CA and runs a business consulting and investment banking business called Solquest. He has a BBA from the University of Wisconsin and an MBA from UCLA. He’s been a former CPA, CFA, Vice President of Corporate Finance, and entrepreneur.

    He enjoys writing and talking about his experiences with Kundalini, and his lifelong roller coaster and, at times, perilous search for inner peace, the Divine, Love, and higher consciousness. Through speaking, outreach, film, poetry, and other creative expression, his goal is to entertain and inform people about the gifts and profound importance of Gopi Krishna's work, Kundalini, higher states of consciousness, and Love. Scott has written two books:

    "Reaching Heaven on Earth: A Soul’s Journey Home", in which he shares his personal story and mystical poetry, and
    "Love’s Design: Reaching Heaven on Earth", which he co-authored with Christopher Wrigley. In this book they share their unique expressions of love, hope, and knowledge through an exchange of 12 poetic verses.

    Scott's interests include visiting museums and historical sites, traveling, listening to holiday music and oldies, and watching movies. He enjoys sports, hiking, and attending 12-step meetings. He loves reading books about spirituality and the inspirational people who have helped make the world a better place.

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Interview recorded November 18, 2023.

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


    YouTube Video Chapters:


    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
    00:04:49 - Regular People with Extraordinary Potential
    00:09:04 - Enlightenment and Inner Fulfillment
    00:12:45 - Childhood Dreams and Shyness
    00:18:32 - Descending into Hell, Exile to the Desert, and the Dark Night of the Soul
    00:21:42 - Surrender and Transformation
    00:25:13 - Letting go of Attachment to Achieve Spiritual Progress
    00:29:34 - Working Hard Spiritually
    00:34:42 - The Inner Voice and Purity of the Body
    00:39:42 - The Law of Evolution and the Path of Healthy Evolution
    00:43:27 - The Awakening and Transformation
    00:47:34 - Purifying Energy and Spiritual Practices
    00:50:25 - Spiritual and Paranormal Experiences
    00:54:17 - Time and Space Disappear
    00:57:11 - Unfolding of Latent Faculties and Spiritual Experiences
    01:02:00 - Connecting through Vulnerability
    01:05:10 - "Living with Kundalini, the Autobiography of Gopi Krishna" discovery
    01:09:31 - Distorted Evolution and the Need for Change
    01:13:46 - Societal Collapse and the Evolution of Consciousness
    01:17:47 - The New Science of Consciousness Evolution
    01:21:37 - Exploring Higher Levels of Beauty and Consciousness
    01:24:49 - The Vastness of the Universe
    01:30:36 - The Power of Consciousness On the Next State of Consciousness
    01:34:31 - The Shift in the Perception of the Universe
    01:38:28 - The Influence of Spielberg and Lucas
    01:42:40 - Joy and Connection with Others
    01:45:30 - Titanic Presence and Deeper Connection to Inner Voice
    01:49:32 - Eagle with a Thousand Heads
    01:53:49 - Expanding Consciousness and Freedom from Fear
    01:56:40 - Quotes on Love and Fulfillment
    01:59:52 - Starting the tasks

  • Dr. Yvonne Kason MD, MEd, CCFP, FCFP, is the President and Co-Founder of Spiritual Awakenings International and the Past-President of IANDS (2019-2020). Dr. Kason is the person who in 1994 first coined the phrase “Spiritually Transformative Experiences” or “STEs”. She is also the Group-Leader and Co-Founder of Toronto Awakenings Sharing Group.

    Dr. Kason has had 5 Near-Death Experiences (NDEs), 2 in her childhood and 3 in her adult life, as well as multiple Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs) of many kinds. Dr. Kason is a retired family physician and MD-psychotherapist, previously on faculty at the University of Toronto, and an internationally renowned medical expert on NDEs, Kundalini Awakening, and other STEs.

    In 1990, Dr. Kason was the first Canadian medical doctor to specialize her medical practice in the research and counseling of patients with diverse types of STEs. She has over 40 years’ experience counseling STE Experiencers. She co-founded the Kundalini Research Network in 1990, was the Chair of the Kundalini Research Network’s Questionnaire research project, results published in Explore, July 2020. She co-founded the Spirituality in Health-Care Network in 2000.

    Dr. Kason has six published books, her most recent, Soul Lessons from the Light: How Spiritually Transformative Experiences Changed My Life (December 2022) and Touched by the Light: Exploring Spiritually Transformative Experiences (2019). She has made hundreds of professional presentations, has given scores of media interviews, and is in demand as a keynote speaker.

    Websites:

    dryvonnekason.com
    spiritualawakeningsinternational.org
    torontoawakenings.org

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

    Summary and transcript of this interview

    Interview recorded November 5, 2023

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


    YouTube Video Chapters:


    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
    00:02:58 - Yvonne's Near-death Experiences and Past Lives
    00:06:43 - Childhood Near-Death Experience and Flying
    00:10:37 - Near-Death Experience in a Car Accident
    00:14:50 - Seeing Ghosts and Near-Death Experiences
    00:18:44 - A Powerful Meditation Experience
    00:23:21 - Meeting Gopi Krishna and the Revelation of Kundalini Awakening
    00:27:39 - Different Experiences of Awakening
    00:31:57 - Psychiatric illnesses and spiritual awakening
    00:35:53 - Balanced Approach to Spiritual Awakening
    00:40:30 - The Harrowing Plane Crash Experience
    00:44:29 - The Voice's Guidance and Ignoring it
    00:49:06 - Experiencing Infinite Intelligence
    00:52:44 - The Miraculous Rescue
    00:56:28 - Transformative Aftereffects of a Near-Death Experience
    01:00:36 - Clairvoyant Experiences and the Truth-O-Meter
    01:04:37 - Advocate for Experiencers of Kundalini and Spiritual Transformation
    01:09:06 - Spiritual Awakenings International and the Global Awakening
    01:12:51 - The Concept of Peace and Harmony in Warfare and Defense
    01:15:55 - Judicious use of drugs in Kundalini awakening
    01:20:33 - Premonitions and Near-Death Experiences
    01:24:54 - A Benevolent Being in an Unusual Posture
    01:29:41 - The Shift in Spiritual Goals
    01:33:22 - Deepening and Exploring
    01:37:42 - Crossing Over and the Realm of Light
    01:41:23 - A Profound Awakening: Remembering Past Lives and Understanding Interconnectedness
    01:46:21 - Perceiving the Complexity of Time
    01:50:12 - A Miracle Healing Journey
    01:54:45 - Never give up hope
    01:58:00 - Collaborating with Beings for Reincarnation
    02:00:46 - Coughing Fits and Goodbyes

  • Professor Jem Bendell is a world-renowned scholar on the breakdown of modern societies due to environmental change. Downloaded over a million times, his Deep Adaptation paper is credited with inspiring the growth of the Extinction Rebellion movement in 2018, and created a global network of to reduce harm in the face of societal collapse. He completed his PhD at the University of Bristol and his Geography BA (Hons) at the University of Cambridge. For decades he worked on Sustainable Development as a researcher and NGO manager, as well as a consultant to businesses, political parties and UN agencies. One of his specialisms since 2011 is pro-social currency innovation, with his TEDx from that year explaining reasons for Bitcoin and similar. In 2017, he co-led the development of the UK Labour Party’s communications plan for the General Election and co-wrote speeches for their top politicians. Although recognised in 2012 as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, Jem has been increasingly critical of the globalist agenda on sustainable development. Away from that work, he is partner in an organic farm school in Bali (bekandze.net) and supports meditation retreats at the main Buddhist Temple on the island.

    Website: jembendell.com

    Books:

    Breaking Together: A Freedom-Loving Response to Collapse
    Deep Adaptation: Navigating the Realities of Climate Chaos
    Evolving Partnerships: A Guide to Working with Business for Greater Social Change
    Healing Capitalism: Five Years in the Life of Business, Finance and Corporate Responsibility 
    The Corporate Responsibility Movement: Five Years of Global Corporate Responsibility Analysis from Lifeworth, 2001-2005

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Summary and transcript of this interview

    Interview recorded October 28, 2023

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


    YouTube Video Chapters:


    00:00:00 - Introduction to Professor Jem Bandel
    00:03:58 - Introducing "Breaking Together" and its Hypothesis
    00:07:56 - The Shift in Collective Consciousness
    00:11:47 - The Importance of the Dark Night of the Soul
    00:15:32 - The IPCC's Desire for Consensus
    00:19:03 - Siloed Science and the Denial of Climate Change
    00:22:44 - A New Form, A New Identity Structure, A New Kind of Safety
    00:26:24 - Finding Inner Presence in Times of Chaos
    00:30:21 - Faith and the Sense of Time
    00:34:18 - The Catastrophic Risks of Climate Change
    00:38:04 - Climate Change and Public Dialogue
    00:41:35 - Debunking the Study on Free Will
    00:45:06 - The Importance of Ocean Health to Climate Change Awareness
    00:48:47 - Rejecting Activist Stunts and Embracing Community Preparedness
    00:53:20 - Indigenous Environmental Stewardship
    00:57:28 - Eternity and the Meaning of Life
    01:01:31 - A Vision for Freedom and Connection
    01:05:04 - Consciousness and Reincarnation
    01:08:40 - Collapse Acceptance and Joy
    01:12:30 - The Source of the Theory of Spiritual Awakening
    01:15:26 - The Possibility of Human Extinction
    01:18:54 - Examining Deep Stories and the Importance of Consciousness
    01:22:15 - Collective Consciousness and Spiritual Awakening
    01:26:14 - The Scientific Attitude and the Future of Human Society
    01:29:14 - Implications and Perspectives
    01:32:54 - Love Beyond Hope and Social Engagement as a Gift
    01:36:23 - The Cultural Breakthrough of the Beatles
    01:38:52 - Feeling Empathy for Others
    01:42:51 - Becoming Oceanic in Consciousness
    01:46:54 - The Meaning of Life and Personal Values
    01:50:05 - Conversation with Jem about his book

  • Ruth E. Kastner earned her M.S. in Physics and Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Maryland. Since that time, she has taught widely and conducted research in Foundations of Physics, particularly in interpretations of quantum theory. She was one of three winners of the 2021 Alumni Research Award at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is the author of 3 books: The Transactional Interpretation of Quantum Theory: The Reality of Possibility (Cambridge University Press, 2012; 2nd edition just published, 2022), Understanding Our Unseen Reality: Solving Quantum Riddles (Imperial College Press, 2015); and Adventures In Quantumland: Exploring Our Unseen Reality (World Scientific, 2019). She has presented talks and interviews throughout the world and in video recordings on the interpretational challenges of quantum theory, and has a blog at transactionalinterpretation.org. She is also a dedicated yoga practitioner and received her 200-Hour Yoga Alliance Instructor Certification in February, 2020.

    Website: ruthekastner.org

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Transcript and summary of this interview

    Interview recorded October 21, 2023.

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.



    YouTube Video Chapters:

    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
    00:04:03 - The Importance of Physical Fitness and Yoga
    00:08:00 - Discovering the Transactional Interpretation
    00:11:58 - The Connection between Consciousness and Spirituality
    00:16:28 - The Yin-Yang Nature of Quantum Theory
    00:21:50 - The Reality of Quantum Possibilities
    00:26:08 - The Blind Men and the Elephant
    00:29:38 - The Measurement Problem and Consciousness
    00:36:21 - The Orthodox Position on Dark Matter and Dark Energy
    00:41:10 - Events and the Illusion of Space-Time
    00:44:08 - The Analogy of Enlightenment and the Game of Life
    00:47:10 - The Shimmering Intelligence in Every Particle of Creation
    00:53:15 - Pathology and the Neglect of Yin
    00:55:34 - The Taboo of Passivity and Eastern Wisdom
    00:58:00 - The Debate on Free Will
    01:00:39 - The Ad hoc Nature of the Feynman Propagator
    01:01:21 - The Flatland Analogy
    01:04:48 - Mr. Flatland and the Sphere
    01:08:16 - The Controversy Surrounding the Term "Consciousness"
    01:11:50 - Volition and Symmetry Breaking in Nature
    01:15:01 - The Relationality of Charged Particles
    01:18:22 - Understanding outcomes in the transactional picture
    01:21:52 - Mastery over the Laws of Nature
    01:24:56 - The Holographic Principle and its Significance
    01:29:23 - Quantum Theory and the Physical World
    01:33:25 - The Power and Limitations of Physical Science
    01:43:30 - The Interconnectedness of String Theory
    01:49:12 - The Flow of Time and Phenomena
    01:54:24 - The Cosmos: Conscious Being or Product of Chance and Necessity

  • Jennifer Lisa Vest is a scientist, philosopher, and intuitive. She holds a PhD in Indigenous Philosophy from UC Berkeley, an MA in History from Howard, and a BA in Physics from Hampshire College. Her first career was as a philosophy professor at Seattle University and the University of Central Florida. Spiritually, Vest is a Medical Intuitive, an Akashic Records reader, a certified Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique practitioner, and a Master Reiki practitioner, and has been trained in the traditions of African American Hoodoo., Native American Sweatlodge, Jamaican Revivalism, Trinidadian Shango, and Spiritualism from community elders.

    Books:

    The Ethical Psychic: A Beginner's Guide to Healing with Integrity, Avoiding Unethical Encounters, and Using Your Gifts for Good
    Ancestor Count: Four Corner Poems (Philopoetics)

    Websites:

    drvestmedicalintuitive.com
    drjenniferlisavest.com

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Transcript and summary of this interview

    Interview recorded October 7, 2023.

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.



    YouTube Video Chapters:

    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
    00:05:40 - Childhood Experiences with Spirits and Mediumship
    00:10:31 - Helping Stuck Souls Cross Over
    00:15:33 - Simultaneous Lifetimes
    00:20:35 - The Unsustainability of Society and Potential Collapse
    00:25:43 - The Importance of Being of Service in Spiritual Work
    00:30:36 - Indigenous Apprenticeship Programs
    00:35:22 - Dangers of Pretending to be a Medicine Person
    00:40:16 - Preparing for an Altered State Experience
    00:44:59 - The Importance of Humility in Psychic Work
    00:49:40 - Importance of Humility and Sensitivity to Client Needs
    00:54:02 - Client Needs vs Practitioner's Perspective
    00:58:18 - Tapping into Higher Sources
    01:02:58 - The Vulnerability of Mediums
    01:07:54 - Risks of Mediumship and Channeling
    01:13:09 - Causes of Mental Illness in Indigenous Contexts
    01:18:04 - Financial Responsibility in the Spiritual Community
    01:22:57 - The Ethics of Charging for Healing Services
    01:27:42 - The Harm of Brutal Honesty
    01:32:28 - Ethics of Controlling Others with Magic
    01:37:21 - Ethical Use of Spiritual Gifts, Misuse of Spiritual Gifts and Sexual Energy
    01:42:12 - Spiritual Affair and its Consequences
    01:47:01 - Assisting Spirits in Crossing Over
    01:51:53 - Interference with Spirits
    01:56:44 - The Phenomenon of "Walk-Ins"
    02:01:31 - Choosing Teachers and Company
    02:06:24 - Examining Influences and Doing Emotional Work
    02:11:09 - The Harm of Inaccurate Readings and Lack of Compassion
    02:15:53 - Becoming a Hollow Bone & Living a Balanced Life
    02:20:43 - The Importance of Balance in Healing
    02:25:41 - Exploring the Connection between Quantum Physics and Spirituality

  • Bill Witherspoon is a life-long visual artist, serial entrepreneur, and lover of sky. In his six decades, living on and off in the High Steppe desert in southeastern Oregon, he has painted watercolor skies, practiced ancient art as spiritual discipline, and weathered that pristine geological expanse.

    As an artist, over the last four decades, Bill has mounted 40 one-man exhibitions of paintings, prints, and sculptures (1968 – 2020), in addition to desert public art projects. He is also the founder and Creative Director of The Sky Factory, a fine arts, digital technology, and cognitive science studio that designs and manufactures the world’s only research-verified virtual skylights—Luminous SkyCeilings and Luminous Virtual Windows.

    His first book, Enter Space—Stories from the High Desert, lays witness to a life surrounded by that rare, unsummoned vastness; one that those of us steeped in the ceaseless churn of urban life can now imagine living through the faithful record of the artist’s experience.

    Book: Enter Space: Stories from the High Desert
    Sri Yantra: The Oregon Desert Mystery FULL MOVIE
    Transcript and Summary of this interview

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Interview recorded September 3, 2023.

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.



    YouTube Video Chapters:
     
    00:00:00 - Introduction and Background of Bill Witherspoon
    00:04:49 - A Life of Adventure and Silence
    00:09:25 - Being Swept Away by the Waterfall
    00:12:52 - A Life-Threatening Water Rescue
    00:16:34 - The Near-Drowning Experience That Changed My Life
    00:21:02 - The Transcendent Experience of Meditation
    00:24:35 - Climbing the Radio Tower and Facing Danger at Sea
    00:29:01 - Seeing More Deeply
    00:32:33 - Healing the Eye of the Heart
    00:36:42 - The Burning Shell
    00:40:15 - Learning and Growth through Perseverance
    00:43:50 - The Sri Yantra: An Instance of a Law of Nature
    00:48:10 - The Bindu
    00:52:38 - The New Kind of Seeing
    00:57:00 - The Essence of Memory and Love
    01:01:06 - A Slideshow of Photographic Events in the Wilderness
    01:05:39 - Living in Harmony with Rattlesnakes
    01:08:46 - Witnessing Violence and the Impact
    01:12:55 - Encounters with Rattlesnakes
    01:16:22 - The Strange Book and its Contents
    01:20:36 - The Presence of Divine Intelligence
    01:24:30 - Accessing Deeper Levels of Consciousness through Meditation
    01:32:35 - The Horrors of Being on Death Row
    01:35:35 - The Influence of Human Presence
    01:40:37 - "Goodbye," when we went looking for wild horses
    01:44:58 - Reflections on an Interesting Life
    01:49:33 - Going Deeper in Consciousness
    01:53:02 - Building a Beautiful Corporation
    01:56:56 - The Skill of Self-Reflection
    02:00:18 - Gratitude and Farewell

  • Spiritual teacher, international bestselling author and philanthropist Lorna Byrne has dedicated her life to remind humanity of the spiritual potential within us all. She is the author of seven best-selling books including Angels in My Hair, A Message of Hope From the Angels, and Angels at my Fingertips and has been published in more than 50 countries and 30 languages around the world.

    Her teachings are the result of a remarkable gift, a divine connection providing her with incredible, detailed knowledge of the spiritual side of life. Unlike others this gift is not from meditation, visualisation or even from books or study, it exists as a natural part of her waking life. Lorna Byrne has physical sight of the unseen world, of the angels, spirits and other spiritual beings that she says are guiding and teaching us every second of every day. Lorna says we all have this potential and it is part of humanity’s evolution for people to connect back to their spiritual self so the body and soul intertwines.

    Lorna’s vision of the future is one where there is no division or boundaries between people. Where our spiritual side is accepted and transcends all beliefs. To accept we are all one. To live in peace with each other and nature, our home.

    Lorna is also a philanthropist and founder of the Lorna Byrne Children’s Foundation helping vulnerable and marginalised children across the globe and the Seraph Foundation which is developing Sanctuary her centre in County Kilkenny Ireland. In 2019, she was named as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People in the World.

    Website: lornabyrne.com

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

    Transcript and summary of this interview

    Interview recorded August 27, 2023.

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.



    YouTube Video Chapters:
    00:00:00 - Introduction to Lorna Byrne and her Spiritual Teachings
    00:03:56 - Interaction with Angels and Subtle Beings
    00:08:16 - The Unconditional Love of Guardian Angels
    00:11:06 - The Spark of Light: Angels, Humans, and Souls
    00:14:20 - The Love between Humans and Animals
    00:17:45 - God's Existence and Understanding Humanity
    00:21:52 - Connecting with Nature and Ourselves
    00:24:35 - Guardian Angels and Job Changes
    00:27:16 - Overcoming Dyslexia and Writing a Bestseller
    00:30:48 - The Importance of Hope and Faith
    00:34:27 - Signs from Your Guardian Angel
    00:36:54 - The Power of Kindness and Giving
    00:40:17 - Listening to Your Guardian Angel
    00:43:07 - The Role of Angels and Prayers
    00:46:38 - Divine Guidance in Job Search
    00:50:32 - An Encounter with Archangel Michael
    00:53:54 - The Unemployed Angels
    00:57:00 - Unemployed Angels and Acts of Compassion
    00:59:23 - The Unemployed Angel
    01:02:54 - The Concept of Conception
    01:06:12 - Angels in Everyday Life
    01:10:04 - Visits from Deceased Saints
    01:13:45 - The Importance of Being Yourself and Believing in Guardian Angels
    01:15:40 - Communicating with Children's Guardian Angels
    01:18:20 - Living life to the fullest as a dyslexic person
    01:21:40 - A Glimpse of Heaven
    01:24:07 - Walking on Water and Miraculous Abilities
    01:27:22 - The Power of Hope and Love
    01:30:05 - Executives Connecting with Nature
    01:32:16 - Building on to the Farmhouse
    01:36:41 - Farewell and Well Wishes

  • Between the age of 20 and 40 I was consumed with a wide range of existential questions, but despite endless thinking and reading, I never found a single answer. Due to some business-related stress at the age of 40, I started a simple meditative exercise as a way to acquire some peace of mind, and within two weeks a major insight occurred that led to more meditative activities. Five months later a huge cosmic-consciousness event answered seven of my questions and catapulted me into a different reality. I then concluded that all answers were "within," and for the next 15 years I went on silent meditation retreats with Christians, Buddhists, and Advaita groups during which all of my other questions got answered. Nevertheless, I still did not feel free. Then, a new question arose, "How is it possible to stay in a unity-conscious state of mind permanently rather than oscillating between a sense of selfhood and no-self?" In 1999, after a deep experience of gratitude on a solo hiking retreat, "the little guy in the head" (the sense of a personal "me") totally vanished, and the result was freedom, contentment, and understanding.

    Book: Pouring Concrete: A Zen Path to the Kingdom of God – Expanded Edition

    Bob's email

    Transcript and summary of this interview

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Interview recorded August 19, 2023

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.



    YouTube Video Chapters:
    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
    00:04:43 - Questioning Beliefs and Exploring Existential Questions
    00:08:25 - The Journey of Seeking Answers in Zen Philosophy
    00:12:17 - The Shift in Perception
    00:16:07 - A Reality Shift
    00:19:54 - The End of the Construction Company
    00:24:03 - Realization of the Incomprehensible
    00:28:16 - Simple answers to Zen riddles
    00:32:17 - Finding Freedom in the Middle of Responsibilities
    00:35:50 - Questioning Selfhood and Freedom in the Mountains
    00:38:59 - The Dissolution of the Sense of Self
    00:42:30 - The True Self and Identity
    00:46:00 - The Silence of the Mind
    00:49:19 - Non-Abidance in the Mind
    00:52:39 - The Kingdom of God Inside and Outside of You
    00:55:59 - Shifting Attention Beyond the Mind
    01:02:47 - The Benefits of Practice and Reconfiguration
    01:06:16 - The Natural Inclination to Help Others
    01:09:50 - The Depth of Awakening
    01:13:12 - Falling Asleep During Meditation
    01:16:26 - Realizing the Irrelevance of a Silent Mind
    01:20:00 - Seeking Benefit in the Present Moment
    01:23:32 - Intuition and the Home of All Knowledge
    01:27:00 - Knowing and achieving specific things in life
    01:30:50 - The Blissful State on the Deathbed
    01:34:07 - Embracing the Unknowable Future
    01:37:31 - The Universal Sound
    01:40:44 - The Challenges of Maintaining Friendships
    01:48:00 - Wrapping Up with Bob

  • Carter Phipps is the author of Evolutionaries and coauthor of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller Conscious Leadership with John Mackey and Steve McIntosh. He is co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, which addresses political polarization though focusing on the cultural roots of America’s challenges. He hosts the Thinking Ahead podcast and is a former award-winning journalist and executive editor of What Is Enlightenment? Magazine. His website is http://www.carterphipps.com.

    Essay we discussed in the interview: Mysticism and Its Discontents: Does Spiritual Illumination Create its own Intrinsic Blindness?

    Summary and Transcript and of this interview

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Interview recorded July 29, 2023

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


    YouTube Video Chapters:


    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
    00:03:50 - The Paradox of Spiritual Teachers' Behavior
    00:07:52 - The Subtleties of Enlightenment and the Dangers of Blind Spots
    00:11:24 - The Complications of Spiritual Awakening
    00:14:40 - Defining Enlightenment
    00:18:42 - Strengths and Weaknesses in Areas of Genius
    00:22:31 - The Transformative Power of Mystical Awakening
    00:26:15 - The Tradeoffs of Enlightenment
    00:29:31 - Levels of Reality and Integration
    00:35:06 - The Goal of Our Own Practice
    00:37:33 - Delusion in Deep Mystical Experience
    00:41:43 - The Path of Renunciation and Self-Brainwashing
    00:45:46 - The Complex Psychology of Seeking Enlightenment
    00:50:24 - The Evolution of Culture and Consciousness
    00:55:17 - The Dangers of Unhealthy Self-Doubt and Lack of Self-Criticism
    00:59:32 - The Delusion of Pure Motive
    01:03:22 - The Dangers of Spiritual Confidence
    01:08:15 - Blurring the Line between the Spiritual and Manifest World
    01:14:10 - The Interface between Science and Spirituality
    01:17:50 - The Tradition of Debate and Mythical Stories
    01:21:35 - The Power and Deception of Inner Intuition
    01:25:41 - The Relationship Between Enlightenment and Psychological Instability
    01:28:35 - Psychological Traces and Vulnerability to Mystical Experiences
    01:31:49 - Spiritual Breakthroughs and Psychological Breakdowns
    01:35:11 - The Role of Responsible Psychedelic Therapists
    01:39:44 - The Importance of Understanding Cultural Evolution and the Adjacent Possible
    01:45:18 - The Myth of the Perfect Enlightened Figure
    01:50:09 - The Importance of Understanding the Self-Structure
    01:55:00 - The Importance of Questioning Spiritual Myths and Beliefs
    01:59:38 - Being Discerning and Questioning
    02:07:06 - Future Teaching and Updates from Carter Phipps

  • Dr. Etta D. Jackson was born in Kingston, Jamaica and migrated to the USA as a student in 1965. For twenty-five years she worked in education and retired in 1994 to travel. She has authored four books:

    Understanding Your Choice
    Unveiling the Secrets of the Feminine Principle
    The Role of Consciousness in Governance
    The Idea That Is the United States of America-Its Occult Foundation

    Audible.com versions:


    Understanding Your Choice


    Unveiling The Secrets Of The Feminine Principle


    She founded an international NGO non-profit organization, The Institute for Conscious Global Change (ICGC) in 2007 to assist the United Nations and Member States in eradicating extreme poverty through development. ICGC is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. Etta holds a BA in Biology, MS degrees in Guidance and Counseling and in Administrative Leadership and Supervision. Etta holds a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. She has one daughter and one grandson.

    Website
    Etta's blog, where she writes on many topics including mysticism and occultism.
    Mentioned during the interview: Builders of the Adytum

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Summary and Transcript of this interview

    Interview recorded July 8, 2023

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


    YouTube Video Chapters:


    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
    00:05:26 - Communicating with the Light
    00:10:30 - Receiving Instructions from the Light
    00:14:41 - Writing in London with the Golden Light
    00:18:55 - The Back Story of Dr. Whitworth
    00:23:57 - A Divine Encounter
    00:29:44 - The Divine Feminine Unveiled
    00:34:54 - Understanding Your Choice
    00:39:40 - Mysticism vs. Occultism
    00:45:03 - The Occult Knowledge of Ancient Religions
    00:49:50 - Transitioning into the Aquarian Age
    00:54:20 - The Authenticity of Experience and the Role of Older Souls in Guiding the Young
    00:58:34 - A Relationship Based on Mutual Respect
    01:03:33 - The Symbolism of the Journey to Jerusalem
    01:08:51 - The Journey of Knowledge and Experience
    01:14:00 - The Paradox of Good and Evil
    01:18:49 - The Purpose of the Earth Experiment
    01:24:23 - Embracing Change and Shifting Paths
    01:29:07 - Understanding the Power of the Mind
    01:33:59 - The Inner Lodge and the Role of Consciousness in Governance
    01:38:13 - Masonry and Divine Inspiration
    01:43:21 - Developing your Relationship with Yourself
    01:47:47 - Kneeling at the Feet of the Soul
    01:52:56 - Wrapping Up the Interview

  • Lucy was raised in a low socioeconomic household and neighborhood, by a young single mother in New Zealand in the early 1980s.

    The lack of resources available in childhood resulted in a shrinking of her outer world to what she thought of –  years later - as a kind of welfare-child ashram. Within the home, and outside of it, there were few distractions or ability to go anywhere else, and significant trauma – all forcing her to go within to what she thought of as “the deep stillness and light inside” to rest, find nourishment, solace, and strength.

    At 19 she experienced her first shift, seeing through the personality, and subtle perceptions revealing themselves.

    She never thought much of it, there had already been so much light inside, and she was so thrilled to be in the world finally so she simply went on with living.

    After a brief stint in television journalism, Lucy spent 15 years in Europe and New Zealand working for international humanitarian aid agencies.

    On return to NZ at age 31, she suddenly became extremely ill.  For six months, she was mostly bedridden. Doctors, both natural and traditional, could not find the source of the illness.

    Over the next few years, she had to work to earn an income but there was no strength for much else. The pain in her body was ever-present, and the fear of not knowing if this was her life forever now, was sometimes crippling.

    She was forced to exist in a kind of in-between world again - of much aloneness and silence, aside from work.

    After a few years of significant illness, she recovered strength enough to live a semi-normal life. But any time she tried to do too much, she was knocked back into illness.

    By 35 she was in a leadership role at a non-profit, married, with a baby on the way, just surviving day-to-day with the pressure on her physical body.

    On becoming a mother, she was plunged into a level of blackness that was completely shocking and previously unknown.

    For more than two years she descended into complete separation and couldn’t hear the guidance that had always accompanied her in her life. For the first time ever she couldn’t feel God.

    In 2018, after more than two years of immense struggle, an unexplainable and absolute surrender took place within, in a moment, as her two-year-old cried and reached for her.

    Within two months she had left the career she loved to rest in what she thought of as silence. For around a year and a half, she couldn't do much else.

    Lucy had never been exposed to spirituality, nor did she know anything about its concepts or traditions. She thought meditation was for “those hippy people.”

    Because there had been no conscious spiritual search, she had no context for what was happening. Often it was so beautiful and joyful – she didn’t need to know. There was an innate sense of trust and recognition that went beyond what needed to be seen or understood with the mind.

    When the need to understand did arise - some online searches helped a little, but often it all felt overwhelming, and she preferred sitting in silence to hear from within. Guidance and teaching were always present and given through hearing and images. Despite this, when particularly strange things would occur the need for the mind to understand would return.

    One night in 2019, before sleep, in heartfelt prayer she asked for help to cut through all the online noise and finally really grasp what was going on. There was a felt sense of need for community.

    As she was awakening in the morning, she heard the words “Buddha at the Gas Pump”. Lucy says, "I was stumped. I had no idea what that meant, but Googled it and found BatGap. As a result, my life has changed. Over the years BatGap has supported me deeply in the process – nurturing trust and allowing everything to unfold as it wants to."

    From then until now, Lucy has been called over and over into deeper surrender. She has had further shifts and many clearings. Her career of 15 years,

  • Chris Niebauer earned his Ph.D. in cognitive neuropsychology at the University of Toledo, specializing in the differences between the left and right sides of the human brain. He is the author of No Self, No Problem: How Neuropsychology Is Catching Up to Buddhism and The No Self, No Problem Workbook: Exercises & Practices from Neuropsychology and Buddhism to Help You Lose Your Mind. He was a professor at a state university in Pennsylvania for 22 years, where he taught courses on consciousness, mindfulness, left- and right-brain differences, and artificial intelligence.

    Website: chrisniebauerphd.com
    YouTube Channel

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

    Summary and transcript of this interview

    Interview recorded June 3, 2023

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.



    YouTube Video Chapters:

    00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
    00:06:21 - Disappointment with Daniel Dennett's book on consciousness
    00:11:55 - The Value of Intelligence and Happiness
    00:17:39 - The Dominance of Language in Reality
    00:23:31 - Breaking the Cycle of Mental Excitation
    00:29:04 - Non-Thinking Forms of Consciousness
    00:34:24 - The Power of Numbers and Abstractions
    00:40:01 - Observing the Interpreter and Letting Go of Intrusive Thoughts
    00:45:55 - The Need for a Tiny Shift
    00:51:17 - The Inventive Storytelling of the Left Brain
    00:57:17 - Holistic Development of the Brain
    01:02:52 - The Playfulness of Debates and the Power of Music
    01:08:41 - The Nature of Skepticism and Strange Beliefs
    01:14:25 - The Shift to Right Brain Awareness
    01:19:53 - The Left Brain on Trial
    01:25:32 - Individual Paths and Categorization
    01:31:05 - Liberation and the Illusion of Self
    01:36:54 - The Paradox of the Soul and Individuality
    01:43:02 - Embracing Paradoxes
    01:48:22 - The Connection between Light and Consciousness
    01:53:31 - The Role of Faith in Materialism and Consciousness Studies
    01:58:37 - The Inadequacy of Neuroscience
    02:03:46 - The Limitations of Understanding and Balance in Life

  • Jeff Carreira is a meditation teacher, mystical philosopher and author who works with a growing number of people throughout the world. As a teacher, he offers retreats and courses guiding individuals in a form of meditation he refers to as The Art of Conscious Contentment. Through this simple and effective technique, he has led thousands of people in a journey beyond the confines of fear and self-concern into the expansive liberated awareness that is our true home.

    As a philosopher, Jeff is interested in defining a new way of being in the world that will move us from our current paradigm of separation and isolation into an emerging paradigm of unity and wholeness. In his books and lectures, he explores revolutionary ideas in the domains of spirituality, consciousness, and human development. He creates courses and programs that encourage people to question their most foundational experience of reality until previously held assumptions fall away leaving space for a dramatically new understanding to emerge.

    Jeff is passionate about the potential ideas have to shape how we perceive reality and how we live together. His enthusiasm for learning is infectious, and he has taught at colleges and universities throughout the world.

    Jeff is the author of numerous books including:

    The Path of Spiritual Breakthrough: From Awakening to Cosmic Awareness
    American Awakening: Evolutionary Spirituality, Non-Duality, and Free Thinking in the Tradition of American Philosophy
    Philosophy Is Not a Luxury: Four Reasons to Start Thinking About How You Think
    The Soul of a New Self: Embracing the Future of Being Human
    Paradigm Shifting: Guiding Evolution from the Inside
    The Art of Conscious Contentment

    Website: jeffcarreira.com

    Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

    Summary and transcript of this interview.

    Interview recorded May 20, 2023.

    Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.



    YouTube Video Chapters:

    00:00:00 - Introduction and Background
    00:05:24 - Discovering Conscious Contentment
    00:11:12 - The Influence of Past Experiences
    00:18:53 - The Bright, Clear Awareness
    00:26:00 - The End of Seeking: Letting Go and Contentment
    00:32:29 - Letting go in Meditation
    00:40:10 - Overcoming Sleepiness in Meditation
    00:45:28 - Lucid Dreaming and Spiritual Experience
    00:49:39 - Interpreting Spiritual Experiences
    00:54:07 - The Role of Interpretation in Spiritual Progress
    01:00:44 - Exploring New Paths and Spiritual Growth
    01:04:51 - P.D. Ospensky and Cosmic Consciousness
    01:10:53 - Embracing Creative Expression
    01:16:32 - Expressing Ourselves and Taking a Break
    01:21:24 - "Partners on the Spiritual Path"
    01:29:07 - The Effects of "Crazy Wisdom" Teaching
    01:34:21 - The End of an Experiment
    01:38:12 - Transparency and Spiritual Integrity
    01:41:57 - The Intensity of Spiritual Practice
    01:46:09 - Spiritual Experiences and Seeking Alone in the Mountains
    01:49:01 - Embracing the Opportunities in Your Circumstances
    01:54:02 - The Middle Realms of Being
    01:58:23 - The Importance of Non-Dual Awakening & the Advaita Tradition
    02:02:10 - Higher Realms of the Soul