Buddha at the Gas Pump

Sebastián Blaksley is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1968 he was born into a large traditional Catholic family. He attended the Colegio del Salvador, a Jesuit school of which the headmaster was Jorge Bergoglio, the current Pope Francis. Sebastian enjoyed sport in his youth, particularly Rugby football, a game that a number of his family have a long involvement with in Argentina. Although he wanted to be a monk as a young man, his family did not consider it acceptable, and the inner voice that he always followed let him know that: “You must be in the world, without being of the world.” He studied Business Administration in Buenos Aires and completed his postgraduate studies in the United States and Argentina. He also undertook further studies in England. He held several highly responsible positions in well-known international corporations, living and working in the USA, England, China, and Panama. He then founded his own corporate consulting firm in Argentina which he led for over 10 years. He has willingly given the company he owned to employees who wanted to continue the business. Sebastián has two daughters with his former wife. At the age of six, Sebastián was involved in a near-fatal accident during which he heard a voice, which later identified itself as Jesus. Ever since he has continued to hear that voice. Sebastián says: “Since I can remember, I have felt the call of Jesus and Mary to live abandoned to their will so that despite my various activities, I always put spiritual and religious reality at the center. I am devoted to my faith.” In 2013, he began to record messages from his mystical experiences. In 2016, he miraculously discovered the books comprising A Course of Love (“received” from Jesus by Mari Perron) and felt the call to devote himself to bringing the course to the Spanish-speaking world. More recently Sebastian receives, transcribes, and shares what the voice of Christ—the voice of love—mystically dictates to him. Most recently he has “received” an astonishing, and most beautiful and uplifting series of messages from Heaven resulting in the Choose Only Love series of seven books, the first of which was published in October, 2019. The seventh and final book was published in March 2022. Sebastian is living on a small island in the Tigre Delta waterways on the outskirts of Buenos Aires; overseeing the building of a retreat property called, at the suggestion of Mother Mary, the Refuge of Divine Love. People from around the world are warmly invited to spend time here in this tranquil and verdant haven covering some 23 secluded acres, to “live the books” in the company of Sebastian as a welcoming host. Sebastián is president of the nonprofit charity Fundación Amor Vivo,  through which he shares A Course of Love, as well as the sublime channeled angelic messages which found their home in the Choose Only Love books and audios. The angels lovingly refer to him as “a pencil in the hands of God.” Websites: fundacionamorvivo.org Choose Only Love Books: Choose Only Love (7 book series) - English Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summaries and Transcripts of this interview: English Spanish Interview recorded April 10, 2022 First BatGap interview with Sebastián. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:37 - Receiving Messages from Celestial Beings 00:08:54 - Receiving Communications from God 00:13:27 - Universal Love and Recognition of Divine Beings 00:18:07 - Jesus' Appearance and Artistic Representations 00:22:22 - The Essence of Angelic Beings and Love 00:26:37 - Becoming One with God 00:31:04 - The Universal Connection and Divine Dialogue 00:35:13 - Making the Choice for Love 00:39:36 - Communication without Words 00:43:21 - The New Understanding of Prophets and the Second Advent 00:47:51 - The New Earthly Kingdom 00:51:46 - The Choice between Love and Fear in Times of Transformation 00:56:04 - Understanding the True Identity of Others 01:00:00 - Acting out of Love 01:04:16 - The Union of Mind and Heart 01:08:44 - Return to Unity with the Divine Source 01:13:10 - Remain in me, remain in peace 01:17:49 - The Interconnected Universe 01:21:52 - The Pale Blue Dot and Our Cosmic Existence 01:26:14 - Integrating our Humanity with our Divine Aspects 01:30:02 - The Role of Holy Spirit in Relation to Jesus, Mary, and Archangels 01:33:52 - Not participating in the chain of fear 01:37:46 - The Importance of Higher Consciousness 01:41:39 - Longing for Spiritual Awakening 01:45:20 - Achieving Inner Congruence 01:48:58 - The Debate and the Growing Love and Truth 01:53:11 - The Healing Power of Consciousness 01:57:28 - Unity with God and Consciousness after Death 02:01:36 - Near-Death Experiences and the Undying Nature of the Self 02:04:59 - Love in Action

At the age of 24, after years of intense internal suffering and an intuition that something about the way we interact with our thoughts causes a lot of unnecessary suffering, Angelo had a fundamental shift in the way he experiences reality. This was a pervasive transformation and was life-altering at every level. It suddenly became clear that thoughts, and the way they "paint" our experience of ourselves, time, and space, are essentially unreal, something like ghosts. What replaced this world of thought, struggle, and suffering, was boundless clarity and intimacy with all immediate textures of phenomena. It became clear that this is simply the natural state of things and that it is true for everyone, even if there is some distortion in experience caused by thoughts. It became exquisitely clear that suffering is unnecessary among humans and that any human being who has a genuine yearning to wake up to their true nature has the capacity to wake up to this boundless (non-separation) living truth. This led to the writing of the book, "Awake: It's Your Turn." The book is a combination of practical advice to help anyone who is on this pathless path, practice pointers and inquiry tips, and direct pointing (transmission) through language. Book: Awake: It's Your Turn Simply Always Awake YouTube channel Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded April 2, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:05:38 - The Shift in Perception: From Suffering to Enlightenment 00:10:20 - Becoming Home 00:14:56 - Suffering and Awakening 00:19:21 - The Paradox of Authenticity 00:23:32 - Finding the Gap in Thoughts 00:28:07 - The Structure of the Mind and Perception 00:32:54 - The Unbound Consciousness 00:37:27 - The Natural State of Mind 00:41:59 - Embracing Pain and Sensory Input 00:46:51 - Overwhelming Sensory Experience 00:51:43 - The Nature of Experience 00:56:39 - The Dance of Nature and the Nature of "Ocean-ness" 01:01:06 - The non-dualistic nature of perception 01:05:29 - The Subtlety of the Spiritual Journey 01:10:39 - Shifting Gears, Changing Expectations and Enjoying the Moment 01:15:30 - The Meaning of Awakening 01:19:44 - Attuning to Your Instincts and Embracing Your Awakening 01:24:05 - Investigating the Relational Self 01:29:08 - Escaping Suffering and Dissolving into Reality 01:33:47 - Dissolving Boundaries of Perception 01:38:00 - The Importance of Focus while Driving 01:42:12 - Love for All Beings 01:47:04 - The Paradox of Enlightenment 01:51:51 - Trusting Yourself and the Unborn 01:56:26 - The Length of the Book 02:00:41 - Uncovering and holding discomfort in the body 02:05:12 - Going into the Contracted Area and Feeling Helplessness 02:09:47 - Investigating God, Death, and Reincarnation 02:14:12 - Energetic Realizations and Past Lives 02:18:34 - Wrapping Up the Conversation

Andrew Holecek has completed the traditional three-year Buddhist meditation retreat and teaches internationally on meditation, dream yoga, and the art of dying. He is the author of six books, and many articles, including scientific papers on lucid dreaming. Dr. Holecek is a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a concert pianist, with degrees in music, biology, and a doctorate in dental surgery.  He is the co-founder of Global Dental Relief, which serves impoverished children in six developing countries; the founder of the online platform Night Club, which supports the nocturnal meditations, and the founder of the Preparing to Die Institute, a nine-month spiritual and practical training program to help with the end of life. Books: Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep Dreams of Light: The Profound Daytime Practice of Lucid Dreaming Preparing to Die: Practical Advice and Spiritual Wisdom from the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition The Power and the Pain: Transforming Spiritual Hardship into Joy Website: andrewholecek.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 27, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction of Andrew Holecek 00:04:45 - The Three-Year Meditation Retreat 00:09:08 - The Difficulties of Retreat and Detox Process 00:13:18 - The Tricky Topic of Crazy Wisdom Lineage 00:17:36 - The Ethics of Enlightenment 00:22:14 - The Importance of Morality and Ethics in Meditation 00:26:43 - The Delicate Dance of Balancing Relative and Absolute Vectors 00:30:51 - Digging deep with multiple tools 00:35:04 - Finding Opportunities in Obstacles 00:39:16 - Finding Teachings in Life's Challenges 00:43:47 - The Relativity of Reality and the Burden of Compassion 00:48:11 - Working with Complexity and Reductionism in Life 00:52:13 - The Irreducible Principles of Life 00:56:28 - The Utter Immediacy of Enlightenment 01:00:57 - Balancing Both/And Perspective 01:05:01 - Skillful Means for Different Levels of Identity 01:09:26 - Maintaining Lucidity in Sleep and Dreaming 01:13:36 - Lucid dreaming and its transformative power 01:18:08 - Lucidity and the Power of Light 01:22:45 - The Stages of Dream Yoga 01:27:21 - The Fruition of States: Turiya and Beyond 01:31:52 - The Addiction to Transcendent States 01:35:48 - The Integration of Science and Spirituality 01:40:06 - The Balance of Spiritual Experiences 01:45:00 - The Importance of Taking it Slow and Seeking Support 01:49:17 - The Golden Chain of Spirituality 01:53:34 - The Ripple Effect of Thoughts on Reality 01:57:58 - The Presence of Kundun, the Dalai Lama's name in Tibetan 02:02:30 - The Difference Between a Lucid Dream and the Waking State 02:06:29 - Similarities between Advaita Vedanta and Mahamudra & Dzogchen 02:10:40 - Guest Suggestions and Closing the Topic

I was born 11-11-69 into a nonpracticing Jewish family where the subject of spirituality never came up. So when I discovered an intense spiritual yearning within myself at the age of nineteen, I was completely on my own. After graduating from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Philosophy in 1994, I had become an avid practitioner of meditation and contemplation of the nature of Reality. As a solitary practitioner, I found my path to be an oscillation of understanding the Nondual view of Dzogchen and experiencing nonordinary events that expanded my understanding of the classic out-of-body experience, astral realm, and the Bardos. The first book of the Trilogy titled "Reality Explained" centers on the peak period of my spiritual journey just after returning home from a weeklong meditation retreat at the world-renowned ‘Monroe Institute’. I had been home less than a week after attending one of their advanced programs when without warning I began to have profound Visions while living out my day-to-day life. I could be taking a walk with my wife and daughter or going about my daily routine at work when I would find myself spontaneously thrust into a vastly more expansive perspective that placed my entire world in a wholly new context. These Visions were progressive in nature as they clearly and pointedly demonstrated the Grand Design of Reality. Some of these Visions were existentially devastating and some were downright terrifying, as they exposed the true nature of the ‘self’. Others were so blissful that they could only be tolerated for brief moments. Ultimately, they coalesced to reveal a model of Reality that is as elegant in its simplicity as it is mind-blowing in its implications. In the first book, I outline a play-by-play account of how four of these Visions shaped a new understanding regarding the true architecture of Reality and how this understanding resolves one of our greatest philosophical paradoxes, the relationship between mind and matter or God and the world. Given the universal nature of these experiences, you will be able to verify each truth for yourself. I wrote this book to demystify the subject of Spiritual Awakening. There are already many excellent books on this subject otherwise known as ‘Nondual Wisdom’ however, what I found to be missing was a book that chronicles the day to day, month to month, and year to year unfolding of the Self in detail. This book is a very personal account of an incredibly impersonal process broken down step by step and presented almost in slow motion. The reader is invited on a journey that chronicles each step along the path to Spiritual Awakening. The details of the climactic experience itself and the final understanding that results from undergoing such a radical and permanent shift in perspective is where I intend to lead you. It is also my hope that this book will serve to demonstrate how the experience of Spiritual Awakening is not something mythical or a fable belonging to some other time or place but an actual shift in perspective that is available right here and now to anyone that is curious enough to explore the true nature of ‘being’. I speak to you from the point of view that we are all sharing the human experience and when we explore the depths of our minds we find the same treasure awaits us all. The fact that I am a husband and a father with a full-time career stands as proof that you don’t have to choose between worldly life and Spiritual Awakening. Books (Reality Explained Trilogy: Enlightenment: Behind the Scenes Being, While Knowing That You Are Not: Surrendering to the sadness and madness of life A Triunistic Model of Reality: What It Is, Does and Emerges As Jed McKenna & The Suicide Letters: Our time together prior to the Invisible Guru Website: thisawarespace.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 20, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump conversation 00:04:32 - The Ordinariness of Experience 00:09:07 - Awareness and Encompassing 00:13:13 - The Balance of Lucidity and Dreaming 00:17:10 - The Illusory Nature of the Waking State 00:21:07 - Questioning the Nature of Existence 00:24:50 - Exploring the Mind and Tools: Monroe Institute, Hemi-sync, OBEs, Salvia, Lucid Dreaming 00:28:48 - Tibetan Buddhism and the Monroe Institute 00:32:36 - Experiencing the True Self 00:36:44 - The Nature of Oneness and Individuation 00:40:16 - Understanding Transactional Reality 00:44:01 - The Inseparability of Awareness and Space 00:48:17 - The Triune of Awareness: The Emergence of a Third Thing 00:52:43 - The Rainbow and the Oneness 00:56:38 - Longing for God and the Void Behind 01:00:51 - The Void and the Stickman 01:04:51 - Recognizing the Mind in Death and the Bardos 01:08:45 - The Concept of Awakening 01:12:27 - The Bodhisattva Vow and Sharing Enlightenment 01:15:59 - The Cycle of Desires and Fulfillment 01:19:49 - The Power of Desire 01:23:42 - Ruling the World or Training Our Minds 01:27:14 - The Ripple Effect of Desires 01:31:11 - Experiencing Everything at Once 01:35:11 - The Void and Potential Energy 01:39:27 - The Realness of Dzogchen and Buddhism 01:43:26 - The Essence and Awakening 01:47:19 - The Turmoil of Enlightenment and the Process of Purification 01:51:29 - The Liberation of Recognition 01:55:50 - The Importance of Seeing the Truth 01:59:33 - Appreciation for Rick

At the early age of eight, Irma Francis experienced what she now calls a soul remembrance.  In this experience, a loving presence spoke. “You have a choice to remember your connection to your true self; if you choose not to remember, you will come to believe the persona of a conditioned self and how the world will try to define you. Whatever you choose will decide your destiny in this lifetime.” She chose to remember. Even though life has continually challenged her to forget, she has remained committed to that choice. Irma continued to have transcendent experiences that were not sought but came as spontaneously and naturally as her first awakening. It took her a lifetime to integrate the absolute truth that she understood via her soul remembrance with the relative facts commonly experienced by humanity. Today, Irma understands there are no spiritual bypasses; we are all affected by the human condition and must find ways to merge our psychological selves with our spiritual selves. Her journey has been mystical and transformational, bringing her to a stable equanimity and wholeness of being. Following is a short excerpt from Irma’s forthcoming book, Front Porch View: Memoir of a Young Girl’s Spiritual Awakening. “To borrow the words of the legendary Joni Mitchell, ‘I’ve looked at life from both sides now’ and discovered a seamless existence. There are no sides. There is no separation. There is only oneness. I am an ordinary person having spiritual experiences. I hope to inspire and encourage others to share their spiritual awakenings as we accompany each other on the road less traveled. We are all teachers and students.” Website: irmafrancis.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 12, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:26 - A Divine Experience on the Front Porch 00:09:26 - Divine Intervention and Heavenly Presence 00:13:30 - The Awakening of Consciousness 00:17:43 - Fearlessness in the Midst of Violence 00:22:01 - The Pied Piper and Raising Vibrations 00:26:26 - Honoring the Oneness 00:30:38 - An Extreme Passion for Truth 00:35:08 - The Validity of Different Perspectives 00:39:05 - Susceptibility to Misinformation 00:43:01 - Embracing Unconditional Love 00:47:09 - Following Intuition and Psychic Experiences 00:51:36 - Teaching the Akashic records and feeling alone in spiritual experiences 00:56:25 - The Desire for Spiritual Reunion 01:00:32 - A Connection with Yogananda and Past Life Experiences 01:04:47 - Reincarnation and Deep Impressions 01:09:05 - The Ability to Tap into the Akashic Records 01:13:23 - Navigating Life and Connecting to Your True Self 01:18:14 - The Power of Unconditional Love 01:22:51 - The Intersection of Science and Spirituality 01:26:43 - The Importance of Unconditional Love and Connection 01:30:55 - Trusting Your Intuition 01:34:52 - Aligning with an Intelligence beyond our own 01:39:07 - The Dependency on Teachers and Mirroring Experiences 01:43:17 - Shifting into other dimensions with John 01:49:00 - The Power of Group Coherence and Connection 01:53:17 - Accessing Higher Consciousness 01:57:27 - Imagining a Radically Different Future 02:01:11 - Amplifying the Grace of God 02:05:11 - Allowing Your Intuition 02:08:42 - Using MailChimp for Email Lists

Emma Bragdon received her Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology in 1987. For more than 40 years she has focused on supporting people awakening spiritually, paying special attention to those in spiritual crisis/ emergency. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Integrative Mental Health for You, IMHU.org, which offers 40+ online courses about effective alternatives to psychiatric medications. Emma has trained 80 Spiritual Emergence Coaches® from 14 countries who are now available through an international online Directory.  While intensely studying and participating in Brazilian Spiritism from 2001-2012, she wrote 3 books and co-produced two documentary films about Spiritist treatment of mental disturbance and spiritual emergency.  Emma has been recognized for her pioneering work with Spiritually Transformative Experiences as an Honoree on the Spiritual Awakenings International “Circle of Honor” and within the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology’s “Council of Sages”.  She was licensed as a Marriage, Family, Child Therapist in 1988. Emma is a member of the Self-realization Fellowship following the yogic philosophy of Paramahansa Yogananda.  She’s been a meditator for over 55 years.  She also studied with two Native American shamans for 20 years.  Currently, she teams with Benjamin Asher, MD in offering Ketamine-Assisted psychotherapy in central Vermont.  She is also available by Zoom in her private practice for psychotherapy and integration of spiritual experiences. Websites: imhu.org emmabragdon.com Books: The Call of Spiritual Emergency: From Personal Crisis to Personal Transformation Kardec's Spiritism: A Home for Healing and Spiritual Evolution A Sourcebook for Helping People with Spiritual Problems Spiritism and Mental Health Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded March 6, 2022. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:13 - The Sense of a Larger Intelligence 00:07:09 - The Dysfunctional Family and Near-Death Experiences 00:10:58 - Sitting in Meditation at Tassajara 00:14:51 - From Zen Buddhism to Neo-Reichian Psychotherapy 00:19:31 - Exploring Shamanism and Spiritual Awakening 00:23:40 - A Journey into Spiritism 00:26:58 - The Origins of Spiritualism and Spiritism 00:29:40 - Integrative Mental Health: Effective Alternatives 00:32:32 - The Importance of Medication Supervision and Integrative Mental Health 00:35:59 - The Importance of Peaceful and Wise States 00:39:08 - Consciousness independent of the body 00:41:47 - Understanding Spiritual Emergence and Emergency 00:44:47 - Understanding Spiritual Emergencies 00:47:30 - Distinguishing between Psychic Perceptions and Psychosis 00:50:08 - A Disturbing Episode 00:52:59 - Uncovering Traumatic Memories 00:56:02 - Moving into a New Identity 00:59:07 - Understanding Spiritual Experiences and Emergencies 01:01:59 - Shifting the Paradigm in Psychiatry 01:04:38 - Spiritism in Brazil and its Integration in Psychiatry 01:08:05 - Spiritism's Role in Brazilian Society 01:12:21 - The Importance of Supervision and Feedback in Spiritual Practices 01:17:29 - Betrayal of Spiritual Figures 01:24:15 - Controversies in Spiritual Communities 01:30:06 - TRE and Kundalini difficulties 01:34:49 - Meditation and Spiritual Practices Impacting Physical Ailments 01:39:40 - Belief in Reincarnation and its Impact on Diagnosis 01:46:42 - Shamanism and Non-Dual Meditation 01:55:01 - The Importance of Depth in Spiritual Exploration 02:00:02 - Accessing the Directory of Qualified Coaches

Selbie makes the complex and obscure simple and clear. He is known for creating bridges of understanding between the modern evidence-based discoveries of science and the ancient experience-based discoveries of the mystics. A dedicated meditator for nearly fifty years, he has taught yoga, meditation, and universal experiential spirituality throughout the US and Europe. He has also been an avid follower of the unfolding new paradigm of post-materialist science—with groaning bookshelves to show for it. Selbie has authored The Physics of God, a unification of science and religion, and The Yugas, a factual look at India’s tradition of cyclical history. Selbie is a founding member of Ananda—a meditation-based community and spiritual movement inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda. He lives with his wife at Ananda Village near Nevada City, California. Books: The Yugas: Keys to Understanding Our Hidden Past, Emerging Energy Age and Enlightened Future - Today's view of history cannot account for ancient anomalies, such as the Pyramids and advanced knowledge contained in India's Vedas. But in 1894, an Indian sage gave us an explanation not only for our hidden past but for the trends of today and for our future enlightenment - the 24,000-year yuga cycle. The Physics of God: How the Deepest Theories of Science Explain Religion and How the Deepest Truths of Religion Explain Science Website: physicsandgod.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview with Joseph Selbie on "The Physics of God". Interview recorded February 26, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:08 - Blending Western Science with Eastern Spirituality 00:08:21 - The Transcendental Nature of Consciousness 00:11:48 - The Mind as a TV Screen 00:16:15 - The Cycle of Ages and its Impact on Mankind 00:20:49 - The Yugas and Spiritual Awakening 00:25:00 - The Debate over the Length of the Kali Yuga 00:29:26 - "Pillar of Celestial Fire: And the Lost Science of the Ancient Seers" by Robert Cox? 00:33:35 - Searching for the Grand Central Sun 00:37:45 - The procession of the equinoxes and cycles 00:41:50 - The cycles of evolution in the universe 00:45:49 - The Progression of Yugas and Spiritual Evolution 00:49:09 - The Evolution of the Yugas 00:58:31 - The Evolution of Energy and Awareness 01:03:19 - The Four Ages and Levels of Consciousness 01:07:31 - The Awakening of Enlightened Self Interest 01:11:26 - Transformational Experiences 01:14:40 - The Message of Near Death Experiences and Sahaja Yoga 01:18:41 - Gobekli Tepe: The Oldest Manmade Structure 01:23:41 - Ancient Myths and the State of Consciousness 01:28:20 - Evidence of Advanced Civilizations 01:32:11 - The Great Pyramid and its Precise Construction 01:36:26 - Precision of the Great Pyramid 01:40:53 - The Great Pyramid and its Purpose 01:45:04 - Ancient Civilizations and Sanskrit Grammar 01:48:58 - The Mystery of the Ancient Map 01:52:35 - A More Enlightened Age 01:57:03 - The Increasing Basic Human Freedoms 02:00:37 - The Potential Turning Point 02:04:16 - Seeking the Truth and Misinformation 02:07:42 - Love of Conversation

Selbie makes the complex and obscure simple and clear. He is known for creating bridges of understanding between the modern evidence-based discoveries of science and the ancient experience-based discoveries of the mystics. A dedicated meditator for nearly fifty years, he has taught yoga, meditation, and universal experiential spirituality throughout the US and Europe. He has also been an avid follower of the unfolding new paradigm of post-materialist science—with groaning bookshelves to show for it. Selbie has authored The Physics of God, a unification of science and religion, and The Yugas, a factual look at India’s tradition of cyclical history. Selbie is a founding member of Ananda—a meditation-based community and spiritual movement inspired by Paramhansa Yogananda. He lives with his wife at Ananda Village near Nevada City, California. Books: The Physics of God: How the Deepest Theories of Science Explain Religion and How the Deepest Truths of Religion Explain Science - "The explanations of transcendent phenomena given by saints, sages, and near-death experiencers—miracles, immortality, heaven, God, and transcendent awareness—are fully congruent with scientific discoveries in the fields of relativity, quantum physics, medicine, M-theory, neuroscience, and quantum biology. The Physics of God describes the intersections of science and religion with colorful, easy-to-understand metaphors, making abstruse subjects within both science and religion easily accessible to the layman—no math, no dogma." The Yugas: Keys to Understanding Our Hidden Past, Emerging Energy Age and Enlightened Future Website: physicsandgod.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview with Joseph on "The Yugas". Interview recorded February 26, 2022 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:33 - A Shift Towards Philosophy and Spirituality 00:07:38 - From Science to Spirituality 00:11:11 - Comparing Science and Religion 00:14:41 - The Interpretation of Science and Religion 00:18:46 - Unity between Science and Religion 00:22:07 - The convergence of science and spirituality 00:25:30 - Bridging Science and Spirituality 00:29:31 - Incorporating Spirituality in Science 00:33:09 - The Challenges of Applying Scientific Experimentation to Spirituality 00:36:32 - The Nature of Matter and Energy 00:40:35 - The Intelligent Organization of Energy 00:44:57 - Flatland and Two Dimensional Reality 00:48:46 - The Intersection of Science and Spirituality 00:52:15 - The Complexity of the Universe 00:56:02 - The creation of multiple universes and promissory materialism 00:59:35 - The Mathematical Language of Consciousness 01:03:20 - The Challenges of Bridging the Gap in scientific research 01:06:43 - The Power of Consciousness and Responsibility 01:10:24 - Mind-blowing Mystical Experiences 01:13:32 - The Origin of Consciousness and the Role of the Observer 01:17:37 - Challenging Fundamental Truths 01:21:18 - Einstein's View on Quantum Physics 01:24:53 - Nonlocality and the Existence of Multiple Universes 01:28:58 - The Intelligent Power of the Universe 01:32:33 - Currents of Intelligence and the Manifestation of Gods and Demons 01:36:08 - The Role of Freewill in Shaping our Reality 01:39:51 - The Future of Science and the Flip 01:43:01 - Wrapping up and defining God 01:46:40 - The Oneness with God 01:49:36 - Life is What Happens

I came across the writings of a well-known Indian guru in my early twenties and thus began a twenty-five-year odyssey that would uproot me from my normal life and see me living in ashrams and committed spiritual communities around the world. The answers I sought were not easy to find, however, and the promises made by the teachers in whom I placed my trust were rarely kept. Exhausted and disillusioned I left my last teacher and abandoned spiritual life in 2004, and during the intense and all-consuming crisis that followed I finally realized the truth of my own unchanging nature beyond the personal identity. The questions that had haunted me for so long dissolved and I was astonished to find that all seeking had ceased. Over time the shift of identity stabilized and became normalized and permanent. Grateful and content with what I saw as a private internal matter I rarely spoke or thought about spirituality and for the next fifteen or so years focused instead on my long-neglected art career. I began to establish myself as a visual artist exhibiting firstly in the UK and later internationally. I now collaborate with my partner, scientist Dr. Jesse Shore, producing artworks as Sweet+Shore, as well as my individual work as Anne Penman Sweet. About eighteen months ago I confided in my friend, author, and researcher Amir Freimann about what had happened, and he immediately invited me to participate in his research project Living Transcendence: a Phenomenological Study of Spiritual Exemplars. I was very surprised as I had no sense of knowing anything or of having arrived anywhere in particular. However, over the course of a dozen or more formal interviews skillfully conducted by him, I experienced an outpouring of spiritual insights and understandings that I had no idea I contained. It was revelatory and transformative and since then I have spoken freely and publicly about these matters. Not long after, I started to feel a deep inner prompting to begin sharing what I had learned and understood, not as a teacher but as a friend and advisor. I created the End of Seeking website as a free resource to help simplify and demystify the spiritual search for others and to give seekers the tools and knowledge they may need to independently navigate the often confusing and at times hazardous terrain of the contemporary spiritual marketplace. I am currently working on a book of spiritual insights illustrated with Sweet+Shore artworks which I hope to publish by the end of the year. Website: theendofseeking.org Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Recorded February 12, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:04:46 - The Beginning 00:16:42 - Cautionary Note on Opening Ourselves Up 00:20:53 - Severe Consequences of Authenticity 00:24:55 - Leaving the Scene and Moving On 00:29:28 - Finding Stability through Meditation 00:34:10 - Choosing Transformation over Seeking 00:38:02 - Rediscovering Spiritual Truths 00:42:01 - Discovering My Understanding 00:46:22 - The Awakening 00:50:19 - The Importance of Enlightenment and Self-Examination 00:54:58 - Responsibility and Vulnerability in the Teacher Role 00:59:24 - The Emergence of Peer-to-Peer Spirituality 01:03:34 - New Approaches to Enlightenment and Psychoactive Drugs 01:20:25 - The Contextualization of Experience and the Limitations of Vedanta 01:24:45 - The Definition and Evolution of Enlightenment 01:29:27 - Exploring Further Dimensions 01:33:51 - Equanimity and Inner Fullness 01:37:53 - Dissolution of the Self 01:42:31 - Embracing Pain and Suffering 01:46:59 - The Writing Process and Learning through Expression 01:50:51 - Still Learning and Discovering 01:54:53 - Understanding Creation and Divinity 01:59:08 - The Importance of Ethics in Spiritual Teaching 02:02:56 - Contacting Anne Sweet and Getting in Touch for Questions

William Peters, MFT, is the founder of the Shared Crossing Project whose mission is to positively transform relationships to death and dying through education and raising awareness about shared crossings and their healing benefits. As the director of the Shared Crossing Research Initiative (SCRI), William and his team collect and study extraordinary end-of-life experiences (shared crossings).  William is a global leader in shared death studies and end-of-life phenomena. He has developed methods to facilitate the shared death experience and to assist experiencers in meaningfully integrating their experiences. William is a psychotherapist at the Family Therapy Institute of Santa Barbara where he specializes in end-of-life counseling as a means toward psycho-spiritual evolution. He served as a hospice worker with Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco.  His work is informed by his two NDEs and a variety of shared crossings. William has presented at the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s Annual Conference. His research has been published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and is approved and awaiting publication in Omega - Journal of Death Studies. Book: At Heaven's Door: What Shared Journeys to the Afterlife Teach About Dying Well and Living Better. For more information on William go to SharedCrossing.com. Shared Crossing's Story Library contains videos of shared death experiences. Viewers may share their spiritual end-of-life experiences with Shared Crossing's research team. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded February 5, 2022 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:35 - The Spiritual Relevance of the Shared-Death Experience 00:09:02 - The Overmedicalization of Death 00:13:32 - The Purpose of Hospice and Palliative Care 00:17:48 - Physician's Orders for Life Sustaining Treatments 00:21:36 - Returning from the Light 00:25:55 - A State-specific Experience 00:30:12 - A Profound Encounter with Underprivileged People 00:34:43 - Encountering the Homeless Community 00:38:57 - Near-Death Experience and Re-Embodiment 00:43:36 - A Parallel Universe Above the Bed 00:48:12 - The Shared-Death Experience 00:52:38 - Remote Shared-Death Experience 00:57:05 - Sensory Experiences After Death 01:00:59 - A Mother's Premonition 01:04:52 - A Beautiful Being in a Hurry 01:08:53 - Phenomenon of the Soul Spirit Leaving the Body 01:13:49 - Witnessing the Departure 01:18:27 - Different modes of participation in near-death experiences 01:23:14 - The Conductor and Coordinating Human Death 01:27:15 - Cultural Experiences of the End of Life 01:31:28 - The Resistance to Studying Spiritual Experiences 01:35:36 - Science and Spirituality 01:39:56 - The Shared-Death Experience 01:43:51 - Facilitating Mystical Experiences at the End of Life 01:47:54 - Reflection on Suicide and Death 01:52:06 - Premonitions of Death 01:55:59 - Transition into the Afterlife 02:00:11 - Spiritual Aspects of Dying and the Need for Change 02:04:29 - Major Influencers and the Shared-Death Experience 02:08:25 - A New Paradigm for Death and Dying