Buddha at the Gas Pump

Tricia Barker experienced a profound near-death experience during her senior year of college, and this experience guided her to teach overseas, in public schools, and at the college level. Her story has been featured on Life to Afterlife: Death and Back, National Geographic Magazine, Women’s World Magazine, Coast to Coast AM, and The Doctor Oz Show. Tricia’s memoir, Angels in the OR: What Dying Taught Me About Healing, Survival, and Transformation is also available through Audible. This book tells a story of her near-death experience, teaching mission, and eventual triumph over childhood trauma. The book focuses on the importance being of service to the world. A screenplay is in the works for her story. Tricia is a graduate of The University of Texas. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. Currently, she teaches English and Creative Writing at a beautiful community college in Fort Worth, Texas. She interviews other near-death experiencers, researchers, healers, spiritual teachers, and mediums on her YouTube Channel. Tricia’s poetry and essays have been published in several academic publications. Poems: Loving Narcissus & Sometimes God: Poems The Self, The Other, and God: Poems Website: triciabarkernde.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded October 3, 2020 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to "Buddha at the Gas Pump" with Rick Archer 00:04:19 - Joy in Telling Stories 00:08:15 - Psychic bond between parents and children 00:12:14 - Encountering Light Beings in the Operating Room 00:16:00 - Personal Guardian Angels 00:19:38 - Connecting with Subtle Beings and Angels 00:23:58 - The Role of Practice and Learning in Spiritual Development 00:27:47 - Connecting to an All-Knowing Energy 00:31:24 - Healing Trauma and Awakening 00:35:09 - The Need in Low-Income Schools 00:38:38 - Oneness with Everyone and Messages from the Cosmos 00:42:28 - A Heavenly Encounter with Grandfather and God 00:46:38 - The Personal Form of God and Near-Death Experiences 00:50:37 - The Annoyance of Oneness with Everyone 00:54:34 - Channeling Insight into Helping Students 00:58:41 - Inspiring Healing and Change in Traumatized Students 01:02:41 - The Impact of Trauma on Society 01:06:43 - The Impact of Meditation in Schools 01:10:38 - The Power of Community and Support 01:14:58 - Faith and Near-Death Experiences 01:18:04 - Near-death Experiences and Letting Go 01:21:40 - Using Literature to Analyze Culture 01:25:38 - Themes in Near-Death Experiences 01:29:52 - Connecting to Intuition and Discerning Truth 01:33:34 - Contact with Loved Ones on the Other Side 01:37:35 - Unfairness and Healing Perspectives 01:41:22 - Healing from Contracts and the Virtue of Justice 01:45:12 - Robin Williams' Message of Healing 01:48:55 - Embracing the Gift of Life and Spiritual Connection 01:53:04 - Workshops, Summits, and Readings on YouTube 01:56:30 - Upcoming Interviews and Farewell

Gabrielle Orr, a Certified Akashic Record Teacher and spiritual guide, shares her journey from social work to exploring the Akashic Records. She discusses the interactive nature of these records and how they reflect a universal energy field. The conversation touches on the importance of choosing love over material desires and the unexpected insights gained from the Akashic Records, particularly during the pandemic. Gabrielle also delves into the connection between spirituality and DNA science, emphasizing personal growth and the profound impact of collective consciousness.

Elizabeth Anne Hill's spiritual journey began in October 2002 with the death of her identical twin sister, Catherine Mary Hill, in an on-duty vehicle accident as a United States Border Patrol Agent along the U.S./Mexico border. Before Cathy died, she had learned about a grand spiritual awakening taking place across the planet, which she tried to share with her twin, with no success. After Cathy’s death, Elizabeth began to have contact with her in dreams and through many psychic mediums. She discovered that she and Catherine had come in as social change agents and that they had made a pact to work together to deliver this important information to the world. Catherine assisted Elizabeth in writing her first book, Twin Souls: A Message of Hope for the new Millennium. Through this process, Elizabeth developed strong intuitive gifts and a connection with the non-physical realms. In 2008, during a session with a group of spirit guides via trance channel Glenna Dietrich, Elizabeth was told about a project they would create together called An Interview with the Universe, which would include Q&A, an experiential traveling journey, and another book. Elizabeth’s journey would entail letting go of all traditional safety nets — including job, income, and home — to travel the world with nothing but her intuitive connection with her sister and her Infinite Self. The Guides explained that the purpose of the journey was to transmute the limiting belief systems and fears surrounding money — for herself and for all of humanity. After she undertook this journey, she would be ready for the changes that would occur in the world, and at the right moment, she would be called upon to teach and share the wisdom she had gained. Now, in 2020 — with all that is occurring on the world stage — now is that moment. Website: elizabethannehill.com YouTube Channel Personal Facebook page Author Facebook page Free download of Elizabeth's book, "Twin Souls" Interview with the Universe Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded September 19, 2020 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:53 - The Deep Meaning Behind Challenges 00:09:43 - Communication with Higher Consciousness 00:14:51 - Letting go and finding joy in life 00:19:23 - The Journey with the Universe 00:23:41 - Facing Fears in Dire Straits 00:27:32 - All About Free Will 00:32:02 - Accepting Guidance and Finding Shelter 00:35:26 - A Journey of Support and Synchronicities 00:39:20 - Animals and Enlightenment 00:43:39 - The Deeper Meaning of Life and Overcoming Challenges 00:47:36 - Speaking Truth to Power 00:51:24 - The Tale of the Bird and the Ocean 00:56:27 - The Shift to a More Enlightened World 01:01:31 - Embracing Duality and Higher Frequency 01:06:27 - The Consequences of Spreading Fear 01:10:37 - Disruptions in the Global Supply Chains 01:14:47 - The Importance of Tapping into Your Deepest Potential 01:18:20 - A Wandering Stranger Finds Help 01:21:52 - Transition to a Simpler Way of Living 01:25:44 - Creating a Community of Support 01:29:56 - The Potential of Abundance and Creativity 01:34:11 - Going to New York 01:37:30 - Finding a Place to Stay 01:41:03 - Trusting in Guidance and Letting Go of Limiting Beliefs 01:45:00 - The Illusion of Time and Space 01:49:08 - Choices on a Soul Level 01:57:11 - The Book and Its Sellers 02:00:32 - Finding Guidance and Affecting the World 02:03:59 - Sharing and Beyond the Veil Summit

Paul Muller-Ortega, Ph.D., the founder of Blue Throat Yoga, is an internationally recognized meditation teacher, and one of the world’s most highly respected academic scholars in the field of Indian Religion and Hindu Tantra. In this interview, he discusses his work on the Blue Throat Yoga tradition, his views on the nature of reality, and his insights into the process of spiritual awakening. He also talks about his experiences with psychedelics, his thoughts on the role of gurus, and his advice for those who are interested in pursuing a spiritual path. Paul is passionate and devoted to teaching students how to access their truest Self, and to offer the knowledge base to understand and support that experience. He has led hundreds of meditation retreats, offered a vast array of study courses, translated and provided commentary on many of the most inspired sacred texts of the Śaiva-Śākta tradition, and has personally trained over 40 Ācāryas as Authorized Teachers of Neelakantha Meditation. Paul is uniquely qualified to offer these potent teachings, drawing upon the synergy of his long career as an academic scholar, his particular capacity to translate complex ideas and concepts into easily accessible and comprehensible understanding, and a personal history of deep meditation and extensive practice in the Śaiva-Śākta Tantra tradition. Paul Muller-Ortega is the author of the highly acclaimed book, The Triadic Heart of Siva: Kaula Tantricism of Abhinavagupta in the Non-Dual Shaivism of Kashmir (Suny Series, Shaiva Traditions of Kashmir), in which he examines the “Heart” as the mystical core of Consciousness. He is also one of the co-authors of "Meditation Revolution", as well as numerous scholarly articles on aspects of Tantric Studies. Website: bluethroatyoga.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. First BatGap interview with Paul. Interview recorded September 12, 2020 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:45 - Symbolic Forms of Goddesses and the Teacher Prajanaka Abhinavagupta 00:08:59 - The Formulation of Nilakanta Meditation 00:13:22 - The Meaning and Importance of Mantras 00:17:25 - The Activation of Mantras with Consciousness 00:21:53 - The Potency and Vibratory Frequency of Consciousness 00:26:18 - The Power of Mantra and Introversive Meditation 00:31:31 - The Increase of the Ananda Value 00:36:03 - The Shaiva Tradition and the Malas 00:40:35 - The Activity of Consciousness and Relatively Real Appearances 00:44:53 - The Subtle Attitude Towards Creation 00:49:59 - The Different Approaches of Renunciates and Householders 00:54:05 - Encounters with Ramana Maharshi 00:58:12 - The Wave of Freedom and Transformation 01:02:18 - Natural Awakening and the Impact of Grace 01:06:33 - The Difficulty of Liberated Individuals 01:10:38 - Turiya and Turiyatita States 01:15:24 - The Divya Chakshu and Celestial Perception 01:19:42 - The Value of Substandard Teachers 01:23:33 - The Value of Knowledge in Attainment 01:27:39 - Understanding the madhya space in meditation 01:31:45 - The Sequences of Reality and Evolution 01:36:25 - The Yoga Vasishta as a Syncretistic Text 01:40:38 - Cult Mentality and Lack of Discrimination in Today's World 01:44:55 - Spiritual Perspectives on Planetary Awakening 01:49:19 - The Transformation of Understanding and the Re-blossoming of Spirituality  01:53:39 - The Churning of the Ocean of Milk 01:57:51 - Making the Maximum Use of Time  02:01:39 - The Significance of Aum and its Use as a Mantra 02:05:35 - The Subtle Levels of Reality 02:09:00 - Concluding Remarks

Terrence is an Australian born teacher and guide of Non-Duality. Like us all, Terrence had his own personal back ‘story’ (a ‘me’) which included sexual abuse as a child, living in a dysfunctional and broken family followed by drug addiction, divorce, depression, and anxiety with suicidal thoughts. He has also been a student and chief instructor in the art of Kung Fu for most of his life, a professional singer-songwriter-musician, and has also run several successful companies as a director. During his journey, he consulted various psychologists and therapists and pursued a variety of spiritual paths and self-help groups. Nothing seemed to relieve the deep-seated experience of separation and isolation. Then one day in 1986 he chanced to meet Sailor Bob Adamson who had settled in Melbourne following his 12 months with Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay. Here, Terrence gained an intellectual understanding of Non-Duality. However, it was many years later that his sense of self (me) finally collapsed. What resulted was no more searching, no wanting, and no desires, and a state of being carefree. It was in this state of collapse that his true nature was revealed; awakening from the dreamed fictitious personal character. Since then Terrence has been pointing the way. Profoundly direct and yet delivered with compassion, warmth, and fun! Website: terrencestephens.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded September 5, 2020. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:04 - Meeting Sailor Bob Adamson in Melbourne 00:08:19 - The Illusion of Personal Consciousness 00:12:32 - Consciousness and Awareness 00:17:05 - The Primary Love of Being 00:21:12 - The Nature of Thought and Duality 00:25:19 - The Paradoxical Perception of Self 00:30:00 - The Illusion of a Separate Self 00:34:39 - The Mind's Natural Tendency for Seeking 00:39:01 - The Bursting Forth of Creativity 00:43:03 - The Appearance of Mind 00:47:23 - The Three Levels of Enlightenment 00:51:25 - Speaking to the Dream Character 00:55:20 - The Dream Character and Awakening 00:59:34 - Unconditional Love and Conditional Love 01:03:32 - Direct Experience of Consciousness 01:08:16 - The Dark Night of the Soul 01:12:51 - Absolute Surrender 01:17:12 - A Stirring of the Mind 01:21:13 - A Shift in Perspective 01:25:49 - Reconciliation with the Past 01:29:47 - Becoming Carefree 01:33:28 - Being Present in Awakening 01:37:31 - Being Still and Observing 01:41:08 - The Split of "I Am" 01:45:21 - The Profound Effect of Proximity 01:49:16 - The Nature of Consciousness and Awareness 01:53:07 - The Intelligence of Light 01:56:45 - The belief in past lives and memories 02:00:47 - The mysteries of the universe and personal perspectives 02:04:43 - Farewell and outro

Helen Hamilton is a spiritual teacher based in West Yorkshire, in the north of England, and is a mother of four. After struggling through her own awakening several years ago Helen was driven by the urge to simplify awakening for all beings and to share the essential pointings that allow us to overcome common challenges along the path to freedom. Helen's teaching style is direct and uncompromising in its insistence that we already are what we are searching for and yet encompasses compassion and wisdom to help us dissolve our ego with love and understanding. She teaches worldwide and holds regular Satsangs and other events. Books: Dissolving The Ego The Story of I Reality Check: A Simple Guide to Final Enlightenment Website: helenhamilton.org Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded August 29, 2020 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to the Interview with Helen Hamilton 00:04:34 - Discovering Meditation and the Third Eye 00:08:50 - The Polarization of Life 00:12:48 - Discovering Different Types of Meditation 00:16:36 - Exploring the Sense of Self 00:20:46 - A Pivotal Moment of Awakening 00:24:47 - Overcoming the Belief of Exclusivity 00:28:39 - Removing Obstructions in Spiritual Growth 00:32:47 - Embracing the Ongoing Unfolding in the Body and Mind 00:36:54 - Understanding the Mind's Obsessive Thoughts about Others 00:41:01 - Understanding Obsessions and Cravings 00:45:22 - Passionate Contemplation and Openness to Emotions 00:49:13 - Assault by the Demon Mara and the Importance of Regular Practice 00:52:56 - Characteristics of Enlightenment 00:57:07 - The Manifestation of Diversity within Oneness 01:01:14 - The Source of Intelligence 01:05:39 - Teenagers, Emotions, and Parenting 01:09:39 - Consciousness and Awareness 01:13:40 - Stages of Awakening 01:17:39 - Success in Awakening 01:21:18 - The Absence of Internal Conflict 01:25:01 - Awakening and the Energy Component 01:28:38 - The Proper Context of Spiritual Experiences 01:32:18 - The Power of Meditation 01:36:10 - Recognizing the Unchanging Nature 01:40:09 - Quieting the Mind and Experiencing Oneness 01:44:03 - Settling the Mind and the Presence of Thoughts 01:47:28 - Thoughts and Enlightenment 01:51:21 - The Journey through Spiritual Courses 01:54:56 - Meeting People Where They Are 01:58:31 - Finding Home in Life

Dr. Iain McGilchrist is a Quondam Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, an Associate Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford, a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and former Consultant Psychiatrist and Clinical Director at the Bethlem Royal & Maudsley Hospital, London. He has been a Research Fellow in neuroimaging at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore. He has published original articles and research papers in a wide range of publications on topics in literature, philosophy, medicine, and psychiatry. He is the author of a number of books but is best known for The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, and is currently working on a book of epistemology and ontology. He lives on the Isle of Skye and has two daughters and a son. Websites: iainmcgilchrist.com channelmcgilchrist.com YouTube Channel Facebook Page Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded August 22, 2020. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background of Dr. Iain McGilchrist 00:03:31 - The Story of the Spiritual Master and the Emissary 00:06:45 - The Sacred and the Divine 00:09:56 - Understanding the World: Left Hemisphere and Right Hemisphere 00:13:10 - The Left and Right Hemisphere's Different Views of the World 00:16:29 - The Evolution of Spirituality in the Left and Right Hemispheres 00:20:00 - Harmonizing Contradictory Perspectives 00:23:26 - Focusing Sharply while Maintaining Broad Awareness 00:26:39 - The Right Hemisphere and Consciousness 00:29:49 - The Right Hemisphere's View of Subjectivity and Objectivity 00:33:10 - Restructuring the Brain through Subtle Focus 00:36:39 - Personal Experience with Psychedelics and Anomalies 00:40:02 - Shifting Paradigms in Science 00:43:37 - The Evolution of Western Culture 00:46:56 - Breaking down institutions and the future of civilization 00:50:22 - Concerns about the Destruction of History 00:53:40 - The Importance of Education in Developing Critical Thinking 00:57:05 - Nuanced Politics and Discerning Patterns 01:00:30 - Fundamentalist Certainty and Claims of Truth 01:03:56 - The Decline into Dogmatic Thinking and the Need for a Change 01:07:13 - The Rise of Young People's Enthusiasm for Change and Education Overhaul 01:10:40 - The Need for a Spiritual Revolution 01:14:04 - The Relationship Between Physics and Spirituality 01:17:23 - The Humbling Experience of Writing 01:20:47 - The Importance of Trust 01:24:24 - Taking Responsibility for Your Actions 01:27:37 - The Role of the Left Hemisphere in Psychotic Behavior 01:31:11 - Dawkins, the Renaissance, and Humor 01:34:29 - The Illusion of a Divided Consciousness 01:38:05 - The Nine-Dot Puzzle and Frontal Cortex Suppression 01:41:50 - Introduction to the New Venture

Scott Kiloby is an author and international speaker on mindfulness and addiction recovery. Scott is also the founder and director of the Kiloby Center for Recovery. After twenty years of addiction to drugs and alcohol, Scott began to develop Natural Rest for Addiction which has helped people all over the world confront the root of their addiction, anxiety, and depression. Scott was the COO of MyLife Recovery which held the patent on the naltrexone implant. Scott also developed an app that acts as an interface between pain management doctors and their patients to decrease the likelihood of addiction. The app also protects doctors legally from claims of negligence arising out of opiate overdoses. Originally from southern Indiana, Scott was an attorney for several years before becoming an author. He travels extensively across the United States and in Europe giving talks, seminars, and intensives. Along with his work at the Kiloby Center, Scott is also the director and co-owner of the Natural Rest House, a detox and residential addiction treatment center located in La Quinta, California. In addition to Natural Rest for Addiction: A Radical Approach to Recovery Through Mindfulness and Awareness, Scott is the author of the following books: Living Realization: A Simple, Plain-English Guide to Non-Duality The Unfindable Inquiry: One Simple Tool to Overcome Feelings of Unworthiness and Find Inner Peace Reflections of the One Life: Daily Pointers to Enlightenment Doorway to Total Liberation: Conversations with What Is Love's Quiet Revolution: The End Of The Spiritual Search Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. 1st BatGap interview with Scott 2nd BatGap interview with Scott Interview recorded May 15, 2020. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:02:35 - Scott's Background and Work in Addiction Treatment 00:04:32 - The Kiloby Cooperative: Making Work Accessible and Affordable 00:06:13 - The Advantages of Online Addiction Help 00:07:53 - Becoming trauma-informed and shaping child development 00:09:31 - Finding Meaning in Life and Overcoming Trauma 00:11:23 - Clearing Traumatic Memories and Beliefs 00:13:14 - The New Model for Quitting Addiction 00:14:41 - Management and Treatment Options 00:16:01 - Resolving Trauma: The Inquiry Process 00:17:37 - Overcoming Bullying and Trauma 00:19:14 - Developing a Method for Witnessing Thoughts 00:20:43 - Helping People Cope with Fear and Uncertainty 00:22:09 - Coping with Fear of Death and Illness During COVID 00:23:55 - Practical Steps in the Real World for Dealing with Anxiety 00:25:43 - Global Transformation in the Wake of COVID-19 00:27:34 - The Urgency of Climate Change 00:29:37 - Providing Free Support during the Pandemic 00:31:28 - The Kiloby Inquiries and the Work of Undoing Connection 00:33:13 - Helping People Financially 00:35:03 - Living a Fear-Based Life 00:36:34 - Helping People with Fear and Pain 00:38:31 - Embracing and Illuminating the Dark Things 00:40:11 - Skillful Relating to Experience 00:41:44 - Tapping into Inner Resources 00:43:37 - Embracing Non-Duality in the World 00:45:34 - Exploring Alternative Ways of Dealing with Suffering 00:47:24 - Addressing Social Issues in the Wake of COVID 00:49:05 - Addressing Global Problems and Transformative Waves 00:50:43 - A Conversation about Hope and Dreaming

Diana Durham is a British/American poet and writer who draws on archetype to explore our identity. She's a poet, writer, and documentary film producer who, following a degree in English Literature from University College, London, took the ‘path less traveled’ and became involved in an intentional community in England, the United States, and Canada. In the early 1990’s she was among a grouping who began to explore dialogue and collective intelligence with the late theoretical physicist David Bohm. Her most recent book Coherent Self, Coherent World: A New Synthesis Of Myth, Metaphysics & Bohm's Implicate Order explores how our thinking becomes coherent when our ‘personality self’ is in a meaningful relationship with a deeper, more intuitive quality of awareness and identity. And it also traces how, when we are disconnected from this intuitive source, our thinking becomes incoherent leading to problematic outcomes. The work grew out of her deep study of the Arthurian and Grail Myths, explored in her former nonfiction book, The Return of King Arthur: Finishing the Quest for Wholeness, Inner Strength, and Self-Knowledge, as well as her participation in dialogue with Bohm. Other works include the novel The Curve of the Land; and three poetry books: Sea of Glass, To The End Of The Night and Between Two Worlds a collection of sonnets (Chrysalis Poetry, UK). Her poems have also appeared in numerous magazines in the UK and USA, including Orbis, Tears in the Fence, Kindred Spirit, Mankato Review, Northern New England Review, Parabola, and Ecozone@:European Journal of Literature, Culture and Environment from Leiden University, The Netherlands,  as well as in twelve anthologies, including Soul of the Earth The Awen Anthology of Eco-Spiritual Poetry edited by Jay Ramsay, published by Awen Press, UK, The 2008 Poets' Guide to New Hampshire published by the Poetry Society of New Hampshire and Diamond Cutters: Visionary Poets in America, Britain & Oceania edited by Andrew Harvey and Jay Ramsay, published by Tayen Lane. She also wrote, performed, and co-produced a dramatic retelling of the Grail Myth called Perceval & the Grail which is in CD and downloadable form as an audio play as well as a 15-part animated series on YouTube. She was a Visiting Research Associate at the Women’s Studies Research Centre, Brandeis in 2011, and gave talks and workshops using the grail myth sponsored by the NH Humanities Council (in the US), as well as national and international women’s groups and business executives leadership training courses. In addition to writing books, she collaborates with her husband as writer/producer of documentary films. Their current project is a series of short films, 'Making Sense’. For their first film, they talked to psychiatrist Dr. Iain McGilchrist, author of ‘The Master & His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of Western Culture’. Website: dianadurham.net Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded August 8, 2020 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:05 - The Energy Within Us 00:08:17 - The Introduction of David Bohm 00:12:17 - Science and the Distrust of Science 00:15:35 - The Limitations of Scientific Understanding 00:19:21 - The Existence of Consciousness Beyond the Body 00:22:32 - Distorted Spirituality and Materialism 00:25:44 - The Vesica Piscis and the Inner Self 00:30:25 - The Vicious Cycle of Consumption and Addiction 00:34:50 - The importance of intuition in consciousness 00:39:26 - Living from Intuition and Cosmic Intelligence 00:43:58 - The Loss of Inner Juice 00:47:49 - The Expansion of Meaning through Inner and Outer Interaction 00:52:40 - Skewed Values and Negating Intuition 00:56:54 - Finding Beauty and Fulfillment in the World 01:01:35 - The Naturalness of Being Aligned 01:05:54 - Walking the Razor's Edge 01:10:17 - Recognizing Your True Nature and Self 01:14:35 - The Power of Consciousness and Myth 01:18:51 - Understanding the Dream and the World 01:23:20 - The Symbolism of the Grail 01:27:52 - The Consequences of Financial Inequality 01:32:22 - The Urgency of the Spiritual Renaissance 01:37:04 - Vision and Morality 01:40:41 - Navigating the Pitfalls of the Spiritual Community 01:43:52 - Trusting Children's Being and Minimizing Fear 01:48:10 - Psychotherapy and Enlightenment 01:52:39 - The Impact of Brain Damage on the Self 01:56:33 - Finding Bliss in Life from Appreciation 02:00:01 - The Coherence of the World 02:03:37 - Interview with Iain McGilchrist

As a contemplative practitioner and clinical psychologist, James Finley helps seekers who desire to live a contemplative, whole life. Drawing from his experience as a former monk and spiritual directee of Thomas Merton, Jim offers trustworthy guidance for the spiritual journey through his website, online courses, occasional retreats, and the Center for Action and Contemplation where he serves as a core faculty member of The Living School for Action and Contemplation with Cynthia Bourgeault and Richard Rohr. Jim is the author of several books, including: Merton's Palace of Nowhere, The Contemplative Heart, and Christian Meditation: Experiencing the Presence of God. James's podcast, Turning to the Mystics is for people searching for something more meaningful, intimate, and richly present in the divine gift of their lives. A clinical psychologist, James offers a modern take on the historical contemplative practices of Christian mystics like Teresa of Avila and Thomas Merton. Leaning into their experiences can become a gateway to hope, healing, and oneness. In each episode, Jim reads an excerpt from a mystical text, unpacks the meaning and symbolism, and then concludes with meditation and prayer. Together with Kirsten Oates from the Center for Action and Contemplation, they explore listener questions and examine their own paths as modern contemplatives in this beautiful and broken world. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded August 1, 2020. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:41 - Thomas Merton: A Contemplative Life 00:09:00 - The Solitude of Thomas Merton 00:12:26 - Leaving the Monastery: Trauma and Abuse 00:15:25 - Unitive Experiences and Fragility in Spiritual Traditions 00:19:26 - Ascending to Higher States of Consciousness 00:22:53 - The Brokenness Within Oneself 00:26:45 - Abusive Relationships and Healing Processes 00:30:41 - Mystics and Enlightenment in Christianity 00:34:56 - Different Perspectives on Religion and Mysticism 00:38:44 - Awakening and the Path of Transformation 00:42:42 - The Endless Nature of Mysticism 00:46:53 - The Center for Action and Contemplation 00:50:28 - Finding a Healthy Balance 00:54:00 - God's Transcendence and Presence 00:58:32 - The Ocean of Reality and the Religious Experience 01:02:12 - The Play and Display of Divine Intelligence 01:09:28 - The Deathless Beauty of the Beloved 01:13:27 - The Unexpected Nearness of God 01:17:21 - Respecting the Physiology and the Path to Awakening 01:20:49 - The Asceticism of Dying and Letting Go 01:24:37 - Understanding the Crucifixion and Resurrection 01:28:46 - The Mystery of Faith and Resurrection 01:32:24 - The Mystery of the Trinity and God's Self-Expression 01:36:12 - Mystical Consciousness  01:40:05 - Sensitizing ourselves to the beating heart 01:44:18 - The Frustration of Spiritual Practice 01:48:18 - Teaching and Engagement Opportunities with James Finley 01:52:04 - Finding Your Practice and Community 01:55:44 - Farewell and Thanks