Buddha at the Gas Pump

Rabbi Zvi Ish-Shalom, Ph.D., is a professor of wisdom traditions at Naropa University and is the founder of Kedumah, a universal mystical school that teaches a step-by-step approach to spiritual awakening and personal development. Integrating the timeless wisdom of the great mystical traditions with cutting edge knowledge of psychology, science, and the somatic healing arts, Zvi gently points us toward the primordial light of boundless freedom that abides at the heart of our experience. He is the author of the book The Kedumah Experience: The Primordial Torah and teaches retreats, workshops, and inner work groups internationally. Website: kedumah.org Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded November 30, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:02 - Understanding the Vibration of Texts 00:09:32 - Early Religious Experience and Discovery of Mystical Texts 00:15:13 - The Shifting Inner Transformation 00:19:23 - Early Devotional Phase 00:23:54 - Diving into Devotion and Meditation 00:29:59 - Shuckling and Divine Presence 00:34:11 - A Deepening Journey of Annihilation 00:39:24 - Connection with a Divine Presence 00:44:37 - Annihilation of the Self 00:49:31 - The Black Annihilation Fire and the Primordial Point of Light 00:54:04 - The Primordial Starlight 00:59:05 - Experiences of the Kabbalistic teachings 01:03:22 - Anointing with Divine Oil 01:08:03 - The Power of Ritual and Symbolism 01:12:23 - The Colors of Creation and Manifestation 01:17:13 - The Essence of Formlessness 01:22:02 - The Meaning of Torah, Kabbalah, and Kedumah 01:27:00 - Revealing the Kedumah Teachings 01:32:13 - The Five Dimensions of Experience 01:37:34 - Contraction and Concentration in Life 01:42:43 - Integrating the Inside and Outside 01:48:10 - The Culmination of the Spiritual Journey 01:52:44 - Contractions and Radical Awakening 01:57:08 - The Primordial Light of the Sun 02:02:01 - Reincarnation and Karma in Kabbalah and Kedumah 02:06:29 - Simultaneous Lives and Realities 02:10:49 - Worship through Materiality and the Feminine Principle 02:15:52 - The Vastness of Intelligence and the Soulship 02:20:39 - Nondimensional Soulship and the Next Buddha 02:26:06 - Farewell and Blessings

John J. Prendergast, Ph.D., is the author of The Deep Heart: Our Portal to Presence and In Touch: How to Tune in to the Inner Guidance of Your Body and Trust Yourself. He is a retired adjunct professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and a licensed psychotherapist. He studied for many years with the European Advaita master, Jean Klein, as well as with Adyashanti. He was invited to share the dharma by Dorothy Hunt. He offers retreats in the U.S. and Europe, as well as online. Website: ListeningFromSilence.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview First BatGap Interview with John Interview recorded November 23, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:03:49 - Following the Subtle Impulses 00:07:19 - Mysterious Encounters with Wise Teachers 00:11:02 - The Wisdom of Not Knowing 00:14:24 - Crossing the Barrier of Fear 00:18:08 - The Head, Heart, Gut Structure 00:21:46 - The complexity of human nature and awakening 00:25:45 - The Polarity of Change and Fixing 00:29:35 - Balancing Act and Spiritual Maturity 00:33:24 - Trusting the Process of Balance 00:37:29 - The Seeker and the Sought, a Paradoxical Teaching 00:40:40 - Finding Your Dharma 00:44:11 - The Shift and the Capacity for Empathy 00:47:52 - The Capacity of the Heart to Bear Collective Suffering 00:51:44 - Moving with Love and Being of Service 00:55:19 - Living in Deep Integrity with our Heart 00:59:04 - The Influence of Teachers 01:02:07 - The Importance of Teachers in Spiritual Awakening 01:05:03 - Discovering Inner Resonance 01:09:09 - Opening Communication with the Body 01:12:46 - Non-phenomenal completion and the refinement of the instrument 01:16:29 - Leaning into Deep Sadness 01:20:28 - The Heart's Upwelling and Sharing the Love 01:24:15 - The Wisdom of the Body 01:27:52 - The Power of Beliefs in Creating Noise 01:31:29 - Identifying Core Subconscious Beliefs 01:34:49 - The Tendency for Darkness in Human Nature 01:38:28 - Acting without being married to the principle of fairness 01:42:04 - The Power of Self-Acceptance and Transformation 01:49:20 - Interviews with Regular Joes

Julie Brown Yau, Ph.D., has a 30-year background in psychological, somatic and spiritual traditions providing her with a unique depth of knowledge and direct experience. Julie’s unified approach for addressing developmental and complex trauma, includes the latest neuroscientific & psychosomatic findings, depth psychology, & Eastern wisdom. Julie is an author, speaker, and has a private practice in Laguna Beach CA. She works on Skype worldwide. Julie supports those on a spiritual path to embody realizations and assists those going through spiritual emergence. She is also the Director of Education and Program Development at Compassionate Care ALS, helping families and individuals through trauma and the dying process. Julie's latest book: The Body Awareness Workbook for Trauma: Release Trauma from Your Body, Find Emotional Balance, and Connect with Your Inner Wisdom. Website: juliebrownyau.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded October 24, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview+ Introduction to Julie Brown Yao 00:04:05 - Connecting to Subtle Energies 00:08:02 - Exploring the Spaciousness of Experience 00:11:51 - Early Trauma and Boundaries 00:16:37 - Creating a Sense of Safety in Trauma Healing 00:21:19 - Experiencing the Extraordinary and Ordinary 00:27:01 - The Impact of Incoherence on Society 00:30:39 - The Importance of Love and Nurture in Early Development 00:33:59 - Building Resilience and Connection in Childhood 00:36:57 - The Detrimental Effects of Distraction on Infants 00:40:22 - The Biochemistry of Trauma and Samskaras 00:44:14 - The Trauma of Hellfire and Intergenerational Healing 00:48:57 - Building Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth 00:52:57 - Finding Meaning in Trauma Healing 00:57:01 - Trauma and Disconnection 01:00:35 - The False Sense of Pride and Shame 01:03:24 - Descending into the Underworld 01:06:32 - Healing Trauma in Spirituality 01:09:49 - Suffering from Squashed Authentic Expression 01:13:05 - The Cycle of Expansion and Abiding States 01:16:28 - Disturbing Stories and Trauma in Spiritual Communities 01:20:53 - Healing Trauma and Self-Love 01:28:31 - Exploring Trauma and Body Awareness 01:32:12 - Exploring Early Trauma 01:35:28 - The Impact of Early Trauma on Identity Development 01:38:49 - Connecting with Your Inner Child 01:41:49 - Transforming Tension with Compassion 01:44:44 - Soothing Trauma with Eye Contact 01:47:24 - Writing the Body Awareness Workbook for Trauma 01:50:25 - Closing Remarks and Appreciation

Vicki Woodyard is a spiritual writer living in Atlanta, Georgia. Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, she graduated from The University of Memphis, magna cum laude, with a B.S. in English and Psychology. She is a meditator, a webmaster and has a lifelong interest in the spiritual path. Her late husband, Bob, died of multiple myeloma in 2004 and they lost their only daughter to cancer when she was seven. This equips Vicki to write about her path in an honest and humble way, opening the reader’s own heart to what is worth living for. The light of her path is tinged with humor as she lays down the bottom line and invites you to consider what YOU are living for. Awakening is but a dream until you sink into the heart. When you are caught in the dream, it just means you have temporarily forgotten. Vicki’s writing, as Elsa Joy Bailey says, "serves as a bookmark to help you find your place again. The website is a way into what is. Vicki’s writing catches one off-guard, waking people up to their mortality and infinite being at the same time..." She is the author of: Paperbacks: LIFE WITH A HOLE IN IT: That's How the Light Gets In - The Wisdom of an Awakened Heart BIGGER THAN THE SKY: A Radical Awakening eBooks - All of Vicki's books are available in eBook form on her website: You can find out more about Vicki at her website or friend her on Facebook. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded November 16, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump with Vicki Woodward 00:05:26 - Suffering and Spiritual Awakening 00:11:04 - My Introduction to His Teachings 00:15:03 - The Short-Term vs. Long-Term Perspective 00:18:45 - The Bus Stop and Digging Deep Wells 00:22:38 - Finding Balance Between Extremes 00:25:56 - Capturing Wisdom in Short Sutras 00:29:35 - Gathering Energy 00:32:59 - The Journey to Wholeness and Simplicity 00:36:28 - True Resting and Putting to Rest 00:39:35 - The Gentleman Teacher 00:42:47 - Cracking Open the Ego and Humility 00:46:15 - Dreams and Destiny 00:49:43 - Meeting the Hawaiian Guru 00:52:59 - Synchronicities with John Ramsey 00:55:47 - Synchronicities and Spiritual Coherence 00:59:05 - The Experience of Self 01:02:18 - Finding Humor in Tragic Times 01:05:49 - Being Conscious in Daily Tasks 01:09:28 - Suffering and Consciousness 01:13:16 - Overcoming Agoraphobia and Social Anxiety 01:16:47 - A "What Me Worry" Approach 01:19:48 - Manifesting Grace through Leaps of Faith 01:23:09 - The Grace of Christmas Dinner 01:26:53 - The Phoenix Rises from the Ashes 01:30:35 - The Intensity of Spiritual Practice 01:34:26 - The Power of Consciousness and Grace 01:37:42 - The Journey of an Ordinary Spiritually Awakening Person 01:41:27 - Finding Wholeness in Life 01:44:56 - The Art of Going Deep 01:47:39 - Closing Remarks

Mark has been called “one of the finest spiritual guides of our time,” “a consummate storyteller,” and “an eloquent spiritual teacher.” His work is widely accessible and used by many and his books have been translated into more than twenty languages. A bestselling author, he has published twenty-one books and recorded fourteen audio projects. In 2015, he was given a Life-Achievement Award by AgeNation. In 2016, he was named by Watkins: Mind Body Spirit as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People, and was also chosen as one of OWN’s SuperSoul 100, a group of inspired leaders using their gifts and voices to elevate humanity. Mark has a regular columnist for Spirituality & Health Magazine. Recent books include Drinking from the River of Light; More Together Than Alone: Discovering the Power and Spirit of Community in Our Lives and in the World, cited by Spirituality & Practice as one of the Best Spiritual Books of 2018; Things That Join the Sea and the Sky, a Nautilus Book Award Winner; and The Way Under the Way: The Place of True Meeting, a Nautilus Book Award Winner. If you’d like more information about Mark, his books, or events, please visit MarkNepo.com or ThreeIntentions.com. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded November 9, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:03:51 - Being a Conduit and a Membrane 00:07:10 - Believing in Everything 00:10:18 - The Diversity of Paths 00:13:39 - The Story of Ganesh 00:16:58 - The Addiction to Watching Things Fall Apart 00:20:31 - The Two Tribes 00:23:43 - The Paradox of Progress and Incarnation 00:27:10 - The Essential Role of Music in Survival 00:30:37 - Being the Poem and Breathing in Life 00:34:04 - The Evolution of Creativity 00:37:10 - The Disconnect and Epidemic of Mass Shootings 00:41:05 - The Heart as a Gill 00:44:35 - Looking Inward, Finding Contentment 00:47:45 - The Power of Shared Consciousness 00:51:31 - The Power of Connection and Resilience 00:55:24 - The Wagon Wheel Metaphor and Community 00:58:29 - The Power of Quotes from Presidents 01:01:49 - Holding the Paradox of Being Jewish 01:05:10 - Softening the Heart through Conversation 01:08:19 - Feeling the Collective Consciousness 01:11:50 - Distributing the Pain and Opening Our Hearts 01:14:56 - The Wisdom of Suffering 01:18:22 - The Continued Exposure of Misconduct and the Challenge of Enlightenment 01:21:21 - Learning from Nature and Culture 01:24:14 - Learning by Watching the Monkey 01:27:12 - God's Words on the Heart and a Compassionate Universe 01:30:21 - The Little Worm and the Golden Web 01:33:26 - The Unity of Creation and Interconnection 01:36:38 - Starting the Day with Meaningful Rituals 01:39:32 - Concluding Thoughts and Remarks

Annette Kaiser was born in Zürich, Switzerland in 1948. She is a spiritual teacher, founder and spiritual director of the retreat center Villa Unspunnen in Switzerland. Under her guidance, this place has become a gem of peace and light, that inspires many people in their spiritual work. She is a visionary of a Universal Spirituality and has written more than ten books. After completing her studies in economics and sociology at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland), she worked for many years in the field of development cooperation. Her special fields were the women`s cause and intercultural dialog. During 17 years, she was a student of Irina Tweedie, an Anglo-Russian Sufi-teacher (author of Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master). In the late 1980s, Annette Kaiser opened her Tai Ji DO-School, training teachers for over 30 years. Since 1998, she is authorized by Mrs. Tweedie to continue the Naqshbandiyya Mujaddidiyya Sufilineage, guiding human beings on the path of love. In the year 2000, she developed the „DO-path“, which she continues to develop and which enhances a deep transformation of the heart as a way of living in a non-dual, cosomocentric understanding. In 2017 she started teaching the art of spiritual dreamwork. She is particularly devoted to transconfessional and transcultural evolutionary spirituality, which implies an open aware state of being as the natural expression of an integral way of living in a very deep sense. This way leads to Universal Spirituality and Universal Cooperation as Not-Two. In both areas, Annette Kaiser initiates and participates in many ways (retreats, workshops, conferences, audio-conferences, etc.) with different groups, centers and human beings in Europe and worldwide. She sees the 21st Century as a call for humanity to recognize itself as inseparably One, co-creating a new culture in collective wisdom and love of One Heart. In addition, she engages herself also on a very practical level, always in the spirit of what Universal Spirituality means for her – ONE World – ONE Humanity – ONE Consciousness – locally and globally: e.g. recently by initiating the Co-creating Europe movement, or supporting the project of “Lebensraum Belmont” next door. And for over 30 years she is president of the not-for-profit association “Open Hands” that supports projects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Furthermore, projects like “The path of Love – A Meditation path” and the meditation “The Golden Thread – for ONE WORLD” have been inspired by her. She is married, mother of two adult children and grandmother. Website: goldenerwind.ch Books: The Path Has No Name: Life and Vision of a Sufi Teacher Annette Kaiser: 99 Questions to a Spiritual Teacher Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded October 19th, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:14 - Early Devotion and Interest in Spirituality 00:09:12 - The Quest for Understanding Reality 00:13:44 - The Journey of Finding Spiritual Guides 00:17:19 - The Miracle of Life 00:21:42 - The Life of Mrs. Tweedy 00:26:00 - Inviting Her to Switzerland 00:28:59 - Studying in Hochschule St. Gallen and the Movement of Gestalt Therapy 00:32:08 - Falling into Nothingness 00:36:08 - Awakening with Responsibility 00:40:11 - The Practice of Zikr and its Benefits 00:43:26 - The Possibility of Heaven on Earth 00:48:06 - The Awakening of Consciousness and the Calamity we Face 00:52:47 - The Transformation Process of the Butterfly 00:56:51 - Gems of Humanity in Iran 01:01:09 - The Immigrant Crisis and the Spiritual Perspective 01:06:16 - The State of Mind of All People 01:10:58 - The Miracle of the Body and Understanding Sexuality 01:16:28 - Unity of Soul, Body, and Spirit 01:20:53 - The Three Faces of God and the Shadow Part 01:25:03 - Embracing Different Perspectives 01:29:29 - The Journey of Spiritual Development 01:32:14 - Finding Divinity in the Ordinary 01:35:54 - Interview with Damian Eccles 01:39:26 - Exclusion from the Community 01:43:35 - The Importance of Self-Reflection in the Collective Field 01:47:38 - The Power of Spiritual Dream Work 01:52:24 - The Beauty of Switzerland and Engagements 01:55:41 - The State of Europe and its Challenges 02:00:34 - The Emergence of the New Culture 02:04:23 - Signing Up for Notifications

Henry Shukman (Ryu’un-ken) is an Associate Zen Master of the Sanbo Zen lineage, based in Kamakura, Japan. He has trained primarily with Joan Rieck Roshi, Zen teacher John Gaynor, Ruben Habito Roshi, and now continues his training under the guidance of Yamada Ryoun Roshi, current abbot of Sanbo Zen. Henry is dedicated to what he sees as core Zen training—clarifying our essential nature to our own satisfaction, and thereby finding true peace of mind, and then living that essential nature in every moment of daily life, in freedom, love and deep responsiveness. As it happens, Mountain Cloud Zen Center was originally founded by a teacher whose training also took place within Sanbo Zen back in the 1950s, and Henry is the first Sanbo Zen teacher to have taught at Mountain Cloud since its founder. Henry is a writer and poet of British-Jewish origin, who has published eight books to date, of fiction, poetry and nonfiction. He writes regularly for Tricycle, The New York Times and other publications, and his most recent book is the poetry collection Archangel. He lives near the center in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with his wife Clare and their two sons. Henry adds, “At one point in our conversation I start to outline several “levels” of practice that have traditionally been outlined in zen. But partway through I slipped into another categorization of “wisdom levels” as given by Shinzen Young, a mentor of mine. I should have credited him. With apologies, I’m doing so now. Many thanks.” Earlier books: One Blade of Grass: Finding the Old Road of the Heart, a Zen Memoir The Lost City (Vintage Contemporaries) Savage Pilgrims In Doctor No's Garden The Lost Continent Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview conducted October 12, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:10 - A Brief Introduction and the New Book 00:07:37 - Finding Belonging in the Universe 00:11:54 - Emotional Wounds and Healing Journey 00:16:00 - Recalibrating and Finding Balance 00:19:55 - The Different Levels of Personal Psychology 00:24:16 - Discovering Zen Meditation 00:29:02 - Awakening through Different Senses 00:33:34 - Becoming Inseparable from All Phenomena 00:37:56 - The Importance of Having a Teacher 00:41:53 - A Shift in Perception and the Dissolution of Self 00:46:13 - The Marvel of Each Moment 00:50:06 - Humility and ongoing training in spiritual practice 00:54:22 - The Wall of Awakening 00:58:19 - Shifting to a Perspective of No Self 01:02:24 - The Importance of Multiple Valences in Practice 01:06:51 - Feeling Excluded in Pickleball 01:10:49 - Presenting the Koan 01:14:52 - Trusting the Process and the Yearning 01:18:59 - Awakening and Levels of Realization in Zen 01:23:06 - The Ten Stages of Zen Awakening 01:26:59 - The Beauty of Not Knowing 01:31:08 - Humility, Gratitude, and Compassion 01:35:11 - The Latent Energy of the Universe 01:39:40 - Falling into the Mystery 01:44:02 - The Cup Running Over 01:48:04 - Beings in the Buddhist Realm 01:52:17 - Finding the Hara in Zen Practice and What is Looking? 01:56:41 - The Importance of Teachers 02:01:12 - The Buddha with a small "b" 02:05:10 - Wrapping Up the Interview

Dr. Miles Neale, PsyD, is a Buddhist psychotherapist in private practice and founder of the two-year online Contemplative Studies Program. Author of Gradual Awakening (Sounds True, 2018) and co-editor of Advances in Contemplative Psychotherapy (Routledge, 2017), Miles is a faculty member of Tibet House (US) and Weill Cornell Medical College. With more than twenty years integrating the mind science and meditative practices of Tibetan Buddhism with psychotherapy, trauma research, and neuroscience, Miles is a forerunner in the emerging field of contemplative psychotherapy and leads pilgrimages around the Buddhist world. Websites: milesneale.com 2 Year Online Contemplative Studies Program Audio course: The Gradual Path - Tibetan Buddhist Meditations for Becoming Fully Human Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded September 28, 2019 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:02 - Integration and gradual progression of consciousness 00:09:59 - Expanding Circumference of Concern 00:14:57 - The Journey to Unity Consciousness 00:19:36 - The Certs commercials and the importance of multidimensionality 00:28:42 - What was being removed from meditation practices 00:33:23 - Transforming the Collective Consciousness 00:37:55 - The Fear of Hedonism and Nihilism 00:42:28 - The Importance of Systematic Teaching in the Lam Rim 00:46:55 - The Purification of the Nervous System and Release of Samskaras 00:51:36 - The Power of the Mantra and Settling the Mind 00:55:47 - The Divide between Spiritual Life and Personal Predicaments 01:00:35 - Addressing Trauma in Spiritual Communities 01:04:56 - Unconditioning from Cult-like Thinking 01:08:59 - Trusting Your Intuition and Sense of Self 01:12:16 - Trauma-Informed Dharma: Empowering People 01:15:47 - The Pitfalls of Science Turning into Dogma 01:20:00 - Authority Figures and Self-Confidence 01:24:35 - Removing Deep Rooted Imprints without Meditation 01:29:13 - Processing Trauma Memories 01:33:42 - The Limits of Yogifying Trauma 01:38:19 - Accessing Alternative News Content 01:42:46 - Reconciling Paradoxes: The Brahman Perspective 01:47:16 - The Importance of Multiplicity of Views and the Teachings of Emptiness 01:51:18 - The Resurgence of Psychedelics and Expansion of Consciousness 01:55:40 - The Power of Pilgrimage in the Modern Age 01:59:15 - The Power of Immersion and Pilgrimage 02:03:36 - An Integrative Curriculum for Personal Growth 02:07:33 - Bringing Spiritual Knowledge into Life 02:11:20 - Concluding Remarks

From my earliest memories, God was always at the center of things. After exploring a number of teachers and modalities in the great spiritual garden of late-sixties San Francisco, things really geared up when I learned the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique in Berkeley in 1967. TM’s gifts were unmistakable and I began a thirty-year career of devoted service to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Vedic tradition. This encompassed many years of teaching TM in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and lots of time simply meditating, including seven years in a convent style setting. All this yielded vast personal and spiritual growth which remains fully integrated into my life, a gift that keeps on giving. Towards the end of this period, I studied and shared several healing modalities, especially Cranio-sacral therapy. This deepened my experience of the body as energy and Light and helped me discover the body’s huge role in lasting and comprehensive healing. In 1996, my path led me to the indigenous traditions of the West, especially Lakota. I was blessed in countless ways by the great Lakota holy man, wisdom keeper, and Sundance leader Naca Wa-Anata. Through him, I received a personal pipe–a precious and powerful source of inspiration, healing, and transformation–and was able to participate in life-changing Lakota ceremonies, including Sundance, for many years. As a result, I opened to a profound and intimate relationship with the Earth and her healing and nourishing gifts and learned to embrace life on Earth with a grounded joy and openness that I had never known before. Most importantly, I learned to embody and live the boundless consciousness I had merged with through the Vedic teaching and find the same infinite Self everywhere and in everyone. Through this time, I gradually realized that I was here not only to help people merge with the Infinite in their awareness but also to help them include their bodies in the journey. In simplest terms, this means helping our cellular reality or belief systems shift from identifying as density to self-recognizing as divine Light, or FirstLight, as I call it. We truly are just a dream of Light. Finally, around 2012, what I now call the path of Grace simply showed up for me, initially while visiting sacred sites in France. In essence, I was made aware that our growth is no longer something we have to work at. God/Divine Love/divine Light is so powerfully present now that all we have to do is open and receive It, and It will take care of all that we need for spiritual and human fulfillment. Since then, many divine gifts have “downloaded” to share with others to support this effortless form of growth. While remaining endlessly Silent and utterly unlocalized, this magical-mystery-tour of a life is a sacred and joyous privilege. Website: firstlighttransformations.com Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview. First BatGap interview with Cynthia. Interview recorded September 21, 2019. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:10 - Shifting from Density to Divine Light 00:07:42 - Mary Magdalene's Message of Love and Support 00:11:44 - The Emergence of First Light 00:16:24 - The Emergence of Different Fields of Potentiality 00:19:21 - Individual Journeys of Spiritual Awakening 00:22:47 - The Shift in Collective Consciousness 00:26:38 - The Infinite Way Home 00:30:03 - The Transition and Turbulence 00:34:15 - Embracing Being and Doing 00:38:47 - Being Established in the Self 00:41:31 - Exploring the Depths of Existence 00:45:18 - Becoming Light: The Path of the Rainbow Body 00:48:31 - Physiological and Spiritual Transformation 00:52:27 - Living Without Belief Systems 00:56:25 - Perceiving the Divine with our Senses 01:00:01 - Expressing the Infiniteness within You 01:03:30 - Breaking Through Doubts and Resistance 01:07:28 - The Shift in Attitude and Opportunities for Evolution 01:10:23 - The Experience of Change and Transformation 01:13:49 - Transmuting Suffering into Bliss 01:17:36 - Seeking Help and Different Approaches to Healing From Mental Illness 01:21:04 - Lady Julian's Visions and God's Love 01:24:16 - Expansion and Cognition of Awareness 01:28:18 - Dissolving Duality and Defensiveness 01:30:44 - Dissolving into the Black Hole 01:34:31 - The Correlation between Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics 01:38:17 - The Limitations of Understanding Reality 01:42:10 - The Humility of Enlightenment 01:45:20 - The Omnipresence of Intelligence 01:47:46 - Lightning Bolts to the Head

Cassandra Vieten is Executive Director of the John W. Brick Foundation, Scholar-in-Residence at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at the University of California, San Diego, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences where she worked for 18 years and served as President and CEO from 2013-2019. She is a psychologist, mind-body medicine researcher, author of numerous articles in scientific journals, and an internationally recognized keynote speaker. Her research has focused on spirituality and health, transformative experiences and practices, and the development of mindfulness-based interventions for emotional well-being. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and completed her research training in behavioral genetics at UCSF. She is the author of Mindful Motherhood: Practical Tools for Staying Sane During Pregnancy and Your Child's First Year, and co-author of Living Deeply: The Art and Science of Transformation in Everyday Life, and Spiritual and Religious Competencies in Clinical Practice: Guidelines for Psychotherapists and Mental Health Professionals. Her current projects focus on how mental health care be transformed so that it includes fitness/movement, nutrition, mind-body, and clients’ spiritual and religious beliefs and practices (when relevant) to foster mental and emotional fitness and well-being; what environmental and internal conditions, agents, practices, and states of consciousness stimulate imagination – in particular, the ability to see new possibilities; how cognitive, social and neuroscience along with practices from the world’s wisdom traditions can foster positive change in individuals and in our world (see Consciousness, Communication and Change program and Campaign Science for the political and activist arena), and how introducing people to awe-inspiring ideas and environments can stretch their imagination or help them see things from a new perspective, leading to self-transcendence, shifts in worldview and perspective on life, and other prosocial emotions and behaviors. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded September 14, 2019 Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Science and Spirituality as Means of Understanding Reality 00:05:25 - Self-realization and the Gita 00:07:45 - A Blissful Epiphany in Space 00:10:40 - The Combination of Science and Spirituality 00:13:40 - The Role of Intuition and Creativity in Inventions 00:15:46 - Reluctance in the scientific community towards psychic phenomena 00:18:17 - History repeating itself 00:21:06 - Paradigm Shifts and Robust Studies 00:23:50 - The Importance of Critical Thinking in Science 00:27:54 - Presenting climate change to skeptics and the importance of collective thinking 00:31:30 - The Power of Authenticity in Activism 00:35:08 - Awakening and Change 00:38:20 - Taking Practice off the Mat: Fierce Love and Social Justice 00:41:38 - The Practice of Perspective 00:45:26 - Destiny and Enlightenment 00:48:31 - The Misunderstanding of Awakening 00:52:04 - The Normalization of Vulnerability and Self-Reflection 00:54:49 - Communicating for Change 00:58:08 - The Institute of Noetic Sciences 01:01:36 - Transformative Education and Spiritual Practices 01:04:56 - The Future of Meditation Science and Research 01:08:30 - The Complexities of Individual Perception 01:12:14 - Exploring the Nature of Reality 01:15:47 - Speculating on the Rules of Robotics 01:18:54 - The Role of Futurists 01:22:17 - Embracing Solutionism 01:25:23 - The Three Key Areas of Focus 01:28:25 - Shifting Perspectives and Fostering Imagination 01:31:56 - The Ripple Effect 01:34:57 - The Future of Virtual Reality Experience 01:38:01 - The Wonders of Possibility