Buddha at the Gas Pump

#shorts

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4263121403913627 Also see https://batgap.com/lorna-byrne/ Spiritual teacher, international bestselling author and philanthropist Lorna Byrne has dedicated her life to remind humanity of the spiritual potential within us all. She is the author of seven best-selling books including Angels in My Hair, A Message of Hope From the Angels, and Angels at my Fingertips and has been published in more than 50 countries and 30 languages around the world. Her teachings are the result of a remarkable gift, a divine connection providing her with incredible, detailed knowledge of the spiritual side of life. Unlike others this gift is not from meditation, visualisation or even from books or study, it exists as a natural part of her waking life. Lorna Byrne has physical sight of the unseen world, of the angels, spirits and other spiritual beings that she says are guiding and teaching us every second of every day. Lorna says we all have this potential and it is part of humanity’s evolution for people to connect back to their spiritual self so the body and soul intertwines. Lorna’s vision of the future is one where there is no division or boundaries between people. Where our spiritual side is accepted and transcends all beliefs. To accept we are all one. To live in peace with each other and nature, our home. Lorna is also a philanthropist and founder of the Lorna Byrne Children’s Foundation helping vulnerable and marginalised children across the globe and the Seraph Foundation which is developing Sanctuary her centre in County Kilkenny Ireland. In 2019, she was named as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People in the World.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4250642881828146/ Also see https://batgap.com/bob-harwood/ Between the age of 20 and 40 I was consumed with a wide range of existential questions, but despite endless thinking and reading, I never found a single answer. Due to some business-related stress at the age of 40, I started a simple meditative exercise as a way to acquire some peace of mind, and within two weeks a major insight occurred that led to more meditative activities. Five months later a huge cosmic-consciousness event answered seven of my questions and catapulted me into a different reality. I then concluded that all answers were "within," and for the next 15 years I went on silent meditation retreats with Christians, Buddhists, and Advaita groups during which all of my other questions got answered. Nevertheless, I still did not feel free. Then, a new question arose, "How is it possible to stay in a unity-conscious state of mind permanently rather than oscillating between a sense of selfhood and no-self?" In 1999, after a deep experience of gratitude on a solo hiking retreat, "the little guy in the head" (the sense of a personal "me") totally vanished, and the result was freedom, contentment, and understanding.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4229196237306144/ Also see https://batgap.com/carter-phipps/ Carter Phipps is the author of Evolutionaries and coauthor of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller Conscious Leadership with John Mackey and Steve McIntosh. He is co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, which addresses political polarization though focusing on the cultural roots of America’s challenges. He hosts the Thinking Ahead podcast and is a former award-winning journalist and executive editor of What Is Enlightenment? Magazine. His website is http://www.carterphipps.com.

Dr. Etta D. Jackson was born in Kingston, Jamaica and migrated to the USA as a student in 1965. For twenty-five years she worked in education and retired in 1994 to travel. She has authored four books: Understanding Your Choice Unveiling the Secrets of the Feminine Principle The Role of Consciousness in Governance The Idea That Is the United States of America-Its Occult Foundation She founded an international NGO non-profit organization, The Institute for Conscious Global Change (ICGC) in 2007 to assist the United Nations and Member States in eradicating extreme poverty through development. ICGC is in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. Etta holds a BA in Biology, MS degrees in Guidance and Counseling and in Administrative Leadership and Supervision. Etta holds a Ph.D. in Leadership and Change from Antioch University. She has one daughter and one grandson.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3649356668623440/ Also see https://batgap.com/lucy-grace-2/ Lucy was raised in a low socioeconomic household and neighborhood, by a young single mother in New Zealand in the early 1980s. The lack of resources available in childhood resulted in a shrinking of her outer world to what she thought of – years later - as a kind of welfare-child ashram. Within the home, and outside of it, there were few distractions or ability to go anywhere else, and significant trauma – all forcing her to go within to what she thought of as “the deep stillness and light inside” to rest, find nourishment, solace, and strength. At 19 she experienced her first shift, seeing through the personality, and subtle perceptions revealing themselves. She never thought much of it, there had already been so much light inside, and she was so thrilled to be in the world finally so she simply went on with living. After a brief stint in television journalism, Lucy spent 15 years in Europe and New Zealand working for international humanitarian aid agencies. On return to NZ at age 31, she suddenly became extremely ill. For six months, she was mostly bedridden. Doctors, both natural and traditional, could not find the source of the illness. Over the next few years, she had to work to earn an income but there was no strength for much else. The pain in her body was ever-present, and the fear of not knowing if this was her life forever now, was sometimes crippling. She was forced to exist in a kind of in-between world again - of much aloneness and silence, aside from work. After a few years of significant illness, she recovered strength enough to live a semi-normal life. But any time she tried to do too much, she was knocked back into illness. By 35 she was in a leadership role at a non-profit, married, with a baby on the way, just surviving day-to-day with the pressure on her physical body. On becoming a mother, she was plunged into a level of blackness that was completely shocking and previously unknown. For more than two years she descended into complete separation and couldn’t hear the guidance that had always accompanied her in her life. For the first time ever she couldn’t feel God. In 2018, after more than two years of immense struggle, an unexplainable and absolute surrender took place within, in a moment, as her two-year-old cried and reached for her. Within two months she had left the career she loved to rest in what she thought of as silence. For around a year and a half, she couldn't do much else. Lucy had never been exposed to spirituality, nor did she know anything about its concepts or traditions. She thought meditation was for “those hippy people.” Because there had been no conscious spiritual search, she had no context for what was happening. Often it was so beautiful and joyful – she didn’t need to know. There was an innate sense of trust and recognition that went beyond what needed to be seen or understood with the mind. When the need to understand did arise - some online searches helped a little, but often it all felt overwhelming, and she preferred sitting in silence to hear from within. Guidance and teaching were always present and given through hearing and images. Despite this, when particularly strange things would occur the need for the mind to understand would return. One night in 2019, before sleep, in heartfelt prayer she asked for help to cut through all the online noise and finally really grasp what was going on. There was a felt sense of need for community. As she was awakening in the morning, she heard the words “Buddha at the Gas Pump”. Lucy says, "I was stumped. I had no idea what that meant, but Googled it and found BatGap. As a result, my life has changed. Over the years BatGap has supported me deeply in the process – nurturing trust and allowing everything to unfold as it wants to." From then until now, Lucy has been called over and over into deeper surrender. She has had further shifts and many clearings. Her career of 15 years, husband/partner of 16 years, many friends, and her home – all things she loved dearly - have fallen away. She has never had a teacher and has read very little. She makes no claim to know anything. It seems to her that there is nothing to know, or that can be known. There is no one way and no right way. There is only your way, to be honoured and cherished and fallen into more and more deeply in every breath.

Dr. Taylor's "My Stroke of Insight" TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyyjU8fzEYU Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4165524680339967/ Also see https://batgap.com/jill-bolte-taylor/ Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard trained and published neuroanatomist who is now affiliated with the Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology. In 1996 she experienced a severe hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of her brain causing her to lose the ability to walk, talk, read, write or recall any of her life. Her memoir, My Stroke of Insight, documenting her experience with stroke and eight-year recovery spent 63 weeks on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. Her most recent 2021 book is WHOLE BRAIN LIVING: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life. Dr. Taylor is a dynamic teacher and public speaker who loves educating all age groups, academic levels, as well as corporations about the beauty of our human brain and how we can work with ourself to live a more peaceful life. In 2008 she gave the first TED talk that ever went viral on the Internet, which now has well over 28.5 million views. Also in 2008, Dr. Taylor was chosen as one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and was the premiere guest on Oprah Winfrey’s “Soul Series” web-cast.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4153932604832508/ Also see https://batgap.com/cynthia-larson/ Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of several books including Quantum Jumps, Reality Shifts, and High Energy Money. Cynthia has a degree in physics from UC Berkeley, an MBA degree, a Doctor of Divinity, and a second degree black belt in Kuk Sool Won. Cynthia is founder of RealityShifters, first president of the International Mandela Effect Conference, managing director of Foundations of Mind, and creator and host of Living the Quantum Dream podcast. She has been featured in numerous shows including Gaia, the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, One World with Deepak Chopra, and BBC. Cynthia reminds us to ask in every situation, "How good can it get?"

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4142660445959724/ Also see https://batgap.com/daniel-stone-on-meher-baba/ Daniel Stone is a follower of Meher Baba. He came to Meher Baba in 1972 after a period of spiritual search that led him to travel overland to India in search of a master. While there he found and received an awakening with Neem Karoli Baba, who then inwardly guided him to Meher Baba, who Daniel recognized and accepted as his master. Meher Baba is widely known and accepted throughout the world as the Avatar of our current age, as God in human form, and as a source of spiritual guidance and awakening for all who approach him. Since becoming a follower of Baba, Daniel has been actively engaged in sharing about Baba’s teachings and life-work through talks, publications, radio programs, video programs, and music. He serves on the board of directors for the Meher Spiritual Center, the major center for Meher Baba in the West, and has consulted extensively for Baba groups around the world. In his professional life, Daniel is a strategic organizational consultant, providing assistance to a wide variety of organizations including the Centers for Disease Control, the United Nations, World Economic Forum, and many others. He lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with his wife, two cats and a grand-dog. Daniel is also a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle where he co-leads a group focused on helping achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. He is also a recording musician, whose first CD of songs dedicated to Meher Baba is entitled “Decorate With Song”.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4127621907463578/ Also see https://batgap.com/mark-gober-and-doug-scott-on-the-spiritual-implications-of-ufos/ Mark Gober is the author of "An End to Upside Down Thinking" (2018), which won the IPPY award for best science book of the year. He is also the author of "An End to Upside Down Living" (2020), "An End to Upside Down Liberty" (2021), "An End to Upside Down Contact" (2022), and "An End to the Upside Down Reset" (2023); and he is the host of the podcast series "Where Is My Mind?" (2019). Additionally, he serves on the boards of Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell’s Institute of Noetic Sciences and the School of Wholeness and Enlightenment. Previously, Gober was a partner at Sherpa Technology Group in Silicon Valley and worked as an investment banking analyst with UBS in New York. He has been named one of IAM’s Strategy 300: The World’s Leading Intellectual Property Strategists. Gober graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, where he wrote an award-winning thesis on Daniel Kahneman’s Nobel Prize–winning “Prospect Theory” and was elected a captain of Princeton’s Division I tennis team. Doug Scott, LCSW, works as a mental health counselor in his private practice in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from college in 1997, he served as an international volunteer for two years in Bluefields, Nicaragua. This intense experience changed his life and he returned to the US to pursue graduate studies in clinical social work and pastoral ministry at Boston College. The nexus of spirituality and psychology have always intrigued Doug since childhood and he brings this sensibility to his counseling practice. Doug grew up Catholic and was always drawn to the mystical lineage within this belief system. He had experiences with Jesus, Mary, and angels at an early age. He was also secretly attracted to all things paranormal and would spend many hours reading topics such as reincarnation, ufology, OBE’s, NDE’s, ghosts, ESP, pyramids, and other areas. One evening in 2013, he felt a presence that invited him to listen to a Buddhist chant, which came as a surprise since, at that time, he had not explored other faith systems. He was guided to listen to Om Mani Padme Hum and as the chant unfolded, Doug saw a golden dew overshadow him and activate him in a way that was new. This marked the next chapter in Doug’s life. A few months later, Doug was led to the Law of One material and immediately saw that it provided the clearest, most undistorted, exploration of the Perennial Philosophy that he’d ever come across. It also cast a wide net to include all of the paranormal things that intrigued him and made it possible for him to put all of the different threads in his life together in one seamless garment. Since 2015, Doug has written a blog (cosmicchrist.net) that explores the synthesis of the Law of One material with mystical Christianity and psychology. He sees his vocation in this lifetime as a bridge-builder between conventional concepts and cosmic metaphysics to help people who seek clarity, normalization, and validation for their own journeys.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4091208597771576/ https://batgap.com/lissa-friedman/ There have always been three deep interests that have informed my life; and those are art, spirituality, and psychotherapy which all tend to reflect each other. I have been an artist since my childhood, had spiritual experiences since I was 6, and my interest in psychology began at twelve when I started reading psychology books. There were some experiences during my childhood which indicated an opening for spiritual awareness. The first was when I was walking to school, when I was 6, and I realized that I was in this body. The second happened many times when several light beings would sit on my bed and talk to me, before I went to sleep. Their energy was very distinct. I could feel the weight of them on my bed. My spiritual journey actively began when I was 19 and began doing TM. After TM I had a few other spiritual teachers and many spiritual openings, or awakenings, throughout my life. The last most significant experience, which was several years ago, was when I was taking a walk and I heard a voice inside of me say “it’s time”. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I thought it might become clear by connecting with the group of light beings. When I did, an energy began to flow through me. I soon got another message that this was not just for me, it was to share with others. This led me to gather a few people together to meditate, and with whom to share this energy. I had no idea if anyone else would feel the flow of energy, but they did. My meetings with people have evolved into a sharing of wisdom and energy that flows from this spaciousness, which is the Boundless. The importance of this sharing is that it helps all of us shift into the consciousness of the One, or Infinite, or Boundless. This is a small step away from knowing that we are the Boundless. As we move through the world as the Boundless, there is a ripple effect. Sharing this shift in frequency facilitates, an expansion in human consciousness; where more people know that we are all One. Through an energetic transmission, people are guided to take their next step on their spiritual journey. I have been a psychotherapist for about 40 years, during this time I have been trained and/or certified in several modalities including: Transpersonal Hypnotherapy through the Michael Newton Institute, Hypnotherapy through the Ericksonian School. I am the founder of the Enneagram School of Awakening, which is accredited by The International Enneagram Association. I call what I do Transpersonal Psychotherapy because I help people work through personal limiting patterns, as well as guiding them to open to their true nature, which is beyond the personal. I have written two books Boundless - Experiential description of stepping into the boundless, and my journey to the Boundless; and From the Heart of Boundless – discussions and teachings about obstacles and issues that might get in the way of connecting to the Boundless.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4060493270843109/ Also see https://batgap.com/debra-martin/ Debra Martin is a World-Renowned Intuitive Healer and an International Research Lab Certified Medium with the Windbridge Research Center. Debra is a Spiritual Coach, Survivor of three near death experiences, cancer and an author of six books. Her most recent: "Proof of Miracles” & "Doctors, Faith & Courage”. Debra had her third near death experience on 1-21-12 where she had an out of body experience and conversation with God. From this experience her mediumship abilities heightened, and she was given the gift to heal. Debra has developed a healing technique which is not being done anywhere else in the world. In 2013, the Logos Church ordained her as a healing minister due to the healing miracles they were witnessing. She is a motivational speaker and has been on many radio networks.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4046238105601959/ Also see https://batgap.com/anthory-peake/ Anthony Peake is the author of 12 books. He has lectured across the UK and Europe and has also given talks in New York and Melbourne, Australia. He has appeared on national television in Germany and France and has been interviewed on numerous BBC local radio stations and nationally on BBC Radio Five Live. Here are the themes of four of Anthony's books most relevant to what we discuss in this interview. Is There Life After Death: The Extraordinary Science of What Happens When We Die (2006) (https://amzn.to/3BJBoUR) Do you occasionally have that strange feeling known as déjà vu? Do you sometimes feel that you know what is going to happen next? Do you ever have a strong feeling that actions you are about to take are the right (or wrong) thing to do? All these perceptions may be everyday clues to your immortality. This book proposes that personal death is a scientific impossibility. Using the latest findings of neurology, quantum physics, and consciousness studies, Anthony suggests that we never die. This book will help you understand the reason for your life and how you can make it better next time. The Daemon: A Guide To Your Extraordinary Secret Self (2008) (https://amzn.to/3FZvYHV) Appearing in Greek mythology, the Daemon is broadly understood as a guiding spirit which exists as one half of your split self. Anthony proposes that people consist of not one but two separate consciousnesses - everyday consciousness and that of The Daemon, a higher being that seems to possess knowledge of future events. Drawing upon phenomena such as déjà vu and near-death experiences, he explores the ways that our Daemon breaks through into our consciousness and can subconsciously impact upon our decisions. This book draws upon neurology, metaphysics and theology. It also follows the stories of famous figures, including Byron, Geothe, Jean Cocteau, and many others who have "felt a force outside themselves". The Hidden Universe: An Investigation Into Non-Human Intelligences (2019) (https://amzn.to/3jeUgEI) From aliens or ghosts to the djinn, electric-voice phenomenon, and UFO abductions, this book is the most comprehensive and enlightening survey ever made of encounters with the "others" - intelligent, self-motivated beings that are clearly not human in their origins. In addition to fully detailing the history of these encounters, the book attempts a bold explanation (never before undertaken) of the true nature of these beings. The book will explore the increasingly frequent entheogen encounters facilitated by substances such as dimethyltryptamine, ayahuasca, 5-Meo-DMT, and LSD, as well as the beings encountered by individuals suffering from Alzheimer's-related Charles Bonnet Syndrome, young children's non-corporeal companions, and the seemingly independent beings met during lucid dreaming and near-death and out-of-body experiences. This model proposes that consciousness, far from being simply an accident of evolution, is the actual root source of the material universe. It suggests that at its most basic level everything that is seemingly physical is rendered into existence by consciousness. Cheating The Ferryman: The Revolutionary Science of Life After Death (2022) (https://amzn.to/3j4HKYt) Is there life after death? This age-old question has plagued humankind from the moment we became self-aware, but do we now have enough evidence to answer it? This book reveals an extraordinary model of life after death—one that brings together ideas from ancient philosophy, neuroscience, quantum physics, and consciousness studies and manages to explain a number of seemingly mysterious experiences such as precognition, déjà vu, synchronicity, near-death experiences, and out-of-body experiences. It is called Cheating the Ferryman. This book is a much-awaited follow-up to Is There Life After Death, which introduced his revolutionary model. Since then, he has amassed more evidence, using new studies by world-leading researchers, theories from the likes of Stephen Hawking, Carl Jung, and Hugh Everette, together with testimonies of NDEs and precognitive experiences that give everyday clues to our immortality. Cheating the Ferryman presents an astounding model of survival after death that is supported by, rather than in conflict with, our present understanding of how the universe works.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/4030257273866709/ Also see https://batgap.com/jude-currivan-2nd-interview/ Jude Currivan, Ph.D., is a cosmologist, futurist, planetary healer, author, member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle, and previously one of the most senior business women in the UK. She has a master’s degree in physics from Oxford University specializing in quantum physics and cosmology and a doctorate in archaeology from the University of Reading researching ancient cosmologies. She has travelled extensively, worked with wisdom keepers from many traditions and is a life-long researcher into the nature of reality and consciousness. She is the author of seven books, including most recently The Cosmic Hologram (2017), and The Story of Gaia (2022) and is co-founder of WholeWorld-View.

Robin was born and raised in the US with a very religious and schizophrenic mother as well as a violent and atheist father. At 14, Robin started volunteering with various non-profits organizations and traveling the world, two lifelong passions which led her to work with dozens of NGOs and travel nearly 100 countries. After spending several years in the US Air Force, Robin was kicked out for being lesbian which led to her new life as an activist. At 24, she started Kranti, an NGO that empowers survivors of trafficking and daughters of sex workers from Mumbai's red-light areas, where she lived and worked for a decade. In 2020, Robin moved to a mud hut at 13K feet in the Himalayas without any water, electricity or toilet. For over a year, she wasn't online, didn't read any book and didn't speak with anyone. In July 2021, she started working part time from the mountains and became a certified BatGap addict. She returned to civilization in August, 2022 and will return to the mountains (temporarily) in January, 2023! Kranti: https://kranti-india.org Donating to Kranti: savethechild.org (Tax exempt for US donors.): https://donate.savethechild.org/campaign/the-kranti-fund/c383881 Milaap: Help the Survivors of Trafficking (India-based, doesn't deduct fee. Not tax exempt for US donors.): https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-survivors-of-trafficking Donating to Happy Feet Home (hospice for terminally ill children): https://milaap.org/fundraisers/support-happyfeethome

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3997126497179787/ Also see https://batgap.com/neil-douglas-klotz/ Neil Douglas-Klotz is an internationally known scholar in the fields connecting religious studies (comparative Semitic hermeneutics) and psychology as well as a poet and musician. He is the author of Prayers of the Cosmos, Desert Wisdom, The Hidden Gospel, and The Genesis Meditations as well as coauthor of The Tent of Abraham with Sr. Joan Chittister and Rabbi Arthur Waskow. He is the past chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion and is active in various international colloquia and conferences dedicated to peace and spirituality.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3984425095116594/ Also see https://batgap.com/anastasia-wesselink-moellering/ Anastasia is a Reiki Master Teacher, Meditation Coach, Intuitive Life Coach, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, and a self-proclaimed recovering Zumba Instructor that has turned her lifelong pursuit of holistic wellness into a thriving holistic wellness practice, offering services online, and at her wellness studio located outside of Chicago. After dozens of profound spiritual experiences and a life-changing NDE in 2019, Anastasia holds a fundamental understanding that unconditional love is our natural state of being. With a powerful combination of consciousness, awareness, and intention, Anastasia has worked with hundreds of clients to create access to a transformational force that aids in letting go of mental, emotional, and/or physical pain, in turn creating lasting inner harmony. She is an ambassador of living a fully integrated, balanced, and intuitive life.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3975271536031950/ Also see https://batgap.com/mark-anthony/ Mark Anthony, JD Psychic Explorer/ Psychic Lawyer, world renowned psychic medium, Oxford educated attorney, near-death experience researcher, paranormal expert and legal analyst appears internationally on TV and radio and headlines at conferences and expos. This Psychic Explorer may be found lecturing at an Ivy League University about Quantum Physics one day, and the next off to mystical locations in remote corners of the world to explore Ancient Ruins and Supernatural Phenomena. Mark is a featured columnist for Best Holistic Life Magazine, and author of three bestselling books. His latest, The Afterlife Frequency is a riveting story driven exploration taking you around the globe, from the cosmic to the subatomic, into the human soul itself. The Afterlife Frequency has been endorsed by the world’s top Survival of Consciousness scientists and designated by PrettyProgressive.com as one of the top books about faith in God. It’s been submitted for a Pulitzer Prize.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3967614863464284/ Also see https://batgap.com/ann-mathie/ Ann has been practising yoga and meditation for nearly 20 years and has since completed her Masters in the Traditions of Yoga and Meditation from SOAS University with ongoing Sanskrit training. Ann was inspired from an early age by her father’s anecdotal experiences with Kuṇḍalinī and his involvement in experiments with Zen priest and transpersonal scientist, Dr Motoyama. Her own experiences have pointed her towards a phenomenological investigation of the parallels between spontaneous Kuṇḍalinī awakenings and Buddhist paths to enlightenment. Her previous research focuses on the phenomenology of Buddhist and Yogic experiences through practice. Ann is currently researching spontaneous Kuṇḍalinī arousals and how these experiences map onto the path of realisation within Indian Buddhist and Yogic traditions as well as cutting-edge consciousness theory. Her mission is to gain a deeper understanding of the psychological processes that can arise from spontaneous transpersonal experiences or deep meditation practice and how we can safely support others walking this path towards greater wholeness.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3960715850820852/ Also see https://batgap.com/mario-beauregard/ Dr. Mario Beauregard, PhD., is a neuroscientist currently affiliated with the Department of Psychology, University of Arizona. He has received a bachelor degree in psychology and a doctorate degree in neuroscience from the University of Montreal. He also underwent postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Texas Medical School (Houston) and the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University. Dr. Beauregard is the author of more than 100 publications in neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry. He was the first neuroscientist to use functional neuroimaging to investigate the neural underpinnings of voluntary control in relation to emotion. Because of his research into the neuroscience of consciousness, he was selected (2000) by the World Media Net to be one of the “One Hundred Pioneers of the 21st Century.” In addition, his groundbreaking research on the neurobiology of spiritual experiences (including near-death experiences) has received international media coverage. In 2008, he was invited to participate in a symposium held at the United Nations. In 2013, he participated in a dialogue with the Dalai Lama in regard to the new science of mind. Dr. Beauregard has appeared over several radio programs in the U.S.A., Canada, and Europe, Asia, and Australia. His research has been featured on TV (Discovery Channel) and in many newspapers and magazines, including Nature, Science, The New Scientist, Scientific American Mind, and The Economist. He has received a number of distinctions, including the Joel F. Lubar Award (International Society for Neuronal Regulation, USA) and the Spectrum Award (The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, USA). Being also an author, Dr. Beauregard has published The Spiritual Brain (Harper Collins, 2007) and Brain Wars (Harper Collins, 2012). In these books, he demonstrates that mind and consciousness are much more than the activity of nerve cells in our brains. He also shows that spirituality is a central feature of human beings that cannot be reduced to physical processes. Beauregard actively contributes to the articulation of the new postmaterialist scientific paradigm. Co-author of the Manifesto for a Postmaterialist Science, which has been signed by several hundreds of scientists (see https://opensciences.org/about/manifesto-for-a-post-materialist-science), he is also one of the founders of The Academy for the Advancement of Postmaterialist Sciences (AAPS; see https://www.aapsglobal.com/).

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/permalink/3072419442983835/ Also see https://batgap.com/isira-2nd-interview/ Isira is an awakened spiritual teacher who has been initiated in advanced spiritual practices and rites across a number of traditions including Australian Aboriginal, Yogic Indian, African Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhist. When she was a young adult, Tibetan Lamas, recognized her as an important incarnation and travelled to Adelaide, Australia to bring her to the Himalayas to be ordained by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Isira is also honored as an Australian Indigenous elder and wisdom keeper. The heart of Isira’s teaching is Holistic Awakening. While the predominant western model of awakening focuses on individual consciousness, Isira’s holistic approach has us awaken to the sacred in all of life. It is an awakening that is integrated, embodied, and grounded, rather than siloed, conceptual, and abstract. Isira believes that, even among those on a committed spiritual path, there is still a deep sense of “something missing.” The human spirit is hungering to be nurtured by the sacred. We know this because we're living in a world that is fractured and conflicted more than ever. And people are reporting a sense of fear, alienation, depression, anxiety, and chronic illness in epidemic numbers. Inspired by the wisdom of indigenous cultures, Isira teaches that we must awaken to what she calls the “Four Sacred Pillars of Life.” While one of these four pillars is the Self or Spirit, they go beyond the Self to include our interconnected relationship with three other essential dimensions of life—the second is nature or earth, the third is kinship or others, and the fourth is the cosmos or universe. While conventional thinking assumes that our spiritual connection must start with Self or Spirit, instead, Isira teaches that for awakening to be holistic, it is essential that we start with our connection to earth or nature. Through holistic awakening, we move out of the mind into a lived experience in which the sacred is restored to each moment of our day-to-day life. As we integrate our awakening, a natural byproduct is that we relate in a deeper, more meaningful way—respecting, honouring and loving all of life. Simply, we live sacredly.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3947795622112875/ Also see https://batgap.com/brian-thomas-swimme/ Brian Thomas Swimme did his doctoral work in gravitational dynamics in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Oregon. From the publication of The Universe Is a Green Dragon to the Emmy Award–winning PBS documentary Journey of the Universe, Swimme has articulated the cosmology of a creative universe, one in which human intelligence plays an essential role. For three decades as a professor in the Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness program at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, he taught evolutionary cosmology to graduate students in the humanities. Currently he is director of the Third Story of the Universe at Human Energy, a nonprofit public benefit organization.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3940313616194409/ Also see https://batgap.com/emilio-diez-barroso/ Emilio Diez Barroso perfected the art of appearing very successful. He manages two family offices a venture investment firm, sits on the board of over a dozen companies etc... but up until recently, he was always trying to get somewhere other than where he was—seeking recognition, achievement, love, success, and finally, the ultimate carrot: enlightenment. In his pursuit of enlightenment, he was forced to face what all the seeking had been trying to avoid: his own sense of unworthiness. Defeated at the game of becoming and humbled by the realization of his true nature, he is now dedicated to alleviating suffering in the world. Emilio is a father to three incredible teachers and resides in Los Angeles.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3934702106755560/ Also see https://batgap.com/anneloes-smitsman/ Dr. Anneloes Smitsman (Ph.D., LLM), is a futurist, evolutionary systems scientist, coach, healer, and award-winning bestselling author. She is the Founder and CEO of EARTHwise Centre. Her programs, practices, and strategies are sought after around the world for actualizing our future human potential, and catalyzing the next steps in human consciousness and systemic design for thrivability. She was awarded the Visioneers Lifetime Achievement Award in May 2022, and was crowned overall African winner in the category "Human Development" of the 2022 Africa’s Most Respected CEOs Awards. She is the co-author of the award-winning Future Humans Trilogy with Dr. Jean Houston, and a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Batgap/posts/3926665844225853/ Also see https://batgap.com/alaya-dickinson/ Alaya first experienced brief glimpses leading to a spontaneous awakening in 1997. This left her with a burning fire for truth and a determination to find a release from her suffering. She was drawn to satsang and to the feet of her beloved Neelam: a teacher of the Ramana Maharshi lineage. From that very first meeting there arose a profound recognition of unconditional love but also a strong sense of separation and resistance. However, Alaya instinctively knew that penetrating the resistance was exactly what was needed to penetrate the suffering. With Neelam’s unconditional love this separation fell away shortly after the birth of Alaya’s first child in 2001. With a new husband and baby, Alaya moved to Asheville. She found in her daily experience of being a householder and working mother, that there was much abiding awareness/living in present Reality. But the non-abiding dream state kept arising which created an even deeper desire to investigate what was still appearing as separation. She realized that what was needed was already in the life she was leading and that every moment was a gift and opportunity to return to the natural awakened Self. “My husband, my children, my job, everything is my teacher, and true love is laying down whatever pulls on you, turning back to this life with an open heart and open palms.” With the realization that ordinary everyday life was sacred and that each moment was the Beloved pointing us home, she continued to question and inquire into her ideas, perspectives, and feelings until the veil of separation finally fell away. “With tenderness and openness, conditioning can unmanifest - leaving what naturally remains, as stillness, presence and love.” As people began to ask her to teach, Grace appeared as the non-dual teacher Adyashanti and with his support and friendship she began to give satsang in 2011. “Grace is like gravity, it will continue to pull you within for the truth of who you are isn’t found in doing. It is found in the silence – in stillness.”