Raymond Schumann is a fifth-generation carpenter with a high school education. A Roman Catholic upbringing left him sexually repressed. Adolescence left him a Soldier of Christ gone AWOL.

In his twenties, he learned about dissociative disorder. The theory explained much. Help was not thick on the ground and ripe in the pod. Not in those days. A shrink who claimed to treat multiple personalities endangered his career. Schumann was on his own. He named the self who thwarted his desires Holdfast.

Schumann knew spiritual consciousness was essential to healing. That only made things worse. He’d watched guru after roshi disgrace themselves. There was nothing to trust there. The more he sought healing, the worse Holdfast trashed him.

Eventually, Schumann was desperate enough to say, “This has to get better. I don’t care what it costs. This has to get better.” At that instant, he suffered a Kundalini awakening. Never trust a Goddess. She opened the door to a year of hell. A year leading to ego death. A year leading to nondual awareness.

Things only got worse from there.

If you would like to contact Raymond, here's his email address.

Summary and transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded February 28, 2021

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump

00:02:46 - The Self and Spiritual Consciousness

00:05:20 - Exploring Spiritual Interests in Youth

00:08:29 - The Self that Thwarted Desires

00:12:35 - The Impact of Kundalini Awakening on Daily Life

00:17:07 - Naming the Inner Drives "Holdfast"

00:21:35 - The Wrecking Ball of Kundalini

00:27:27 - Losing the Ego and Sense of Self

00:32:18 - The localized quality of experience and the ego construction

00:36:35 - The Role of Language in Human Existence

00:41:06 - The Evolution and Development of Ego

00:45:43 - The Complexity of the Ego and Ego Death

00:51:52 - The experience of self-recognition

00:56:25 - Liberation from Ego Holons

01:02:41 - Lack of Free Will

01:07:01 - First Do No Harm and Meeting Swami Muktananda

01:10:35 - Variables and the Flow of Shakti

01:13:39 - Meeting Bubastis

01:16:20 - The Cat with Psychic Inflation

01:19:10 - The Wisdom Download and Preparation

01:22:36 - Understanding the Clue

01:25:55 - The Risks of Playing with Powers

01:29:24 - The Chakra System and Ego Death

01:33:50 - The Importance of Writing Things Down

01:37:08 - The Power of Journaling and Meditation

01:41:30 - The Torture of Holdfast

01:45:30 - The Presence of God in Our Lives

01:48:39 - The meaning of "beyond the PALE"

01:53:53 - The Potential Impact of Spiritual Awakening and Transformation

01:58:18 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information

02:00:46 - Farewell and Thank You