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.

Essay we discussed in the interview: Mysticism and Its Discontents: Does Spiritual Illumination Create its own Intrinsic Blindness?

Summary and Transcript and of this interview

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded July 29, 2023

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

00:03:50 - The Paradox of Spiritual Teachers' Behavior

00:07:52 - The Subtleties of Enlightenment and the Dangers of Blind Spots

00:11:24 - The Complications of Spiritual Awakening

00:14:40 - Defining Enlightenment

00:18:42 - Strengths and Weaknesses in Areas of Genius

00:22:31 - The Transformative Power of Mystical Awakening

00:26:15 - The Tradeoffs of Enlightenment

00:29:31 - Levels of Reality and Integration

00:35:06 - The Goal of Our Own Practice

00:37:33 - Delusion in Deep Mystical Experience

00:41:43 - The Path of Renunciation and Self-Brainwashing

00:45:46 - The Complex Psychology of Seeking Enlightenment

00:50:24 - The Evolution of Culture and Consciousness

00:55:17 - The Dangers of Unhealthy Self-Doubt and Lack of Self-Criticism

00:59:32 - The Delusion of Pure Motive

01:03:22 - The Dangers of Spiritual Confidence

01:08:15 - Blurring the Line between the Spiritual and Manifest World

01:14:10 - The Interface between Science and Spirituality

01:17:50 - The Tradition of Debate and Mythical Stories

01:21:35 - The Power and Deception of Inner Intuition

01:25:41 - The Relationship Between Enlightenment and Psychological Instability

01:28:35 - Psychological Traces and Vulnerability to Mystical Experiences

01:31:49 - Spiritual Breakthroughs and Psychological Breakdowns

01:35:11 - The Role of Responsible Psychedelic Therapists

01:39:44 - The Importance of Understanding Cultural Evolution and the Adjacent Possible

01:45:18 - The Myth of the Perfect Enlightened Figure

01:50:09 - The Importance of Understanding the Self-Structure

01:55:00 - The Importance of Questioning Spiritual Myths and Beliefs

01:59:38 - Being Discerning and Questioning

02:07:06 - Future Teaching and Updates from Carter Phipps