Dr. Robert Ganung, chaplain and teacher at Taft School, joins Rick to explore how deep contemplative practice can ground a life of service, justice, and education. Drawing from Celtic Christianity, Buddhism, Vedanta, and the civil rights tradition, Robert shares how daily meditation, interspiritual study, and a sense of the sacred in all beings inform his work with students and his view of a world in crisis yet ripe for awakening. They discuss non-duality and interconnection, inner practice as fuel for action, the impact of mystical experiences, near-death research, and living with love and courage amid social and planetary upheaval.

The Rev. Dr. Robert Ganung is an ordained minister, educator, and school chaplain whose life and work have been shaped by a deep engagement with both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. He holds a doctorate from the Boston University School of Theology, where his dissertation explored how the mindfulness and meditation practices taught by the Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh can enrich and nourish the spiritual lives of Christians. That work grew out of years of personal practice and study, including retreats with Thich Nhat Hanh in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as a lifelong interest in contemplative spirituality.

For more than four decades, Dr. Ganung has served at the intersection of education, ministry, and social justice. He is currently Chaplain at The Taft School in Connecticut, where he also teaches philosophy, ethics, world religions, and global studies, and where he has brought an extraordinary range of voices into the community—among them Cornel West, Bill McKibben, Ibram X. Kendi, Angela Davis, Tibetan monks, and many others addressing spirituality, human rights, environmental justice, and the moral challenges of our time. Earlier in his career, he served as chaplain and teacher at Milton Academy, Punahou School in Hawai‘i, and Cardigan Mountain School. During these years, he also served as a minister in the United Methodist and United Church of Christ congregations in New England and Hawai‘i.

Dr. Ganung’s spiritual formation has been deeply influenced by the Christian mystical tradition—figures such as Howard Thurman, Bede Griffiths, Richard Rohr, & John O’Donohue—as well as by Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, and interfaith dialogue. Introduced to Hindu philosophy and Sufism as an undergraduate philosophy major at Boston University, he later engaged Siddha Yoga and Advaita teachings, while continuing to explore how contemplative practice leads naturally toward nonviolence, compassion, and justice in the world.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group,

Interview recorded February 7, 2026

Maggie Gilewicz supports those navigating the journey of awakening. Her work is devoted to humanizing awakening by bringing honesty, nuance and emotional depth to a path often clouded by spiritual idealism and bypassing. Through her one-on-one sessions, astrology and YouTube channel, Humanzing Awakening, she offers a space where the personal and impersonal aspects of human experience are explored with honesty, curiosity and compassion. She holds a PhD in sociology and an MA in political science. She's a lover of simplicity, learning and laughter.

Maggie offers a candid, often humorous portrait of awakening as a messy, deeply human journey rather than a clean escape into transcendence. She and Rick explore how growing up in an alcoholic family, a teenage glimpse of “Peace with a capital P,” and years in academia prepared the ground for a powerful perceptual shift that came not through formal practice, but through intense inquiry into the nature of thought. That shift opened into several years of profound equanimity and a sense of inherent wholeness, and then into multiple “dark nights” of depression, fear, and trauma surfacing that gradually forced her out of spiritual bypass and into fully embodied feeling. Maggie describes later emptiness and “no‑doer” realizations, energetic/Kundalini‑like phenomena, and the slow integration of shadow, relationship, and ordinary life. Throughout, she emphasizes that awakening is an innate capacity available to ordinary people, and that its true fruition is not leaving our humanity behind but discovering a deeper, kinder way of being human.

Book: Awakening to be Human

Website: drmaggieg.com

YouTube Channel

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded January 17, 2026

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00 – “I thought I’d explode”: intense experience and opening  

 00:28 – Rick’s intro: ordinary people, extraordinary awakenings  

 02:28 – Who is Maggie? Sociology, coaching, astrology, and her book  

 04:44 – Humanizing awakening vs. transcendent escape  

 08:49 – Awakening as innate capacity, not a special club  

 13:26 – Suffering, crisis, and what actually starts the search  

 18:27 – Feeling like a “stranger in a strange land” as a child  

 23:44 – Alcoholism in the family and teenage glimpse of capital‑P Peace  

 31:04 – Academic life, self‑help, and the first big perceptual shift  

 35:39 – Lunch in Arizona: seeing life without thought  

 42:03 – Living in equanimity while life stays challenging  

 44:50 – When peace cracks: depression, terror, and dark nights  

 50:56 – “It’s all just thought”: insight, bypass, and its limits  

 56:40 – Multiple dark nights and the exhaustion of mental strategies  

 1:04:10 – Innocence of everyone and dropping the “broken” self‑image  

 1:11:20 – Insight vs. intellectual understanding  

 1:18:40 – Solar plexus knot, existential angst, and deeper unwinding  

 1:24:04 – Emptiness, non‑separation, and the body as formless  

 1:29:07 – No‑doer, cleaning the house, and life happening by itself  

 1:35:00 – Energetic/Kundalini‑like phenomena and somatic release  

 1:41:30 – Relationship, triggers, and the necessity of shadow work  

 1:47:50 – Trauma, nervous system sensitivity, and honoring the body  

 1:53:10 – Is awakening compatible with being fully human?  

 1:58:20 – “Nobody here,” ahamkara, and functioning without a solid “me”  

 2:03:00 – Common myths about awakening (special people, perfect conditions, no more problems)  

 2:09:30 – Final reflections: ordinary life, AI, collective crisis, and a more human awakening

George Thompson is a filmmaker, teacher, and founder of Balance is Possible!— a 15-person team on a mission to inspire balance for people and planet. His films and teachings have touched over 25 million people and he is supported by renowned changemakers including Dr. Jane Goodall, Louie Schwartzberg, Tara Brach, Stephen Fry and many more.

Drawing from years of deep study in the Wudang Mountains of China, George blends ancient wisdom with modern science, translating it into fun, practical tools for overcoming the challenges of modern life.

Once plagued by anxiety and a sense of disconnection, George’s journey led him from pain to purpose. With playful kindness, George helps people to do the same: to awaken their potential.

Website: Balance is Possible!

YouTube Channel

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded January 6, 2026.

Swami Sarvapriyananda has been the Minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York since January 2017. He joined the Ramakrishna Math in 1994 and received sannyasa in 2004. He served as an acharya (teacher) of the monastic probationers’ training center at Belur Math, India. He also served in various capacities in different educational institutes of the Ramakrishna Mission in India and as the Assistant Minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California.

During 2019-2020 he was a Nagral Fellow at the Harvard Divinity School.

Swami Sarvapriyananda is a well-known speaker on Vedanta and his talks are extremely popular globally via the internet. He has been a speaker on various prestigious forums such as TEDx, SAND, Google Talk etc. He has also been invited to speak at several universities across the world, including Harvard University. The swami has engaged in dialogue with many eminent thinkers such as Deepak Chopra, Rupert Spira, Rick Archer, David Chalmers and Sam Harris.

He has played a prominent role in organizing and participating in various interfaith panels and seminars, including speaking at the World Parliament of Religions in Toronto in 2018, and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Learn more in Conversations.

Swami Sarvapriyananda is a prolific writer and speaker whose works make the insights of Advaita Vedanta accessible to modern audiences. His publications include Mahavakya: The Essence of Vedanta,  Fullness & Emptiness: Vedanta and Buddhism, and From Illusion to Infinity: Discovering the Self. The more recent book Conversations on Vedanta in Practice is a curated collection of question and answer sessions with the Swami, on topics of practical importance. The wide range of his writings reflect his deep engagement with comparative philosophy and the application of Vedantic wisdom in daily life. He has also contributed essays and research papers on the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the philosophy of consciousness.

Mentioned during the interview: Consciousness Across Three Worldviews - Central concepts in three different domains — Hindu tradition, computer science and quantum physics — Paper by Swami Sarvapriyananda, Blaise Agüera y Arcas and Carlo Rovelli

Website: vedantany.org

YouTube channel

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Transcript of this interview

First BatGap interview with Swami Sarvapriyananda

Swami Sarvapriyananda on Ethical Foundations of Nondual Spirituality

Interview recorded December 18, 2025

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00 – What is enlightenment?  

 00:00:27 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump  

 00:01:21 – Swami Sarvapriyananda’s background and work  

 00:03:24 – Swami’s current leading interest: Advaita and consciousness studies  

 00:04:01 – How AI enters the consciousness discussion  

 00:05:06 – Using AI as a study and research tool  

 00:05:26 – Venice workshop: “Towards a New Theory of Consciousness”  

 00:07:02 – Berggruen Institute and cross‑tradition dialogue  

 00:07:23 – Can AI be conscious?  

 00:08:44 – Joint paper on consciousness, quantum theory, and AI  

 00:10:23 – Is it a stretch to see AI as conscious?  

 00:12:28 – Everything is consciousness vs everything being conscious  

 00:13:40 – Reflected consciousness and the subtle body  

 00:15:31 – Mountains, deities, and indwelling consciousness  

 00:17:24 – Are the Vedas universal and primordial?  

 00:18:28 – Vivekananda on Veda as universal spiritual law  

 00:20:32 – Creativity as accessing an existing reality  

 00:22:29 – Intuition in mathematics and the arts  

 00:23:35 – Examples from Mozart, McCartney, and Lennon  

 00:25:55 – Question: Is enlightenment extremely rare?  

 00:27:02 – Not becoming infinite; seeing what you are not  

 00:29:05 – Does the I‑sense (ahamkara) cease in enlightenment?  

 00:32:05 – Vedantic definition of enlightenment  

 00:35:02 – How common is enlightenment really?  

 00:36:36 – Enlightenment experiences vs lasting shift  

 00:38:41 – Risks of claiming enlightenment prematurely  

 00:39:54 – Gradual “oozing” into awakening  

 00:40:53 – Manifesting the divinity already within  

 00:41:57 – Story of Totapuri and the brass pot  

 00:43:39 – Gold pot, avatars, and effortless abidance  

 00:45:45 – Jiva, Ishvara, Brahman, and Maya  

 00:47:52 – Is God just a product of illusion?  

 00:51:45 – Practical spirituality: work, health, and balance  

 00:53:54 – Karma Yoga, meditation, and integrated practice  

 00:55:45 – Final advice: keep doing what works spiritually

Christina Guimond has always been oriented toward the mysterious, even from early childhood. She grew up in a Catholic family in Nova Scotia, Canada, and later settled in Montreal, where she married and raised four children. When her youngest was ten, a long-dormant curiosity about the nature of existence began to take centre stage.

On the 8th day of a Vipassana retreat in 2001, Christina had an awakening that deeply shifted her understanding of self and reality. What followed was fourteen years of dedicated daily meditation and numerous silent retreats within the S.N. Goenka Vipassana tradition. In 2015, a 2nd awakening unfolded—this time bringing a deeper dissolution of personal identity. Around this period, she began studying with Gary Weber, with whom she worked closely until he retired from teaching in 2019. Those years were marked by intense transformation, awakening the body, healing the nervous system, working with attachments, belief, and shadow.

In 2017, two further openings occurred. The first was a non-medical NDE - a profound experience of God—an overwhelming sense of divine presence and infinite love. A month later came an even more radical realization: the complete disappearance of self and world into a primal void. It was an encounter with absolute emptiness—an unconditioned reality beneath all phenomena. In that vast nothingness, only an indescribably sublime, subtle awareness was present. Nothing was manifest, yet it was clear this “nothing” held the potential for everything—a living, dynamic void, like a field of infinite possibilities before form appears.

In 2022, Christina began working with Angelo DiLullo, M.D., whose guidance led to the final falling away of the remaining identity structure. What remains is a natural, effortless functioning—life living itself. The integration of that realization continues to unfold. Following the invitation and suggestion of Angelo Dilullo, she has been teaching and guiding others through the awakening.

Website: christinaguimond.com

Mentioned during the interview:

Interview with Angelo Dilullo

PAPAJI - Consciousness Alone Is

Kevin Schanilec's method for working with reactivity.

A Heart Blown Open: The Life & Practice of Zen Master Jun Po Denis Kelly Roshi by Keith Martin-Smith

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded December 6, 2025



Karyn’s spiritual journey was documented in her book Findings from the Hunting Party’s Scout, which chronicles her four most intense years of spiritual growth as an ordinary working soccer mom into an embodied awakened faith leader. After a life-changing spontaneous awakening she shared her Toltec teacher’s teachings and her own experiences as an Interfaith minister ordained by One Spirit Seminary in NYC. In 2019 Karyn was certified as a Mindfulness Meditation teacher taught by Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield in their Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program Program.

Incorporating methods of mindfulness, The Four Agreements and mystical teachings of the world’s religion into her talks, workshops and writings, Karyn shares wisdom in a non-denominational, dogma free style that is accessible to people who are searching for an open spiritual path that they can call their own.

On her Substack, Karyn’s Findings, she released Inviting Grace In, a curated full year of quotes to guide readers through Four seasons of spiritual growth:

Spring-Uplifting Spirit,

Summer-Shifting Perspectives,

Autumn-Recognizing Wisdom,

Winter-Expanding the understanding of our being.

As a life long social activist, Karyn’s posts highlight ways we can mindfully and compassionately co-create a world where all life is uplifted with a new understanding of ourselves and the source of existence we often call God.

Website: karynobeirne.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded November 15, 2025

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00 – Opening quote on grace

 00:26 – BatGap intro and guest overview

 02:02 – From atheist soccer mom to seeker

 05:01 – What grace is (and isn’t)

 08:31 – Ordinary people and awakening (BatGap origin)

 11:01 – Brother’s suffering and rejecting a punitive God

 12:25 – Carolyn Myss, tears, and first cracks in atheism

 15:05 – Belief vs direct experience

 16:06 – Questioning religion and “Pale Blue Dot”

 18:08 – One Spirit Seminary and UU principles

 20:03 – Mystical cores vs literalism and misuse of religion

 22:48 – Mystics, administrators, and organizing “truth”

 24:03 – Don Miguel Ruiz, Toltec path, and Omega retreat

 26:01 – Funeral visualization, love, and urgency

 28:02 – 9/11 and not waiting to live and love

 29:03 – Toltec community and vulnerability

 30:05 – Living‑room meditation and erratic heartbeat

 32:05 – Vision of lines, “unhooking,” and boundlessness

 35:02 – Recognizing this as reality and calling it grace

 36:02 – Aftershock, fear, and re‑forming identity

 39:01 – “Accident‑prone” practice and stabilizing awakening

 43:21 – How the glimpse guides Karyn’s work

 44:21 – Conditioning and the Toltec “dream of the planet”

 46:24 – Grace as unsolicited intervention; daily chances to love

 48:33 – Retreats, disrupting routine, and nature as teacher

 50:43 – “I am the awareness…” – Ireland insights

 52:20 – Leaving “God” undefined; “everything is God”

 54:20 – Omnipresent intelligence in life and nature

 56:20 – “We are God’s love made manifest”

 58:03 – Pain, injustice, and where we place attention

 59:03 – Helping where we can; appreciating being alive

 1:00:01 – Contemporary teachers (Tolle, Adyashanti, others)

 1:20:00 – Death, responsibility, and “response‑ability”

 1:30:00 – Karma and cause and effect

 1:40:00 – Accepting “what is” vs resisting life

 1:50:00 – Ways to invite grace in daily life

 2:00:00 – Final reflections: open path and living as love

In this powerful interview, David Ditchfield recounts his extraordinary near-death experience (NDE) following a horrific train accident in Cambridge, UK, in 2006. Once at rock bottom as a functional alcoholic, David was transformed spiritually after being pulled under a speeding train and, just before critical surgery, encountering beings of light in the afterlife. This profound NDE awakened remarkable creative abilities, revealing hidden talents for music and painting. Despite having no formal classical music training and an inability to read or write music, David has composed two symphonies and a rhapsody—every piece premiering at sold-out concerts, including a commission from The Cambridge Clarinet Choir. His inspiring NDE paintings have been displayed in major exhibitions, including a year-long show at the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. David’s story, recently featured in a BBC World Service documentary, is a testament to human resilience and the profound, positive changes that can arise from even the darkest moments. He continues to compose and paint in Cambridge, sharing a message of recovery, hope, spiritual growth, manifestation, and authenticity.

Website: shineonthestory.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded November 1, 2025

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00 – Introduction: David Ditchfield’s story

 01:13 – About the show & accessing past interviews

 02:10 – David’s biography: Accident and NDE

 04:00 – Life before the accident: struggles and premonitions

 05:03 – The train accident: how it happened

 08:00 – Near-death experience (NDE) description

 12:30 – Meeting beings of light and healing

 16:00 – Returning to life and the impact

 18:30 – Discovery of artistic and musical talents

 21:00 – Creating paintings and symphonies

 26:00 – The aftermath: recovery & life changes

 31:00 – Sharing the story in the media (BBC documentary)

 35:00 – Spiritual lessons from the NDE

 45:00 – Overcoming limitations and discovering self-worth

 54:00 – Manifestation and living authentically

 1:04:00 – Advice on personal and spiritual growth

 1:16:00 – The importance of presence and living in the now

 1:24:00 – Continuous growth and closing thoughts

In this conversation, Emeline Lambert shares her profound spiritual journey, beginning with her childhood experiences of feeling extremely out of place in a world that seemed illusionary and pointless. “Who am I?” was the question that was always too terrifying  to answer. She purposefully tried to cover up the truth of her deepest Self through the limitations of ego and performance art; leading to years of depression, anxiety and PTSD. A turning point in her life occurred during a retreat that invited a significant shift in consciousness and a deeper understanding of her true nature. Emeline discusses the impact of meditation and presence on her life, the changes in her relationships “post-shift”, and the necessity of acceptance, self-observation and compassion. She emphasizes the role of nature as part of any spiritual practice and the ongoing, endless unfolding that is self-discovery. In this conversation, Emeline and Rick explore profound themes surrounding awakening to our true nature, love, and the gift that suffering becomes in the process of awakening. They discuss the differences between knowledge and experience, emphasizing that awakening is a collective impulse rather than an individual desire. The dialogue touches on the importance of surrendering to the essence of “what is”, the impact of the mind's commentary on suffering, and the significance of service in spiritual practice. Emeline shares her insights on the flow state in practical applications and the understanding of the shadow self, ultimately highlighting that awakening is an ongoing phenomenon that occurs beyond the architecture of the man-made sense of separate self.

Emeline volunteers with the New York–based non-profit City Voices, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about mental illness and addiction recovery through peer-led support programs, spiritual groups, and self-awareness activities. She co-facilitates their Saturday Spirituality Group and leads regular meditations.

Email: [email protected]

Website: cityvoicesonline.org

Emeline's personal email: [email protected]

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded October 12, 2025

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Breaking News: You Are It

 00:01:43 - Introducing Emmeline Lambert

 00:02:46 - Childhood: "I'm Not Your Child, I Come From Mars"

 00:05:31 - The Quest for Identity: Ballet and Acting

 00:07:34 - The Moment of Collapse: "We Can Hear You in the Tape"

 00:08:48 - Giving Up the 30-Year Run from the Self

 00:10:47 - The Spontaneous 10-Day Vipassana Retreat

 00:11:54 - The "From Mars" Coincidence

 00:13:08 - The Shock of Incarnation

 00:14:49 - What Snapped You Out of Your "Depressing Twenties"?

 00:17:18 - Peeking Behind the Curtain: The Retreat Experience

 00:19:55 - A State vs. A Trait: The Shift Didn't Go Away

 00:20:40 - How Friends and Family Reacted

 00:27:29 - The State of Pure Acceptance

 00:28:26 - A Monastic Lifestyle and Redefining Meditation

 00:30:54 - No Nostalgia for the Old Life

 00:31:14 - Living as a Recluse and Paying the Bills

 00:33:23 - The Power of "Not Knowing" What's Next

 00:35:38 - Our Inner Purpose is to Awaken

 00:38:32 - We Don't Awaken in the Comfort Zone

 00:38:47 - The "Thinking Machine" and Going Hours Without Thoughts

 00:41:20 - Thoughts are Impersonal Data

 00:43:15 - The Conditioning Cycle (Action, Impression, Desire)

 00:44:54 - The Illusion of the "Self"

 00:46:40 - Experiencing Pure Silence in Moments of Trauma

 00:49:00 - How to Deal with Unwanted Thoughts: Say "Yes"

 00:53:03 - Relationships, Connection, and Quality Over Quantity

 00:56:40 - Dealing with Difficult People: Love and Compassion

 01:01:00 - Recognizing the Inner Aliveness in Everyone

 01:02:52 - Why We Love Animals and Babies

 01:05:02 - Buddhist vs. Hindu Views on Reincarnation

 01:06:57 - All Paths Point to the Same Ineffable Truth

 01:08:12 - Q&A: Why Awaken If We Were Already Awake?

 01:12:00 - Q&A: What is Your Sense of the Word "Love"?

 01:13:30 - Has Work Become More Skillful Post-Awakening?

 01:17:33 - Being in a State of Flow at a Quicker Pace

 01:19:13 - Can Acting be Conducive to Spiritual Evolution?

 01:22:30 - Would She Ever Return to Acting?

 01:24:46 - Q&A: How to Deal with the "Shadow Self"

 01:31:23 - A Prescription: The 5-Minute Practice

 01:37:32 - The Importance of Repetition and Practice

 01:39:31 - "You Are the Destination"

 01:43:25 - Q&A: Do You Still Have Outbursts of Anger or Depression?

 01:45:18 - Working with City Voices

 01:48:21 - "90% of Progress is Invisible"

 01:51:14 - Q&A: Will You Become a Spiritual Teacher?

 01:54:11 - Collective Awakening and the Sangha

 02:00:13 - The Role of Surrender & How Many Need to Awaken?

 02:01:46 - Q&A: Advice to Her Past Self & Suffering's Role

 02:05:02 - Conclusion

Lawrence Pintak has spent his life grounded in facts while fascinated by the ethereal. An award-winning former CBS News Middle East correspondent with a PhD in Islamic Studies, Pintak has been a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for three decades and is an avid student of the perennial truths at the core of the world’s religions.

The author of seven books at the intersection of religion, media, and policy, his reporting and analysis on religion and international affairs has been published by The New York Times, Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, and many of the world’s leading media organizations. He also wrote about Buddhism and Eastern traditions for Shambhala Sun/Lion’s Roar, Buddhadharma, Beliefnet.com and others before 9/11 drew his focus back to the Middle East. Pintak’s most recent nonfiction book, America & Islam, was a finalist for the 2020 Religion News Association award for Religion Reporting Excellence.

Books:

Lessons from the Mountaintop: Ten Modern Mystics and Their Extraordinary Lives

America & Islam: Soundbites, Suicide Bombs and the Road to Donald Trump

Website: pintak.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded October 4, 2025

Richard is an internationally respected spiritual teacher, psychic medium, award-winning international bestselling author, and one of the world’s leading authorities on UFOs and their spiritual message. He is also host of ‘The Spiritual Freedom Show with Richard Lawrence’ Podcast. Richard has appeared on major media including Coast to Coast AM, GMTV, and LBC and has spoken in over a dozen countries, including as a keynote speaker at London’s prestigious Mind Body Spirit Festival for more than 30 years. With deep insight into Eastern and Western mysticism, consciousness, and cosmic spirituality, he brings both credibility and charisma to every conversation.

Books:

Contacts With The Gods From Space: Pathway to the New Age

The Nine Freedoms

REALIZE YOUR INNER POTENTIAL through the path of spiritual service – King Yoga

The Twelve Blessings

Websites:

richardlawrence.co.uk

aetherius.org

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded September 20, 2025

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Richard Lawrence

 00:02:13 - Richard's Early Spiritual Search

 00:08:14 - Discovering Swami Vivekananda and Dynamic Prayer

 00:10:55 - A Powerful First Experience with Energy Healing

 00:13:26 - Meeting Dr. George King and the Priority of Service

 00:16:30 - Karma Yoga: "Established in Yoga, Perform Action"

 00:19:30 - The Danger of Burnout in Service

 00:22:19 - Dr. George King's Levitation Experiences

 00:24:23 - Can Everyone Heal? The Yogic Approach

 00:26:03 - Psychic Abilities: A Distraction or a Tool for Service?

 00:28:11 - The Journey Never Ends, Even After Cosmic Consciousness

 00:30:23 - The Evolutionary Purpose of Karma

 00:33:50 - The Power of Thought: A Radio Show Anecdote

 00:37:07 - Life on Other Planets and the Multidimensional Universe

 00:40:34 - Experiencing Other Realms

 00:43:04 - Mediumship and Contacting Beings from Other Realms

 00:47:32 - "God Made Man in His Own Image" - A Cosmic Perspective

 00:52:40 - UFOs and the Scientific vs. Spiritual View

 00:55:55 - The Government Hearings and Dr. King's Predictions

 00:59:15 - Why Don't They Just Land on the White House Lawn?

 01:03:50 - Global Readiness for Open Contact

 01:07:07 - Avatars as Interplanetary Beings

 01:08:42 - The Planets as Living Intelligences

 01:11:53 - The Nature of Subtle Realms

 01:15:08 - Earth as the "Kindergarten" of the Solar System

 01:17:40 - The Spiritual Message of Advanced Extraterrestrials

 01:21:20 - The Power of Collective Thought and the "Mind Belt"

 01:25:28 - The Importance of Saying "I Don't Know"

 01:29:41 - The Power of Prayer for World Peace: An Example with Gaza

 01:36:12 - Cooperating with Extraterrestrials: The Chernobyl Incident

 01:39:12 - Q&A: Were Jesus and Buddha Karmically Bound?

 01:43:53 - Masters Taking on Karma for Others

 01:48:40 - Explaining the Aetherius Society's Ceremonies and "Prayer Battery"

 02:07:56 - Defending Against the "Cult" Label

 02:12:47 - Conclusion