With Mark Gober and Doug Scott.

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.

Previous BatGap interview with Mark

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.

Previous BatGap interview with Doug

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded March 26, 2023.

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

00:05:40 - From Curiosity to Writing Books on Consciousness

00:08:51 - Past Lives on Other Planets

00:13:10 - Childhood Encounter with UFOs

00:20:09 - Compelling UFO Sightings Throughout History

00:25:56 - The UFO Phenomenon and Spiritual Seeking

00:31:36 - The Agenda of Beings in the Spirit World

00:36:09 - The Evolution of Alien Abduction Experiences

00:39:32 - Alien Intervention at Nuclear Sites and Their Agenda

00:45:03 - Polarity and Progression in Higher Densities

00:52:06 - Causality and Mutual Influence in Higher Realms

00:59:05 - The Veil of Forgetting and the Choice of Path

Emelie has been working fulltime since 1995 with empathic communication with other species, non-hierarchal riding and handling of horses, alternative treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy and herbal medicine. She has published three books on these subjects. She runs a school with mainly horses and other species for empathic interbeing. This school is a farm that is a sanctuary for around 170 animals of different species - not to mention plants and surrounding nature.

Books:

All the King's Horses - if you wish to purchase a copy, email Emelie.

Zander och Tiden (Swedish)

Website: friendsofmio.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded March 5, 2023

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Emelie Cajsdotter and her work with animals

00:06:47 - An Invisible Wall Removed

00:12:33 - The Gap Between Personal Gain and Common Reality

00:18:23 - The Visionary Potential of Horses

00:24:35 - The Struggle Between the Ego and the Soul

00:30:18 - The Love for Existence

00:36:25 - Ego and the Dehumanization of Others

00:42:31 - The Spiritual Path and the Cycle of Life

00:48:31 - The Balance of Life and Death

00:54:22 - The Experience of Being a Mosquito

01:00:14 - The Journey to Enlightenment

01:06:04 - Conversations with Animals

01:11:59 - Communication with Plants

01:18:03 - Transitioning to an Enlightened Society

01:24:11 - The Birth and Rebirth of the Individual

01:30:35 - The Journey of Life and Death

01:36:33 - Cultivating Compassion and Connection with Animals

01:42:23 - The Longing of Those Who Cannot Come

01:48:09 - Creating a Non-Judgmental and Safe Environment

01:54:15 - Giving and Receiving in Artistic Work

02:00:12 - The Circular Nature of Life and Reincarnation

02:05:25 - Reaching out for Help in Difficult Times

02:10:28 - Conversations with Animals and the Power of Influence

Fr. Seán ÓLaoire was born in Ireland and earned a B.Sc. degree (major in Mathematics) from the National University of Ireland. Ordained a catholic priest in 1972, he spent 14 years working in Kenya. He is multi-lingual and has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology; he is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice. He is co-founder and the Spiritual Director of a non-denominational community called “Companions on the Journey” based in Palo Alto. He is the author of five books and co-author of a sixth:

“Ukweli ni Nini?” (What is truth?) – written and published in Swahili in 1983

“Spirits in Spacesuits - A Manual for Everyday Mystics”- published in 2003

“Souls on Safari” - published in 2006 - Translated into German in 2007

“A Sensible God” – published in 2008

“Why? What Your Life Is Telling You about Who You Are and Why You’re Here” - published in 2013 (with Matthew McKay, PhD and Ralph Metzner, PhD) - Translated into Korean in 2015

“Setting God Free: Moving Beyond the Caricature We’ve Created in Our Own Image” - published in 2021

Summary and transcript of this interview

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded February 25, 2023

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump. Mythology and ‘Thin Places’ 

00:06:40 - The Wisdom of Proverbs in Different Cultures

00.09:00 Trying to domesticate God 

00:12:16 - The Cycle of Knowledge and Ignorance

00:17:39 - The Disadvantages of Incarnation

00.23:20 Transformation of Consciousness 

00:23:46 - Ineffective Structures and People's Transformation

00:29:20 - The Rural Electrification Scheme in Ireland

00:34:51 - The Invitation to Self-Transcendence

00:40:08 - The Complexity of Existence

00.41:15 Karma and Pre-conception Contracts 

00:45:44 - Pulling Life Over the Cliff

00:51:22 - The Purpose of Incarnations

00:56:54 - Understanding Karma and Destiny

01:00:45 The Science of Spirituality 

01:02:47 - Reincarnation in Christianity

01:08:15 - The Three Axes of Spiritual Awareness and Metrics in Spirituality

01:14:12 - The Constraints of the Scientific Method

01:20:35 - The merge of science and spirituality

01:26:15 The Global Awakening 

01:26:24 - Awakening to Powerful Spiritual Experiences

01:31:56 - Confrontation and the 80:20 Rule in Spiritual Teachings

01:37:49 - The Types of Civilizations and Our Current State

01:43:41 - The Role of Healing Modalities in Personal Growth

01:43:54 Healing Trauma 

01:49:43 - The End of Reincarnation?

01:55:22 - Separating from Narcissists

01:56:34 The Trifurcation of Homo Sapiens Sapiens

02:00:41 - Forming Community and Overcoming Superiority

02:06:17 - The Unity of All Life

02:12:18 - Communicating with Animals

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.

Websites:

Boundless

Art

The Enneagram School

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded February 4, 2023.

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

00:04:26 - Childhood Memories and Unknown Experiences

00:08:42 - Interaction with Subtle Beings

00:12:53 - The Journey of Meditation and Spirituality

00:16:59 - Opening to Subtle Dimensions

00:21:48 - A Phase of Iconoclasm

00:26:45 - Relearning the Enneagram and Awakening Experiences

00:31:37 - Feeling the Energy of Each Type

00:36:43 - The Enneagram and Living a Transcendent Life

00:40:46 - Reconnecting with the Energy of Light Beings

00:45:32 - Exploring Past Lives and Life Between Lives

00:50:43 - The Awakening and In-Depth Exploration

00:55:36 - Sharing the Frequency

01:00:05 - Accessing Information in an Expanded State

01:05:20 - Out of focus and in focus

01:09:32 - The Beauty of the Present Moment

Born in London, Dr. Churchill's interest in psycho-spiritual development, Integral theory, Contemplative studies, Western Esotericism, and Mahayana Buddhism began in his adolescence,. During this time, John received the esoteric Planetary Dharma transmissions that would in time unfold as his contribution to a planetary fourth turning teaching.

Dr. Churchill spent 15 years training and teaching “Great Seal” meditation in an Indo-Tibetan Mahayana lineage under the mentorship of the late senior Western teacher, translator, respected author, and clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel P. Brown.

He is also a founding member of the Integral Institute led by esteemed Transpersonal/Integral philosopher, Ken Wilber.

John has received advanced training in: attachment therapy, hypnosis, positive psychology for peak performance, and the “Pointing Out” style of Mahamudra meditation.

For the last 25 years, John has developed a a Fourth Turning Planetary Dharma practice which includes the somatically based contemplative practice path; Embodying the Open Ground, that integrates psychodynamic healing, adult development and meditation.

John holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from William James College, and is a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Married to his partner, Nicole since 2000, they are Co-Founders of Samadhi Integral, and Co-Directors of Karuna Mandala.

Book: Becoming Buddha: Buddhist Contemplative Psychology in a Western Context

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded January 29, 2023.

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

00:05:37 - The Different Dimensions of Mind and Cross-training the Mind

00:11:07 - The Path of the Bodhisattva

00:17:12 - Meeting the Needs of a Different Population

00:22:54 - Developing a Contemplative System in the West

00:27:53 - Examining Components and Creativity in Meditation Practices

00:33:32 - Understanding Different Types of Spiritual Practices

00:39:15 - Transcending Sacred Technologies Through Collaboration

00:44:40 - Allowing Our Natural Tendency to Unfold

00:50:08 - Describing the Experience of Brahman

00:55:41 - Gaia as a Multidimensional Being

01:01:41 - Perspectives and Metacognition

01:07:26 - Exploring the Fundamental Nature of Reality

01:12:26 - The Next Stage of Human Development

01:18:12 - Education and Spiritual Development

01:23:03 - Tiered Levels of Cognition and Development

01:28:02 - The Four-Year Contemplative Education

01:32:05 - The Plant Dimension

01:33:19 - The Sacred Tradition of Herbal Medicine

01:38:25 - Thoreau's Belief in Building Foundations

01:44:05 - A New Contemplative System with Psychedelics

01:49:43 - Legalization of Marijuana and Psilocybin

01:55:20 - Personal Experiences with the Law

02:00:07 - The Significance of a Skull Symbol

02:04:57 - Personal Connection and Future Meetup

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.

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube channel

Army4Love Gatherings: Zoom on the 1st Tuesday of every month Free. 3:00 p.m. MST: https://goldenmiracles.com/engage/

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded January 8, 2022.

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Childhood Encounters with Faces at Night

00:04:17 - Shutting Off and Fitting In

00:08:36 - The Process of Mediumship

00:12:36 - Connecting with the Other Side

00:16:11 - A Life-Changing Car Accident

00:20:01 - Intervention from a Non-Corporeal Being

00:23:29 - The Mysterious Stranger

00:26:26 - A Big Near-Death Experience

00:30:01 - A Divine Encounter and Life Plan

00:33:28 - Unraveling the Mystery of the 90-Pound Condition

00:36:42 - A Personal Connection with God

00:39:53 - Remote Healing and Spiritual Journeys

00:43:33 - Healing Childhood Trauma

00:46:57 - The Healing Process and Physical Effects

00:50:15 - Spiritual Surgeons and Healing Others

00:54:02 - The Power of Lavender Oil

00:58:33 - Healing Childhood Trauma

01:05:45 - Healing Possession of Negative Energy

01:12:07 - Healing through Ancestral Release

01:19:13 - Healing from Resentment Towards Father

01:26:08 - Embracing the Journey of Cancer

01:33:22 - Individual vs Group Healings

01:39:56 - Trusting the Healing Process and Honoring Yourself

01:47:35 - Honoring Yourself and Taking Time Off

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) 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) 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) 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) 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 precogni...

I was interviewed by Angelo Dilullo, who has been on BatGap.

Angelo's:

BatGap interview

YouTube Channel

Points discussed:

My spiritual history. The TM program

The importance of integration and stabilization on the spiritual path.

The value of spiritual development in unfolding our full potential.

About Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi)

The masculine and feminine aspects of spirituality.

Compassion, kindness, generosity, and such qualities as expressions of holistic spiritual development.

The Association for Spiritual Integrity and the importance of ethics on the spiritual path.

What is the best spiritual practice?

Are there any detrimental practices? (Psychedelics? Neo-Advaita?) Harmful teachers?

The qualifications for being a spiritual teacher and the importance of discerning between qualified and unqualified teachers. The importance of humility and genuineness in teachers.

We all have different roles to play. Awakened people aren’t necessarily teachers and don’t necessarily use spiritual terminology.

The relevance of channeling, mediumship, etc. to spirituality. Different dimensions of reality.

“God” as an unbounded self-interacting ocean of consciousness. We are characters with some improvisational latitude in the Divine Play. The playwright has our best interest in mind.

Staying aligned with the Divine “stream”. Trusting your instincts.

Global problems are symptomatic of the quality of collective consciousness which is trending toward awakening, perhaps as a response to the dire nature of these problems.

The cumulative nature of spiritual practice.

Recommended books.

The importance of where you put your attention.

The complimentary relationship between knowledge and experience.

The importance of taking the first step on the spiritual path, and one thing will lead to the next.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded December 20, 2022

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

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, most recently The Cosmic Hologram (2017), and The Story of Gaia: The Big Breath and the Evolutionary Journey of Our Conscious Planet (2022) and is co-founder of WholeWorld-View.

Summary and Transcript of this interview

Websites:

wholeworld-view.org

judecurrivan.com

Earlier books:

CosMos: A Co-creator's Guide to the Whole World

The 13th Step: A Global Journey in Search of Our Cosmic Destiny

The 8th Chakra: What It Is and How It Can Transform Your Life

The Wave : A Life Changing Journey into the Heart and Mind of the Cosmos

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

First BatGap interview with Jude

Interview recorded December 10, 2022

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

00:02:09 - About Jude Currivan

00:04:04 - My First Multidimensional Experience

00:06:06 - Awakening to the Living Universe

00:08:13 - Reconsidering Francis Bacon's Intention

00:10:35 - The Journey of Scientific Exploration

00:12:27 - The Evolutionary Journey of Our Conscious Planet

00:16:09 - The Incredible Abilities of Slime Mold

00:18:37 - Complex Behavior and Informational Flows

00:21:29 - The Evidence of the Cosmic Hologram

00:26:26 - The Evidence of Quantum Mechanics and Relativity

00:29:01 - The Non-Locally Unified Universe

00:32:19 - The Unified and Intelligent Universe

00:37:33 - The Holographic Principle and the Pixelation of Reality

00:42:43 - The Fundamental Cosmic Intelligence

00:47:45 - The Universe as an Evolutionary Learning Process

00:52:32 - The Meaningful Information of the Universe

00:57:03 - The Evolutionary Arc and Interconnectedness

01:00:23 - Awakening from the Illusion of Separation

01:03:24 - The Fine-Tuned Beginning of the Universe

01:07:33 - The Fundamental Laws of Infodynamics and the Co-Creation of the Universe

01:10:47 - Darwin's Perspective on Mutations

01:12:06 - The Distortion of Darwinism and Materialism

01:14:32 - The Intelligent Nature of Biological Organisms and Living Beings

01:17:23 - The Gaia Sphere and the Story of Our Universe

01:20:03 - Gaia: A Living, Conscious Being

01:22:29 - The Reality of Unity in the Story of Gaia

01:24:53 - The Futility of Trying to Predict the Future

01:26:46 - Human life in attunement with divine intelligence

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 to 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.

The spiritual routine at Kranti:

Our house is a mix of girls who have been raised Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and Jain. We are extremely mindful of integrating all of these traditions (as well as a few others like Sikhism) into our daily lives as well as our travel experiences.

Just to give you an idea, some of the places we make sure to take all Kranti girls are: Golden Temple in Amritsar, Dalai Lama's temple in McLeodganj, Nizamuddin's shrine in Delhi, St. Thomas' basilica in Chennai, Haji Ali's shrine in Mumbai, as well as dozens of famous Hindu temples around India.

All of the girls are required to attend 10-day Vipassana courses, either the programs specifically for teens or on their own after age 18, as well as Buddhist philosophy courses at Tushita Meditation center. We are connected to quite a few spiritual leaders here, and the Dalai Lama's translator, as well as Sri M, are regular visitors at the Kranti home.

But most importantly, yoga and meditation are the first activities of the day at Kranti School, along with daily journaling and writing gratitude letters every morning. All of the girls have a therapist through a Mumbai-based organization called Inner Space where all therapists and clients are trained in mindfulness based cognitive therapy.

Kranti's website: kranti-india.org

Kranti's Instagram page

Kranti's Facebook page

Donating to Kranti:

Kranti Home and School Fundraiser

savethechild.org Tax exempt for US donors.)

Milaap: Help the Survivors of Trafficking (India-based, doesn't deduct fee. Not tax exempt for US donors.)

Donating to Happy Feet Home (hospice for terminally ill children)

Contact Robin

PDF with more info about Robin, her upcoming book, and Kranti

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded November 20, 2022

YouTube Video Chapters:

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

00:05:40 - The Motivation of Kranti

00:10:15 - Childhood Memories and Spiritual Moments

00:15:03 - Childhood Curiosity and Spiritual Exploration

00:19:28 - The Age of 12: Dreams, Stealing, and Non-Existence

00:24:21 - The Key Players in My Journey

00:29:01 - The Unstoppable Desire

00:33:48 - Overcoming Challenges and Unexpected Help

00:37:57 - A Moment of Realization and Gratitude

00:42:55 - The Impact of Extraordinary Girls and Gender Inequality in India

00:47:49 - Taking in the Kids

00:52:43 - Unexpected Meeting in Glastonbury

00:57:30 - The Neo-Advaita Movement

01:02:28 - The Beauty of Seeing People in Their Perfection

01:07:05 - The Purpose of Life and Finding Happiness

01:11:23 - From Sex Worker to Drum Circle Facilitator

01:15:57 - The Generosity of an Illiterate Sex Worker

01:20:41 - Compassion in the Red Light Area

01:25:10 - Girl's Perception and Plans for the Future

01:29:30 - Supporting Children in Mumbai

01:33:36 - The Value of Love and Support