556. George Middleton

Born in Wales, I emigrated with my parents and 4 siblings to NZ in 1962. Educated in Wellington completing an honours degree in philosophy and teacher training. Taught in a variety of special education positions until retiring. Politically active in teachers' union, Labour Party, and the Greens.

My wife is Sue Middleton (Emeritus Prof Education), our only child daughter Kate is married with 3 sons. She founded the Reading Revolution charity in NZ.

I worked with Men's groups, used various psychotherapy modalities, including doing a year of Primal Therapy in Los Angeles which led to more formal trading in Gestalt Therapy that precipitated ongoing profound experiences and transformations that ignited pilgrimage journeys to India and Bhutan. Also, involvement in Vipassana and other meditation methods confirmed the nature of the processes that have overtaken me and delivered me into the sacred world. Concepts such as Karma, transcendence, synchronicity, reincarnation, rebirth, pure consciousness energy, and indigenous encounters have led to an understanding of the truth power of myth and ancient truths.

No website or books.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded June 20, 2020

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Winter Solstice and Synchronicity

00:04:54 - The Miracle of Birth

00:09:51 - Childhood Reflections on Belief in God

00:13:16 - An Interesting Family History

00:17:43 - The War and its Impact on Personal Experiences

00:21:58 - Pentecostalist Christian and Casting Out Demons

00:26:08 - Primal Therapy and Rastafarian Influence

00:30:08 - Bob Marley's Influence on Indigenous Culture

00:34:43 - Abuse of Power and Vulnerability in Therapy

00:39:12 - Personal Growth and Therapy Journey

00:44:10 - Breathing and Therapy Session

00:48:04 - Stopping Breathing and Going into Samadhi

00:52:05 - A Peculiar Year

00:57:28 - A Heightened State of Well-being

01:02:41 - The Story of Nachiketas in the Katha Upanishad

01:07:49 - The Earth as our Witness

01:13:24 - The Uniting of Shiva and Shakti in Consciousness

01:18:24 - The Relationship Between Science and Consciousness

01:23:42 - Balancing Scientific Exploration and Earthly Problems

01:28:06 - Establishing Awareness in Being

01:32:37 - The Importance of Experiential Spirituality

01:36:48 - Understanding the Meaning of Grace

01:41:06 - The Myth of Kali and Shiva

01:45:15 - The Mountain of Shiva and the Energy of Ganesha's Head

01:49:43 - Life Living You

01:54:51 - Experience during Spiritual Practice

02:01:59 - Living in Pure Consciousness

02:03:56 - Inner Light and Moonlit Night

02:07:44 - The Normality of Spiritual Experiences

02:11:35 - Balancing the Yin and Yang

02:15:28 - Conversation about New Zealand and future visit