In this episode, filmed in London, England, I am once again joined by Delson Armstrong, spiritual teacher, meditation virtuoso, and author of ”A Mind Without Craving”.

Delson recounts his recent close encounter with death in severe floods in Missouri. He recalls fighting for his life as ten feet of water filled his retreat cabin, and how he escaped with deep laceration in his foot.

Delson describes the surprising consequences of this experience including what he calls a “crotchety old man” attitude towards spiritual practice as entertainment or escapism, symptoms of trauma, and a new perspective on meditation and enjoying life.

Delson also talks about the dimension of spiritual luminosity, why he hasn’t meditated since the floods, his openness to a change in life direction, and the relationship between the will to live and the ego.

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Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:01 - Delson’s close encounter with death

06:07 - Pure survival instinct

08:47 - Escaping the flood

12:25 - Recovery

13:45 - Becoming a “crotchety old man” about spirituality

14:39 - Loosh and the demiurge

16:43 - Impatience with spiritual entertainment

17:25 - What’s important when you die

17:55 - Delson and Steve sit in silence

23:12 - Luminosity and the thinking mind

26:29 - Delson’s experience of luminosity

31:49 - Spiritual practice as escapism and avoidance

36:28 - How to embrace the present moment

40:53 - Delson’s intention to live to the fullest

42:15 - Waves and the ocean

42:54 - The importance of the spiritual journey

47:38 - Is Delson traumatised?

51:51 - Jhana-assisted therapy?

55:07 - Why Delson hasn’t meditated since the flood

57:38 - The spiritual ego

01:01:04 - There was no God that came at the point of death

01:02:14 - Meditation just for fun

01:04:01 - Surrender and openness to change of life direction

01:06:58 - Might Delson give up teaching?

01:08:26 - How to completely give up

...

Watch previous episodes with Delson Armstrong:

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=delson

Find out more about Delson Armstrong:

- https://www.delsonarmstrong.com/events

- https://delsonarmstrong.substack.com/

…

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

If you value the podcast and would like to support its continued production, you can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/guruviking.

In this episode, filmed in the city of London, I am joined by Har-Prakash Khalsa, artist, meditation teacher, and senior student and archivist of American meditation teacher Shinzen Young.

Har-Prakash takes a walk through London drawing on the sights and sounds of the environment to demonstrate meditation techniques and express his experience as an advanced meditator.

Har-Prakash reflects on being an introvert, shares meditation strategies to work with pain and sensory overload, and recalls his early days studying with Shinzen Young.

Har-Prakash also addresses common misconceptions about meditation and enlightenment, describes mystical experiences of cessation and nonduality, and emphasises the importance of adding psychological work to meditation practice.

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Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro

00:51 - Har-Prakash’s experience of the world as a meditator

04:25 - How to see the world differently

06:13 - Har-Prakash’s experience of the self

09:03 - Different types of cessations

12:23 - Experiencing emptiness in real time

14:11 - First cessation + working with Shinzen Young

15:16 - Dance of sensory experience

16:09 - Are mystical experiences inevitable for meditators?

18:06 - So what?

19:31 - Being useful to others

19:50 - Introversion and overcoming overwhelm

20:46 - Alienation and becoming invulnerable

22:09 - How to practice in daily life

25:24 - From meditating to “being meditated”

27:19 - Noting and labelling practice

32:48 - Dissociation and fast noting

34:07 - Noting practice as avoidance

35:54 - The ultimate addiction

40:01 - Common misunderstandings about Shinzen’s system

41:01 - Background equanimity

44:03 - Simultaneous zoom in / zoom out for knee pain

49:30 - #1 misunderstanding about enlightenment

51:43 - Adding psychological work to mindfulness

…

To find our more about Har-Prakash Khalsa visit:

- https://www.cultivatingthejewel.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Graham Nicholls, a leading teacher and writer of out of body experiences (OBE).

Graham recalls his working class upbringing in London, his unusual schooling in a Marxist-Feminist school, and reflects at length about the British class system and its effect on his personal life and his work as a teacher.

Graham details his occult explorations including contact with Goetia demons, mismatch with the chaos magic order the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT), and explains his initiations and subsequent dark night of the soul.

Graham also shares his unusual views on entities and the astral realm, considers the pros and cons of Wicca and other recently constructed traditions, and reflects on his ethos of scientific skepticism and experimentation.

…

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro

00:52 - Graham’s evolving understanding

03:04 - Personalised teaching style

05:45 - Graham’s working class upbringing in London

06:50 - Why Graham became internal

08:18 - Obsession with spiritual topics

09:47 - A childhood sense of destiny

12:31 - Positive and negative teacher reactions

15:32 - How would adult Graham understand a child like him?

17:00 - A strong father

18:40 - Reflections on being working class

22:49 - How class limit’s Graham’s spiritual teaching

26:02 - Cognitive dissonance and voting against your interests

28:39 - Addressing class from a spiritual context

29:40 - Diversity of London

30:11 - Graham’s Marxist-Feminist school

31:47 - Resistance to feminist and racist ideologies in school

37:31 - Reflecting on the purpose of Graham’s first book

38:53 - First encounter with a spiritual entity

42:45 - Unusual lack of fear

47:57 - Ethos against speculation and interpretation

48:11 - Fascination overrides fear

49:52 - Graham’s unusual opinion about dangers of OBE and entities

55:53 - Research into possession literature

58:39 - Do other teachers criticise Graham?

59:54 - Demons, djinn, and pre-Christian deities

01:05:20 - Graham’s interest in magick

01:07:59 - Joining the Oxford Golden Dawn

01:09:13 - Mismatch with the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT)

01:13:01 - Experimentation with the Goetia

01:17:10 - Working with a Goetian entity

01:20:51 - Graham’s Goetia experience

01:21:14 - What motivated Graham’s magickal career?

01:23:07 - Pros and cons of Wicca

01:23:56 - Aleister Crowley’s writing

01:26:32 - HGA working and Graham’s 18.5 year initiation process

01:28:46 - Dark night of the soul and aftermath of initiation

01:30:59 - Trance work and accumulation of spiritual changes

01:33:35 - Doing magick properly

0101:34:26 - Dedicated OBE practice

01:37:14 - Willpower vs letting go

01:40:22 - Parental support of Graham’s magickal practice

…

To find our more about Graham Nicholls visit:

- https://www.grahamnicholls.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Leigh Brasington, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of “Right Concentration, A Practical Guide to the Jhanas”.

Leigh discusses his new book “Love, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity: The Brahma Viharas – Suttas, Stories, Practices, Hidden Gems” in which he delves into the Pali canon of Buddhist scripture to shed new light on how to understand and practice these potent meditations.

Leigh gives detailed descriptions of each of the four brahma viharas. He draws from his decades of teaching experience, as well as scriptural and commentarial literature, to offer his best advice for how to utilise these methods in meditation practice.

Leigh reveals how far the brahma viharas can take you towards enlightenment, reflects on the trivialisation of love in today’s culture, and I challenge Leigh to retire what I describe as a tired cliché of Western Buddhist pedagogy.

…

Episode link in bio.

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics Include:

00:00 - Intro

01:05 - Why Leigh wrote the book

05:50 - How far towards enlightenment can brahma vihara practice take you?

08:54 - Entering the jhanas with the brahma vhiaras

11:48 - Defining “brahma vihara”

13:41 - Paucity of sutta evidence to link the four attitudes with the term “brahma vihara”

14:12 - The Buddha did not invent the brahma viharas

16:43 - Using phrases is a much later development

18:14 - The pervading practice

19:51 - Ayya Khema’s metta practice method

22:32 - Steve’s brahma vihara story

25:46 - Real or fake?

28:19 - Brahma vihara as antidote practice

32:25 - Steve challenges Leigh on mudita claims

37:17 - Suttas do not teach mudita as appreciative joy

37:44 - Leigh’s disappointment in the English language

39:25 - How to practice appreciative joy

40:43 - Can we retire the cliche?

42:30 - Does the West lack the concept of appreciative joy?

44:13 - Metta, unconditional love

47:27 - Problems with “unconditional love”

47:54 - Trivialisation of love

50:34 - Attachment vs love

53:07 - How to practice metta in daily life

56:43 - How metta reduces personal suffering

59:17 - Less thinking, more loving

01:03:25 - Late night reading and being a night owl

01:04:15 - Karuna, compassion and kindness

01:07:42 - Compassion is active

01:10:40 - Do gooders and dumb compassion

01:14:52 - Compassion burnout

01:20:01 - Does compassion need results?

01:21:16 - Ambiguity of sickness

01:22:56 - Upekkha, equanimity

01:25:28 - Leigh’s stories of equanimity

01:32:54 - Equanimity vs apathy

01:36:14 - States, traits, and the equanimity range

01:39:12 - Antidote to freak out

01:43:32 - Bias and practicing equanimity with political enemies

01:45:47 - Exchanging self and other and reducing self clinging

01:49:10 - Will brahma vihara lead you to enlightenment?

01:54:17 - Leigh’s mahasiddha story

01:55:49 - The beauty of the metta sutta

01:57:40 - Leigh reads the metta sutta

…

Previous episodes with Leigh Brasington:

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=brasington

To find our more about Leigh Brasington visit:

- http://www.leighb.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Peter Kelly, independent spiritual teacher and author of “The Phoenix Birth” and “The Saturated Breath”.

Peter recalls his troubled childhood, struggles with crime and addiction, imprisonment, and subsequent spiritual quest.

Peter recounts what he describes as a series of powerful spiritual initiations that he believes have led him to the level of adept, how his use and facilitation of ayahuasca trips contributed to his path, and the role that esoteric reading has played in informing his insights.

Peter reveals that he has slept for only 30 minutes a night for most of his life, details childhood astral learning and experiences of gnosis in contact with ascended masters such as Kuthumi, and emphasises the importance of fully embodying spiritual truth.

I also question Peter about his claim to specialise in the “alchemy of the Egyptian Priesthood and Hermetic Traditions, the sacred wisdom of the fire temples of Zoroastrianism, and the Qabalah of the Essene and Mosaic traditions”, among others and suggest that in doing so he risks misrepresenting both those traditions and his own teachings.

…

Episode link in bio.

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

01:20 - Peter’s childhood

03:29 - Drugs, alcohol, and crime

04:42 - Prison, rehab, and becoming a father

05:17 - Healing work and interest in esoteric wisdom

05:47 - 9 years of intense initiations

06:20 - Boyhood

08:05 - Peter has slept 30 minutes a night for most of his life

10:16 - Aastral plane teaching during childhood

11:05 - Unusual spiritual knowledge

14:14 - Wired but drained

14:44 - How much does Peter sleep now?

15:19 - Ascended masters and spiritual activation at age 6

19:54 - A bodily sense of knowing about Egyptian culture

21:42 - What is gnosis?

23:46 - Deep healing work, ayahuasca, and connection to esoteric teachings

28:53 - Initiations, unlocking parts, and visions

30:19 - Hermeticism and perennialism

31:02 - Peter’s understanding of the Egyptian tradition and alchemy

31:51 - Teaching what comes through

32:22 - How Peter draws on various religious systems in his client work

34:58 - Using the names of traditions to help people understand Peter’s work

38:36 - Peter’s 3 types of learning

40:09 - Peter’s esoteric and religious reading

42:32 - Graham Hancock’s books and linking to the astral plane

43:50 - Reading in archaeology, the occult, Egypt, and Tarot

46:08 - Finding a book that explains a past experience

46:58 - A personal perspective on ancient traditions

48:55 - Ayahuasca, Youtube, and Crowley

53:00 - Youtube became stale

53:42 - Spiritual experiences make sense of esoteric books

56:59 - Gnosis vs intellectual learning about symbols

01:02:28 - More on intellectual absorption and different was of knowing

01:05:58 - Peter reflects on his ayahuasca trips and learning to trust his experience

01:08:26 - Embodying knowledge

01:08:49 - How Peter correlates his experiences to traditions

01:13:46 - Peter’s understanding of the traditions in which he claims to specialise

01:18:32 - Is Peter a specialist in Zoroastrianism and Hermeticism etc?

01:21:23 - Using traditional terminology

01:22:32 - The dangers of using traditional terminology

01:26:18 - Is Peter misrepresenting traditions and his own work?

01:26:52 - Peter reflects on his use of traditional terminology

01:28:14 - Peter Kellyianism

01:30:50 - Dedication to truth, even when it’s uncomfortable to hear

01:32:41 - Communication with Master Kuthumi and other astral teachers

01:38:08 - Peter’s understanding of consciousness

01:39:38 - How Peter became a Western Adept

01:47:16 - Isolation and learning to live in the world

01:52:08 - What triggers Peter’s initiation experiences

01:55:18 - Defining “adeptship”

02:02:54 - What is a “Western” adept?

…

To find our more about Peter Kelly visit:

- https://peterkelly.online/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Stuart Camps, a 30 year devotee of the American spiritual teacher Adi Da, long time curator of Adi Da’s zoo, the “Fear No More Zoo”, and author of “Lightning Thunder Cows”, a memoir of Stuart’s life with his guru.

Stuart recalls his upbringing in Papa New Guinea, his later struggles to reintegrate into Australian society, and his lifelong connection with animals.

Stuart describes his approach to Adi Da and their first meeting, how he became a devotee and zoo keeper, and details his master’s teachings about animals and natural contemplation.

Stuart shares many anecdotes of his personal interactions with Adi Da, reflects on the teacher’s controversial behaviours and claims, and considers whether Adi Da was trapped by his own spiritual community.

…

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - 30 years with Adi Da

04:16 - Lightning Thunder Cows

05:56 - Natural contemplation

07:31 - Are animals inferior to humans

11:15 - Childhood in Papa New Guinea

12:53 - Explaining Adi Da’s use of the term “non-humans”

13:47 - Life in Papa New Guinea

15:36 - Childhood mystical experiences

17:45 - Reading habit

18:49 - Difficulties adjusting to Australian life

20:45 - Connection with animals

22:43 - The Eating Gorilla Comes In Peace

25:35 - Approaching Adi Da

26:56 - Trying to escape

31:47 - The need to grow up

35:25 - “Come to me when you’re already happy”

38:44 - Preparing to work with Adi Da

42:39 - Powerful first meeting with Adi Da

48:58 - Stuart’s unique relationship with Adi Da

53:04 - Adi Da on animals

58:27 - Direct relationship rather than religion

58:55 - Stuart’s evolving understanding of Adi Da and his controversial behaviour

01:04:31 - Adi Da’s sannyasin period

01:07:40 - What was it like to be around Adi Da?

01:08:24 - Reflecting on Adi Da’s claims to superlative spiritual realisation

01:12:03 - Why did Adi Da incarnate?

01:16:02 - More of Adi Da on animals

01:21:18 - Adi Da’s roar when a camel died

01:25:48 - Human congestion and thought

01:30:14 - Energetic conductivity and premodern peoples

01:35:27 - The role of spiritual practitioners

01:37:06 - Australian aborigines

01:40:08 - What it takes to be in relationship with a guru like Adi Da

01:49:59 - Problems with the community

01:50:45 - Was Adi Da trapped by his own community?

01:53:10 - Adi Da’s sacred theatre activities

01:56:30 - Why Stuart left Adidam

01:57:56 - Adi Da’s death

02:02:40 - Life after Adidam

02:06:54 - Sadness at how Adi Da is perceived in the world

02:08:23 - Exhortation to consider Adi Da’s teachings

…

To find our more about Stuart Camps, visit:

- https://fearnomore.vision/

- https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stuart-Camps/author/B0CKQ9PFVJ?

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Ben Joffe anthropologist and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.

Dr Joffe shares his recent research and publications on the topic of gegs sel, Tibetan writing about how to remedy the various obstacles and illnesses that can arise during meditation.

Dr Joffe draws on Tibetan gegs sel texts to describe three types of meditation problems and five categories of solution and explains the surprising technique that Taranatha emphasises as central to removing spiritual obstacles.

Dr Joffe also argues that although there has been increased interest in the negative effects of meditation, gegs sel literature remains understudied, and we reflect on the possible incompatibility between Tibetan medical and spiritual cures and modern psychological and psychiatric approaches to meditation injury.

…

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - Spiritual obstacles

02:53 - Ben’s research into meditation sickness

07:20 - Tibetan oral instructions for adverse yogic effects

11:47 - Taranatha on gegs sel

14:03 - Ben’s personal experience with gegs sel

16:26 - Why is gegs sel so understudied?

21:58 - Is intensive tantric practice dangerous?

24:06 - Practices should produce signs

28:22 - It is timely to talk about meditation sickness

31:47 - Differing medical and therapeutic models

36:33 - Catching lice in retreat

38:40 - Gegs gsel literature is for committed practitioners

42:38 - Do tantric solutions make psychiatric symptoms worse?

48:40 - Dr Nida on psychosis in retreat

56:50 - Dza Paltrul on demons

01:01:28 - Ultimate vs relative

01:03:31 - Guru Yoga and a psychodynamic lens on gegs sel

01:09:42 - Night terrors and deity devotion

01:12:50 - Ben’s experience of devotion

01:17:29 - 3 categories of problems, 5 categories of solutions

01:31:55 - 5 fundamental gegs sel methods

01:33:55 - Dispelling demonic obstacles

01:38:56 - Warning to not ignore devotion

01:40:23 - Meditation experiences vs obstacles

01:44:09 - Simple visualisation methods

01:46:35 - Tsa, rlung, thig le

01:50:49 - Breathing techniques

01:54:37 - How common is meditation sickness?

02:11:22 - The most important thing

02:13:43 - PTSD and MDMA

02:23:16 - Where to read more

…

Previous episodes with Dr Ben Joffe:

- https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=joffe

To find out more about Dr Ben Joffe, visit:

- https://perfumedskull.com/

- http://www.skypressbooks.com/

…

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Raya Thorne, occultist, psychic, and spiritual mentor.

Raya recounts her troubled childhood, early ghost encounters, and teenage experiments in the occult and witchcraft.

She describes terrifying encounters with summoned entities, details an ongoing working with a demon of the Goetia, and reveals her current understanding of the nature of spirit pacts and psychic connections.

Raya also reflects on the role of trauma in awakening psychic gifts, shares her thoughts on the connection between protection spells and personal boundaries, and warns of the dangers of spiritual psychosis and ego inflation when practicing magick.

…

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

00:49 - Middle class up-bringing in Australia

02:47 - Effects of isolation after premature birth

05:04 - Neglect and sensitivity to energy

07:25 - Chaotic household and learning to read people

09:32 - Ongoing work with childhood trauma

11:28 - Spiritual bypass and terrifying magickal experiences

16:27 - Why magicians should have therapy

17:51 - Spiritual psychosis and ego inflation

20:25 - Deconstructing the persona

24:29 - Which therapies Raya used

29:08 - Should Raya become a therapist?

31:06 - Childhood ghost encounters

34:18 - Early magickal workings

36:39 - Deep listening and interpreting intuition

38:53 - Local spirit encounters and violent dream

42:00 - Seeing spirits

45:12 - Dramatic exorcism by neighbour

50:18 - Reflection on sharing vulnerable stories

54:18 - Trauma and the new age

55:15 - Teenage magickal experiments summoning demons and the dead

01:02:41 - Seeking power through magick

01:05:06 - Similarities to the Labyrinth movie

01:06:36 - Terrifying Goetia demon experience

01:10:12 - Raya’s understanding of how to work with demons

01:11:16 - Working with the Goetia demon Gemory

01:15:47 - Psychic connection to demons

01:20:37 - Connecting directly to demons vs using protection

01:27:04 - Personal boundaries as protection

01:29:59 - Listening to feedback from entities

01:30:56 - Intense magickal experiences in 20s

01:34:09 - Shapeshifter encounter

01:36:38 - Ormus, remote viewing, tantra, and telekinesis

01:39:32 - Sequel plans

…

To find our more about Raya Thorne, visit:

- https://www.rayathorne.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Samuel Bercholz, a senior teacher in the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, founder of Shambala publications, and author of “Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path”.

Samuel recalls his childhood as the son of holocaust survivors, his arrival in America as a refugee, his rapid ascent in the Democratic party as part of the Kennedy campaign, and his eventual disillusionment with politics.

Samuel describes his early spiritual seeking in theosophy and Buddhism, details his first experience of satori, and explains the process of learning to trust his gurus.

Samuel tells stories of his years of discipleship under controversial spiritual teachers such as Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, offers his insights about how to be a vajrayana student, and reflects on what it takes to be the disciple of tough masters.

…

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:02 - Rude Awakenings

02:46 - Child of the holocaust

05:03 - Arriving in America

07:18 - Interest in literature and politics

08:21 - Working for Kennedy

09:32 - Disillusionment with politics

11:16 - Exploring spiritual traditions

12:36 - Theosophy and Buddhism

14:56 - First satori

15:42 - Samuel’s mother’s preference for Russia

17:24 - Difficulties in America as a refugee and becoming a citizen

10:26 - Samuel’s resilience and processing past trauma in meditation

22:22 - Becoming part of the Kennedy office

25:02 - Refugee confidence

26:16 - Samuel’s doubts about himself

28:57 - Witnessing politicians lying about Vietnam

30:42 - Having a breakdown

32:32 - Disappointing spiritual teachers and politicians

34:15 - Experience with Lama Anagarika Govinda

38:17 - Developing trust in spiritual teachers

39:42 - Founding of Shambala Publications

41:00 - Years of discipleship under Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

43:14 - Being with tough gurus

44:10 - Skepticism about Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

45:34 - Death of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

46:43 - How to be a Vajrayana student

49:56 - Samuel’s special relationship with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

51:37 - Stories about Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s personal teaching

54:44 - Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s dark side

58:20 - Comparing enlightened teachers

01:03:09 - Becoming a disciple of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche

01:11:24 - Lineage stories are real

01:12:31 - Lama’s commission to Samuel

01:13:19- So easy to miss spiritual opportunities

01:15:19 - Rude Awakenings, breadth and depth

01:16:12 - Why “Rude Awakenings”?

…

To purchase “Rude Awakenings: vist:

- https://www.shambhala.com/rude-awakenings.html

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by James Ellis - independent researcher; writer; host of the Hermitix podcast; and founder of the online magick school, the Hermitage.

James traces his spiritual journey including new atheism, explorations in the occult, Gurdjieff work, conversion to and deconversion from Catholicism, and the founding of his online magick school, the Hermitage.

James offers his critique of magickal protection practices, recounts his experiences of summoning demons of the Goetia, and explains his approach to spiritual teaching.

James also describes his years of alcoholism, the complexities of British class culture, the awakening of his intellectual potential, his graduate studies in Continental Philosophy, why he did not enjoy reading Homer’s Odyssey, and the pros and cons of talking in stories.

…

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

…

Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:33 - James on Homer’s Odyssey and favourite fiction

07:02 - Church of England upbringing

09:26 - A class mutt

12:22 - Working class lessons

15:10 - Winnie the Pooh vs the Moomins

16:13 - Chronic underachieving at school

22:36 - Functional alcoholism from 14-22 years old

26:53 - Discovering a passion for reading

30:50 - James’ reading regime

32:36 - Finding time for reading

35:41 - School is an engine of trauma

39:45 - University degrees in Fine Art and Continental Philosophy

40:44 - A profound experience at 22 years old

45:08 - Why Continental Philosophy?

48:19 - Awakening intellectual potential

50:52 - Writing from the age of 16

53:53 - Beginnings of spiritual seeking & Alan Watts

56:04 - New Atheism, Chaos Magick, & the Occult

59:18 - Franz Bardon & Gurdjieff

01:03:34 - Franz Bardon and solo practice

01:07:43 - Discipline and building mind power

01:09:45 - Motives for occult involvement

01:12:30 - Crowley and HGA

01:15:47 - Becoming a Catholic

01:18:12 - Seeking falls away

01:23:40 - James draws a line in the interview

01:26:17 - Talking properly vs telling stories

01:28:26 - How to talk properly

01:30:04 - Energetic changes in the chest

01:34:46 - Free flowing being

01:36:56 - James asks for Steve’s reaction

01:40:37 - De-converting from Catholicism

01:46:17 - Catholic formation

01:48:28 - Trying to share doubts with Catholics

01:50:09 - A small wave of de-converts

01:51:44 - Why the recent vogue of conversion to traditional Christianity

01:52:55 - Can the modern man return to religion?

01:57:04 - Being a child of Winter

02:00:04 - Magick without seeking

02:00:57 - James’ magickal school, the Hermitage

02:09:15 - James on the experience of evil

02:14:27 - Summoning a demon of the Goetia

02:16:32 - Critique of magickal protection

02:20:17 - Why James still teaches banishing and protection magick

02:22:43 - Why James decided not to pursue a PhD

02:25:39 - Alan Chapman, John Michael Greer, and mentors

02:32:04 - Spiritual teaching and so what?

…

To find our more about James Ellis, visit:

- https://www.youtube.com/@hermitixpodcast

- https://the-hermitage.mn.co/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James