061. Tim Freke

Tim Freke

Photo Credit: John Day

Tim is a philosopher or ‘lover of wisdom’ who is pioneering a simple new way to experience a profound spiritual awakening, which fully embraces our everyday humanity. He has spent his life exploring the awakened state he often simply calls ‘The Mystery Experience’.

Tim has articulated his own revolutionary ‘philosophy of lucid living’ designed to help people go beyond ideas and actually experience a ‘deep awake’ state, which replaces out-dated spiritual jargon with clear new concepts which are simple to understand.

He has also developed a profoundly simple ‘Mystery of the Moment’ attention technique and a number of powerful ‘I to I’ practices, which quickly awaken practitioners to ‘The Mystery Experience’ and help them commune with others in oneness and ‘Big Love’.

Tim has an honours degree in philosophy and is an internationally respected authority on world spirituality. He is the author of over thirty books that have established his reputation as a scholar and free-thinker.

He is best known for his groundbreaking work on Christian Gnosticism with his close friend Peter Gandy, including The Jesus Mysteries, which was a top 10 best-seller in the UK and USA, and a ‘Book of the Year’ in the UK Daily Telegraph. In recent years he has articulated his own ‘lucid philosophy’ in The Laughing Jesus, Lucid Living, and How Long is Now?

Tim is also an innovative ‘stand-up philosopher’ – a concept he developed from the ancient idea of a philosopher as a traveling ‘spiritual entertainer’ who transformed people’s consciousness.

He is a passionate and playful communicator, whose enthusiasm for life is contagious. He is often featured in documentary films and chat shows broadcast by the global media, such as the BBC and the History Channel. Tim is the founder of The Alliance for Lucid Living, (The ALL), an organization dedicated to our collective awakening. He lives with his wife Debbie and their two children in Glastonbury, England.

Website: timfreke.com

The most recent of Tim’s many books:

Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview Recorded 3/13/2011

Other interviews with Tim

Video and audio below. Video in two parts. Audio also available as a Podcast.

Part 1:

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Timothy Freke
  • 00:01:51 – Tim: A Philosopher and Lover of Wisdom
  • 00:03:36 – Embracing Being Different
  • 00:05:05 – The Strangeness of Being Alive
  • 00:06:54 – The First Lucid Experience
  • 00:08:18 – Asking the Deep Questions
  • 00:10:02 – The Silent Contagion of Enthusiasm
  • 00:11:27 – The Spark within Each of Us
  • 00:12:55 – The Collapse of Religious Traditions and the Influence of Eastern Religion
  • 00:14:12 – The Impediment of Comparison in Spiritual Growth
  • 00:15:51 – Entering into the Awake State
  • 00:17:09 – The Elusiveness of Awareness
  • 00:18:04 – The Power of Newness and Silence
  • 00:19:09 – Persevering Silence in Chaos
  • 00:20:32 – Awakening on the Hilltop
  • 00:22:02 – Early Encounters with Spiritual Teachings and Psychedelics
  • 00:23:24 – The Ornamental Philosopher
  • 00:24:48 – Profound Experiences and Endless Journey
  • 00:26:24 – The Influence of Eastern Teachings and “The Moment in the Rose Garden”
  • 00:27:34 – The Journey Moves On
  • 00:28:42 – The Importance of Open-Mindedness
  • 00:29:52 – The Joy of Discovery
  • 00:31:25 – The Ups and Downs of Life
  • 00:32:47 – Embracing Life’s Ups and Downs
  • 00:34:15 – Embracing our Humanity
  • 00:35:54 – Riding the Waves
  • 00:37:22 – The Journey of Oneness
  • 00:38:56 – The Experience of Non-Person Level of Life
  • 00:40:12 – The Richness of the Oneness Experience
  • 00:41:53 – Balancing Oneness and Individuality
  • 00:43:15 – The Illusion of a Broken Car
  • Part 2:

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – The Importance of Both-And Perspective
  • 00:02:58 – Evolving Beyond One-Pointed Attention
  • 00:04:40 – The Incredible Response at the Conference
  • 00:06:22 – Embracing Vulnerability and Fear
  • 00:08:22 – Holding Both Safety and Vulnerability
  • 00:10:13 – Embracing Paradox and Polarity
  • 00:12:11 – Consciousness as Discrimination
  • 00:14:12 – The Journey into Separateness
  • 00:15:58 – The Paradox of Existence
  • 00:17:44 – Branch of Gnosis: Science and Deep Knowledge
  • 00:19:35 – The Journey between Alpha and Omega
  • 00:21:06 – Joseph Campbell and the Pioneers of Awakening
  • 00:22:51 – The Key Things to Grasp
  • 00:24:11 – The Nature of Consciousness and Lucid Dreaming
  • 00:26:09 – Polarity of Presence and Forms
  • 00:27:38 – The Experience of Oneness
  • 00:29:40 – Consciousness as a Ubiquitous Field
  • 00:31:19 – Philosophy as an Awakening Practice
  • 00:33:13 – Eastern Ideas and Clear Communication
  • 00:35:21 – Immersion in Deep Love
  • 00:37:11 – Merging States of Consciousness
  • 00:39:06 – Finding Balance in Meditation
  • 00:40:38 – The natural functioning of attention
  • 00:42:16 – The Struggle of the Saints
  • 00:44:08 – The Laughing Jesus and the Power of the Image
  • 00:45:53 – The Humanity of the Jesus Story
  • 00:47:28 – Embracing Change
  • 00:49:08 – Embracing Polarities and the Evolution of Consciousness
  • 00:50:53 – The Lively Personalities of Saints
  • 00:52:34 – Continuously exploring the same points
  • 00:54:00 – Visit batgap.com for More Interviews