579. Conspirituality, with Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, and Julian Walker

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Rick Archer

A conversation with the hosts of the Conspirituality Podcast website. As they describe it, their podcast is…

A weekly study of converging right-wing conspiracy theories and faux-progressive wellness utopianism.

At best, the conspirituality movement attacks public health efforts in times of crisis. At worst, it fronts and recruits for the fever-dream of QAnon.

As the alt-right and New Age horseshoe toward each other in a blur of disinformation, clear discourse and good intentions get smothered. Charismatic influencers exploit their followers by co-opting conspiracy theories on a spectrum of intensity ranging from vaccines to child trafficking. In the process, spiritual beliefs that have nurtured creativity and meaning are transforming into memes of a quickly-globalizing paranoia.

Conspirituality Podcast attempts to bring understanding to this landscape. A journalist, a cult researcher, and a philosophical skeptic discuss the stories, cognitive dissonances, and cultic dynamics tearing through the yoga, wellness, and new spirituality worlds. Mainstream outlets have noticed the problem. We crowd-source, research, analyze, and dream answers to it.

The term “conspirituality” first appeared in 2009 as the name of a Vancouver rap group that unironically dropped conspiracy keywords into beats calling for political awakening. In 2011, Charlotte Ward and David Voas used the term academically to analyze the growing overlap between the paranoid conspiracism of right-wingers and the New Age’s yearning for spiritual transformation.

Derek Beres is a multi-faceted author, media expert, and movement instructor based in Los Angeles.

He is the Head of Content Marketing and Community at Centered, as well as a columnist for Big Think and Psychedelic Spotlight.

One-half of EarthRise SoundSystem, he also served as music supervisor for the breakthrough documentary, DMT: The Spirit Molecule.

He is a co-host of the Conspirituality podcast. His new book, Hero’s Dose: The Case for Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy, is out now.

Matthew Remski is a cult survivor and researcher. His 2019 book, Practice And All Is Coming: Abuse, Cult Dynamics, And Healing In Yoga And Beyond, is the first systematic analysis of pervasive cultism in the modern yoga world.

He researches and writes on abuse in spiritual movements here, as well as for publications like GEN by Medium and The Walrus. His current research is pivoting to look at cultic dynamics in conspirituality and eco-justice movements.

He lives in Toronto with his partner and their two sons.

Julian Walker grew up in Zimbabwe and South Africa and has lived in LA since 1990. He is fascinated with the intersections of yoga/meditation, psychology, science, and culture. He has written extensively on cults and gurus, spiritual bypass and quantum woo in New Age circles, trauma and the body, and neuroscience and somatic psychology informing the practice and teaching of yoga. His writing can be found on Elephant Journal, Medium, and in the 2011 book, 21st Century Yoga: Culture, Politics, and Practice. He teaches yoga and runs teacher-training programs in and around LA. Julian is also a bodyworker and the ecstatic dance DJ/facilitator for his Dance Tribe events.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded December 5, 2020.

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 – Introduction to Conspiratuality
00:04:21 – Investigative study into institutional abuse in Ashtanga Yoga
00:08:09 – The Emergence of Conspirituality in the Yoga Community
00:11:49 – Paradigm Shift and Metaphysical Notions
00:15:02 – The Rise of Conspiracy Theories During Times of Crisis
00:18:51 – Envisioning a Different Future
00:22:28 – Influence of the Spiritual Community in the 60s and 70s
00:25:37 – Vulnerability to QAnon in the Wellness Space
00:30:00 – COVID Denialism and Financial Risk
00:33:39 – Critiquing Nootropic Supplements and Bro Science
00:36:52 – The Relationship Between Patterns and Dopamine
00:40:19 – The Value of Things
00:44:06 – The Wonderment in Creation
00:48:01 – Technological Expansion of Spiritual Bypassing
00:51:41 – Dealing with Loved Ones Believing in Conspiracy Theories
00:55:09 – Managing QAnon and Conspiracies in Families
00:58:58 – Collectivist Cultures and the Spread of QAnon
01:02:43 – The Intersection of Employment and Spirituality
01:06:15 – The Appeal of Incompetence and Manipulation
01:09:27 – The Influence of Alternative Media Platforms
01:13:10 – The Blurring of Facts and Truth in the New Age Community
01:16:51 – The Need for Regulation in the Yoga Industry
01:20:44 – The Need for Regulation in the Yoga Industry
01:24:01 – The Influence of Celebrities and Media Figures
01:27:52 – Monetizing Conspiracy Theories and the Addiction of Engagement
01:31:17 – Cultic Dynamics in Yoga and Buddhism Education
01:35:18 – The Importance of Citing Sources in New Age Spirituality
01:38:30 – The Poetry of the Unknown
01:42:29 – Understanding the Roots of Indoctrination and Compassionate Response
01:46:02 – The Power of Actions and Karma
01:49:41 – Continuing the Discussion

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575. Swami Sarvapriyananda – Ethical Foundations of Nondual Spirituality

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Rick Archer

Swami Sarvapriyananda has been Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York since January 2017. He was a Nagral Fellow at Harvard Divinity School during the 2019-20 academic year. Prior to this, he served as assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California for 13 months. Swami joined the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in 1994 and received Sannyas in 2004. Before coming to serve in the US, he served as an acharya (teacher) of the monastic probationers’ training center at Belur Math in West Bengal, India (the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa). He has served the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in various capacities including being the Vice Principal of the Deoghar Vidyapith Higher Secondary School, Principal of the Shikshana Mandira Teacher Education College at Belur Math, and the first Registrar of the Vivekananda University at Belur Math.

This conversation hosted by the Association for Spiritual Integrity explores the profound interconnections between ethics and Advaita Vedanta. An ethical life is foundational to the spiritual quest, a non-negotiable sine qua non to any real spiritual development. One can be good without being particularly “spiritual”, but there is no spirituality without goodness. But it is also true that ethics are a consequence of nonduality. For as long as thinkers have pondered ethics, they have searched for a foundation, a grounding, for ethics. Why should one be good and do good? The various answers thinkers have come up with through the ages – utilitarianism, deontology, and so forth – have all been found seriously wanting. Nonduality claims to provide a deep foundation for ethics. In this talk and Q&A, Swami Sarvapriyananda explores the philosophical and practical, as well as the individual and social dimensions of ethics in nondual spirituality.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this webinar.

Recorded September 28, 2020

First BatGap interview with Swami Sarvapriyananda

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 – Introduction to the Association for Spiritual Integrity and Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:03:30 – The Importance of an Ethical Life in Spiritual Development
00:06:24 – Models of Enlightenment in Buddhism
00:09:16 – Ethics as the Foundation of Spirituality
00:12:11 – Spiritual Practices: Uparati, Titiksha, Samadhana, Shraddha
00:15:01 – Qualifications for Spiritual Life in Advaita Vedanta
00:17:54 – Oneness and Ignorance
00:20:46 – The Foundation of Ethics in Advaita Vedanta
00:24:02 – The Ethical Dilemma of Torture
00:26:42 – The Choice in Ethical Dilemmas
00:29:36 – The Problem of Ethics
00:32:26 – Ethics and Human Nature
00:35:24 – The Implication of Equality in Advaita Vedanta
00:38:28 – Ethics Rooted in Spiritual Nature
00:41:12 – The Ethics of Advaita Vedanta
00:44:10 – The Importance of Having a Set of Rules
00:46:55 – The Power of Self-Realization
00:50:00 – Caring for Others as Spiritual Practice
00:52:55 – Anecdote about Swami Shivananda and a Critical Visitor
00:56:02 – The Fullness of Advaita Vedanta and the Three Perspectives
00:59:03 – The Balance of Knowledge and Practice in Spiritual Life
01:01:55 – Training the Elephant
01:04:39 – Unethical behavior among spiritual teachers
01:07:26 – The Collective Guilt Complex
01:10:00 – Letting Go of Guilt and Repentance in Advaita Vedanta
01:12:59 – The Application of Advaita Vedanta to Human Reality
01:15:39 – Facing Suffering and Uncertainty
01:18:25 – The Challenge of Unethical Behavior in the Spiritual Community
01:21:24 – Independence in Advaita Vedanta
01:24:23 – Staying Grounded in the Presence of a Sangha
01:26:58 – Closing Remarks

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534. Meeting of Founders and Members of the Association for Spiritual Integrity

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Rick Archer

Meeting of Founders and Members of the Association for Spiritual Integrity

Forty-five spiritual teachers, members of “The Association for Spiritual Integrity”, met for four hours prior to the start of the 2019 Science and Nonduality Conference. For the first couple of hours, we engaged in a deep, honest discussion about the challenges teachers face, seeking to learn how we might better support one another. We then broke into six groups, each focusing on a particular topic. Then we reassembled and recorded the remainder of the meeting.

This video includes:

Introduction by Rick

Summary of discussions in each of the six breakout groups.

(1) Bringing forth women and feminine empowerment.
- Distinguishing between women and yin-style teachings in a way to not exclude men from the conversation.
- Action items:
  - to have each day of SAND have a 3-hour session led by women.
  - to have more yin-style teachings on the SAND website
(2) Ongoing growth for teachers and continuing education, trauma, attachment, and shadow work.
- Teacher survey: what is working for you?
- Online teacher assessment through which teachers can assess themselves.
- Regular peer-group meetings, including teachers with younger teachers
- Workshop around developmental trauma that shows up in the teacher role.
(3) Creating community and peer support
- Among spiritual teachers
- How to include more people of color and young people in the spiritual community, which tends to be white and middle class.
- Monthly online and annual in-person peer group meetings for spiritual teachers
- A system whereby teachers can refer students to other teachers, if appropriate.
(4) Healthy power dynamics and dual relationships
- People will naturally come and go from spiritual training groups.
- There should be a balance between teacher and student accountability.
(5) The Ethics of the Spiritual Community
- Have something like the Better Business Bureau which would keep the data on teacher abuse.
(6) The importance of awareness of teacher misbehavior and discerning between real misbehavior and false accusations.

A personal or professional commitment expressed by each teacher in the meeting.

Transcript of this meeting

Recorded October 24, 2019

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

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 – Introduction and Purpose of the Meeting
00:01:04 – Discussion and Breakout Groups
00:01:57 – Appreciation for Gifted Leaders
00:02:52 – ASI: Continued Education and Growth
00:03:54 – Incorporating Yin Teachings into SAND
00:05:09 – Supporting Each Other in the Process of Bringing Balance
00:06:15 – Creating a Safe Space for Teachers
00:07:22 – Online Teacher Assessment and Community Support for Spiritual Teachers
00:08:23 – Increased Support and Accountability
00:09:26 – Creating a Referral Listing for Affordable Retreats
00:10:28 – Difficulties with Dual Relationships and Power Dynamics
00:11:31 – Power dynamics and emotional triggers
00:12:42 – Keeping data on ethical behavior and misbehavior of teachers and guides
00:13:37 – Awareness of Misconduct
00:14:37 – Bringing forth the importance of the feminine and women’s voices
00:15:39 – Spending time in silence and self-reflection
00:16:35 – Commitment to Women’s Video Conference Group
00:17:35 – Organizing Information and Workshops
00:18:20 – Commitment to Authentic and Heartfelt Communication
00:19:13 – Personal Commitments to Self-Care and Understanding
00:20:05 – Creating Online Safe Spaces for Peer-to-Peer Interactions
00:20:58 – Commitments to Marginalized Communities and Openness to Learning
00:21:48 – Committing to Integrity and Love
00:22:49 – The Teachings of Don Juan Matus and Padmasambhava
00:23:48 – Commitment to Awareness and Empowerment
00:24:51 – Commitment to Service and Divine Embodiment
00:25:59 – Recommitting to Integrity and Healing for All
00:27:00 – Commitment to Personal and Professional Evolution
00:28:03 – Supporting and Connecting with Each Other
00:29:05 – A Beautiful Thing We’re Creating
00:29:54 – Appreciation for support and resources

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