715. Lucas Bergendahl

Four years ago, I experienced an awakening that opened up different worlds and granted me access to the Akasha through telepathy, leading to a higher state of consciousness. Since then, I have dedicated my time to integrating this experience and helping others identify past influences that hinder the realization of their soul’s full presence. I also assist animals through telepathy.

I conduct workshops on esoteric teachings gathered since my awakening, providing keys to help people find their way home.

Website: lucasbergendahl.com

Summary and transcript of this interview

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded September 7, 2024

712. Melinda Edwards

Melinda Edwards, MD is a mother, writer and physician in Charleston, South Carolina, providing psychiatric care for underserved adults. She attended the Medical University of South Carolina and completed her residency in psychiatry at Stanford Medical Center. She has studied complementary and alternative medicine with Andrew Weil, MD, researched the effects of MDMA on PTSD with Michael Mithoefer, MD, and is a columnist for Autism Parenting Magazine. Dr. Edwards is the author of PSYCHE & SPIRIT: How a Psychiatrist Found Divinity Through Her Lifelong Search for Truth and Her Daughter’s Autism.

As a child of medical missionaries, Melinda grew up in a Mayan Indian village in Guatemala, Central America. Early in life she experienced an inner pull to a deeper truth. Her journey has taken her through various spiritual practices including meditation retreats, guidance from spiritual teachers, travel to India, and living in spiritual communities. Her quest led to the ongoing discovery of the sacred in all.

Inspired by her journey with her daughter Saachi, Dr. Edwards founded the 501c3 nonprofit organization Living Darshan to foster a deeper understanding of autism in the world.

Website: melindaedwardsmd.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded July 20, 2024

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:03:26 – An Evolutionary Journey
  • 00:07:57 – The Fear of Going to Hell
  • 00:11:58 – Tiptoeing Through Sleeping Elephants
  • 00:16:32 – Levels of Spiritual Evolution
  • 00:20:56 – The Spiral into Anorexia
  • 00:25:46 – The Importance of Compassion and Being Heard
  • 00:30:10 – Love as a Virus and the Hazards of Idealizing Spiritual Teachers
  • 00:34:39 – Red Flags in Spiritual Teachers and Communities
  • 00:39:21 – The Dangers of a Spiritualized Ego
  • 00:43:34 – The Danger of Unqualified Advice in the Spiritual Community
  • 00:47:37 – Exploiting Students’ Finances
  • 00:51:29 – The Role of Students in Spiritual Teaching
  • 00:55:29 – Correlation between Teaching in Medicine and Spirituality
  • 00:59:39 – Spiritual Teachers and Holistic Development
  • 01:03:34 – The Realization of Nothingness
  • 01:07:09 – The Nature of Realization and Integration
  • 01:10:15 – The Dissolution of the Project of “Me”
  • 01:13:53 – Micro adjustments and thriving
  • 01:18:13 – Medications and Spiritual Awakening
  • 01:21:51 – Support and Caution in Meditation Retreats
  • 01:25:50 – The Impact of Spiritual Practices on Brain Chemistry
  • 01:29:41 – Taking Medication for ADD and Kundalini Awakening
  • 01:33:16 – Online Sessions and the Law
  • 01:38:05 – The Porousness of Energy and Information
  • 01:42:40 – The Increase of Neurodiverse Beings in the Population
  • 01:47:44 – Different Realms and Dimensions
  • 01:51:22 – Supporting Autistic Children in Their Purpose
  • 01:55:29 – Navigating Kundalini Energy
  • 01:59:32 – The Power of a Mother’s Love
  • 02:02:41 – Stay tuned for upcoming content

683. Jeff Carreira

Jeff Carreira is a meditation teacher, mystical philosopher and author who works with a growing number of people throughout the world. As a teacher, he offers retreats and courses guiding individuals in a form of meditation he refers to as The Art of Conscious Contentment. Through this simple and effective technique, he has led thousands of people in a journey beyond the confines of fear and self-concern into the expansive liberated awareness that is our true home.

As a philosopher, Jeff is interested in defining a new way of being in the world that will move us from our current paradigm of separation and isolation into an emerging paradigm of unity and wholeness. In his books and lectures, he explores revolutionary ideas in the domains of spirituality, consciousness, and human development. He creates courses and programs that encourage people to question their most foundational experience of reality until previously held assumptions fall away leaving space for a dramatically new understanding to emerge.

Jeff is passionate about the potential ideas have to shape how we perceive reality and how we live together. His enthusiasm for learning is infectious, and he has taught at colleges and universities throughout the world.

Jeff is the author of numerous books including:

Website: jeffcarreira.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded May 20, 2023.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction and Background
  • 00:05:24 – Discovering Conscious Contentment
  • 00:11:12 – The Influence of Past Experiences
  • 00:18:53 – The Bright, Clear Awareness
  • 00:26:00 – The End of Seeking: Letting Go and Contentment
  • 00:32:29 – Letting go in Meditation
  • 00:40:10 – Overcoming Sleepiness in Meditation
  • 00:45:28 – Lucid Dreaming and Spiritual Experience
  • 00:49:39 – Interpreting Spiritual Experiences
  • 00:54:07 – The Role of Interpretation in Spiritual Progress
  • 01:00:44 – Exploring New Paths and Spiritual Growth
  • 01:04:51 – P.D. Ospensky and Cosmic Consciousness
  • 01:10:53 – Embracing Creative Expression
  • 01:16:32 – Expressing Ourselves and Taking a Break
  • 01:21:24 – “Partners on the Spiritual Path”
  • 01:29:07 – The Effects of “Crazy Wisdom” Teaching
  • 01:34:21 – The End of an Experiment
  • 01:38:12 – Transparency and Spiritual Integrity
  • 01:41:57 – The Intensity of Spiritual Practice
  • 01:46:09 – Spiritual Experiences and Seeking Alone in the Mountains
  • 01:49:01 – Embracing the Opportunities in Your Circumstances
  • 01:54:02 – The Middle Realms of Being
  • 01:58:23 – The Importance of Non-Dual Awakening & the Advaita Tradition
  • 02:02:10 – Higher Realms of the Soul