Fr. Seán ÓLaoire was born in Ireland and earned a B.Sc. degree (major in Mathematics) from the National University of Ireland. Ordained a catholic priest in 1972, he spent 14 years working in Kenya. He is multi-lingual and has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology; he is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice. He is co-founder and the Spiritual Director of a non-denominational community called “Companions on the Journey” based in Palo Alto. He is the author of five books and co-author of a sixth:
- “Ukweli ni Nini?” (What is truth?) – written and published in Swahili in 1983
- “Spirits in Spacesuits – A Manual for Everyday Mystics”- published in 2003
- “Souls on Safari” – published in 2006 – Translated into German in 2007
- “A Sensible God” – published in 2008
- “Why? What Your Life Is Telling You about Who You Are and Why You’re Here” – published in 2013 (with Matthew McKay, PhD and Ralph Metzner, PhD) – Translated into Korean in 2015
- “Setting God Free: Moving Beyond the Caricature We’ve Created in Our Own Image” – published in 2021
Summary and transcript of this interview
Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group
Interview recorded February 25, 2023
Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.
YouTube Video Chapters:
- 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump. Mythology and ‘Thin Places’
- 00:06:40 – The Wisdom of Proverbs in Different Cultures
- 00.09:00 Trying to domesticate God
- 00:12:16 – The Cycle of Knowledge and Ignorance
- 00:17:39 – The Disadvantages of Incarnation
- 00.23:20 Transformation of Consciousness
- 00:23:46 – Ineffective Structures and People’s Transformation
- 00:29:20 – The Rural Electrification Scheme in Ireland
- 00:34:51 – The Invitation to Self-Transcendence
- 00:40:08 – The Complexity of Existence
- 00.41:15 Karma and Pre-conception Contracts
- 00:45:44 – Pulling Life Over the Cliff
- 00:51:22 – The Purpose of Incarnations
- 00:56:54 – Understanding Karma and Destiny
- 01:00:45 The Science of Spirituality
- 01:02:47 – Reincarnation in Christianity
- 01:08:15 – The Three Axes of Spiritual Awareness and Metrics in Spirituality
- 01:14:12 – The Constraints of the Scientific Method
- 01:20:35 – The merge of science and spirituality
- 01:26:15 The Global Awakening
- 01:26:24 – Awakening to Powerful Spiritual Experiences
- 01:31:56 – Confrontation and the 80:20 Rule in Spiritual Teachings
- 01:37:49 – The Types of Civilizations and Our Current State
- 01:43:41 – The Role of Healing Modalities in Personal Growth
- 01:43:54 Healing Trauma
- 01:49:43 – The End of Reincarnation?
- 01:55:22 – Separating from Narcissists
- 01:56:34 The Trifurcation of Homo Sapiens Sapiens
- 02:00:41 – Forming Community and Overcoming Superiority
- 02:06:17 – The Unity of All Life
- 02:12:18 – Communicating with Animals
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More