150. Tom Crockett

Tom Crockett is an ordained minister and spiritual counselor. He is a teacher, lecturer, and student in the Pachakuti Mesa Shamanic tradition, as well as in Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, and Depth Psychology. He has worked as a spiritual counselor for over fifteen years.

Tom has worked with indigenous healers in Mexico and North America and studied core shamanism through the Foundation for Shamanic Studies. He is a Reiki practitioner and has studied bioenergetic healing with Mietek Wirkus. In 2001, he completed an apprenticeship in Paqo Wachu (Peruvian Shamanism) under the guidance of shaman and ceremonialist, Don Oscar Miro-Quesada. Tom has led and cofacilitated retreats in Oaxaca and Mexico City, Mexico, under the auspices of the Institute for Depth Psychology.

Tom has made an intensive study of dreamwork, especially as a tool for spiritual growth. He has been a featured presenter at the Association for the Study of Dreams International Conferences since 1998 and was an invited presenter to the Conference on Indigenous Healing Traditions of the Americas cosponsored by the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. in 2002. Tom has presented at the Science and Nonduality Conference (SAND) with co-panelists Scott Kiloby and Jeff Foster, and been a regular presenter at the Paradoxica Conference on Nonduality.

Tom currently serves as Executive Director of Together We Can Foundation, a non-profit organization serving at-risk teens in Southeastern Virginia. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in fine arts from Old Dominion University (summa cum laude) in Norfolk, Virginia, and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, respectively. He lives in Newport News, Virginia with his wife, Kelly and is stepfather to three amazing children: Holly, Kasey, and Dylan.

Tom’s books:

Tom’s website: coyoteenlightenment.com

Interview recorded 11/25/2012

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction with Rick Archer and Tom Crockett
  • 00:02:55 – A Journey of Spiritual Exploration
  • 00:06:28 – The Journey into Indigenous Wisdom and Plant Medicine
  • 00:10:04 – Profound Emotional Experience with Mushrooms
  • 00:13:18 – The Preparation and Purpose of Taking Mushrooms
  • 00:16:15 – The Profound Experience
  • 00:19:29 – The Phenomenon of Dreaming and Waking Up
  • 00:22:43 – The Interpretation of Dreams and Suffering
  • 00:26:41 – The Relationship Between Pain and Suffering
  • 00:31:11 – Finding Balance and Intentionality
  • 00:35:07 – The Lack of Consensus on Enlightenment
  • 00:37:58 – The Problem with Seeking and the Notion of “Do Nothing”
  • 00:42:13 – The Habit of Doing Nothing and its Ineffectiveness
  • 00:45:44 – Instantaneous Enlightenment
  • 00:49:48 – The Mistake of Mistaking Understanding for Enlightenment
  • 00:54:14 – Behavior and Enlightenment
  • 00:58:36 – The Influence of Eastern Lineage Traditions in the West
  • 01:03:01 – Getting Close to Spiritual Teachers
  • 01:06:48 – The Value of Honesty in Teaching
  • 01:10:08 – The Parallels between Spiritual and Physical Laws
  • 01:14:08 – The Bliss of Emptiness and Fullness
  • 01:18:17 – The Danger of Fundamentalism and the Diversity of Enlightenment
  • 01:22:02 – Grades of Ignorance and the Importance of Inquiry
  • 01:25:47 – Different Experiences of Enlightenment
  • 01:29:42 – Physiological Transformation in Enlightenment
  • 01:33:21 – States vs Stages of Consciousness
  • 01:36:52 – Adjusting to a New Center of Gravity
  • 01:40:36 – Improvisation and Letting Go of Scripts
  • 01:44:29 – The Lesson of Humility in Improvisation
  • 01:48:30 – The Ultimate Unreality of the World
  • 01:51:20 – Conclusion and Farewell