In this episode, filmed in the city of London, I am joined by Har-Prakash Khalsa, artist, meditation teacher, and senior student and archivist of American meditation teacher Shinzen Young. Har-Prakash takes a walk through London drawing on the sights and sounds of the environment to demonstrate meditation techniques and express his experience as an advanced meditator. Har-Prakash reflects on being an introvert, shares meditation strategies to work with pain and sensory overload, and recalls his early days studying with Shinzen Young. Har-Prakash also addresses common misconceptions about meditation and enlightenment, describes mystical experiences of cessation and nonduality, and emphasises the importance of adding psychological work to meditation practice. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:51 - Har-Prakash’s experience of the world as a meditator 04:25 - How to see the world differently 06:13 - Har-Prakash’s experience of the self 09:03 - Different types of cessations 12:23 - Experiencing emptiness in real time 14:11 - First cessation + working with Shinzen Young 15:16 - Dance of sensory experience 16:09 - Are mystical experiences inevitable for meditators? 18:06 - So what? 19:31 - Being useful to others 19:50 - Introversion and overcoming overwhelm 20:46 - Alienation and becoming invulnerable 22:09 - How to practice in daily life 25:24 - From meditating to “being meditated” 27:19 - Noting and labelling practice 32:48 - Dissociation and fast noting 34:07 - Noting practice as avoidance 35:54 - The ultimate addiction 40:01 - Common misunderstandings about Shinzen’s system 41:01 - Background equanimity 44:03 - Simultaneous zoom in / zoom out for knee pain 49:30 - #1 misunderstanding about enlightenment 51:43 - Adding psychological work to mindfulness … To find our more about Har-Prakash Khalsa visit: - https://www.cultivatingthejewel.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Graham Nicholls, a leading teacher and writer of out of body experiences (OBE). Graham recalls his working class upbringing in London, his unusual schooling in a Marxist-Feminist school, and reflects at length about the British class system and its effect on his personal life and his work as a teacher. Graham details his occult explorations including contact with Goetia demons, mismatch with the chaos magic order the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT), and explains his initiations and subsequent dark night of the soul. Graham also shares his unusual views on entities and the astral realm, considers the pros and cons of Wicca and other recently constructed traditions, and reflects on his ethos of scientific skepticism and experimentation. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 00:52 - Graham’s evolving understanding 03:04 - Personalised teaching style 05:45 - Graham’s working class upbringing in London 06:50 - Why Graham became internal 08:18 - Obsession with spiritual topics 09:47 - A childhood sense of destiny 12:31 - Positive and negative teacher reactions 15:32 - How would adult Graham understand a child like him? 17:00 - A strong father 18:40 - Reflections on being working class 22:49 - How class limit’s Graham’s spiritual teaching 26:02 - Cognitive dissonance and voting against your interests 28:39 - Addressing class from a spiritual context 29:40 - Diversity of London 30:11 - Graham’s Marxist-Feminist school 31:47 - Resistance to feminist and racist ideologies in school 37:31 - Reflecting on the purpose of Graham’s first book 38:53 - First encounter with a spiritual entity 42:45 - Unusual lack of fear 47:57 - Ethos against speculation and interpretation 48:11 - Fascination overrides fear 49:52 - Graham’s unusual opinion about dangers of OBE and entities 55:53 - Research into possession literature 58:39 - Do other teachers criticise Graham? 59:54 - Demons, djinn, and pre-Christian deities 01:05:20 - Graham’s interest in magick 01:07:59 - Joining the Oxford Golden Dawn 01:09:13 - Mismatch with the Illuminates of Thanateros (IOT) 01:13:01 - Experimentation with the Goetia 01:17:10 - Working with a Goetian entity 01:20:51 - Graham’s Goetia experience 01:21:14 - What motivated Graham’s magickal career? 01:23:07 - Pros and cons of Wicca 01:23:56 - Aleister Crowley’s writing 01:26:32 - HGA working and Graham’s 18.5 year initiation process 01:28:46 - Dark night of the soul and aftermath of initiation 01:30:59 - Trance work and accumulation of spiritual changes 01:33:35 - Doing magick properly 0101:34:26 - Dedicated OBE practice 01:37:14 - Willpower vs letting go 01:40:22 - Parental support of Graham’s magickal practice … To find our more about Graham Nicholls visit: - https://www.grahamnicholls.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Leigh Brasington, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of “Right Concentration, A Practical Guide to the Jhanas”. Leigh discusses his new book “Love, Compassion, Joy, Equanimity: The Brahma Viharas – Suttas, Stories, Practices, Hidden Gems” in which he delves into the Pali canon of Buddhist scripture to shed new light on how to understand and practice these potent meditations. Leigh gives detailed descriptions of each of the four brahma viharas. He draws from his decades of teaching experience, as well as scriptural and commentarial literature, to offer his best advice for how to utilise these methods in meditation practice. Leigh reveals how far the brahma viharas can take you towards enlightenment, reflects on the trivialisation of love in today’s culture, and I challenge Leigh to retire what I describe as a tired cliché of Western Buddhist pedagogy. … Episode link in bio. Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics Include: 00:00 - Intro 01:05 - Why Leigh wrote the book 05:50 - How far towards enlightenment can brahma vihara practice take you? 08:54 - Entering the jhanas with the brahma vhiaras 11:48 - Defining “brahma vihara” 13:41 - Paucity of sutta evidence to link the four attitudes with the term “brahma vihara” 14:12 - The Buddha did not invent the brahma viharas 16:43 - Using phrases is a much later development 18:14 - The pervading practice 19:51 - Ayya Khema’s metta practice method 22:32 - Steve’s brahma vihara story 25:46 - Real or fake? 28:19 - Brahma vihara as antidote practice 32:25 - Steve challenges Leigh on mudita claims 37:17 - Suttas do not teach mudita as appreciative joy 37:44 - Leigh’s disappointment in the English language 39:25 - How to practice appreciative joy 40:43 - Can we retire the cliche? 42:30 - Does the West lack the concept of appreciative joy? 44:13 - Metta, unconditional love 47:27 - Problems with “unconditional love” 47:54 - Trivialisation of love 50:34 - Attachment vs love 53:07 - How to practice metta in daily life 56:43 - How metta reduces personal suffering 59:17 - Less thinking, more loving 01:03:25 - Late night reading and being a night owl 01:04:15 - Karuna, compassion and kindness 01:07:42 - Compassion is active 01:10:40 - Do gooders and dumb compassion 01:14:52 - Compassion burnout 01:20:01 - Does compassion need results? 01:21:16 - Ambiguity of sickness 01:22:56 - Upekkha, equanimity 01:25:28 - Leigh’s stories of equanimity 01:32:54 - Equanimity vs apathy 01:36:14 - States, traits, and the equanimity range 01:39:12 - Antidote to freak out 01:43:32 - Bias and practicing equanimity with political enemies 01:45:47 - Exchanging self and other and reducing self clinging 01:49:10 - Will brahma vihara lead you to enlightenment? 01:54:17 - Leigh’s mahasiddha story 01:55:49 - The beauty of the metta sutta 01:57:40 - Leigh reads the metta sutta … Previous episodes with Leigh Brasington: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=brasington To find our more about Leigh Brasington visit: - http://www.leighb.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Peter Kelly, independent spiritual teacher and author of “The Phoenix Birth” and “The Saturated Breath”. Peter recalls his troubled childhood, struggles with crime and addiction, imprisonment, and subsequent spiritual quest. Peter recounts what he describes as a series of powerful spiritual initiations that he believes have led him to the level of adept, how his use and facilitation of ayahuasca trips contributed to his path, and the role that esoteric reading has played in informing his insights. Peter reveals that he has slept for only 30 minutes a night for most of his life, details childhood astral learning and experiences of gnosis in contact with ascended masters such as Kuthumi, and emphasises the importance of fully embodying spiritual truth. I also question Peter about his claim to specialise in the “alchemy of the Egyptian Priesthood and Hermetic Traditions, the sacred wisdom of the fire temples of Zoroastrianism, and the Qabalah of the Essene and Mosaic traditions”, among others and suggest that in doing so he risks misrepresenting both those traditions and his own teachings. … Episode link in bio. Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … 01:20 - Peter’s childhood 03:29 - Drugs, alcohol, and crime 04:42 - Prison, rehab, and becoming a father 05:17 - Healing work and interest in esoteric wisdom 05:47 - 9 years of intense initiations 06:20 - Boyhood 08:05 - Peter has slept 30 minutes a night for most of his life 10:16 - Aastral plane teaching during childhood 11:05 - Unusual spiritual knowledge 14:14 - Wired but drained 14:44 - How much does Peter sleep now? 15:19 - Ascended masters and spiritual activation at age 6 19:54 - A bodily sense of knowing about Egyptian culture 21:42 - What is gnosis? 23:46 - Deep healing work, ayahuasca, and connection to esoteric teachings 28:53 - Initiations, unlocking parts, and visions 30:19 - Hermeticism and perennialism 31:02 - Peter’s understanding of the Egyptian tradition and alchemy 31:51 - Teaching what comes through 32:22 - How Peter draws on various religious systems in his client work 34:58 - Using the names of traditions to help people understand Peter’s work 38:36 - Peter’s 3 types of learning 40:09 - Peter’s esoteric and religious reading 42:32 - Graham Hancock’s books and linking to the astral plane 43:50 - Reading in archaeology, the occult, Egypt, and Tarot 46:08 - Finding a book that explains a past experience 46:58 - A personal perspective on ancient traditions 48:55 - Ayahuasca, Youtube, and Crowley 53:00 - Youtube became stale 53:42 - Spiritual experiences make sense of esoteric books 56:59 - Gnosis vs intellectual learning about symbols 01:02:28 - More on intellectual absorption and different was of knowing 01:05:58 - Peter reflects on his ayahuasca trips and learning to trust his experience 01:08:26 - Embodying knowledge 01:08:49 - How Peter correlates his experiences to traditions 01:13:46 - Peter’s understanding of the traditions in which he claims to specialise 01:18:32 - Is Peter a specialist in Zoroastrianism and Hermeticism etc? 01:21:23 - Using traditional terminology 01:22:32 - The dangers of using traditional terminology 01:26:18 - Is Peter misrepresenting traditions and his own work? 01:26:52 - Peter reflects on his use of traditional terminology 01:28:14 - Peter Kellyianism 01:30:50 - Dedication to truth, even when it’s uncomfortable to hear 01:32:41 - Communication with Master Kuthumi and other astral teachers 01:38:08 - Peter’s understanding of consciousness 01:39:38 - How Peter became a Western Adept 01:47:16 - Isolation and learning to live in the world 01:52:08 - What triggers Peter’s initiation experiences 01:55:18 - Defining “adeptship” 02:02:54 - What is a “Western” adept? … To find our more about Peter Kelly visit: - https://peterkelly.online/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Stuart Camps, a 30 year devotee of the American spiritual teacher Adi Da, long time curator of Adi Da’s zoo, the “Fear No More Zoo”, and author of “Lightning Thunder Cows”, a memoir of Stuart’s life with his guru. Stuart recalls his upbringing in Papa New Guinea, his later struggles to reintegrate into Australian society, and his lifelong connection with animals. Stuart describes his approach to Adi Da and their first meeting, how he became a devotee and zoo keeper, and details his master’s teachings about animals and natural contemplation. Stuart shares many anecdotes of his personal interactions with Adi Da, reflects on the teacher’s controversial behaviours and claims, and considers whether Adi Da was trapped by his own spiritual community. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - 30 years with Adi Da 04:16 - Lightning Thunder Cows 05:56 - Natural contemplation 07:31 - Are animals inferior to humans 11:15 - Childhood in Papa New Guinea 12:53 - Explaining Adi Da’s use of the term “non-humans” 13:47 - Life in Papa New Guinea 15:36 - Childhood mystical experiences 17:45 - Reading habit 18:49 - Difficulties adjusting to Australian life 20:45 - Connection with animals 22:43 - The Eating Gorilla Comes In Peace 25:35 - Approaching Adi Da 26:56 - Trying to escape 31:47 - The need to grow up 35:25 - “Come to me when you’re already happy” 38:44 - Preparing to work with Adi Da 42:39 - Powerful first meeting with Adi Da 48:58 - Stuart’s unique relationship with Adi Da 53:04 - Adi Da on animals 58:27 - Direct relationship rather than religion 58:55 - Stuart’s evolving understanding of Adi Da and his controversial behaviour 01:04:31 - Adi Da’s sannyasin period 01:07:40 - What was it like to be around Adi Da? 01:08:24 - Reflecting on Adi Da’s claims to superlative spiritual realisation 01:12:03 - Why did Adi Da incarnate? 01:16:02 - More of Adi Da on animals 01:21:18 - Adi Da’s roar when a camel died 01:25:48 - Human congestion and thought 01:30:14 - Energetic conductivity and premodern peoples 01:35:27 - The role of spiritual practitioners 01:37:06 - Australian aborigines 01:40:08 - What it takes to be in relationship with a guru like Adi Da 01:49:59 - Problems with the community 01:50:45 - Was Adi Da trapped by his own community? 01:53:10 - Adi Da’s sacred theatre activities 01:56:30 - Why Stuart left Adidam 01:57:56 - Adi Da’s death 02:02:40 - Life after Adidam 02:06:54 - Sadness at how Adi Da is perceived in the world 02:08:23 - Exhortation to consider Adi Da’s teachings … To find our more about Stuart Camps, visit: - https://fearnomore.vision/ - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stuart-Camps/author/B0CKQ9PFVJ? For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Ben Joffe anthropologist and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. Dr Joffe shares his recent research and publications on the topic of gegs sel, Tibetan writing about how to remedy the various obstacles and illnesses that can arise during meditation. Dr Joffe draws on Tibetan gegs sel texts to describe three types of meditation problems and five categories of solution and explains the surprising technique that Taranatha emphasises as central to removing spiritual obstacles. Dr Joffe also argues that although there has been increased interest in the negative effects of meditation, gegs sel literature remains understudied, and we reflect on the possible incompatibility between Tibetan medical and spiritual cures and modern psychological and psychiatric approaches to meditation injury. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Spiritual obstacles 02:53 - Ben’s research into meditation sickness 07:20 - Tibetan oral instructions for adverse yogic effects 11:47 - Taranatha on gegs sel 14:03 - Ben’s personal experience with gegs sel 16:26 - Why is gegs sel so understudied? 21:58 - Is intensive tantric practice dangerous? 24:06 - Practices should produce signs 28:22 - It is timely to talk about meditation sickness 31:47 - Differing medical and therapeutic models 36:33 - Catching lice in retreat 38:40 - Gegs gsel literature is for committed practitioners 42:38 - Do tantric solutions make psychiatric symptoms worse? 48:40 - Dr Nida on psychosis in retreat 56:50 - Dza Paltrul on demons 01:01:28 - Ultimate vs relative 01:03:31 - Guru Yoga and a psychodynamic lens on gegs sel 01:09:42 - Night terrors and deity devotion 01:12:50 - Ben’s experience of devotion 01:17:29 - 3 categories of problems, 5 categories of solutions 01:31:55 - 5 fundamental gegs sel methods 01:33:55 - Dispelling demonic obstacles 01:38:56 - Warning to not ignore devotion 01:40:23 - Meditation experiences vs obstacles 01:44:09 - Simple visualisation methods 01:46:35 - Tsa, rlung, thig le 01:50:49 - Breathing techniques 01:54:37 - How common is meditation sickness? 02:11:22 - The most important thing 02:13:43 - PTSD and MDMA 02:23:16 - Where to read more … Previous episodes with Dr Ben Joffe: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=joffe To find out more about Dr Ben Joffe, visit: - https://perfumedskull.com/ - http://www.skypressbooks.com/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Raya Thorne, occultist, psychic, and spiritual mentor. Raya recounts her troubled childhood, early ghost encounters, and teenage experiments in the occult and witchcraft. She describes terrifying encounters with summoned entities, details an ongoing working with a demon of the Goetia, and reveals her current understanding of the nature of spirit pacts and psychic connections. Raya also reflects on the role of trauma in awakening psychic gifts, shares her thoughts on the connection between protection spells and personal boundaries, and warns of the dangers of spiritual psychosis and ego inflation when practicing magick. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 00:49 - Middle class up-bringing in Australia 02:47 - Effects of isolation after premature birth 05:04 - Neglect and sensitivity to energy 07:25 - Chaotic household and learning to read people 09:32 - Ongoing work with childhood trauma 11:28 - Spiritual bypass and terrifying magickal experiences 16:27 - Why magicians should have therapy 17:51 - Spiritual psychosis and ego inflation 20:25 - Deconstructing the persona 24:29 - Which therapies Raya used 29:08 - Should Raya become a therapist? 31:06 - Childhood ghost encounters 34:18 - Early magickal workings 36:39 - Deep listening and interpreting intuition 38:53 - Local spirit encounters and violent dream 42:00 - Seeing spirits 45:12 - Dramatic exorcism by neighbour 50:18 - Reflection on sharing vulnerable stories 54:18 - Trauma and the new age 55:15 - Teenage magickal experiments summoning demons and the dead 01:02:41 - Seeking power through magick 01:05:06 - Similarities to the Labyrinth movie 01:06:36 - Terrifying Goetia demon experience 01:10:12 - Raya’s understanding of how to work with demons 01:11:16 - Working with the Goetia demon Gemory 01:15:47 - Psychic connection to demons 01:20:37 - Connecting directly to demons vs using protection 01:27:04 - Personal boundaries as protection 01:29:59 - Listening to feedback from entities 01:30:56 - Intense magickal experiences in 20s 01:34:09 - Shapeshifter encounter 01:36:38 - Ormus, remote viewing, tantra, and telekinesis 01:39:32 - Sequel plans … To find our more about Raya Thorne, visit: - https://www.rayathorne.com/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by Samuel Bercholz, a senior teacher in the Nyingma and Kagyu lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, founder of Shambala publications, and author of “Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path”. Samuel recalls his childhood as the son of holocaust survivors, his arrival in America as a refugee, his rapid ascent in the Democratic party as part of the Kennedy campaign, and his eventual disillusionment with politics. Samuel describes his early spiritual seeking in theosophy and Buddhism, details his first experience of satori, and explains the process of learning to trust his gurus. Samuel tells stories of his years of discipleship under controversial spiritual teachers such as Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, offers his insights about how to be a vajrayana student, and reflects on what it takes to be the disciple of tough masters. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:02 - Rude Awakenings 02:46 - Child of the holocaust 05:03 - Arriving in America 07:18 - Interest in literature and politics 08:21 - Working for Kennedy 09:32 - Disillusionment with politics 11:16 - Exploring spiritual traditions 12:36 - Theosophy and Buddhism 14:56 - First satori 15:42 - Samuel’s mother’s preference for Russia 17:24 - Difficulties in America as a refugee and becoming a citizen 10:26 - Samuel’s resilience and processing past trauma in meditation 22:22 - Becoming part of the Kennedy office 25:02 - Refugee confidence 26:16 - Samuel’s doubts about himself 28:57 - Witnessing politicians lying about Vietnam 30:42 - Having a breakdown 32:32 - Disappointing spiritual teachers and politicians 34:15 - Experience with Lama Anagarika Govinda 38:17 - Developing trust in spiritual teachers 39:42 - Founding of Shambala Publications 41:00 - Years of discipleship under Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche 43:14 - Being with tough gurus 44:10 - Skepticism about Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche 45:34 - Death of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche 46:43 - How to be a Vajrayana student 49:56 - Samuel’s special relationship with Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche 51:37 - Stories about Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s personal teaching 54:44 - Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s dark side 58:20 - Comparing enlightened teachers 01:03:09 - Becoming a disciple of Thinley Norbu Rinpoche 01:11:24 - Lineage stories are real 01:12:31 - Lama’s commission to Samuel 01:13:19- So easy to miss spiritual opportunities 01:15:19 - Rude Awakenings, breadth and depth 01:16:12 - Why “Rude Awakenings”? … To purchase “Rude Awakenings: vist: - https://www.shambhala.com/rude-awakenings.html For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am joined by James Ellis - independent researcher; writer; host of the Hermitix podcast; and founder of the online magick school, the Hermitage. James traces his spiritual journey including new atheism, explorations in the occult, Gurdjieff work, conversion to and deconversion from Catholicism, and the founding of his online magick school, the Hermitage. James offers his critique of magickal protection practices, recounts his experiences of summoning demons of the Goetia, and explains his approach to spiritual teaching. James also describes his years of alcoholism, the complexities of British class culture, the awakening of his intellectual potential, his graduate studies in Continental Philosophy, why he did not enjoy reading Homer’s Odyssey, and the pros and cons of talking in stories. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:33 - James on Homer’s Odyssey and favourite fiction 07:02 - Church of England upbringing 09:26 - A class mutt 12:22 - Working class lessons 15:10 - Winnie the Pooh vs the Moomins 16:13 - Chronic underachieving at school 22:36 - Functional alcoholism from 14-22 years old 26:53 - Discovering a passion for reading 30:50 - James’ reading regime 32:36 - Finding time for reading 35:41 - School is an engine of trauma 39:45 - University degrees in Fine Art and Continental Philosophy 40:44 - A profound experience at 22 years old 45:08 - Why Continental Philosophy? 48:19 - Awakening intellectual potential 50:52 - Writing from the age of 16 53:53 - Beginnings of spiritual seeking & Alan Watts 56:04 - New Atheism, Chaos Magick, & the Occult 59:18 - Franz Bardon & Gurdjieff 01:03:34 - Franz Bardon and solo practice 01:07:43 - Discipline and building mind power 01:09:45 - Motives for occult involvement 01:12:30 - Crowley and HGA 01:15:47 - Becoming a Catholic 01:18:12 - Seeking falls away 01:23:40 - James draws a line in the interview 01:26:17 - Talking properly vs telling stories 01:28:26 - How to talk properly 01:30:04 - Energetic changes in the chest 01:34:46 - Free flowing being 01:36:56 - James asks for Steve’s reaction 01:40:37 - De-converting from Catholicism 01:46:17 - Catholic formation 01:48:28 - Trying to share doubts with Catholics 01:50:09 - A small wave of de-converts 01:51:44 - Why the recent vogue of conversion to traditional Christianity 01:52:55 - Can the modern man return to religion? 01:57:04 - Being a child of Winter 02:00:04 - Magick without seeking 02:00:57 - James’ magickal school, the Hermitage 02:09:15 - James on the experience of evil 02:14:27 - Summoning a demon of the Goetia 02:16:32 - Critique of magickal protection 02:20:17 - Why James still teaches banishing and protection magick 02:22:43 - Why James decided not to pursue a PhD 02:25:39 - Alan Chapman, John Michael Greer, and mentors 02:32:04 - Spiritual teaching and so what? … To find our more about James Ellis, visit: - https://www.youtube.com/@hermitixpodcast - https://the-hermitage.mn.co/ For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

In this episode I am once again joined by Muho, Sōtō Zen teacher, Youtuber, and previous abbot of Antai-Ji monastery in Japan. Muho recalls the early days of his marriage and of his abbotship of Antai-Ji monastery, compares Japanese to Western students, and addresses the shortcomings of Western Buddhism. Muho considers the role of the true teacher, the tension between tradition and innovation, and what it’s like to see the negative side of your teacher. Muho also reflects on narcissism in spiritual gurus, competitiveness on the spiritual path, and how to work with traumatic memories which arise during meditation. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:47 - First impressions of Japanese culture 04:12 - Arriving at Antai-Ji Monastery 08:33 - Initial difficulties at the monastery 10:00 - Becoming a monk 14:02 - Living in a tent and teaching Zen in Osaka 17:46 - Elected as abbot of Antai-Ji 19:01 - Falling in love with a Japanese woman 22:25 - Marriage and early days as abbot 26:04 - Retiring as abbot 28:47 - Japanese vs Western students 32:12 - A true teacher is like a carpenter 33:50 - Seeing the negative side of your teacher 37:24 - Is Buddhism universal or specific to each country? 41:25 - Shortcomings of Western Buddhism 49:25 - Innovation vs tradition 55:33 - Narcissism and spiritual teachers 59:24 - Competitiveness between Dharma brothers 01:07:16 - Trauma and emotions in meditation 01:11:53 - Should psychotherapy precede Zen practice? 01:14:21 - Sudden awakenings at Antai-Ji 01:26:18 - Should we emphasise or deemphasise awakening experiences? … Previous episodes with Muho: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=muho To find our more about Muho, visit: - https://www.youtube.com/@muho - https://www.youtube.com/@MuhoZen For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James