Guru Viking Podcast

In this interview I talk with Robert Beer, an internationally renowned artist who has dedicated his life to both the study of Indo-Tibetan sacred art and to experiential contact with the afterlife. Robert is the author and illustrator of the The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motif, and The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbol, as well as having his work featured in countless publications and websites. In our discussion we delve into Robert's childhood mystical experiences, his psychedelically induced psychosis and kundalini crisis, the runaway Carmelite nun, years spent in India studying with Tibet’s greatest living master artist, astral encounters with long-dead Indian gurus, and Robert’s extensive research into parapsychology and the spirit world. - The afterlife experience at 14 years old that catalysed Robert’s spiritual search - The death of Robert’s sister and an afterlife dream - How Robert became homeless at 16, sleeping rough in the blood bank where he worked - Being rejected from art scho

Glenn H. Mullin is a Tibetologist, Buddhist writer, translator of classical Tibetan literature, and teacher of Tantric Buddhist meditation. He divides his time between writing, teaching, meditating, and leading tour groups to the power places of Nepal and Tibet. In this interview we discuss Glenn’s early fascination with Tibet, his decades of rigorous study in India with the Dalai Lama’s two personal gurus, Glenn’s life-changing meditation experiences, enlightenment and orgasm, and we delve into the 6 Yogas of Naropa - a tantric system full of fascinating techniques such as Deity Yoga, Tummo, dream work, and more… Topics include: - The British fascination with Tibet - Glenn’s early family influences - Spending 12 years in India at the Dalai Lama’s school for Westerners - Glenn’s personal experiences with the Dalai Lama - What Tibetans and the Irish have in common - Popular vs unpopular enlightenment - Qualities of a spiritual master - The process of lineage authorisation in Tibetan Buddhism - The vary

In this interview I am joined by Ngakpa Chögyam a blues loving, horse riding Ngakpa, who with his wife Khandro Déchen, is the Lineage Lama (principal teacher) of the Aro tradition, a tantric Buddhist house holder tradition. Ngakpa Chögyam is the author of many books and today we discuss Wisdom Eccentrics. It is ‘a rare account of remarkable lamas in the final years of a lost era’ …which chronicles his education with Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche, ‘a highly reclusive master known for mercurial wrath and facility with Dzogchen’. In the book we follow this 19-year old Englishman in 1971 into the heart of the Himalayas to seek the highest teachings from a notoriously wrathful and elusive Lama. In this fascinating and candid conversation we delve into the themes of the book, including the culture clash of Dharmsala in the 70s, the true face of Crazy Wisdom and it’s abuses, how to access the realised state through the emotions themselves, and why Ngakpa Chögyam sees the crossover between the arts and Vajrayana as v

Today I’m joined by my co-teacher Michaela Boehm for a special interview about facing adversity. Michaela's house was destroyed in the Thomas fire, the largest wild fire in California state history. We discuss the story of what happened, how Michaela used her extensive training and lifetime of practice to face this crisis, and the surprisingly inspiring themes of determination and community. Disasters of any kind are something we all hope to avoid but that can happen to any of us at any time. There are many useful lessons and takeaways in Michaela's story for facing adversity and for supporting others who are in times of crisis. Topics include: - Michaela’s house destroyed by Thomas Fire, the largest wildfire in California State history - 50ft fire walls sweeping across the landscape at the speed of an acre a minute - The race from Europe to California and entering a disaster zone - How different people coped with the shock and trauma - Fight, flight, and freeze responses - Michaela’s game plan and perso

In this episode I'm joined once again by meditation teacher and Sanskrit translator Lorin Roche PhD. Our last interview was so popular, with so many requests for more, that Lorin agreed to another one! In this conversation we dive into Lorin's unique approach to meditation, look at why the way meditation is usually taught is actually damaging for most people, why monasteries psychologically castrate monks and what that means for their non-monastic students, and how to meditate in a way that embraces all of your life energies. Topics include: -Lorin’s unusual definition of meditation -The origins of meditation -What we can learn from the lives of the saints -The spiritual geniuses and daredevil monastics of the past -The male pioneers of meditation and their legacy -Enlightenment or bust -Adapting meditation to your needs and lifestyle -The sexual side of monasticism -Celibacy for the 1% -Living the life of all of your chakras -The high art of living all of your life energies -Sexuality as part of spirit

Today I’m talking with Traver Boehm. I first met Traver on his fortieth birthday in the aftermath of having lost his marriage and business in a single day. Devastated by these events he had embarked on a Year to Live, inspired by the Stephen Levine book of the same title, whereby he lived an entire year as if it was his last. This conversation is very touching and insightful - we discuss the realities of divorce, find out how Traver found meaning and put his life back together through service, what it means to return to dating and relationships and to be guided by the gut instinct - something Traver calls his 'God of the Gut' - and how he advises the divorced men he works with today. We also learn about Traver’s Year to Live where he worked with the elderly dying in the public hospice system, spent a month in a pitch black meditation cell in Guatemala, and more. He’s a very inspiring and heartfelt man and I think you’ll really enjoy this one. Topics include: - The single day in which Traver lost hi

In this interview I’m joined by musicians and artists Michael Cuming and Silvana van Dijk from the Australian musical duo Visions of a Nomad. I’ve known them for a couple of years now and they’re really fascinating. In the interview we dive into the ancient wisdom of Australia including dreamtime stories, how to read nature signs, and dream interpretation. We discuss how Michael and Silvana met, why Silvana left an international modelling career and Michael his own touring musical project to disappear for months into the Australian bush with a spear and a 4x4. We discuss Michael’s death experience in a hang gliding accident that radically changed his life, his time living as the personal secretary to an Indian guru with supernatural powers, and their deep connection to the indigenous people of Australia. Topics include: -The beginnings of Visions of A Nomad -Why Michael left his nationally touring band to live in the desert with just a spear and his instincts -The story of love at first sight between

I was recently interviewed by Dan Doty on the Evryman Podcast and we had a really great conversation. We talked about my childhood on a remote Scottish Island, extreme outdoor survival, mystical experiences, and a bunch of other interesting things.  Enjoy! More about me: www.guruviking.com More about Dan: https://www.evryman.co/dan/

In this interview I talk with Keith McKenzie. Keith is a meditation teacher and Buddhist chaplain for the British Armed Forces and works extensively with veterans in retreats and ongoing community projects. We discuss Keith’s career as an elite soldier in the Parachute Regiment of the British army, and how severe PTSD ended Keith’s 22 years in the fire service and led to heavy substance abuse and years of suffering. We learn how a profound spiritual experience altered the direction of Keith’s life and saw him immerse in meditation and Buddhism, discovering tools to stabilise his mind and heal his trauma - tools that he now shares in his work with veterans through his charity Sadaya. Topics include: - The importance of credibility and life experience - Keith’s time as a hippy in Holland in the 70s before joining the army - The urge to search and Keith’s childhood experiences of religion - How early childhood challenges influenced Keith’s desire to be the best and prove he wasn’t weak - Keith’s career i

In this candid interview I talk with lucid dreaming teacher and Hay House author Charlie Morley. We delve into the mysteries of lucid dreaming and and how we can use the practices of dream yoga to harness the third of our lives we spend sleeping as an inner laboratory of exploration, adventure, and even healing. We also discover how a book by the Dalai Lama radically changed Charlie's path from a life of gang violence and drugs to a passion for Buddhism, Charlie’s devotional relationship with his guru Lama Yeshe, and why the guru-disciple model is so often fraught with controversy. Topic include: - Lucid dreaming defined - How lucid dreaming can be used for fun, spiritual practice, and psychological healing - Why Charlie adds modern scientific and psychological applications to traditional dream yoga techniques - The real heart of dream yoga - Shadow work in the dream state - Charlie’s early childhood lucid dreaming experiences - Surprising signs that a child is a lucid dreamer - How Charlie can have 3

In this interview I had the pleasure of talking with my good friend Lorin Roche. Lorin is an author, a translator, and has been teaching meditation since 1968. In our discussion we cover the multi-dimensional meanings of Sanskrit, Lorin’s early years as a renegade meditation teacher in the 60s, the possibilities and dangers of meditation, the oppressed spiritual genius of women, and why each individual has a unique, personal doorway to the meditative state. Topics Include: - Lorin’s philosophy of translation - The many dimensions of meaning and the music of the Sanskrit language - The range of possible meanings of the word ‘Yoga’ - The 112 doorways to meditation offered by the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra - Meditation as a natural state - How to find your personal doorway to meditation - Why so much meditation practice is an unknowing echo of childhood relationship patterns - How the inner critic disguises itself as spiritual teaching - The dangers of meditation - Lorin’s early years as a renegade meditation