Guru Viking Podcast

The Guru Viking Podcast specialises in in-depth interviews with remarkable figures in the fields of meditation, spirituality, and religion.

Guru Viking Podcast is a religion podcast hosted by Guru Viking, with 404 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Guru Viking hosts Guru Viking Podcast, a religion show with 404 episodes published.

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  Guru Viking Podcast

  Ep381: I Nearly Died - Delson Armstrong

  Oct 2, 20261h 11m

  In this episode, filmed in London, England, I am once again joined by Delson Armstrong, spiritual teacher, meditation virtuoso, and author of ”A Mind Without Craving”. Delson recounts his recent close encounter with death in severe floods in Missouri. He recalls fighting for his life as ten feet of water filled his retreat cabin, and how he escaped with deep laceration in his foot. Delson describes the surprising consequences of this experience including what he calls a “crotchety old man” attitude towards spiritual practice as entertainment or escapism, symptoms of trauma, and a new perspective on meditation and enjoying life. Delson also talks about the dimension of spiritual luminosity, why he hasn’t meditated since the floods, his openness to a change in life direction, and the relationship between the will to live and the ego. … Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:01 - Delson’s close encounter with death 06:07 - Pure survival instinct 08:47 - Escaping the flood 12:25 - Recovery 13:45 - Becoming a “crotchety old man” about spirituality 14:39 - Loosh and the demiurge 16:43 - Impatience with spiritual entertainment 17:25 - What’s important when you die 17:55 - Delson and Steve sit in silence 23:12 - Luminosity and the thinking mind 26:29 - Delson’s experience of luminosity 31:49 - Spiritual practice as escapism and avoidance 36:28 - How to embrace the present moment 40:53 - Delson’s intention to live to the fullest 42:15 - Waves and the ocean 42:54 - The importance of the spiritual journey 47:38 - Is Delson traumatised? 51:51 - Jhana-assisted therapy? 55:07 - Why Delson hasn’t meditated since the flood 57:38 - The spiritual ego 01:01:04 - There was no God that came at the point of death 01:02:14 - Meditation just for fun 01:04:01 - Surrender and openness to change of life direction 01:06:58 - Might Delson give up teaching? 01:08:26 - How to completely give up ... Watch previous episodes with Delson Armstrong: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=delson Find out more about Delson Armstrong: - https://www.delsonarmstrong.com/events - https://delsonarmstrong.substack.com/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James If you value the podcast and would like to support its continued production, you can do so here: https://ko-fi.com/guruviking.

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  Guru Viking Podcast

  Ep380: Cultivating the Jewel of Mindfulness - Har-Prakash Khalsa

  Sep 25, 202658 min

  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

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  Guru Viking Podcast

  Ep379: Chaos Magick & Astral Travel - Graham Nicholls

  Sep 18, 20261h 42m

  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

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  Guru Viking Podcast

  Ep378: Entering the Brahma Viharas - Leigh Brasington

  Sep 11, 20262h 1m

  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

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  Guru Viking Podcast

  Ep377: Gnosis, Initiation, & Esoteric Traditions - Peter Kelly

  Sep 4, 20262h 7m

  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

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