Guru Viking Podcast

In this interview, I am once again joined by Professor Arthur Versluis, a professor and Department Chair of Religious Studies in the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University, author of over 25 books on subjects ranging from Western esotericism, magic, Christian Theosophy, ancient mystery schools, and more. In this episode Arthur discusses his latest book ‘American Gnosis’ in which he...

In this episode I am once again joined by John Myrdhin Reynolds, also known as Lama Vajranatha: writer, teacher, translator, and scholar/practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.  John begins with a discussion about the unique characteristics of Dzogchen, common misunderstandings that have arisen from its widespread popularity, and the differences between Dzogchen, Mahāmudrā, and the kenshō of Zen. John d...

In this episode I am once again joined by Morgan O Smith, teacher of non-duality, and under the stage name ‘Mista Mo’, was a stand-up comedian and host of the Gemini award winning television show ‘Buzz’. In this episode Morgan discusses his latest book ‘Bodhi in the Brain’, a guide to meditation using Morgan’s Yinnergy method. Morgan describes how he developed the method, as well as its role in hi...

In this episode I am once again joined by Lionel Snell, a contemporary English magician, publisher, and, under various pen names such as Ramsey Dukes, a renowned author on magic and philosophy. Lionel explores the idea that people, societies, and even cultures cycle through 4 distinct phases with profound affects. Lionel traces the history of the last hundreds and even thousands of years and ident...

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 reveals his upcoming solo retreat plans and personal meditation goals and considers why it is that he continues to meditate after so many decades of practice. Leigh recalls his career as a computer programmer and draws analogies from th...

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Alexander Arguelles, world-renowned polyglot, linguist, and scholar of comparative religion. Dr Arguelles discusses the spiritual dimension of language, recounts his own experiences of self-transcendence, and comments on the power of reading sacred works in their original languages. Dr Arguelles reflects on his personal explorations in meditation, prana...

In this interview I am joined by Mordy Levine, serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author of ‘The Tibetan Book of the Dead for Beginners’ with Lama Lhanang and published by Sounds True. Mordy reveals the origins of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, considers the validity of the claims of its supernatural transmission, and pulls back the curtain on his own writing process in collaboration with...

In this interview I am once again joined by Anthony Metivier, author and internationally renowned memory expert who’s meditation practice is reciting sacred Sanskrit texts from memory. Anthony takes us on a journey through the memory techniques that enable them to memorise hours of material in a variety of languages, including Sanskrit texts such as the Ribhu Gita, swathes of Shakespeare, and deta...

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Julian Schott, Indologist & Tibetologist, trained at institutions such as the renowned Center for the Study of Manuscript Culture at the University of Hamburg. In the first section of the episode, Dr Schott discusses the idea that Buddhist Studies as an academic discipline is in decline, with meagre enrolment, falling standards, and the deemphasis on ph...

In this episode I am joined by Dr Nicholas Van Dam, the inaugural Director of the Contemplative Studies Centre and an Associate Professor in the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and Chelsey Fasano, a Columbia University neuroscience graduate. Dr Van Dam discusses his 2018 paper ‘Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on M...

I was recently interviewed by Mark V Wiley for his ‘Transformations Podcast' with a particular focus on ritual, religion, meditation, martial arts, my teenage apprenticeship to a Christian mystic, and more. ... Mark's Shownotes: Our discussion touched a wide variety of subjects from Steve early childhood entering karate, being an altar boy and the comparative rituals of both, early fiction writing...

In this episode I am joined by David Johnson, a meditation teacher and author of ‘A Path to Nibbana’, a complete meditation guide to TWIM. David shares details about the life of his recently deceased teacher, Bhante Vimalaramsi, including their first meetings in the 1970s meditation scene, the last days of Bhante Vimalaramsi’s life, and the consequences of his death for the religious organisation...

John Myrdhin Reynolds, also known as Lama Vajranatha, is a writer, teacher, translator, and scholar/practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. In this episode I am once again joined by John Myrdhin Reynolds, also known as Lama Vajranatha: writer, teacher, translator, and scholar/practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.  John explains his own involvement with Western occult systems, including ordination into the O...

In this episode I am joined by Charlie Morley, lucid dreaming teacher and best-selling author, and Dr Garret Yount, a scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. Charlie and Garret discuss their recent pilot study entitled ‘Decreased Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Following a Lucid Dream Healing Workshop’, published in the May 2023 issue of Traumatology, and explain why their initial re...

In this episode I am joined by Lionel Snell, a contemporary English magician, publisher, and, under various pen names such as Ramsey Dukes, a renowned author on magic and philosophy. Lionel shares his life’s journey with magick, explores his years reading mathematics at Cambridge University, immersing in the work of British occultists Aleister Crowley and Austin Spare, and how an experimental grou...

In this episode I am once again joined by Naomi Levine, author, under her birth name Norma Levine, of multiple books including ‘The Miraculous 16th Karmapa’, ‘A Quest For The Hidden Lands’, and ‘Chronicles of Love and Death: My Years With The Last Spiritual King of Bhutan’. Naomi discusses her various publications about the Karmapas, focusing in particular on the lives and activities of the 16th a...

In this episode I am once again joined by Dr Alexander Arguelles, linguist, world-renowned polyglot, and scholar of comparative religion. Dr Arguelles continues the biographical thread taken up in his previous episode, recalling, after his years of intense language study in Korea, accepting a Professorship in Lebanon to immerse in Arabic and later fleeing the country with his family as war erupted...

In this episode I am once again joined by Dean Sluyter: meditation teacher and best-selling author of several books including ‘The Dharma Bum’s Guide to Western Literature: Finding Nirvana in the Classics’. In this episode Dean challenges unexamined assumptions about meditation, reveals how to teach meditation well, how to communicate technique and spiritual ideas in plain language, when and how t...

In this episode I am once joined by Justin Von Bujdoss, American Buddhist teacher, chaplain, and author of ‘Modern Tantric Buddhism’. Justin describes his powerfully transformative dark retreat practice in which he embarked on multiple 7-day and 49-day meditation retreats in complete darkness under the guidance of Dr Nida Chenagtsang. Justin recalls his life-changing encounter with the rarefied re...

I was recently interviewed by Louis Mayhew for his ‘Fundamental ‘Frequency podcast about kundalini awakening, mystical visions, embodiment, and more. 00:00 - Intro 00:37 - About the Guru Viking Podcast 02:52 - Adverse side effects of kundalini awakening 04:00 - Louis’ kundalini crisis 12:21 - What Louis has learned about kundalini 13:56 - Paranormal visions 17:20 - Louis’ sleep patterns 18:01 - Pr...

In this episode I am joined by Erik Jampa Andersson, a Sowa Rigpa healing practitioner, student of Tibetan Buddhism, meditation instructor, and author of ‘Unseen Beings: How We Forgot The World Is More Than Human’. Erik discusses how he came to write ‘Unseen Beings’ and why he changed its theme from the spirit ontologies of Tibetan culture to the themes of climate change and animism. Taking climat...

In this interview I am once again joined by Anthony Metivier, author and internationally renowned memory expert who’s meditation practice is reciting sacred Sanskrit texts from memory. Anthony shares his most recent findings from his personal meditation practice of reciting sacred Sanskrit texts, including using memorisation and recitation to pacify obsessive thinking, the pros and cons of guru an...

In this interview I am once again joined by Ralph White holistic learning pioneer, international speaker on cultural transformation and the history of the Western esoteric tradition, and co-founder of the New York Open Centre. Ralph recounts his clandestine mission into Tibet in 1989 on behalf of the Nechung Oracle: hiking solo across the border, evading commissars, escaping from bandit villages,...

Special guests Delson Armstrong and Dr Ruben Laukkonen discuss their latest ground-breaking paper ‘Cessations of consciousness in meditation: Advancing a scientific understanding of nirodha samāpatti’ in which Delson Armstrong’s ability to enter the rarefied state of nirodha samāpatti, a feat of extended cessation achievable by only the most virtuoso meditators, was tested by Dr Laukkonen and Prof...

In this episode I am joined by Professor John Myrdhin Reynolds, also known as Lama Vajranatha: writer, teacher, translator and scholar/practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.  Professor Reynolds recounts his adventurous life of practice and scholarship, including extensive travels throughout Asia and discipleship under revered gurus such as Dudjom Rinpoche, Namkai Norbu, and Lopon Tenzin Namdak. Profess...