Dr. Pearson’s book, The Supreme Awakening: Experiences of Enlightenment Throughout Time—and How You can Cultivate Them, offers us a glimpse into the lives of people who have recorded their experiences of higher states of consciousness, as conveyed to us through their poetry, prose, letters and biographies.

The wonderfully unique feature of this book is that it documents the experiences of higher states of consciousness by dozens of people, spanning thousands of years, across all geographic regions, and in every culture.

The interview ranges from Wordsworth to William Blake, from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj to Eugene O’Neill and Billie Jean King. Pearson provides clear examples revealing that the development of higher states of consciousness is not a fanciful philosophy, nor a mere metaphor or belief system, but is a natural, and indeed vital, progression of human evolution.

As William James said, “Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake.”

We discuss the fact that knowledge is structured in consciousness and knowledge is different in different states of consciousness. Each state of consciousness is a world unto itself and our experience of reality is, and can only ever be, a reflection of our own state of consciousness.

Craig notes that people seem to have a glimmer, a spark, that tells them there is something more to life that lies beyond their day-to-day experiences.

He further explains that the development of consciousness is the key to knowing the full experience of happiness that we are capable of—the ultimate experience of bliss within, in our own simplest state of awareness.

Dr. Pearson also describes how the development of our consciousness can bring solutions to world problems which, essentially, are caused by collective stress, adding that a problem is just something to which we have not applied sufficient consciousness or creativity.

Music by Lesfm. Track “In the Forest”

George Barselaar was born in the south of Holland and grew up in Sydney, Australia.

At the age of 18, George took a keen interest in Yoga, which inspired him to learn Transcendental Meditation (TM), and eventually, to become a teacher of TM.

He went deeply into Vedic Science and Sanskrit, and  developed a keen interest in Kashmiri Shaiva Philosophy.

George was immediately struck by the very first verse of the Shiva Sutras, as translated by Lakshmanjoo, which says, "Consciousness is everything."

Feeling an irresistible pull, George went to India to study under the guidance of Swami Lakshmanjoo, who was the last living Master of the oral tradition of Kashmir Shaivism.

George recalls the time that one aspirant told Swami Lakshmanjoo that he did not feel he was making much progress with his meditation, and Lakshmanjoo explained that the passion for self-knowledge (enlightenment) must be as strong as the overwhelming passion he felt the first time he fell in love.

With regard to the turmoil we see in the world, George was optimistic and said that, "Sometimes the world gets shaken-up in order to wake up."

He added that meditation creates ripples that affect others in a positive way. When we create coherence in our own consciousness, it affects everyone in our environment.

George was given permission to transcribe all of the Swami’s recorded lectures, and it took almost 20 years to complete the English transcriptions of all of Swami Lakshmanjoo’s recorded teachings.

George now lives in Northern California, where he and his partner, Claudia, work full-time for the Universal Shaiva Fellowship and Lakshmanjoo Academy.

They often spend the summer months in Kashmir, and George connected with us for this interview from Kashmir, India, at the ashram of Shaivacharya Swami Lakshmanjoo Maharaj.

About Kashmir Shaivism, Swami Lakshmanjoo said that it is the three-fold science of man and his world, and is a philosophy meant for any human being without the restriction of caste, creed, color or gender.

For more information on Swami Lakshmanjoo and Kashmir Shaivism, please see the following websites:

Kashmir Shaivism: www.universalshaivafellowship.org

Lakshmanjoo Academy: www.lakshmanjooacademy.org

Ishwar Ashram Trust founded my Swami Lakshmanjoo: https://www.ishwarashramtrust.com/

Music by Lesfm. Track “In the Forest”

With only a few precious hours left on earth–a miracle–a donor organ becomes available!

His heart stopped for 6 minutes during surgery, but John's will was strong and he's here today to share profound insights into his Catholic upbringing, the expansion of his horizons at that mecca of the psychedelic counterculture–Haight-Ashbury, the realization that drugs did not provide the answers he was seeking, and his subsequent pursuit of higher knowledge and enlightenment with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

John describes in compelling detail the drama and emotion of his illness, his last days and hours, and the series of miraculous events that gave him "a 30-year extension to his train ticket," and an ethereal meeting with his donor.

We'll hear from John how these experiences have shaped his current perspective and we look forward to the release of his memoir, Bohemian U, which is the first volume of his upcoming autobiography, Satsang Junkie.

Music by Lesfm. Track “In the Forest”