Emelie has been working fulltime since 1995 with empathic communication with other species, non-hierarchal riding and handling of horses, alternative treatments such as acupuncture, homeopathy and herbal medicine. She has published three books on these subjects. She runs a school with mainly horses and other species for empathic interbeing. This school is a farm that is a sanctuary for around 170 animals of different species - not to mention plants and surrounding nature.

Books:

 	All the King's Horses - if you wish to purchase a copy, email Emelie.
 	Zander och Tiden (Swedish)

Website: friendsofmio.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded March 5, 2023

YouTube Video Chapters:

 	00:00:00 - Introduction to Emelie Cajsdotter and her work with animals
 	00:06:47 - An Invisible Wall Removed
 	00:12:33 - The Gap Between Personal Gain and Common Reality
 	00:18:23 - The Visionary Potential of Horses
 	00:24:35 - The Struggle Between the Ego and the Soul
 	00:30:18 - The Love for Existence
 	00:36:25 - Ego and the Dehumanization of Others
 	00:42:31 - The Spiritual Path and the Cycle of Life
 	00:48:31 - The Balance of Life and Death
 	00:54:22 - The Experience of Being a Mosquito
 	01:00:14 - The Journey to Enlightenment
 	01:06:04 - Conversations with Animals
 	01:11:59 - Communication with Plants
 	01:18:03 - Transitioning to an Enlightened Society
 	01:24:11 - The Birth and Rebirth of the Individual
 	01:30:35 - The Journey of Life and Death
 	01:36:33 - Cultivating Compassion and Connection with Animals
 	01:42:23 - The Longing of Those Who Cannot Come
 	01:48:09 - Creating a Non-Judgmental and Safe Environment
 	01:54:15 - Giving and Receiving in Artistic Work
 	02:00:12 - The Circular Nature of Life and Reincarnation
 	02:05:25 - Reaching out for Help in Difficult Times
 	02:10:28 - Conversations with Animals and the Power of Influence

678. Emelie Cajsdotter

Conversations with spiritually awakening people.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

From a childhood in a strict, religious Mennonite community, to leading a healing movement during his youth, to experiencing financial hardship and living in drug-filled slums, to becoming an advisor to heads of Fortune 500s and billionaires, to eventually working with one of the world’s most renowned private islands, Josh’s journey has been, unusual to say the least.

Fueled by his yearning for awakening, his story is about embracing disillusionment as the pathway to enlightenment.

Josh currently lives on the island of Tahiti with his wife and youngest son.

 	TikTok
 	YouTube Channel
 	Instagram

Transcript of this interview

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Interview recorded April 20, 2024

705. Josh Jost

Dr. Anna Yusim is an internationally recognized, award-winning, Board-Certified, Stanford, and Yale-educated Mind Body Spirit Concierge Psychiatrist & Executive Coach with a Private Practice in New York, California, Connecticut, and Florida. She is the best-selling author of Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life. As a Clinical Assistant Professor at Yale Medical School, Dr. Yusim is presently creating a Mental Health & Spirituality Center at Yale. With clients including Forbes 500 CEOs, Olympic athletes, A-list actors and actresses, and the Chairs of academic departments at top universities, Dr. Anna Yusim helps influential people achieve greater impact, purpose, and joy in their life and work.

After working as a neurobiology researcher with Dr. Robert Sapolsky Ph.D. and completing her studies at Stanford, Yale Medical School, and the NYU Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Dr. Yusim felt that something was missing from her life. In her quest to find it, she traveled, lived and worked in over 70 countries, while studying Kabbalah, learning Buddhist meditation, and working with South American shamans and Indian gurus.

Dr. Yusim has published over 150 academic articles, book chapters, scientific abstracts, book reviews, and articles for the lay public on various topics in psychiatry. A frequent contributor to CNN, Fox News, ABC, and NBC, she has been a guest on hundreds of national and international TV shows, radio programs, and podcasts.

As a highly sought-after speaker, Dr. Yusim gives keynotes for physicians and professionals all over the country and the world on topics related to mental health and spirituality, preventing burnout, physicians as meaning-makers, and resilience. For healthcare professionals, corporate leaders, and community members, she also conducts workshops to empower individuals to sharpen their intuition, cultivate authenticity, awaken self-compassion, enhance their capacity for empathy, and improve their ability to connect with others.

 	Website: annayusim.com
 	YouTube channel

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and transcript of this interview

Interview recorded April 14, 2024

704. Anna Yusim

﻿

Constance Casey, MDiv, is an author and teacher providing spiritual guidance for those interested in living a gentle and peaceful life.

Constance offers guidance for those entering deeper practice into the nature of reality and adjusting to a shift in consciousness. Her awakening occurred in 2008. She has been practicing in the contemplative arts for over 40 years-- first through her years in recovery, and then, as she deepened in Buddhist practice in 2007—which she shares in her memoir.

She’s a graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader Program. Some of her teachers include Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield.

Constance obtained a Master of Divinity focusing on religious studies and went on to do hospital chaplaincy work. As an interfaith hospital chaplain, she offered compassionate care for patients and families while embracing the spectrum of human experiences. She is also authorized by Naropa University to teach meditation.

Constance’s practice is primarily informed by the suttas in Theravāda Buddhism where she has developed her own online classes, the most recent one is called Clearing Skies: Dispelling the Clouds that Hinder Us, and she leads support groups for dedicated meditation practitioners.

Through her experience she respects and values your unique spiritual practice and journey while supporting you to find balance and significance in the face of adversity. Constance will encourage you to attune toward being more mindful and aware for release and serenity.

Her first book called Time for Awakening: A Memoir shares her story of awakening and deeper meditation practice and is what brings her to our meeting today.

 	She can be found at her website.
 	On Substack
 	On Instagram
 	On Facebook
 	And on Youtube 

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded March 30, 2024

YouTube Video Chapters:

 	00:00:00 - Welcome to Buddha at the Gas Pump
 	00:05:13 - The Levels of Receptiveness to the Dharma
 	00:09:13 - "Just Who Do You Think You Are?"
 	00:13:05 - A Snowy Awakening
 	00:16:54 - Healing and Bonding with My Sons
 	00:20:17 - Parenting as a Spiritual Practice
 	00:24:11 - A Fly on the Wall
 	00:28:09 - Tools of Recovery
 	00:31:31 - Ethical Structure in Spiritual Circles
 	00:35:14 - The Vicious Cycle of Repressed Discomfort
 	00:40:09 - Seeking Further
 	00:43:44 - Simplifying and Finding Fulfillment Within
 	00:47:39 - Expressing Experiences Through Art
 	00:51:17 - Finding Balance in Self-Care
 	00:54:59 - Honoring the Need for Rest and Balance
 	00:58:35 - The Power of Meditation and Personal Growth
 	01:01:38 - Constance's Carpentry Journey
 	01:04:44 - The Importance of Speaking Out and Trauma (Conversation)
 	01:07:29 - Seeing the Teacher as a Human Being and the Absence of Hierarchy
 	01:10:27 - The Indescribable Experience of Awakening
 	01:14:19 - Following the Way
 	01:18:32 - Psychological, Theological, Sociological Perspectives
 	01:22:14 - The Power of Kindness in Movies
 	01:26:42 - The Intimacy of Stream Entry
 	01:30:45 - The Support of a Teacher
 	01:33:33 - The Association for Spiritual Integrity
 	01:37:43 - Factors of Enlightenment and the Hindrances
 	01:41:38 - Hindrances in Meditation Practice
 	01:45:49 - Cultivating Tranquility and Equanimity in Meditation
 	01:49:05 - The Benefits of Meditation and Inner States of Being
 	01:51:48 - Closing Remarks

703. Constance Casey

Neil Theise is a professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Through his scientific research, he has been a pioneer of adult stem cell plasticity and the anatomy of the human interstitium. Dr. Theise’s studies in complexity theory have led to interdisciplinary collaborations in fields such as integrative medicine, consciousness studies, and science-religion dialogue. He is a senior Zen student at the Village Zendo in NYC. His life long Jewish practice has involved both traditional observances and formal academic study. In recent years, (to his surprise) he has also undergone shamanic initiation.

Books: 

 	General Audience: 

 	Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being


 	Of academic interest:

 	Awakening: Exploring Spirituality, Emergent Creativity, and Reconciliation
 	Transforming: Applying Spirituality, Emergent Creativity, and Reconciliation



Website: neiltheiseofficial.com

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Summary and transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded March 9, 2024

YouTube Video Chapters:

 	00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
 	00:04:25 - Complexity Theory and the study of life
 	00:08:34 - Dynamic Healing of the GI Tract
 	00:12:40 - Artificial Life and Complexity Theory
 	00:17:26 - Awakening through the Koan "Mu"
 	00:22:41 - The Fascinating Idea of Biocentrism and Organizing Complexity
 	00:25:45 - Discovering Complexity Theory
 	00:28:37 - The Illusion of Materiality and the Nature of Pure Awareness
 	00:33:37 - The Non-dual Fundamental Awareness
 	00:37:38 - Complementarity in Quantum Physics and Beyond
 	00:42:36 - The Quantum Field of the Body
 	00:46:29 - Direct experiences of quantum level reality
 	00:49:14 - The True Nature of Conscious Reality
 	00:53:25 - The Illusion of Reality
 	00:56:56 - The Mechanism of Human Consciousness
 	01:01:23 - Challenging Empirical Science and Promissory Materialism
 	01:04:51 - The Intimacy of Subject and Object in Quantum Science
 	01:08:53 - The Limitations of Mathematics and Empirical Science
 	01:13:30 - Gödel and Turing's Implications for Mystical Exploration and Consciousness
 	01:17:33 - Shifting Paradigms and the Nature of Consciousness
 	01:21:20 - Self-Organization and Complexity in the Universe
 	01:24:44 - Negative and Positive Feedback Loops
 	01:29:02 - The Adjacent Possibles and Creativity
 	01:32:16 - The Subtle Dimensions of Living Beings and the Universe
 	01:35:26 - Language Limitations and Perspective
 	01:39:02 - Awakening through Traumatic Experiences
 	01:42:35 - Wondering about Luck and the Beloved Name
 	01:45:28 - The Universe's Construction and Spiritual Practices
 	01:48:30 - The Divine Feminine and Unconditional Love
 	01:52:57 - The Nature of Reality and True Compassion
 	01:55:56 - Conclusion

702. Neil Theise

Kimberley Theresa Lafferty is a seasoned teacher-practitioner specializing in constructive adult developmental psychology and Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. She completed over 12 years of intensive Indo Tibetan study including the required retreats. She leads both open and advanced adult educational cohorts aligning developmental psychology and Buddhist theory. Kimberley co-leads, with Terri O’Fallon, the penultimate Minds I year-long developmental course of Stages International. She is an active Board member for the Association for Spiritual Integrity. Kimberley is also a householder as a wife and mother, living in a remote valley of the North Cascades of North America which deeply impacts her worldview and practice.

Website: The Confluence Experience | Making sense of what doesn't make sense

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Summary and Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded February 10, 2024

YouTube Video Chapters:

 	00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome
 	00:03:33 - Finding Peace in the Forest
 	00:06:27 - A Blissful Awakening
 	00:11:15 - Deep Inner Resources and Spiritual Experiences
 	00:15:10 - Connecting with our Ultimate Selves
 	00:18:26 - The Wave and Ocean Metaphor
 	00:23:24 - Diving into Indo-Tibetan Buddhism
 	00:27:59 - Tantric Retreats and Solitary Meditation
 	00:32:26 - Experiences on the Retreats with Vajrayogini
 	00:35:33 - The Red Lady and the Retreat
 	00:40:01 - The Lesson of Treating Practice Seriously
 	00:44:18 - The Precious Gift of Tibetan Buddhism
 	00:47:58 - Spirituality and Integration
 	00:51:02 - Understanding the Intersection of Waking Up and Identity Change
 	00:55:31 - The Evolution of Perception and Consciousness
 	01:00:08 - Supporting Spiritual Teachers
 	01:03:59 - Shadow Work and Holistic Development
 	01:07:16 - The Integration of Wisdom and Compassion
 	01:10:57 - Waves of Human Becoming and Non-Duality in Daily Life
 	01:14:06 - Anomalous Experiences: Exploring the Extraordinary
 	01:18:57 - Anomalous Experiences and Meaning Making
 	01:23:49 - Anomalous Experiences and the Search for Answers
 	01:28:03 - The Cautionary Use of Psychedelics and the Self
 	01:32:01 - The Need for Spiritual Integrity among Teachers
 	01:35:58 - The Preciousness of a Spiritual Life
 	01:39:58 - Realizing Inner Bliss
 	01:43:44 - Experiencing Fulfillment in Tantra
 	01:47:41 - Finding Your Path in Spiritual Practice
 	01:52:16 - The Role of Spiritual Psychotherapists
 	01:56:28 - Strengthening Ourselves Psychologically and Spiritually
 	02:00:00 - Continuing the Conversation with Kimberly

678. Emelie Cajsdotter

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