556. George Middleton

Born in Wales, I emigrated with my parents and 4 siblings to NZ in 1962. Educated in Wellington completing an honours degree in philosophy and teacher training. Taught in a variety of special education positions until retiring. Politically active in teachers' union, Labour Party, and the Greens. My wife is Sue Middleton (Emeritus Prof Education), our only child daughter Kate is married with 3 sons. She founded the Reading Revolution charity in NZ. I worked with Men's groups, used various psychotherapy modalities, including doing a year of Primal Therapy in Los Angeles which led to more formal trading in Gestalt Therapy that precipitated ongoing profound experiences and transformations that ignited pilgrimage journeys to India and Bhutan. Also, involvement in Vipassana and other meditation methods confirmed the nature of the processes that have overtaken me and delivered me into the sacred world. Concepts such as Karma, transcendence, synchronicity, reincarnation, rebirth, pure consciousness energy, and indigenous encounters have led to an understanding of the truth power of myth and ancient truths. No website or books. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded June 20, 2020 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Winter Solstice and Synchronicity 00:04:54 - The Miracle of Birth 00:09:51 - Childhood Reflections on Belief in God 00:13:16 - An Interesting Family History 00:17:43 - The War and its Impact on Personal Experiences 00:21:58 - Pentecostalist Christian and Casting Out Demons 00:26:08 - Primal Therapy and Rastafarian Influence 00:30:08 - Bob Marley's Influence on Indigenous Culture 00:34:43 - Abuse of Power and Vulnerability in Therapy 00:39:12 - Personal Growth and Therapy Journey 00:44:10 - Breathing and Therapy Session 00:48:04 - Stopping Breathing and Going into Samadhi 00:52:05 - A Peculiar Year 00:57:28 - A Heightened State of Well-being 01:02:41 - The Story of Nachiketas in the Katha Upanishad 01:07:49 - The Earth as our Witness 01:13:24 - The Uniting of Shiva and Shakti in Consciousness 01:18:24 - The Relationship Between Science and Consciousness 01:23:42 - Balancing Scientific Exploration and Earthly Problems 01:28:06 - Establishing Awareness in Being 01:32:37 - The Importance of Experiential Spirituality 01:36:48 - Understanding the Meaning of Grace 01:41:06 - The Myth of Kali and Shiva 01:45:15 - The Mountain of Shiva and the Energy of Ganesha's Head 01:49:43 - Life Living You 01:54:51 - Experience during Spiritual Practice 02:01:59 - Living in Pure Consciousness 02:03:56 - Inner Light and Moonlit Night 02:07:44 - The Normality of Spiritual Experiences 02:11:35 - Balancing the Yin and Yang 02:15:28 - Conversation about New Zealand and future visit