As a child, I had many experiences of the limitless side of my Being, but perhaps nothing extraordinary. I think most people have such experiences quite naturally. As I grew older, I felt increasingly overwhelmed by my own wounds and by all the separation and denial I felt inside and out. By the time I left grammar school, I was confused and repressed. But I was telling myself and the world I was fine and everything was OK. By the time I’d reached my teens, I was in crisis and I found myself reaching out for something beyond the ordinary world. I began my spiritual search (as did many of my peers) reading books by J. Krishnamurti, Yogananda, Carlos Casteneda, Ram Dass, and Richard Bach. Soon thereafter, I began using hallucinogens as a tool in my self-inquiry process. I glimpsed my future realization in this life, but I also saw that I couldn’t reach it through drugs. At 17, I took initiation into TM and began to practice regularly. After meeting Maharishi, I found myself preparing to become a TM teacher. I took years of training, (over a year in deep meditations and fasting in the Switzerland), spent lots of time with Maharishi, and finally was endowed by him with the knowledge I needed to initiate others. I taught TM to hundreds of seekers, thinking that this simple technique would eventually bring them (and myself) freedom. It was around this time that it became perfectly clear to me that, until I and many others around me had awakened into some fundamental self-recognition and integrity of Being, nothing else was going to make the world any better. Website: trilliumawakening.org Summary and transcript of this interview Interview recorded June 12, 2010 Batgap interview with Ted Strauss and Carole Griggs YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction and Background 00:03:34 - The Magical Encounter at the Fair 00:06:09 - Falling in Love and Kissed Feet 00:08:58 - A Friendship Begins 00:12:06 - The Depth of the Heart 00:15:14 - The Tantric Challenge of Coming into the World with Awakened Consciousness 00:18:18 - The Awakening of Consciousness 00:21:30 - Cultivating the Recognition of Consciousness Embodied 00:24:16 - Different Experiences of Awakening 00:27:04 - Beyond the Ultimate Awakening 00:29:36 - Introduction of Samuel Bondar and his role in awakening 00:32:22 - Overcoming Pain and Suffering 00:35:19 - The Avoidance of Duality and Fundamentalism 00:38:13 - The Discomfort of Being Human 00:41:24 - Being with Discomfort 00:44:47 - The Evolution of Human Consciousness 00:48:02 - The Process of Disillusionment and Surrender 00:51:04 - The Rot Out of Illusion 00:54:02 - Evolution and Growth in Spiritual Development 00:56:56 - The Genius of Being is Guiding the Shell 01:00:12 - Evolution of Relationship Dynamics 01:03:30 - Partners in Waking Down 01:05:48 - The Three Components of Waking Down 01:08:44 - The Importance of Awakening in Personal Growth 01:11:25 - Reflections on the Awakening Experience 01:14:34 - The Breakthrough Moment 01:17:25 - Falling Into Embodiment 01:19:59 - Awakening and Centers of Consciousness 01:22:36 - Wrap-up and Final Thoughts 01:24:53 - Embracing Spiritual Variety 01:27:15 - Closing Credits Save Save Save