E79: Meditation as a Portal with Special Guest Richard Haight
E79 Introduction-
Meditation is a topic that we have covered here on Basecamp for Men a number of times. It is not a coincidence that most of my guests have not only a familiarity with meditation but most have active practices spanning many decades and many different types of meditation.
We have done episodes with Paul Dunion and Ziad Masri. We have done episodes with Janell Hartman and Howard Ferguson. We’ve done them with Sally Kempton and Sophie Maclean. And we have recently done EPs with Champ Parinya and Lisa Rezac, all active meditators. I bet if I asked all my guests, most would say they have some sort of meditation practice. And it makes sense, doesn’t it?
If meditation speeds up evolution then a show about men’s personal development really should have a lot of meditators on the guest list.
My take on meditation is that it is one of the most powerful tools you can use for yourself and your development. What are the benefits of a meditation practice? The answer: comprehensive. In other words, it helps with everything.
And there is a touch of magic and mysticism in a meditation practice. Something transcendent. And who doesn’t love these qualities? You are, in a very real sense, communicating with the Divine. You may not start with that as your notion but over time, it hits your awareness as this jaw-dropping discovery.
Your awareness starts to expand. Ego starts to dissolve and, with it, all its unnecessary suffering. Patterns that seemed on the edge of your awareness suddenly come into full, clear view. Subtle energies that eluded you suddenly become available to you.
I like this quote by the great Ken Wilber. He says “Meditation speeds up evolution. It accelerates the remembering and the re-discovery of the Spirit that you eternally are. Meditation quickens the rate that acorns grow into oaks, that humans grow into God.”
My guest today is a life-long student and teacher of meditation and meditation techniques. Let’s go have a chat with him.
Richard Haight Bio-
Richard L. Haight is the founder of the Total Embodiment Method (TEM), which is an awareness training system designed to integrate meditation into one’s daily life. Richard is the author of five bestselling titles, most notably The Warrior’s Meditation, Unshakable Awareness, and The Unbound Soul. He is a considered one of world’s foremost experts in the traditional Japanese martial arts.
Through his books, his meditation, and martial arts seminars, Richard seeks to ignite a worldwide movement for personal transformation that is free of all constraints and open to anyone of any level.
E79: Final Thoughts-
I hope you enjoyed our time with Richard. I have found that, like Richard, meditation has greatly improved my writing. There is an allowing in writing, a giving yourself over to the flow of words that meditation helps prepare you for.
I also like what he said about how training ourselves in open awareness or what the Buddhists call “Big Mind” is often times easier for beginners. There is something interesting to this. If meditation walks you along a path of Light with fellow mystics and seers, then this vast, expansive exploration will certainly hold treasures for those brave enough to plunge into the deep end of the ocean, so to speak.
I sometimes wonder, as I prepare to do a meditation, how many millions of other Souls am I joining in this extraordinary experiment in energy, frequency, and vibration. Who might I meet next along these ancient roads? I thank you my listeners and I wish you Godspeed.