About this episode
Rev. Bill’s life has been a spiritual journey, spanning slightly over 7 decades. His whole life has been a mystical trip in search of gurus, the paranormal, and self-discovery. He has written about his many spiritually transformative experiences and “near-death-experiences” including supernatural events during his combat tour of duty in the Vietnam War. In his books, he has shared some incredible spiritual events that are beyond both common understanding or explanation. His autobiography “Warrior: A Spiritual Odyssey” takes us on a life quest for love, understanding, forgiveness, and enlightenment. His follow-up book “Alchemy of a Warrior's Heart" continues that mystical journey including four trips to India for even more profound experiences with holy men, miracles and his personal relationship with the Divine. What he knows for sure after all these years is that the only thing that is truly real is LOVE. He is an author, an award-winning poet, international motivational speaker, artist, film advisor, veteran advocate, a Vietnam War veteran (Distinguished Flying Cross, The Bronze Star, The Purple Heart Medal, 14 Air Medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, etc.). He has spoken around the world including Germany, England, Wales, Bolivia, and India. He has been involved with a dozen films and documentaries. (Such as: “In the Shadow of the Blade”- showed on the History Network and “The Art of Healing” shown on PBS TV) Rev. Bill has been on over 800 radio and TV shows over the last 18 years and has stories about his life featured in over a dozen books by other authors and in hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles. He has had articles in such diverse publications as “Parade Sunday Magazine” and “The Self-Realization Fellowship Magazine” as well as military magazines and new age magazines. His YouTube Channel has over 70 videos and had gotten over 550,000 views in its first 18 months. He speaks publicly about the need to forgive and power of love. His mission in life is to inspire others to seek the Divine and he does that through his personal stories of his own life experiences. He is a seeker but not just for himself. His “mission” is to allow others to experience his journey through his stories. He has had many near-death and near-death-like experiences and encounters with the supernatural. He is a friend to many - including famous celebrities and people in power positions in life but he treats everyone the same whether they are homeless or the President or a CEO. His beliefs are simple: There is but ONE GOD – and our only mission is to LOVE & SERVE ALL. Additional books by William “Rev. Bill” McDonald: A Spiritual Warrior's Journey: The Inspiring Life Story of a Mystical Warrior – 2003 Purple Hearts: Poetry of The Vietnam War – 2003 Sacred Eye: Poetry In Search Of The Divine – 2004 Bill's guru, Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath Bill's Website Bill's email Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Summary and transcript of this interview First BatGap interview with Bill McDonald Interview recorded February 22, 2020. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:04:09 - Sharing Pearls of Wisdom 00:07:14 - The Overwhelming Responsibility of Knowledge, Intuition, and Empathy 00:10:44 - The Power of Intuition and Belief Systems 00:14:51 - Believing Different 00:18:50 - The Importance of Time in the Material World 00:22:51 - The One Guru: God 00:26:36 - The Danger of Dangerous Spiritual Teachers 00:30:08 - The Inner Guru vs. Outer Guru 00:34:41 - The Importance of Having a Teacher 00:37:49 - Embracing Discomfort and Growth in Life 00:41:56 - Embracing Life's Challenges 00:45:57 - The Significance of Evolutionary Events 00:49:35 - Discovering and Manifesting Potential 00:53:03 - Mending Fences and Making Amends 00:56:15 - The Value of Living and Dead Gurus 01:00:02 - The Guru's Love and Presence 01:03:48 - Seeing God in All 01:07:02 - Being Present and Connected 01:10:41 - The Power of Now 01:14:42 - Learning through the "morphogenetic field" 01:18:09 - Manifestation through Free Will 01:21:23 - Cultivating and Retaining Faith in the Divine 01:24:36 - Plant Medicine and Personal Experiences 01:28:03 - Challenging Prejudices and Judgments 01:31:12 - The Change in Perspective 01:35:06 - The Pitfalls of Meditation and Psychedelics 01:38:32 - The Risks of Drug Use and the Importance of Meditation 01:42:42 - The Value of Personal Experience 01:46:25 - Manifesting a Loving Life 01:50:17 - Delight in Different Perspectives