About this episode
Raymond Schumann is a fifth-generation carpenter with a high school education. A Roman Catholic upbringing left him sexually repressed. Adolescence left him a Soldier of Christ gone AWOL. In his twenties, he learned about dissociative disorder. The theory explained much. Help was not thick on the ground and ripe in the pod. Not in those days. A shrink who claimed to treat multiple personalities endangered his career. Schumann was on his own. He named the self who thwarted his desires Holdfast. Schumann knew spiritual consciousness was essential to healing. That only made things worse. He’d watched guru after roshi disgrace themselves. There was nothing to trust there. The more he sought healing, the worse Holdfast trashed him. Eventually, Schumann was desperate enough to say, “This has to get better. I don’t care what it costs. This has to get better.” At that instant, he suffered a Kundalini awakening. Never trust a Goddess. She opened the door to a year of hell. A year leading to ego death. A year leading to nondual awareness. Things only got worse from there. If you would like to contact Raymond, here's his email address. Summary and transcript of this interview. Interview recorded February 28, 2021 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:02:46 - The Self and Spiritual Consciousness 00:05:20 - Exploring Spiritual Interests in Youth 00:08:29 - The Self that Thwarted Desires 00:12:35 - The Impact of Kundalini Awakening on Daily Life 00:17:07 - Naming the Inner Drives "Holdfast" 00:21:35 - The Wrecking Ball of Kundalini 00:27:27 - Losing the Ego and Sense of Self 00:32:18 - The localized quality of experience and the ego construction 00:36:35 - The Role of Language in Human Existence 00:41:06 - The Evolution and Development of Ego 00:45:43 - The Complexity of the Ego and Ego Death 00:51:52 - The experience of self-recognition 00:56:25 - Liberation from Ego Holons 01:02:41 - Lack of Free Will 01:07:01 - First Do No Harm and Meeting Swami Muktananda 01:10:35 - Variables and the Flow of Shakti 01:13:39 - Meeting Bubastis 01:16:20 - The Cat with Psychic Inflation 01:19:10 - The Wisdom Download and Preparation 01:22:36 - Understanding the Clue 01:25:55 - The Risks of Playing with Powers 01:29:24 - The Chakra System and Ego Death 01:33:50 - The Importance of Writing Things Down 01:37:08 - The Power of Journaling and Meditation 01:41:30 - The Torture of Holdfast 01:45:30 - The Presence of God in Our Lives 01:48:39 - The meaning of "beyond the PALE" 01:53:53 - The Potential Impact of Spiritual Awakening and Transformation 01:58:18 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information 02:00:46 - Farewell and Thank You