669. Neil Douglas-Klotz

Neil Douglas-Klotz is an internationally known scholar in the fields connecting religious studies (comparative Semitic hermeneutics) and psychology as well as a poet and musician. He is the author of Prayers of the Cosmos, Desert Wisdom, The Hidden Gospel, and The Genesis Meditations as well as coauthor of The Tent of Abraham with Sr. Joan Chittister and Rabbi Arthur Waskow. He is the past chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion and is active in various international colloquia and conferences dedicated to peace and spirituality.

Website: abwoon.org

Amazon Author's Page, listing all of his books

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Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded November 5, 2022

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.




YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Neil Douglas-Klotz
00:03:29 Neil’s background
00:04:40 - A Childhood of Alternative Beliefs
00:09:22 - How I Made Major Life Decisions
00:12:20 Aramaic, Sanskrit, Sound and Meaning
00:13:42 - The Connection Between Language and Objects
00:15:54 Chanting, mantra and the evolution of consciousness
00:17:47 - Human Consciousness and Modern Life
00:20:34. Changing the cultural paradigm of materialism
00:21:52 - Separation from Family Conditioning
00:22:09 Yeshua's healings and the culture of his time.
00:24:14 Did Jesus exist?
00:26:29 - The Transmission History of the Gospels
00:26:55 How and when were Jesus' words first written down?
00:30:22 - The Origins of Aramaic and Greek in Jesus's Vicinity
00:31:11 Aramaic and Greek at Jesus' tme.
00:33:04 Hundreds of early gospels.
00:34:50 - The Origins of Christian Creeds
00:35:49 Modern Christian religion and politics.
00:37:03 Neil's new book Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus: his method and texts
00:39:04 - The Translation of Scriptures
00:39:10 The King James Version of the Bible
00:40:27 "What would Jesus do?"
00:43:29 - The Connection to the Source of the Self
00:44:10 Evolution of Neil's work
00:45:07 "I am the way, the truth and the life...."
00:47:50 - The Meaning of "Hayye"
00:50:15 Jesus' miracles and healings, and early human consciousness.
00:52:13 - Healing through Connection to the Unseen
00:54:15 The important Aramaic words usually translated "good" and "evil"
00:56:50 - Ripening in the Breath
00:59:50 Jesus and prayer, with and without words
01:00:45 - Entraining with the Teacher's Consciousness
01:03:01 Worst mistranlation that empowers colonialism and ecocide.
01:04:49 - The Injustices of the World
01:06:56"Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven..."
01:08:57 - The Interconnection of Inner and Outer Life
01:09:09 The "sin against the Holy Ghost."
01:12:06 The Aramaic "lord's prayer" in brief
01:14:37 - Hollowing oneself for resonance with the cosmos
01:18:57 - The Aramaic Prayer of Dedication
01:20:39 Conversion, "saving the soul" or the soul saving you
01:23:18 - The history of Christianity and religion's impact
01:23:40 Snake handling?
01:25:28 "I and my father are one."
01:27:25 - The Living Togetherness with the Creating Source
01:29:38 "omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent?
01:30:45 "only begotten son"
01:31:36 - Jesus, the Cross, and Trust
01:35:05 "Did Jesus die on the cross?"
01:35:40 - The Possibility of Jesus' Survival on the Cross
01:37:53 Seeing angels or beings from other faiths
01:39:04 Jung's "Christian yoga"
01:39:44 - Awakening and Healing with Neil Douglas-Klotz
01:40:56 "original sin"
01:43:46 "judge not lest you be judged"
01:43:57 - Finding Your Path in Life
01:45:51 What is mine to do?
01:47:47 Jesus suffering
01:48:12 - The concept of pain and suffering in Christianity
01:50:32 "let him who is without sin cast the first stone"
01:52:02 - Tangled Relationships and Casting Stones