677. Seán ÓLaoire

Fr. Seán ÓLaoire was born in Ireland and earned a B.Sc. degree (major in Mathematics) from the National University of Ireland. Ordained a catholic priest in 1972, he spent 14 years working in Kenya. He is multi-lingual and has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Transpersonal Psychology; he is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice. He is co-founder and the Spiritual Director of a non-denominational community called “Companions on the Journey” based in Palo Alto. He is the author of five books and co-author of a sixth:

“Ukweli ni Nini?” (What is truth?) – written and published in Swahili in 1983
“Spirits in Spacesuits - A Manual for Everyday Mystics”- published in 2003
“Souls on Safari” - published in 2006 - Translated into German in 2007
“A Sensible God” – published in 2008
“Why? What Your Life Is Telling You about Who You Are and Why You’re Here” - published in 2013 (with Matthew McKay, PhD and Ralph Metzner, PhD) - Translated into Korean in 2015
“Setting God Free: Moving Beyond the Caricature We’ve Created in Our Own Image” - published in 2021

Summary and transcript of this interview

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded February 25, 2023

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



YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump. Mythology and ‘Thin Places’ 
00:06:40 - The Wisdom of Proverbs in Different Cultures
00.09:00 Trying to domesticate God 
00:12:16 - The Cycle of Knowledge and Ignorance
00:17:39 - The Disadvantages of Incarnation
00.23:20 Transformation of Consciousness 
00:23:46 - Ineffective Structures and People's Transformation
00:29:20 - The Rural Electrification Scheme in Ireland
00:34:51 - The Invitation to Self-Transcendence
00:40:08 - The Complexity of Existence
00.41:15 Karma and Pre-conception Contracts 
00:45:44 - Pulling Life Over the Cliff
00:51:22 - The Purpose of Incarnations
00:56:54 - Understanding Karma and Destiny
01:00:45 The Science of Spirituality 
01:02:47 - Reincarnation in Christianity
01:08:15 - The Three Axes of Spiritual Awareness and Metrics in Spirituality
01:14:12 - The Constraints of the Scientific Method
01:20:35 - The merge of science and spirituality
01:26:15 The Global Awakening 
01:26:24 - Awakening to Powerful Spiritual Experiences
01:31:56 - Confrontation and the 80:20 Rule in Spiritual Teachings
01:37:49 - The Types of Civilizations and Our Current State
01:43:41 - The Role of Healing Modalities in Personal Growth
01:43:54 Healing Trauma 
01:49:43 - The End of Reincarnation?
01:55:22 - Separating from Narcissists
01:56:34 The Trifurcation of Homo Sapiens Sapiens
02:00:41 - Forming Community and Overcoming Superiority
02:06:17 - The Unity of All Life
02:12:18 - Communicating with Animals