687. Carter Phipps

Carter Phipps is the author of Evolutionaries and coauthor of the Wall Street Journal Bestseller Conscious Leadership with John Mackey and Steve McIntosh. He is co-founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, which addresses political polarization though focusing on the cultural roots of America’s challenges. He hosts the Thinking Ahead podcast and is a former award-winning journalist and executive editor of What Is Enlightenment? Magazine. His website is http://www.carterphipps.com.

Essay we discussed in the interview: Mysticism and Its Discontents: Does Spiritual Illumination Create its own Intrinsic Blindness?

Summary and Transcript and of this interview

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group

Interview recorded July 29, 2023

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


YouTube Video Chapters:


00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:03:50 - The Paradox of Spiritual Teachers' Behavior
00:07:52 - The Subtleties of Enlightenment and the Dangers of Blind Spots
00:11:24 - The Complications of Spiritual Awakening
00:14:40 - Defining Enlightenment
00:18:42 - Strengths and Weaknesses in Areas of Genius
00:22:31 - The Transformative Power of Mystical Awakening
00:26:15 - The Tradeoffs of Enlightenment
00:29:31 - Levels of Reality and Integration
00:35:06 - The Goal of Our Own Practice
00:37:33 - Delusion in Deep Mystical Experience
00:41:43 - The Path of Renunciation and Self-Brainwashing
00:45:46 - The Complex Psychology of Seeking Enlightenment
00:50:24 - The Evolution of Culture and Consciousness
00:55:17 - The Dangers of Unhealthy Self-Doubt and Lack of Self-Criticism
00:59:32 - The Delusion of Pure Motive
01:03:22 - The Dangers of Spiritual Confidence
01:08:15 - Blurring the Line between the Spiritual and Manifest World
01:14:10 - The Interface between Science and Spirituality
01:17:50 - The Tradition of Debate and Mythical Stories
01:21:35 - The Power and Deception of Inner Intuition
01:25:41 - The Relationship Between Enlightenment and Psychological Instability
01:28:35 - Psychological Traces and Vulnerability to Mystical Experiences
01:31:49 - Spiritual Breakthroughs and Psychological Breakdowns
01:35:11 - The Role of Responsible Psychedelic Therapists
01:39:44 - The Importance of Understanding Cultural Evolution and the Adjacent Possible
01:45:18 - The Myth of the Perfect Enlightened Figure
01:50:09 - The Importance of Understanding the Self-Structure
01:55:00 - The Importance of Questioning Spiritual Myths and Beliefs
01:59:38 - Being Discerning and Questioning
02:07:06 - Future Teaching and Updates from Carter Phipps