589. Raymond Schumann

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