Ep151: Scottish Mystic - David McMurdo

David McMurdo is a Scottish mystic, Youtuber, and author of ‘Experiential Spirituality’.

Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

David recounts his upbringing in Scotland, and how a lifetime of frustrated spiritual seeking was resolved in a profound spiritual experience that changed everything. 

David details the results of this transformative experience and discusses themes such as religiosity, the zeal of the convert, falling into the spirit of God, advice for prayer and meditation, and the mystic’s view of identity. 


Topics include:

00:00 - Intro
00:37 - David’s upbringing in Scotland 
03:50 - David’s love of the Scottish town of Thurso 
05:56 - Frustrating spiritual seeking 
07:57 - A life-changing spiritual experience 
10:56 - Piercing the roof of the intellect 
12:32 - Jesus Christ 
15:43 - The Mystery 
18:01 - Changes in David after the experience 
20:06 - Gnosis and experiential spirituality 
21:55 - Zeal of the convert 
26:50 - Disagreement with the doctrine of the trinity 
30:52 - Zealots aren’t fun 
31:48 - Leaving the tribe 
34:12 - Falling into the spirit of God 
36:43 - The ultimate truth 
40:04 - Depression and the Dark Night of the Soul 
42:13 - What is God?
47:04 - Heaven, hell, and the afterlife 
49:57 - Experiential vs intellectual knowledge 
54:35 - Advice for spiritual practice  
59:56 - Prayer and meditation 
01:02:39 - How to meditate
01:04:51 - What is love?
01:09:26 - Pacifism and conflict 
01:14:35 - Repentance and purification 
01:17:57 - The mystic’s view of identity 
01:23:25 - David’s YouTube channel    


To find out more about David McMurdo, visit:

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James

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Ep150: Art of Retreat - Dr Nida Chenagtsang