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