Ep239: Gurus I Have Known - Ralph White 3
Ralph White is a holistic learning pioneer, international speaker on cultural transformation and the history of the Western esoteric tradition, and co-founder of the New York Open Centre.
Available on Youtube, iTunes, SoundCloud & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
Ralph reflects on his decades at the centre of the American spirituality and human potential movements and discusses the life and works of figures such as poet Robert Bly, Ram Dass, Colin Wilson, RD Laing, and Rupert Sheldrake and tells personal anecdotes of his time spent with each.
Ralph also reflects on today’s psychedelic renaissance, the pros and cons of AI, and why he is more motivated than ever before to bring about an enlightened cultural shift.
00:00 - Intro
02:14 - Ralph on Robert Bly
07:48 - Bly as a source of spiritual strength
08:35 - Where did Bly get his depth of insight?
09:48 - The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart
11:06 - Spiritual Athlete in an Orange Robe
13:29 - The mysterious Colin Wilson
18:49 - RD Laing’s wildness
20:04 - RD Laing’s alcoholism
22:53 - British vs USA approaches to the esoteric
24:27 - Rupert Sheldrake and the psychedelic renaissance
28:35 - Do psychedelics affect one’s credibility?
31:05 - Ralph on Ram Dass and Timothy Leary
35:30 - Was the 60s psychedelic movement good or bad?
37:13 - Reconnecting to the earth and existential crisis
41:13 - Is civilisational utopia naive?
46:33 - The rise of the religious right in America
49:34 - Engage with society or withdraw into the ark?
54:14 - Ralph’s work organising international conferences
56:29 - Indigenous Peoples’ Resistance To Globalisation
57:56 - Techno utopian attitudes of Silicon Valley
01:00:39 - Revitalising the Western Esoteric tradition
01:04:09 - Ralph on the current frontiers of human potential and culture
Previous episodes with Ralph White:
https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep140-quest-for-a-life-of-meaning-ralph-white
https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep202-mission-to-tibet-ralph-white
To find out more about Ralph White, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James