433. John Samsen - a podcast by Rick Archer

When John Samsen first contacted us several months ago, he said,"I'm 90 years old, I've had both my feet amputated, and I've never been happier". We soon learned that John designed the Ford Thunderbird, Plymouth Barracuda, and other"muscle cars", and later had a profound and abiding spiritual awakening.

Over a course of many decades, John Samsen followed a quest to understand the “big questions” of Life; why are we here, what is Life all about, and who am I, really? Along with careers in Aerospace Engineering and car designing, John studied the sciences, mythologies, religions, philosophies, and psychologies, to expand his understandings. A pattern of paranormal experiences opened his mind to areas of experience beyond the paradigms of Science. In 1970, he embarked on a quest of Self Discovery, participating in hundreds of hours of intensive consciousness exploration with such noted researchers as Drs. Jean Houston and Robert Masters, Dr. Lawrence LeShan, Robert Monroe, and others involved in the “human potentials” movements of the 1970s.After a series of traumatic events in his life, John experienced a “metanoia”, what some call a transformation or “awakening”. John's quest ended, and in the years since, he has been enjoying Life, knowing peace of mind, “unconditional love” of self and world, and freedom from fear and anxiety. John has been working on a verbal description of his experiences that does not rely on traditional metaphysical or religious ideas but is consistent with modern scientific concepts of space, time, matter, and energy. He believes that a dramatic experience of “awakening”, which is rare and very difficult to achieve, is not necessary for enlightened living; that with proper guidance and consistent effort, most people can achieve that state of being.

His Book: A Journey to Metanoia: My Life TransformedYou may email John.
More about John's automotive design career here and here.
Discussion of this interview in the Batgap Community Facebook Group.Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

Transcript of this interviewInterview recorded December 9, 2017.00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
00:03:07 - From Airplanes to Car Design00:05:29 - Terrifying Experiences in the Realm of Geometric Principles
00:07:54 - Trance States and Otherworldly Experiences00:10:22 - A Strange Flying Object
00:12:27 - Mysterious Events and Poltergeist Activity00:14:59 - The Little Man in the Restroom
00:17:36 - The Encounter with the Weird Man00:20:00 - The Breakdown and Regeneration of Belief Systems
00:23:08 - The Illusion of Reality00:25:39 - A Blissful Awakening
00:28:15 - Happiness in the Face of Pain and Resistance00:30:42 - A Shift in Perspective
00:33:19 - Trading Commodities and Design Work00:35:30 - The Impact of Jean Houston's Workshops00:38:09 - The Preciousness of Life and Growing Older00:40:49 - The Decision of Euthanasia and Following a Deeper Mind
00:43:22 - A Vision of Love Energy00:46:14 - The Evolutionary Trajectory of the Universe
00:48:45 - The Interaction of the Divine Intelligence00:51:10 - The Nature of Opposites
00:53:17 - Embracing Diversity and the totality of existence00:55:19 - Fear of Death and Valuing Life
00:57:30 - The Earth as a Host00:59:56 - The Drive Behind Human Activities
01:02:13 - The Potential End of Human Life by the End of the Century01:04:45 - The Possibility of Metanoia and an Enlightened World
01:07:07 - Motivation to Contribute01:09:17 - Ordinary Spiritually Awakening People
01:11:26 - Journey to Metanoia01:13:31 - Getting to Know the Guest Speaker

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