556. George Middleton Buddha at the Gas Pump

Born in Wales, I emigrated with my parents and 4 siblings to NZ in 1962. Educated in Wellington completing an honours degree in philosophy and teacher training. Taught in a variety of special education positions until retiring. Politically active in teachers' union, Labour Party, and the Greens.

My wife is Sue Middleton (Emeritus Prof Education), our only child daughter Kate is married with 3 sons. She founded the Reading Revolution charity in NZ.

I worked with Men's groups, used various psychotherapy modalities, including doing a year of Primal Therapy in Los Angeles which led to more formal trading in Gestalt Therapy that precipitated ongoing profound experiences and transformations that ignited pilgrimage journeys to India and Bhutan. Also, involvement in Vipassana and other meditation methods confirmed the nature of the processes that have overtaken me and delivered me into the sacred world. Concepts such as Karma, transcendence, synchronicity, reincarnation, rebirth, pure consciousness energy, and indigenous encounters have led to an understanding of the truth power of myth and ancient truths.

No website or books.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded June 20, 2020

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.


YouTube Video Chapters:


00:00:00 - Winter Solstice and Synchronicity
00:04:54 - The Miracle of Birth
00:09:51 - Childhood Reflections on Belief in God
00:13:16 - An Interesting Family History
00:17:43 - The War and its Impact on Personal Experiences
00:21:58 - Pentecostalist Christian and Casting Out Demons
00:26:08 - Primal Therapy and Rastafarian Influence
00:30:08 - Bob Marley's Influence on Indigenous Culture
00:34:43 - Abuse of Power and Vulnerability in Therapy
00:39:12 - Personal Growth and Therapy Journey
00:44:10 - Breathing and Therapy Session
00:48:04 - Stopping Breathing and Going into Samadhi
00:52:05 - A Peculiar Year
00:57:28 - A Heightened State of Well-being
01:02:41 - The Story of Nachiketas in the Katha Upanishad
01:07:49 - The Earth as our Witness
01:13:24 - The Uniting of Shiva and Shakti in Consciousness
01:18:24 - The Relationship Between Science and Consciousness
01:23:42 - Balancing Scientific Exploration and Earthly Problems
01:28:06 - Establishing Awareness in Being
01:32:37 - The Importance of Experiential Spirituality
01:36:48 - Understanding the Meaning of Grace
01:41:06 - The Myth of Kali and Shiva
01:45:15 - The Mountain of Shiva and the Energy of Ganesha's Head
01:49:43 - Life Living You
01:54:51 - Experience during Spiritual Practice
02:01:59 - Living in Pure Consciousness
02:03:56 - Inner Light and Moonlit Night
02:07:44 - The Normality of Spiritual Experiences
02:11:35 - Balancing the Yin and Yang
02:15:28 - Conversation about New Zealand and future visit