Tantra Illuminated with Dr. Christopher Wallis

This episode features a conversation with Kiran Trace, a renowned teacher, speaker, and author who has helped thousands of people worldwide on their path to awakening. Kiran has developed a powerful set of tools to support people in freeing themselves from suffering and integrating their spiritual awakening into daily life. Her own journey began with a radical, spontaneous awakening—with no prior spiritual training or context. In a transformative moment, she died and instantly became the vastness of pure presence and being, and then had to find her way back into form and normality. Through this experience, she gained insights that she shares in her book Tools for Sanity. In this conversation, Kiran shares her story of self-discovery and healing, providing insights into releasing trauma and reconnecting with the innate vibrancy of awareness. Topics include the challenges of integrating deep spiritual experiences, the journey from suffering to freedom, and the creation of tools that empower others to transform what Eckhart Tolle might call their "pain bodies." With her fresh and candid perspective, Kiran offers a unique view of how awakening can unfold and deepen in unexpected ways.Take Kiran’s free course here. Send an email to [email protected] with the subject ‘Ready for FYM!’ to receive 50% off the course Free Your Mind.Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode concludes our reading of Chapter Five of Abhinavagupta's Tantrasāra. Here, we learn about The Rite of the Phonemes, or varṇa-uccāra (also known as varṇa-vidhi) in Sanskrit, exploring teachings on two of the most significant bīja mantras of the Trika lineage, the seed syllables of dissolution and creation. These mantras are uniquely powerful by virtue of their inherent vibrational potency which doesn’t require their conceptual understanding. They are divinely revealed vibrations, the innate vibrancy of awareness itself, that transcend the need for conceptual representation by the mind.You can read the text in the related blog post here.Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s episode features an archival conversation with Ben Joffe and Katherine Bennett, exploring what it means to practice tantrik sādhanā in today’s world. We share personal stories about our journey as scholar-practitioners, discussing how to balance academic rigor with spiritual practice, and how to integrate philosophical study with lived experience. The conversation touches on the critical role of initiation in tantrik traditions, the importance of having a guru, and how these practices have evolved in contemporary contexts. We draw parallels between the historically guarded nature of tantric teachings and the more accessible forms available today, addressing the challenges faced by modern practitioners who want to engage with these spiritual systems in an authentic way.Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this solo episode, we talk about one of the most fundamental aspects of tantric practice which is the alignment of view, practice, and goal in the non-dual Shaiva Tantra tradition. Our practice must be empowered by a view of reality that aligns with our ultimate goal, because without this alignment, even the most diligent practice may not lead to the desired outcome. Traditionally, the threefold goal of tantric practic is awakening (bodha), liberation (mokṣa or mukti), and enjoyment (bhōga). What we call awakening (bodha) is just really a form of clarified and intensified awareness of the nature of reality which begins with awakening to our true nature - to our own fundamental being. This process liberates ourselves from mental constructs, and egoic conditionings and limitations, and ultimately from suffering. The view of reality, as expressed and explained here, serves as a foundation that nurtures and sustains this transformative process. Only then, awakening can open the door to liberation, which means to freedom, and to the full enjoyment of life. Discover a treasure trove of guided meditations, teachings, and courses at tantrailluminated.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.