A panel discussion featuring Ishtar Howell & Jerry Freeman on:
• The many variations and worldwide acceptance of transcending meditation from the Shankaracharya lineage across cultures and faith traditions, and
• A proposed approach to evaluate the roles and effectiveness of different types of meditations and practices at different stages of awakening.

Ishtar Howell is a meditation teacher, monk, gardener, intuitive, and writer. His childhood was filled with high strangeness and mystical experiences, anchored in the sense of a unity with all things. This unity faded at around age 7.
Then, at age 13, in a car accident in which he lost his mother, he went through a near death experience, which propelled him on a spiritual path that came to include many hours of meditation per day while attending high school.
At 18, he learned a meditation practice called the Ishayas' Ascension, and it was immediately clear that he had found his spiritual home. Shortly thereafter he entered an ashram centered on the practice, spending long periods of time in meditative retreat, putting in long hours of service work, and teaching meditation classes around the world.
In 2008, he left his meditation organization, took an extended break from meditation teaching and attended University. The years lived outside the semicloistered environment of the ashram were challenging but led to a more deeply anchored Presence. Subtle barriers fell, opening again to the experience of the world as the Self and the Self as all things.
He serves as a guide on the path of awakening, helping people recognize Awareness and relax into the Wholeness that is already here. He also works as an evolutionary astrologer, connecting people to their guiding myths. More information can be found on his primary websites:
https://www.ascensionmeditation.com
https://www.awakenedlightastrology.com

Jerry Freeman is known for his essays, which have circulated widely and will be included in his upcoming book, The Enlightenment Puzzle: A Guide to Navigating the Truths and Fallacies About Awakening.
From the age of 18, he immersed himself in the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and participated in his programs at advanced levels (as a fulltime teacher of Transcendental Meditation, then for 13 years in the semimonastic “Thousand Headed Purusha” program).
He wrote, “I gained tremendous benefit from that immersion, but I also was challenged by inconsistencies and shortcomings I encountered in aspects of the teachings, in Maharishi’s own performance and in the performance of people he entrusted with power.”
Those contradictions led him into a lifelong study of advanced states of consciousness, informed by his own experience of “witness consciousness” and unitive awareness, which emerged while he was in his 20s and remain a stable feature of experience for over 45 years since.
Below are links to some of Jerry’s essays:
Why there are no perfect teachers (and is there really such a thing as “enlightenment”?): https://www.freemanwhistles.com/essay...
Regarding ego, maya and enlightenment: https://www.freemanwhistles.com/essay...
Regarding mind and Brahman: https://www.freemanwhistles.com/essay...
Suffering and nectar: https://www.freemanwhistles.com/essay...

00:00:00 Introduction & Background Material
00:03:47 The Future of Transcending Meditation
00:06:32 The Origins of Christian Meditation
00:09:17 Effortless transmitting meditation and its variations
00:12:04 Contemplative Prayer and Christian Meditation
00:14:05 History of Ashaya Ascension Meditation
00:16:43 A Mix of Christian and Hindu Spirituality
00:19:36 Experiencing Transcendence in Different Ways
00:22:14 Weird Transcendence Experiences
00:25:53 Daily State of the Industry Update
00:28:55 OpenEyed Ascension Meditation
00:32:44 Different Methods of Transcending
00:35:59 Variation in Meditation Practices
00:38:16 The Power of Positive Energy
00:40:30 The Power of Gratitude and Love
00:43:02 The Upselling Culture in Ascension Teachings
00:45:44 Anuvapaya and the Progression of Consciousness
00:47:40 Transcending the Mind and Pure NonDualism
00:51:06 Combining Practices for Higher States of Consciousness
00:53:27 Connection between Mantras and Gods
00:57:34 Synchronicity and the Role of Sarasvati
01:00:09 Exploring the Meaning of Maranatha
01:03:33 Exploring Different Mantras
01:06:53 The Spontaneity of Mantras and Practices
01:09:46 Tinkering with Meditation Practices
01:12:26 The Relationship between Meditation and Ethics
01:16:24 The Power of Compassion Practices
01:18:56 Becoming Highly Aware of Your Feelings and Sensations
01:20:55 Exploring Advanced Techniques in Ascension Practice
01:23:35 Profound Peace and Advanced Meditation Techniques
01:25:15 The Paradoxical Growth of Brahman