In a compelling interview with MysticMag, Rick Pursell shares the profound events that have shaped his life, from the harrowing moments in the jungles of Vietnam to his spiritual enlightenment beside India’s Ganga River.
As a “Writer & Spiritual Activist,” Rick’s journey through existential crises and transformative enlightenment forms the backbone of his mission to delve deeply into the realms of consciousness and spirituality. His “Oracle of Consciousness Series,” discussed during his MysticMag interview, explores the concept of being infinite consciousness having a human experience.
Through his storytelling and teachings, Rick imparts practical tools for awakening, emphasizing the crucial role individual consciousness plays in solving global crises and advancing collective human progress.
What motivated you to dedicate your life to becoming a “Writer & Spiritual Activist”?
Two profoundly life-changing events, the first in 1969 in the jungles of Vietnam as a reluctant draftee in my early twenties, with my own gun against my forehead, and the first pressure applied to the trigger, with the intent to blow away my misery.
A little background:
The first chapter of my countryside life was idyllic, as I had been brought up on a farm in England by loving, pacifist parents and had adopted (as much as a wet-behind-the-ears kid could), their wholesome values.
Subsequently, we as a family, migrated to Australia to experience a new beginning, away from Europe, still recoiling from the war a decade earlier.
Perth gave us 9 months of beautiful weather, freedom, and adventuresome exploration.
At twenty years of age in my newly adopted country, I was legally bound to register as a conscript into the army.
The draft was conducted by lottery and my number came out of the barrel. Whoopeee, I won the lottery!
At the registration point in Victoria, Australia, I announced to the high-ranking officer across a wooden desk that I was a pacifist, believed in non-violence, and didn’t support war.
His reply had me recoil in my chair.
“That’s not a problem son, his eyes burned into my soul and in a condescending tone, replied, “You will just have to spend two years in jail as a Conscientious Objector!”
My precious life filled with motor racing, music, girls, beer, and sleeping on balmy summer evenings on the beach, flashed before my eyes, and I timidly asked for a couple of days to contemplate my future.
“You have two minutes!” he replied, his patience wearing thin.
Not long after that, I found myself in a war zone participating in the insanity and inhumanity of war, where nobody wins, both sides lose!
The rest, as they say, is history.
Needless to say, I didn’t go through with pulling the trigger, have been back to Vietnam four times, and had an amazing, loving reunion with my ‘enemy’ in North Vietnam. I know now, as I am completely healed from wartime trauma, that they were never the enemy, they were my brothers and sisters.
The second life-changing event occurred about twenty-eight years ago in a simple adobe hut beside the mighty Ganga River in Rishikesh, India.
Swami Kaivalyanda came from a long lineage of Vedanta Masters and instead of occupying a huge, grandiose Ashram as is ever-present in this region, he chose an extremely simple life, attracting and hand-picking one or two students each year, some years none.
I interacted with Swami for two years and one day he quietly announced “You are ready.”
As we often took long walks in the rugged hinterland of the majestic Himalayas at which time he would impart his wisdom teachings, I assumed he meant a lesson would be forthcoming.
Instead, he led me to his tiny, sunny courtyard and sat me down in a chair facing him.
What occurred next is nigh-on indescribable as he passed on his transmission.
My all-to-familiar, three-dimensional world pixelated and transformed into waves and spirals of pure energy. The ‘I’ that I thought I was, totally collapsed and was replaced with expansiveness, unconditional love, and unadulterated bliss.
I had come Home, with a capital ‘H’ and it has remained accessible to this day.
Sometime later, Swami passed on and I took it upon myself to share his precious gift with others through 7,000 hours of retreats, Life and Spiritual coaching, and these days, writing.
Can you share the core message behind your “Oracle of Consciousness Series”?
While I don’t consider myself a teacher, I have always ‘taught’ practical spirituality, because I believe at this juncture of our conscious evolution, most people need workable tools to apply on their journey of awakening to what is already present within us all.
So the core message of the Oracle of Consciousness Series is –
“We are infinite consciousness, having a human experience.”
Everything we seek in life, the real meaning, understanding, and purpose for incarnating at this juncture, resides within us all, just awaiting our direct self-inquiry.
How do you believe individual consciousness contributes to solving global crises?
I don’t believe there is an external source, Messiah or One Master who is going to save us, as that perspective is disempowering and tends to make us reluctant to do the inner work, knowing we are all going to be ‘saved.’
Instead, as my own journey has validated, knuckling down, directly confronting and dealing with past trauma, pain, egoic behaviors, and unhappiness is the key.
As we individually become more conscious, we contribute to the collective consciousness of the human family, which will bring about the changes our hearts desire.
Currently, our world is in crisis and –
“Crisis is the driver of change!”
All that is transpiring at this time is leading our human family towards an unprecedented awakening, never before experienced to this magnitude.
The result of us becoming more conscious is wiser, more intelligent behaviors.
The opposite is true – unconsciousness leads to unwise and unintelligent behaviors. One only has to look at the level and style of many of our global leaders to witness their behaviors that do not support all life on this planet and the planet itself!
Raising our personal consciousness raises the collective consciousness of all.
In your view, what are the first steps someone should take towards becoming more conscious?
The human ego is steeped in fear, superiority, separateness, and a myriad of minor subsets, which sabotages our innate power, wisdom, and goodness. So, the starting point is to understand the workings of the ego and transcend those destructive behaviors.
Then moving from our head to our heart, making the latter the master, instead of being a servant to the mind.
Be curious.
Ask questions of yourself and others.
Participate in life, as opposed to being a spectator.
Activate the six heart virtues: Appreciation, Compassion, Understanding, Forgiveness, Humility, and Valour (Courage and Bravery).
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi.
He didn’t say Have the change or Do the change, he alludes to one’s Beingness. Whatever we are Being at any moment will be reflected in our thoughts, words, and deeds.
How have your personal experiences shaped your approach to spirituality and consciousness?
For many years in my youth, I played out my ego’s separateness and later in life, resisted the idea of duality, being stuck in a 3-dimensional world and the craziness dramatized by the human family. In essence, I held myself not superior, but aloof.
These days I look upon every experience whether ‘judged’ ‘good’ or ‘bad’ as being just that, an experience, that has brought me to this precious moment in time, equipping me to do what I do.
I also take full responsibility for the reality of my past and present, knowing only too well, that I was co-creating in the past and now, from a Sovereign place.
I would not change anything in my past, but certainly would make wiser choices that result in causing no harm.
These days I focus on quality and not quantity while measuring my success by the warmth emanating from my heart.
Could you describe the impact you hope your work will have on individuals and society?
In the final article of the Oracle of Consciousness series, I describe how these writings came through me, as opposed to coming from me.
To that end, I intend to give away this series and most of my previous work, as I feel I have been ‘gifted’ them from other sources and out of respect, do not want to monetize them. Not that earning money is a ‘bad’ thing!
“If this work can make a difference in people’s lives, that will be my reward.”
If people genuinely want to support this passion by making a heart-centered donation then I shall graciously and appreciatively accept and put it to further good use to continue.
The more people become increasingly conscious of their own consciousness, the faster we reach the ‘Tipping Point’, ‘The Event Horizon,’ the ‘Critical Mass’ and the sooner we get to enjoy living in peace and harmony, cooperating and collaborating towards wiser, more intelligent behaviors born out of Consciousness.
It is not your journey, or mine, it is OUR journey – James Mahu
Find out more at: www.rickpursell.com/oracle
