Mindrolling – Raghu Markus – Ep. 318 – Waking Up with Kelly Carlin

Kelly Carlin

The multi-talented Kelly Carlin joins Raghu on the Mindrolling Podcast for a conversation around working with our suffering and waking up to our true selves.

Kelly Carlin is a writer, speaker and broadcast host. Kelly is also a practitioner of Zen Buddhism, has a Masters in Jungian/Archetypal psychology and is a producer on-screen and in the theater. Daughter of comedian George Carlin, Kelly comes from a family steeped in comedy, full of big ideas and warm hearts. Learn more about Kelly’s work, find her podcast, radio show and more at thekellycarlinsite.com.

No Mud, No Lotus

What are some of the ways that we can work with the suffering we carry with us? Kelly shares some of her own dukkha and how she has learned to work with it in a way that does not create more suffering. She talks about her childhood and the love that held her family together, even in the worst of times.   

Seeing The False Self (9:05)

Kelly reflects on how her father got caught up in an identity that brought him success early in his career. She speaks with Raghu about how psychedelics eroded that false sense of self and opened her father to an entirely new perspective on life. They explore the deeper relationships with the world that are possible when we are in touch with what lies beneath our egos. 

“Twenty years ago, I would listen to Ram Dass’s tapes and he would talk about his guru… I was fascinated by it but I didn’t understand it. I was actually thinking about Ram Dass last week. Thinking like, “Oh, I think I get this now.” Not a full experience of it, but I think I get that it is not Ram Dass’s ego having a relationship with his guru – it is his soul having a relationship with his guru’s soul.” – Kelly Carlin

The Gift of Loss (33:55)

With humor and humility, Kelly shares her journey of trying to find balance and answers to life’s bigger questions. She talks about the insight and sense of awakening that she experienced in the wake of her mother’s death. Raghu shares a story from Kelly’s book, A Carlin Home Companion, that touches on the mystery of life and the power of unconditional love.  

“I really do believe that profound loss can be such a gift of awakening. You meet some sense of self that you have never met before. I think it is a wider, bigger, more connected sense of self that is grounded in a bigger matrix.” – Kelly Carlin 

The Matrix of Love (50:20)

Kelly speaks about her transformational experience on retreat with Thich Nhat Hahn. She and Raghu discuss the power of community in our journey through life.

“Our paths are so much more lightened by our ability to be with each other and know that we are not alone. We are all in the same boat and that is how we help each other, through this community.” – Raghu Markus 

   

Images via  Le Manh Thang