Raghu Markus – Mindrolling – Ep. 499 – Indigenous Wisdom for the Modern World with John Lockley

South African Shaman John Lockley returns to the Mindrolling podcast to share his experiences as a Sangoma in the Xhosa tradition and speak with Raghu about bringing indigenous wisdom into the modern world and opening the doors of our perception.

“The next part of the circle is going into the wilderness and seeing what needs to be done to stretch consciousness and help bring more healing. To maintain some mindfulness is extraordinarily important, which includes meditation and walking.” – John Lockley

In this episode, Raghu speaks with John Lockley about:
  • Different methods for opening the doors of one’s own perception
  • How plant medicine is used in the Xhosa tradition
  • Shamanism as a path for exploring the ineffable experiences had through inner work and psychedelics
  • Working with dreams and the spirit realm
Links & Recommendations From this Episode:

About John Lockley: 

John Lockley began his journey as a young medic drafted into the South African military. He then trained under Zen master Su Bong from South Korea, and returned to post-Apartheid South Africa to spend 10 years in apprenticeship with MaMngwevu, a medicine woman from the Xhosa tribe. John now splits his time teaching in South Africa, Ireland, Europe, and the US. Find out more about John’s work learn more about his retreats and offerings at JohnLockley.com.

About Raghu Markus: 

Raghu Markus spent 18 months in India with Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass. He has been involved in music and transformational media since the early 1970s when he was the program director of CKGM-FM in Montreal.

In 1974, he collaborated with Ram Dass on the box set Love Serve Remember. In 1990, he launched Triloka Records, which established itself as a critical leader in the development of world music. For 17 years, Triloka was home to such artists as Krishna Das, Hugh Masekela, Walela, Jai Uttal and transformational media projects that featured Ram Dass, Deepak Chopra, and Les Nubians.

Raghu is the Executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation. In 2016, he co-founded the Be Here Now Network, where he hosts the Ram Dass Here & Now podcast, as well as his own Mindrolling podcast. He is the producer of Becoming Nobody, a Ram Dass documentary feature film that was released in 2019.

Check Out More From The Mindrolling Podcast:
John Lockley’s first visit to the Mindrolling Podcast
Devotional Musician Jai Uttal joins Raghu to chat about his new album, which explores the deepest spiritual longings of the human psyche: Dust & Tears
Check out Ep. 335 of Mindrolling: Courage, Trust, and Love with Ram Dass and Duncan Trussell
Listen to Ep. 289 of Mindrolling featuring lessons from Tibetan teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche