Damo Mitchell is an author, teacher, and student of the internal arts of Asia including Tai Chi and Daoist Inner Alchemy.
Damo recounts his childhood of fear, inadequacy, and martial arts. And recalls how his rage, born from childhood trauma, was healed by the direct energetic intervention of a Daoist master.
Damo shares his adventures throughout Asia, seeking authentic teachings of inner spiritual alchemy and internal martial arts, baiting teachers into fights to test their skills, and eventually discovering hidden lineages of spiritual and energetic transmission.
Damo also explains the Taoist theory of the Dan Tien, why this crucial idea is so often misunderstood even by advanced practitioners of spiritual alchemy, and reveals his own encounters with paranormal powers such as electrokinesis and pyrokinesis.
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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep174-daoist-inner-alchemy-damo-mitchell
Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.
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Topics include:
00:00 - Intro
00:57 - From martial arts to inner alchemy
03:35 - Childhood fear and inadequacy
05:39 - The limits of martial arts for personal growth
08:20 - The pros and cons of martial arts
09:51 - UFC vs traditional martial arts
11:53 - Practical combat vs spiritual development
14:48 - The problem with Chinese martial arts
17:14 - Confusion of the purpose of training
20:37 - Geoff Thompson and radical combat effectiveness as a spiritual portal
23:16 - Damo’s rage stemming from childhood trauma
25:38 - Early meditative experiences
27:49 - Damo’s childhood meditation system
29:36 - Two types of practitioner
31:00 - Leaving school and travelling to Asia
33:03 - Dead ends when seeking teachers
34:12 - Secrecy in Chinese arts
35:10 - Reflecting on the dead ends
37:34 - Baiting teachers into fights
38:25 - How Damo found real siddhi and internal power
40:41 - The truth about Fa Jin
43:34 - How a controversial master healed Damo’s rage and trauma
48:27 - Damo analyses his chi healing
50:10 - Damo’s life fell apart
52:03 - Full engagement with the spiritual path
53:27 - Calibrating breakthrough experiences
55:14 - Damo on the Self
59:23 - Daoist inner alchemy
01:03:35 - Damo’s inner alchemy journey
01:07:05 - Misconceptions about the dan tien
01:09:20 - Building and filling the dan tien
01:11:04 - Breath work in inner alchemy
01:13:52 - Optimising efficiency
01:14:40 - Enlightenment in Daoism vs Buddhism
01:18:03 - Immortality in Daoism
01:19:34 - Meeting immortals
01:21:15 - Siddhi as evidence of progress
01:22:39 - Electrokinesis and pyrokinesis siddhi
01:24:45 - The importance of morality
01:27:43 - How Damo’s teacher challenges his morality
01:29:35 - How to improve one’s morality and conduct
01:34:03 - Sex and Daoism
01:38:31 - Learning Chinese
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To find out more about Damo Mitchell, visit:
- https://damomitchell.com/
For more interviews, videos, and more visit:
- www.guruviking.com
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James
