The Spiritual Perspective 29: Arjuna O'Neal On Life After Death and the Power of Sharing Necessities
This podcast is about a lot of things, like hope and perseverance, but, if there is one thing that all of Light’s guests have in common, it’s that, at some point in their life, they discovered that the light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel was inside of them all along.
This week, we hear from someone who had to die in order to find his light. After being shot, he flat-lined and, while he obviously recovered, he was transformed. After making a deal with God, he went on to become a mentor and set up a non-profit in South Central Los Angeles called Share Necessities, which helps teach and inspire underprivileged and at-risk kids mindfulness, yoga, and social responsibility practices.
His name is Arjuna O’Neal, and he grew up on the east side of Detroit, Michigan, where his surroundings were governed by violence, drugs, and gangs, all of which negatively influenced his perspective on life. However, he was able to rewrite the traumas and painful experiences in life that keep him stuck and prevented him from living in their full potential and highest vibration.
His latest achievement is his new business called Mind Elevation, which focuses on helping others do the same. In this episode, he shares with us how the seeds of his transformation were planted and began to sprout in the face of tragedy. Listen in as he shares with us his journey and the incredible impact he is making today for some of our most underserved communities, by sharing the same tools he used to develop and rebuild himself.
Key Points From This Episode:
- Arjuna explains why his favorite activity as a child was being outdoors in nature.
- What it means to be part of a Hare Krishna community, as Arjuna was during his childhood.
- What Arjuna understood about the meaning or significance of his name as a child.
- The spiritual practices in the Hare Krishna community and the early abuse and neglect Arjuna experienced in his life.
- Reintegrating into the mainstream world in Detroit and experiencing bullying in school.
- How Arjuna’s father used his spiritual knowledge as a means to manipulate and control.
- Arjuna’s father imparted a sense of mistrust in others, of getting ahead without helping others.
- The hypocrisy between what his father was teaching him and what they celebrated at temple.
- Getting kicked out of school and the record or reputation that followed Arjuna afterward.
- Why Arjuna couldn’t envision his future as a teenager or comprehend success.
- While everyone feared his father, it looked like he was following his spiritual philosophy.
- Becoming a drug dealer had nothing to do with wanting to sell drugs – it was about building a relationship with his father.
- Arjuna tells a story about how far he was willing to go to have a relationship with his father.
- What Arjuna calls his first real assignment and coming up with his own rules.
- Aspiring to reach the top, putting in the work, and going around his father’s superiority.
- How Arjuna came to have a bounty on his head, ordered by his own father.
- Learning that his father was just a regular person with a damn good mask on.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: