B (4:03)

Are you in the financial markets anymore or is that long gone?

C (4:07)

It's long gone. These days I teach full time as a meditation teacher. I left about 12, 13 years ago to go teaching full time, running retreats and coaching as well.

B (4:17)

I was in, I worked for a company called Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner and Smith in the US I was a stock broker, a retail stockbroker, smiling and dialing, selling stocks, bonds and options, new, you know, IPOs. So I was in that world as well. I don't miss it and I miss it horribly in the same, in the same breath. I had already given up the party lifestyle when I was in it because I have been clean and sober since 1984. So I stopped all that craziness at a younger age. I would still say I'm young minded because I'm looking forward, not backward. And I believe meditation kept me sane. So I'm a big fan of your work. My meditation is very limited. I want to learn more about what you do. My, my meditation is about five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night. I don't sit in a lotus position. I don't imagine a swarmy, you know, man from Asia, from India, sitting there with a nice robe and a beard. I go into a. My happy spot and focus on what I want to accomplish or what my day has been. Tell me about TM and what was it when you said that light bulb moment? Many of us have that in life, some people have multiple pivot points, however you want to label it. Light bulb moment, spiritual awakening, what have you. What brought you to that?

C (5:49)

Yeah, I think the big shift that I found with TM when I was exploring all the other styles of meditation, and it's also known as Vedic meditation, so there's lots of different ways we can meditate, like you said, for five minutes and visualizing the life you want to create, or your chakras or a nice river, or lots of money in your bank account. And one thing I loved about this process is this idea of transcending. That's why it's called Transcendental meditation. So to transcend means to go beyond. And what we're going beyond here is beyond the thinking mind, which is the identity or the I, beyond the emotional body. That's the fluctuations of our feeling body, and beyond even the physical mass that we seem to be occupying. So we identify our existence to be what is contained within the physical form as the I. But when we transcend, we realize. Well, actually, interestingly, you've got that image of the universe behind you. We transcend the limits of the physical form, the mental form, and the emotional form, and we enter the unified field, or the field of the unbounded and the infinite. This is what we call turiya in Sanskrit, the fourth state. And now we're into this experience of conscious awareness itself, not confined to a thought, feeling, or a physical form. And this is a really integral part of expanding the human experience beyond physical mental emotion, realizing that we're actually also spiritual as well.

B (7:10)

Tom, I put up this background out of respect for you. And since we are in the. In outer space or outside of the body, I thought it would be more interesting than I could have put a beach up. But I thought this might have been more congruent with your sharing today. I'll just call it a share of it. Yeah. So I thought I would do that. I could show a bunch of goats, but I didn't know if that would be appropriate.

C (7:36)

Maybe not.

B (7:37)

No, not today. Not today. I mean, and kangaroos are cute, except when they scratch you or they claw at you. So we'll. We'll leave that out. And where.

C (7:46)

What.

B (7:47)

Tell us about your retreats. What do you do with these retreats? So you studied from somebody. I presume you know, that's the path of learning. You study at somebody who maybe knows more than you, and then you recreate your own version and go out and help others. That's where we evolve and find the pain and Solve it. Where did you go?

C (8:06)

Yeah, I learned from a qualified trained meditation teacher master. And then I learned obviously not just to deliver the technique and be qualified in delivering the technique, but also a lot of the depth and the breadth of the knowledge that comes with that. And this is the one thing that I love about the Vedic tradition is that it's not just about, here's a technique, go and use it. It's about understanding a lot more about the Eastern philosophy and spirituality and the mechanics of the universe and the quantum field. So that really helps validate. Validate, I should say, the experience that we're getting. And so my mum was a science teacher and she used to say we need prac and theory to, to validate something. So that's where the meditation and the philosophy comes in. So after I got trained, then I started to go out and start teaching this as well as running meditation courses, but also running retreats as well, which we've got coming up soon in Bali.

B (9:00)

Oh, in Bali. Oh, okay, great. How in Ubud, I presume.

C (9:04)

Or is it another north of Ubud? We go about 45 minutes north of Ubud, but it's getting a little bit hectic these days. So we're up in the mountains, a place near Sabatu or Tangalang.

B (9:13)

And how long are these retreats?

C (9:15)

The one here in US in Bali is six days and then the one we do in Australia in March is four days.

B (9:22)

And where in Australia?

C (9:24)

We do it up near Byron Bay.

B (9:26)

Oh, Byron Bay, sure.

C (9:27)

Just a little bit north of that, about 20 minutes north.

B (9:30)

My favorite place. And I'm gonna go back and I haven't since I was there the first time, but I've been swearing about it and I share it with every Aussie and very few Americans know about it. Is Fraser island out of Harvey Bay?

C (9:43)

Yeah. And from is the dingoes. Right. Did you have any with the dingoes?

B (9:46)

Oh, I saw the dingoes. I stayed in a tent for two days. They've got a beautiful freshwater lake in the center of the island. It's all sand. I mean, all the horticulture is grown in sand. I think it's one of the unique places of the world. I saw wild dingoes when I was in the. I didn't pet them. They didn't come up. They were not friendly. I, I tried to get them to come and. But no, I was ill advised. They're not friendly, they're not dogs. I. They're of the dog race or breed, but they're different entirely over the wild. And I saw whales breach off the beach. I was up in a seaplane. I rented a seaplane or a pilot that took me up for 15 minutes. I said, a magical place. I'm going back again. I'm going back to Fraser. Have you. Have you been there? Many times.

C (10:33)

I've not been blessed to go to Fraser Island, I must admit. I had an unpleasant experience when I was a child with a dog getting bitten quite ferociously on my leg. And since then, I've. With the news of Fraser island and those dingers, I've thought it'd probably best for me just to stay away from them. But I do want to go to the island one day. It does sound pretty beautiful.

B (10:50)

Oh, they didn't come up. As in, I saw them with the jeep that took me from where the boat took us. The ferry took us to the island, to the dock. We jumped in a jeep and then it took us to the campsite. So I didn't have. I also was traumatized about 19 years ago when a dog went crazy on me and bit me up pretty well. It was not fun and it hurt like hell. How old were you?

C (11:19)

I was only like 8 years old, so.

B (11:21)

Okay, so it stuck with you.

C (11:23)

Yeah, yeah.

B (11:24)

All right, so you're not a pit bull owner.

C (11:26)

Definitely not. I'm a cavoodle owner. I don't know if you know what they are. It's a mix between a King Charles cavalier and a poodle. So it's a very popular dog here in Australia. Nearly every second person has one because they're. They don't shed their. Their fur or hair. And they. They are very much lap dogs. They love sitting on your lap and very.

B (11:43)

Oh, dander free.

C (11:45)

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

B (11:46)

Oh, good. Yeah.

C (11:47)

No molting. They don't mold hair, so.

B (11:49)

Oh, that's nice. So you have a clean place.

C (11:51)

Yeah, yeah.

B (11:52)

And that's a. That's a clean. Okay. So you didn't hold it against dogs. You still have one at all. Is it good for. Is it good for serenity.

C (12:02)

A dog having a dog? I think it's good for a number of reasons. I think there's this unconditional love that you feel towards them and they feel towards you. There's something really special about that connection. And they have this ability to light up a room, you know, and they come in for cuddles and kisses and they're kind of very affectionate. And I think the beautiful thing about dogs is this level of loyalty that they have. Yeah. I guess if you Just keep feeding someone and scratching their belly. They're going to be pretty loyal, right?

B (12:30)

When. When does someone. Okay, can you give our listeners a difference. The difference between spirituality and religion?

C (12:44)

Yeah, it's a really great question, isn't it? I love that question. So spirituality has no boundaries, no systems, no protocols, no rules, no regulations. It is a subtle field. And we're getting this wonderful junction point. Where ancient mystics have talked about something that quantum physics is now validating. That there is this unified field. Some people call it maybe string theory or unified field theory. But what we're starting to discover is that nothing's really solid. Even these constructs in our thoughts and physiology and our computers. And this, you know, down to the cellular level. Then beyond that into not even cellular. I should say that the quantum level. We're getting to quarks and lepto quarks. Is that we're getting into just an energy field. That energy field doesn't have dogma. Doesn't have ideas. Doesn't have all this stuff that we kind of make up as humans. And so religion is a great framework for. For us, I believe, to commune and connect with God or Source or the unbounded or the infinite. But what happens is, as humans get involved in these structures. And create all these dogmas and frameworks around it. Then it can get a little bit lost. And it becomes more about the framework and the structure. Than it does about what the framework and structure is supposed to do. Which is connect us in union with that infinite oneness. And so spirituality, I believe, is something a little bit more open and less constrained. By the structures and ideologies. Of my religion versus your religion. Or, you know, you're not following this framework. And therefore you shouldn't be in this religion. Because you're not doing it the right way. And so I think there's something beautiful about religion. I grew up on a very strong Catholic upbringing. We have crucifixes in the house and did the rosary. And went to confession and church every week. And there was something beautiful about the structure of religion. To give me a connection to God. And at a young age to give me a framework for it. But at some point, for me personally. And it's not the way for everyone. But at some point for me personally. I sort of transcended the boundaries and limits of that religion. And started to experience just more of a oneness and communion with God.

B (14:55)

Very similar. You were raised Catholic, I was raised Quaker. And the Quakers were dispatched from England. I mean, you guys got kicked Australia on Captain Cook's book or a boat. And the religious fanatics or the highly pious were dispatched to America on. On boats. And they were the Quakers. And so I was reared that way and got, you know, you have to view Jesus in this manner or you're not going there, because then you sell against fear. And you're going there if you don't do as we prescribe with the structures. As you said, you're going there if you want to get there. You've got to follow our, our dictates. And sometimes those were a bit confining. So I've evolved and. As well and with. And embrace meditation. I mean, it's one of the reasons I wanted you as a guest on the podcast is what have people accomplished? Clients that have gone through your retreats, your. I presume you have some private clients or maybe they're group clients or coaching. What are some results that can be quantified? And like you said, your mother was a science teacher. And that's a very practical, pragmatic discipline.

C (16:12)

Yeah, we see dramatic changes in people very quickly. The first things are kind of surface level things. They start sleeping better. A lot of them are struggling with chronic insomnia, which is high levels of cortisol and a very busy mind. So we quiet in the mind with the meditation and reduce the cortisol. That allows them to drop into sleep a lot more efficiently and more effectively. They become less emotionally reactive. So that means they're becoming more sovereign and stabilized in their own state of being and less entangled in the relationship with the external world and that they need the world around them to work out so that they can feel better. And that dualistic subject, object phenomenon, way of living, which is the part of all of our Netflix movies and TV dramas, is that good things make us feel good and bad things make us feel bad. And this entanglement, we get liberated from and start to stabilize a sovereign state of peace and equanimity because we're connected to being. So these are some of the first things we start to notice. Increased productivity, efficiency, generally better relationships, better health and wellness. Their body as an ecosystem and a biological system starts working more efficiently, more effectively because it has less stress in it. So these are some of the basic things. And then as they go down the line into deeper levels of inquiry, we start to find people moving towards greater levels of expansion of consciousness, starting to experience more of a non dualistic unified experience with the field and more sort of interconnectedness with the universe.

B (17:48)

And I'm gonna ask something you come from high finance, you were in the mix in the Wall Street. The Wolf of Wall street could have been there, just with an Aussie accent. How do you tie in money into. How do you balance the thirst? I will call it a thirst. It's, it's a flame to make money and transactions and it's a way that maybe we're reared and I come from that also. I was smiling and dialing and drilling down, trying to get money from people. Where's the balance with what you do?

C (18:24)

Yeah, it's a whole thing is more.

B (18:25)

Sleep and, you know, does the, does the money still stay in check?

C (18:29)

Yeah, it's a really good question. You know, Ram Dass, who is a very spirit, spiritual sort of guru, said once, seek enlightenment, but make sure you pay your electricity bill.

B (18:40)

Yeah.

C (18:40)

So it's not just a thirst. Yeah, it's not just a thirst. It's a necessity. So we actually, unless we're going to shave our head and put on some orange or purple robes and go to a monastery that gets sponsored or donated food, unless we do that, we're going to have to be self sufficient financially in our own world. That means electricity bills, it means water rates, it means, you know, mortgage or rent. And so food, clothing, shelter and necessities. And as you would know for most of the world, they're very expensive these days. So there is that necessity and then there's the luxury of having more than what we need. And you know, Ray Dalio, the world's largest hedge fund manager, he managed $180 billion worth of assets at Bridgewater Associates. He tweeted the key ingredient to his success was his meditation practice. And he did transcendental meditation. And Oprah Winfrey, who was very successful, also did transcendental meditation. She said that the key ingredient to her. So she said that is only from that space, the space of stillness, that you create your best work and your best life. And so what we tend to find quite interesting now that these spiritual practices are integrating into the Western world and the world of capitalism and the world of householders that have careers and families to feed, is that we're starting to find that this tool, which was a tool predominantly for spiritual awakening, is also a tool that people can use for peak performance and increased productivity and increased creativity and increased business success. And so we're now finding that there are many, many advantages of using meditation in the workplace and in our lives. And one of them can be that we have great capacity to be successful. And it's not a definitive that if you meditate, you're going to be rich. That's not the case, certainly not in my space. But it can definitely help you be more productive, more healthy and more sustainable with the things that you're doing.

B (20:47)

I love it. And you've written a few books. Please share, Tom. And, and I want to be able to have people attend your workshop in Bali. You know, I, I love that. And I, I'm going to look into, I'm going to buy your book, read it and learn about tm. I've heard about it for years. And my, my meditation is maybe too simplistic.

C (21:09)

Yeah, look, I mean, it's nothing wrong with a simple meditation practice, but I think there's something about going deep and that's a really beautiful thing. You know, we've got this one book here, Faster, Deeper Calm, which is something that people can access.

B (21:23)

Okay.

C (21:24)

And then that's.

B (21:25)

Is that on Amazon, Tom?

C (21:27)

I think it's definitely on my website, tomcronen.com okay. We have copies of my other book, the Portal, which is on Amazon, and that's a book and a film project that we created, which is a beautiful film which people can watch for free off our website, EnterThePortal.com so if they just go to enter ThePortal.com and they'll find that film and the book. So the film is for free. And it's a beautiful film about six people that go through crisis and they find the tool of meditation and that brings them out of crisis to a whole new level with their life. And we sort of look at the micro stories of those six people and then we look at the macro story of humanity and our impending crisis and how a shift in consciousness is needed to get us out of this crisis that we're walking towards.

B (22:19)

So we have to unify as opposed to.

C (22:23)

We have to become more conscious, more creative and more awake and not be in this outcome oriented fulfillment state. So what we're predominantly in as a species still to this day after 15,000 years, is if I can buy my way or acquire my way or experience my way to fulfillment through getting something or doing something. But what we wanted to cultivate is an internal state of fulfillment that arises from within. And this is a state that gets cultivated through accessing bliss consciousness through our transcendent meditation practice. Monks who have become very enlightened and very blissful don't really need to go to shopping malls to buy new clothes to make them feel better because they had a crappy week. So when we remove the suffering of humanity we tend to find that the world will be a better place.

B (23:12)

I love it. I love it. So how do people get in touch with you, Tom?

C (23:15)

Instagram's a great place. Tom Cronin. Just all one word, Tom Cronin. Love messaging people and hearing from people on Instagram. Otherwise, go to my website, which is.

B (23:25)

Also tomcronin.com and that's where they can learn about your upcoming event in, in Bali. And when is it in Bali?

C (23:34)

It's the 13th to the 18th of September.

B (23:37)

Okay. Okay. That's all right. That's a good time. And then the one in Australia is March. Okay. In March. And that's going to be in Byron Bay.

C (23:47)

Yeah, that's right.

B (23:48)

Okay.

C (23:49)

And we run, we run Vedic meditation or TM courses on a consistent basis on weekends and on Zoom. So people around the world, if they're looking to learn Vedic meditation, they can certainly get in touch with me and inquire about upcoming courses that they can learn from anywhere in the world.

B (24:03)

Well, I'm interested. I, you know, this could have been an accident or it was destiny.

C (24:10)

It could be destiny.

B (24:11)

Just don't know. And I would love to add you to my author group of people that I take through the publishing process and publicity, the bestseller. This would be an interesting contribution, Tom. Thank you for your time today. You've been a great guest. Tom Cronin, ladies and gentlemen, Tom Cronin.com or you can find them on, on Instagram. And I think I'm going to come back to Earth at, at this point and go to a blurred background because I'm out of, coming out of this meditation as we speak. Oh. I found myself off camera and now I'm in the real life again. I was in a meditative state, Tom. That's where you took me. I had transcended into the celestial. Now I'm back to Earth in Las Vegas talking to you. Tom, we'll have you back again. You've been a great guest.

A (25:12)

Thanks for tuning in to the amazing Authorities podcast. If today's episode inspired, inspired you, take a moment to subscribe, rate and leave a review. It helps more experts like you rise to the top for behind the scenes access and free resources to boost your authority. Head to MitchCarson.com until next time, stay amazing.