The Bearded Mystic Podcast: Reflecting on Growth and Changes for 2024

Rahul N Singh: 0:00

Welcome to The Bearded Mystic Podcast, where we are waking and growing in oneness and I'm your host, Rahul N Singh. Some of you know me, but if this is your first time coming across the podcast, I have been a spiritual seeker for over 20 years and have a deep interest in nonduality. Before we get started, if you would like to support the Bearded Mystic Podcast, I am on Patreon, and you can find the link to that in the show notes and video description below. The support that I get there helps in the running of the podcast, and it is very much appreciated. And to those who already support me on Patreon, thank you very much. Thank you for joining today. I wanted to speak to you in what has been the most important year for me in my own life. And I wanted to let you know what's in store for next year as a lot has changed in my life and I want you to get a bit of a taste in what's going on and what's going to happen now in the future. 2023 has been an important year for me and it has been the best year of my life. Some of you know why and I'll go into that in a minute. In terms of the podcast on YouTube, we have managed to reach 16, 000 subscribers Although I'm not happy with the watch number That's just me personally. I feel that more needs to be done to keep people engaged with the channel. And that's, but again, getting 16, 000 subscribers is amazing. On the audio side of things, where we are on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and all the other podcast streaming apps, we have grown immensely too. Overall, I've got a 23 percent increase in audio downloads. So I want to thank each and every one of you for making this happen. Now, 2023 has had some of its challenges too and the biggest challenge for me has been keeping this podcast on autopilot since August. This has meant batch planning, batch recording and editing and it hasn't been easy and admittedly it's been very exhausting and somewhat stressful. Even though I've tried to keep calm and focused, the pressure was still there. It's still looming in the background, even though I feel like I've had a good system, a decent system. Now, the other great things that have happened in this year. In late July, I finally got to meet my guru, my spiritual teacher in Chicago and over here in Atlanta. I was really at a crossroads earlier, confused for the past couple of years, you know, on whether I could have faith in the lineage of Babaji, my guru that initiated me in Brahm Gyan. But when I met Satguru Mata Ji, the love that I was given with her grace, I felt at home again and I hadn't felt like that since 2016. And that had led me to write poetry again. You'll find out in the future poetry is going to have a larger play in the podcast and in fact My Satguru Mata Ji and her husband Rajpita Ji have been very encouraging when it's come to the podcast and just generally my poetry and It's felt super nice. And I think the most incredible thing here is that the pain that I've kind of held onto since 2016, when Babaji passed away, my guru that disappeared and I felt healed. And today I can say I feel a very deep sense of gratitude. In August, another great thing happened, which is kind of like, you know, you got one great happiness and then suddenly something greater appears. In August, late August, my son Krish was born. And I didn't mind slowing down and I have thought about cutting some things back since I've welcomed this amazing blessing into my life. Krish has taught me so much in the past four months. His smile melts my heart each time and his cries guide me to kind of think outside the box and find out what's going on, and what's wrong, or what can we do to make him more comfortable. Honestly, regardless of that, changing diapers can really humble you, no matter how spiritual you are. And it's a good spiritual practice, I must say. The getting up at night, once or twice in the night, just to feed him. It takes its toll on the body, but when I just see his smile, when he wakes up and he makes eye contact for that split second, or when he places his head to rest on my chest, all that tiredness and exhaustion just goes out of the window, just disappears, dissolves away, and all that remains It's just this pure love, this amazing love that I just cannot control and it just kind of flows out of me and being a father has been one of the best experiences of my life and obviously it's just four months on and I know there's going to be challenges down the road. I hope that what he sees in me is that I am trying to be the best version of myself and trying to be who I really am, not the body and mind, but something more, and that's really big for me. However, all this has happened and it's been great news. In the last month or so, I've kind of felt that I'm not doing a few things right, or I'm not content with what's happening. One is that, obviously I've been on autopilot, I haven't recorded. This is my first recording in like 4 months, 4 or 5 months. I've been just publishing an episode every week. And I don't know if this is plausible with my full time job now. Even though my job is remote, it does take a lot of my day. And where I want to be spending a lot of my day doing this type of work recording the podcast, I'm not able to do that, and in the evening, I, you know, I want to spend my time with Krish, so it's like, a lot of things I've had to take a backseat, and things that I'm not happy about, like for example, I haven't been able to exercise as much anymore, and even read as much, and I love reading, so, it feels like I am at a crossroads here, I'm not sure what I've got to do and I've got to make a decision on where I want to go. Obviously, with an increase in job responsibilities and an increase in family responsibilities, time has become ever more precious and has become extremely limited, so to speak. Let me take a step back, though. Because I am what you call, or term as a millennial parent, I'm very involved in Krish's development. Well, more of an observer with him, and I just try to be very much present with him. I don't like to make things easy for him. For example, if he's trying to reach for a toy or reach for something, I like to allow him to make that effort rather than try to bring that toy closer to him so he can get it and get that excitement of getting something. The excitement really is for me, not necessarily for him. For him, he's just grabbing a toy. But for me, it's of significant value. It's all to do with oneself more than him, but those moments that I spend with him, observing him or when I'm lying down next to him and we're, I'm just chatting to him about everything. In fact, we have this incredible tradition at night time where we recite the Nirvana Shatakam by Adi Shankara Ji and then we chant our Guru Mantra as well. But doing that at night time is really nice because just like right now, I'm recording this at night, it's 8 o'clock over here, 8pm. And, you know, at 7 o'clock, I started the routine. And it's just really nice to connect with him on the true spirituality that I wish I was exposed to at his age. Well, he's only four months, but you know, as he's growing up, and then obviously he has to make that choice whether he wants to continue or not. That's up to him. It's really important that the exposure is there. The critical aspect of parenting has been to kind of ensure, and this is big for me, that there's no generational trauma that is passed on to him and that he remains free from it. And I don't want him to face any psychological struggle that I did. And it's difficult to kind of say things without saying things, but I just don't want him to get those challenges in life that didn't have to be challenges, that are not real challenges in development, but could take you down a dark path. And I don't want him to have that. So it's really big for me that he doesn't get any of that trauma. That does mean that you have to be constantly watching your mind, watching what you say, watching how you are. It has a lot of observation and a lot of effort that needs to go into it. But back to the podcast front, as you can tell I love being a father because it's something that has really enhanced my life. You've kind of noticed I've done a lot less live streams this year. They may pick up this year or next year as Krish gets older. And I've always enjoyed the live streams. I've always enjoyed the reactions and so they're pretty funny and pretty cool just to watch someone's video and react to it. Obviously, my episodes in the last four to five months have been simply the commentary that I've been doing on the Bhagavad Gita or it has been the wisdom of the mystics. it's very interesting that whenever something like this goes on autopilot, creatively, you just start feeling you could do so much more. You feel like, Oh yeah, I could add this in. I could do this. I could, I could enhance it on this level. I could make the video be much better this way. One has to think about. What they need to do to make all that happen, and that's where 2024 comes in. 2024 is going to be an important year. I am really looking forward to 2024 because I certainly have a vision for this year I definitely know what I want to achieve and I feel a certain confidence. For quite some time, I've been doing some reflecting, on the channel, the community and how I can truly add value. I'm not saying that I'm not adding value right now in your lives because that is something only you can measure. I can't measure that, except for what I feel I'm giving as a content creator. But, I have to think about how to enhance the quality, both production and content. This year like every year there will be an investment in the production value and I want to thank the supporters on Patreon for this because they've helped me with that investment and continue to help me with that investment so if you feel like I've helped you in some way, and you can, obviously, considering the times you live in, if you can support me in any way, it is greatly appreciated. We will start seeing that the first half of the year will have certain changes, and certain development. So you will see that happen in the first half of the year where there will be an investment into the podcast production value. Following that now, obviously with time being of incredible value and being limited, the podcast will now upload a new episode every two weeks on a Wednesday starting in February. So my process has changed a little bit and maybe I should explain that and maybe you can kind of tell what it is from just this video itself. First of all, I do believe in slowing down and I do believe that slowing down allows you to have clarity and allows you to think differently. I know that the algorithms prefer if I did upload every week or every day, and trust me, I would love to do that as well, and that would mean the world to me. But, with a newborn, and a full time job, along with getting a decent night rest, I can't put that much time and effort in. I'm not the type of guy who's all about hustling and getting minimal sleep. I don't believe your body should go through that much pressure to just get things done. Obviously this can change if I'm able to transition this podcast into my full time job, and that's where I want to get to by the end of 2024. I don't know if it's really ambitious, but I feel it can be done, and it all has to do with the quality that I give you. And that's why it's kind of starting in February to get me prepped up for that time. I do believe in slow growth. Taking one's time and doing the best one can do. This has meant that I now write a script of what I'm going to say, I record it, and then I edit it. And right now, it took me around just two weeks to write the first episode, I haven't even recorded the episode and mind you this is because I also have to edit the current weekly podcast that we have that's going to run till the end of January. I am now going to be releasing an episode every two weeks and the episodes will release on a Wednesday. So that's something new that's happening, it's a big change and again, like I said, this is something happening in February and this may change going forward depending on where I am in life. These new episodes starting in February follow a certain structure, so there are a number of sections that are involved in that. Now, the Bearded Mystic Podcast Patreon supporters, they will get a special section just for them, just for you, in every episode. You will see a special section just for those on Patreon and they have the absolute full episode what will be free will be just barring that one section now you may ask well what's going to happen with my thoughts on the Bhagavad Gita and that will pause for a bit as I create this new content and see how it goes. That will most likely resume in the second half of the year along with the wisdom of the mystics so we will see where it goes and when I start it again, and if it's gonna be started as a class rather than the podcast. We're gonna see where that's gonna be. So do let me know what you want it to be. I mean This is a conversation, if you feel like you would like me to continue to do it as a podcast later on, I can do that. Or if you would like me to do it as a class, I can look at a way to do that. And then the other thing is that some of you have also been attending my weekly meditation and discussion sessions. I know that since August, we've probably done one or two sessions since Krish has been born. We are now moving that to a monthly meditation and discussion session so it will happen on the last Saturday of the month at the same time 11 a. m eastern standard time and this is open to everyone so this monthly meditation happens at the last Saturday of the month. That is available to everybody. Now the more exciting news is if you are supporting me on Patreon or choose to subscribe in the future, there will be an exclusive meditation and discussion session just for you on the second Saturday of every month. I'll post a calendar on Patreon of what that will look like. If you are part of the Bearded Mystic Community Group on WhatsApp that will have the calendar of when the sessions are going to happen in the year. That is all I can talk about, really, about 2024. Who knows what can change in this year? I hope that the podcast continues to grow and not just in numbers but in quality and that it serves you all with the very best and that the wisdom or the knowledge that you gain from here actually transforms your life and that's what I really want to do is transform your life and in the best way possible and that whatever I've learned in my life and continue to learn in my life, that I'm able to share that with you. And that's all that I'm doing here. Nothing more. And whatever advice I can give to you, it's merely as someone, as a friend. It's not, I'm no professional. I'm just someone just sharing the knowledge that they've learnt and implemented and somewhat feel that it's the real deal. So, but yes, that's a lot that I've talked about in terms of the changes that are happening. And just to give you a quick recap on that, starting February of 2024, we will have a podcast episode releasing every two weeks on a Wednesday. And they will be based on Advaita Vedanta and topics around that. That will begin in February. Meditation sessions and discussion sessions will now happen once a month for everyone for free. And those that are on Patreon will be able to attend second Saturday of the month too. As well as the one that's available for everyone. If you are subscribing to me on Patreon, the podcast will have a special section for you, in the episode, so that's amazing. Not in this one, but in the one starting February. This is the end of the episode. I do wish you all a very happy New Year, and I want to thank you all for the support, for the love that you've given since the podcast has started in June, 2021. I would like to thank you for listening and watching this episode and please do subscribe to the podcast. I am your host Rahul N Singh of the Bearded Mystic Podcast and until the next time, take care and Namaste.