About Richard

Richard Moss

In 1977 Richard Moss was a practicing physician when he experienced a spontaneous state of illumination that irreversibly changed his life and profoundly transformed his understanding of human consciousness and behavior. With this opening came a new level of sensibility including a heightened intuition, subtle insight into mystical and spiritual teachings, and the ability to sense human body-energy fields.

richard mossImpelled by this opening and its intensity which required virtually continuous self-examination, he took a sabbatical from his medical practice and began a period of withdrawal from his usual activities for nearly a year. During this time he spontaneously meditated for hours each day and read extensively in spiritual and psychoanalytic literature, as well as poetry, and mythology. Above all, he made a careful observation of the new quality of energy moving in his body, and how his thoughts instantly generated emotions and sensations.

From this introspective period grew his understanding that the root cause of most unnecessary human suffering and conflict comes from two basic forms of ignorance: Unquestioned identification with thinking, especially our judgments and beliefs, and secondly, the general inability in most people to engage threatening feeling in an aware, vulnerable, and creative way. He also began to recognize the presence of the inner teacher, especially through dreams. He realized that he was being guided through this unknown territory by his dreams. Thus began his study and contemplation of dreams, which is a central part of his teaching, and his immense respect for the wisdom that dwells in each of us.

Beginning his teaching work

Richard never returned to medicine, but he had been a loved physician and eventually a few of his former patients looked him up and began consulting with him at his home. He would sit with them, holding hands in silence for long periods, and then begin to see what spontaneously emerged in their discussions. When a local psychotherapist noticed profound changes in two of her clients who had come to meditate with Richard, she organized a seminar for herself and her colleagues in order for Richard to share what he was discovering. So began his work with individuals and groups which he has pursued and developed for 35 years.

About his work and teaching style

While there have been many important influences in his life, his work evolved independent of any specific spiritual or religious traditions. His teaching is a path of transformation and conscious living that is accessible to anyone. What you will receive when you join him in his workshops or retreats does not depend on taking on any new belief system or joining any organization; there is no pressure whatsoever for you to change yourself until you do so naturally out of your own insight. His work is about catalyzing you to live as fully and creatively as you were born to live. It is an invitation to what he calls “radical aliveness” – a vitality and intelligence that comes from our deepest being.

Richard’s teaching draws from a broad range of approaches to human understanding both Western and Eastern, and he has the special gift of being able to communicate the foundational insights of these diverse traditions in a contemporary and ever-fresh way. No two talks or workshops offered by Richard are the same even when they address similar themes. Each one brings the teaching forward in an original and living way. He has the rare capacity to induct his audience into the state of consciousness from which he is speaking. His words emerge from such a timeless and universal place that people report feeling as if he is reading their minds and speaking directly to their immediate needs and issues.

Richard offers his teaching through his talks, through 3 – 5 “Deep Work” intensive seminars, and through his 10-day “Radical Aliveness Retreats”. His teaching style can be very direct, but is always respectful. Between sessions he is easily approachable and enjoys sharing meals with participants. In all of his programs, he guides participants into a profound connection to their essential selves. His goal is that you don’t just follow his or anyone’s work, but that you learn to become your own teacher. He is renowned for the experiential richness of his programs. Participants learn directly to experience their multi-dimensional consciousness and how to recognize and free themselves from limiting beliefs. He teaches an awareness approach to threatening feelings, particularly fear in all its guises, so that you learn to meet these darker spaces in creative, liberating ways.

All of the tools and practices you will learn are designed to be flexible and pragmatic and easily adaptable to your life upon your return home. This is a work that addresses your whole being: body, mind, feelings, energy, and the ineffable mystery of your essence, in order to effect essential and lasting change.

In all the longer retreats Richard is supported by a team of experienced former students so that participants receive skillful individual attention. Many of the people who have worked with Richard over the years are among his closest friends, and the community of individuals who have experienced his work is worldwide. While some of his programs are specifically for individuals who have worked previously with him, there is no hierarchy between beginner and advanced students. There are only degrees of familiarity with his work and friendships that have evolved organically over time.

Richard’s longer retreats and many of the shorter Deep Work intensive seminars take place in carefully selected venues exceptional for their access to nature. Richard knows that natural environments have the uncanny ability to unexpectedly mirror moments of insight – perhaps via the call of a bird – and that nature is the best mirror for the wholeness and beauty of every person’s true self.

Kathy and Richard are married and currently live at Moon Lake in Sandy Ridge, NC. Their life path together is about commitment to relational consciousness in service to Love. They conceive of their relationship as a 3rd Consciousness or simply their 3rd. It is far more than just a metaphor, rather they are gradually sensing it as a living energy distinct from either or their individual presences. It is Relationship as a potential of far greater subtlety and intelligence than either of them brings to the work alone. In working together they are exploring the evolutionary potential of teaching from 3rd Consciousness. It is an adventure, not merely for couples, but for everyone as Life is all about Relationship.

Author of seven books:

The I That Is We: Awakening to Higher Energies Through Unconditional Love.(1981)
How Shall I Live: Transforming Any Health Crisis Into Greater Aliveness, (1985)
The Black Butterfly: An Invitation to Radical Aliveness (1987)
The Second Miracle: Intimacy, Spirituality, and Conscious Relationships (1995)
Words That Shine Both Ways (1998)
The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness (2007)
Inside-Out Healing: Transforming Your Life Through the Power of Presence. (2011)

Education and Credentials:

Richard Moss received his B.A. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1968 and his M.D. from New York Medical College in 1972. He is a diplomat of the American College of Emergency Medicine (1974) and the American College of Preventive Medicine (1979), and a member of the American Holistic Medical Association.
Dr. Moss has presented at numerous conferences, churches, training organizations, businesses such as Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals, and at institutions such as Harvard University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, and many others both in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia.