In this talk on Guides and Awakening, healer and spiritual teacher Kristin Kirk talks about their role in her own shift and how this is not contrary to non-duality. She uses the word “Guides” in the broadest sense here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk0fjlII4vs
I’ve spoken before about the 2 aspects of the awakening process – Atman and Sattva, the masculine and feminine, the Shiva and Shakti. Kristin is a good example of well-developed Sattva, so there is a full and rich experience of the processes underway. And the opportunity to work with natural laws embodied as subtle beings.
As she notes in the video, in her process her teachers and guides have all been within. Healers are much more likely to develop such relationships because of working with energy, the feminine side. They’re developing that arena. On the other hand, the clarity of those energies is also what leads some to become healers.
In western non-dual approaches, they tend to empathize the masculine side, of empty consciousness or Atman. Some even discount the feminine as unnecessary flash or illusion. But both are needed for full and balanced growth as a householder.
Ironically, the sense of world-as-illusion emphasized by non-dualists is an effect of Rajas (fire) guna, in the transformation of tamas (inertia) into sattva (clarity). It’s actually a pointer towards this bigger picture that includes the feminine rather than a reality in itself.
My own journey has been somewhere between these two. I have had external teachers and I’ve had inner ones as well. The inner ones have had key roles in certain transitions and I’ve been broadly aware of them for a number of decades. However, I don’t usually actively work with them the way a healer might. The direction I’ve received is more pointers. They show me where and how to look to reveal another layer. Or they demonstrate something.
There is an important point Kristin didn’t cover in the above video. When I first became aware of subtle beings as an adult, it was lower astral rabble looking for attention. I didn’t recognize this at first, so it was a useful lesson in what to feed with my attention. There’s a big difference between self-serving beings and those who are here to actually help, as we’ve all experienced. Also between the astral and the divine. Learning to differentiate the feel of different beings, physical or not, goes a long way in knowing who deserves our attention. I reviewed some of the distinctions in a prior article series.
Also, it’s important to note that the spiritual journey is yours to make. You want practices that culture awareness and clarity to support both sides of the process. If guides are going to be part of your journey, they’ll show up when it’s time. Seeking guides and things outside of yourself to fix your life is not how you grow or solve problems. The teacher isn’t going to do your school work for you. If they offer to take away your self-authority, it’s not a good sign.
If you’d like to see more of Kristin, you can check out her YouTube channel or her Interview on BATGAP.
Davidya
This article triggered some correspondence that I’ve shared in 2 followup articles.
https://davidya.ca/2015/03/29/nonduality-and-the-divine/
and
Kristin has since posted a web page on this topic.
http://kristinkirk.com/nondual-explanation-of-communication-with-non-physical-beings/