233. Panel Discussion on Refined (“Celestial”) Perception

The iconography and texts of most spiritual traditions depict and describe realms of existence more subtle than ordinary sensory perception reveals. The most commonly portrayed phenomena are halos in paintings of saints. But in addition to this evidence of the human “subtle body”, the traditions are abundant with paintings and stories of subtle beings such as angels, gods, devas, demons, etc. Is this mere mythology or does it suggest that subtle perception is part of spiritual development? So far, the non-dual community has not discussed this at all. The New Age community has, but often in a fanciful way that the non-dual community has, perhaps wisely, chosen to eschew. Yet many who have had abiding awakenings that non-dual traditions predict and respect discover, in time, that subtle perception begins to dawn. They begin to perceive auras, angels, devas, and the like as routinely as most of us see other human beings. This panel discussion included five such people:  Name Website Other Batgap Interviews Francis Bennett 8/4/2012, 4/21/2013* 10/26/2013*, 5/24/2014*, 10/23/2014*, 10/22/2015*, 10/21/2016, 10/25/2016* Harri Aalto harriaalto.com 3/22/2014, 7/19/2014, 11/12/2016 Kristin Kirk kristinkirk.com 11/2/2013, 10/22/2015* Ruffina Farrokh Anklesaria bestagainststress.com Facebook page Stan Kendz stankendz.com 12/2/2009 *Part of group discussion Transcript of this discussion Recorded 5/24/2014 YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Refined Perception 00:06:23 - Reluctance to Participate and Cultural Norms 00:10:34 - Personal Experiences with Spiritual Beings 00:14:07 - Experiencing Consciousness as Everything  00:19:11 - The Sublime Area of Consciousness 00:23:24 - A Life-changing Experience 00:26:59 - The Transformative Experience and Past Lives 00:31:09 - Past Lives and Reincarnations 00:35:40 - Enlivening the Shakti 00:40:12 - The Richness of an Enlightened World 00:45:05 - The Kingdom of Heaven Within Us 00:49:33 - The Golden Hue of Consciousness 00:53:14 - Shifting Consciousness and Expanded Self 00:57:05 - Releasing Beings through Meditation 01:00:25 - Aging and the Laws of Nature 01:04:19 - The Recognition of Love and Compassion 01:08:27 - The Expansion of Consciousness 01:11:20 - The Unfoldment of States of Consciousness 01:14:40 - Parallels in Maps of Consciousness 01:17:13 - The Vast Range of Possibilities in Consciousness 01:20:01 - Universal Phenomenon of Consciousness Growth 01:22:12 - Shifting Awareness and Refined Perception 01:24:34 - Celestial Perception and Spiritual Awakening 01:26:48 - Unfolding States of Awareness 01:29:50 - Overpowering Experiences and Support 01:33:43 - The Journey of Unfolding Consciousness and Surrender 01:38:28 - Surrender and Devotion in Spiritual Practice 01:43:07 - The Phenomenon of Channeling 01:47:23 - Experiences of Lord Vishnu and Celestial Levels 01:51:40 - The Celestial Levels of Consciousness 01:56:24 - Concluding Remarks Save