A MODERN MYSTIC BY SUMA VARUGHESE
A CHAT WITH DIVYAA KUMMAR
PUBLISHED MARCH 2011 IN LIFE POSITIVE MAGAZINE
When Chitra Jha, one
of Life Positive’s regular writers, informed me that I had an
enlightened mystic in my own city and that her name was Divyaa Kummar, I
was inclined to scoff at first. However, I soon discovered that she was
one of my fb buddies, and that her notes, about which Chitra waxed
eloquent, were indeed quite remarkable. They were deep and penetrating.
They reflected a synthesizing mind that could explore the same truth
from the focal lens of different paths like karma, bhakti, and jnana.
There was a breadth and expansiveness to her understanding which enabled
her to see patterns, recognize the phased nature of growth and also lay
out for the reader the complete progression of any particular path till
it met the whole. Through facebook, I began to construct
an image of her. She was modern, contemporary. There were pictures of
her in an evening gown celebrating her 50th birthday and it was clear
that she came from an affluent background. Unlike many fb friends, she
did not ascend the pulpit. Her sharing came from a space of equality, as
a fellow traveller, as she is fond of putting it. From some of our
exchanges she came across as affable, even fun. Surely, she represented a
new model of guru? One who did not assume spiritual authority or sit in
lotus pose waiting for her disciples to genuflect but was content to
simply be her essential human self? It seems to me that we will see more
of such teachers – caring, giving, wise and loving – but without
assuming a ‘guru’ identity. When I met her at her
beautiful home in Worli, Mumbai, my impression was further crystallised.
Dressed in trousers and a top, she was friendly, unassuming, direct. In
appearance, she was small-built, with soft straight hair. And at 50 she
appeared no more than 35. Excerpts from the interview: What was the trigger that opened the spiritual domain for you? Around
the year 2 000 life threw me a curve, and while the rich foundation of
spiritual wisdom that had permeated my growing-up years helped, my whole
being revolted at my seeming inability to overcome this sense of
incapacitation. I had largely been a joyous positive person and this
draining of energy did not sit well with me. A strong yearning developed
– quite for what I did not know. I guess the yearning reached the
universe …because out of the blue I was gifted a book. It
was a channelled book! I did not know anything about ‘channelling’ till
then, but once I started to read the Seth books (channelled by American
author Jane Roberts) Seth and his energies consumed me. Although they
were abstract and complex I ‘understood’ their deeper essence
immediately. Seth became a 24/7 pre-occupation for me. I someh ow knew
that this is what I was to do – receive spiritual understanding and
spread the word as a modern young woman enjoying a full life, and thus
showing by example how the two need not be mutually exclusive states. At
this point, coincidentally, a God-sent group came together from
seemingly nowhere! Soon the circle grew into discourses and workshops
and I started writing all that I had grasped…but somewhere in this
process I realised that what I was writing was beyond not only the Seth
material, but far beyond what I, as Divyaa, knew! Was this your first exposure to spirituality? I
was a born seeker interested in all things spiritual and metaphysical. I
was born into a deeply spiritual yet very modern large joint family. My
parents, aunts and uncles each resonated to different gurus. I was
exposed to the darshan (meeting) and words of a wide range of living
masters since the earliest of days. Moreover, I have led a
very full life – large families on both sides, close friends, love,
fulfilling relationships, travel, abundance, creativity (I ran a ceramic
studio for almost 20 years before I switched tracks to spirituality)
and thus it was very easy for me to make this shift, for nothing else
could have added to what life was other than this divine grace! Were you ever tempted to channel Seth directly? Oh yes. I was consumed with the need to do so. It was paradoxically
both a completely uncanny and a completely natural process. I started
waking up at 3.30 am and spontaneously sitting in ‘meditation’ – without
any guidance, teacher or known system. Initially Seth and other masters
(today I would call them all aspects of universal consciousness/wisdom)
would be palpably present… almost downloading stuff into me; even sleep
became about learning on some inner plane for I awoke with so much
‘gyan’….! The best way to describe this indescribable process is as
though a caps ule of gnosis (not knowledge) would enter my head and it
would simply unravel within…sometimes much later when I sat to write or
speak. Each such meditation would be followed up with day-to-day
experiences that would make these truths practical ways to live a better
life. For example, desire was a topic that unravelled realms and realms
of its truths to me… helping me understand how at a deeper level
desires are not ours but consciousness desiring through a ‘me’, how our
desires automatically purify as our consciousness expands, and how we
finally transcend (not suppress) desire when our role in the comic play
is coming to a close. At some point another ‘coincidence’
occurred and I came across the Jade fire channelling group where master
energies were channelled publicly. Soon after I started attending these
meetings the masters asked me to become one of their channels! Although
doubts prevailed, in some way unknown to me, the words came, the wisdom
expressed became increasingly profound, the flow became easier and the
energies within and around became so very palpable that I just couldn’t
doubt anymore. When did the teaching begin? I
began to reach out spiritually through discourses,
workshops, meditation groups and writing in 2003. And as this reaching
out fits no labels, when I am pushed to define what I do, I say ‘I guess
I am a spiritual facilitator’. Till today I reach out as fellow
traveller even whilst I intuitively travel my path. Currently
another change is afoot. Silence beckons and I know I am being prepared
to reach out in som e other way. So I am on a semi-sabbatical, going
with the flow, knowing that just like all the rest happened so will the
next phase! Isn’t there a danger of attracting negative spirits while channeling? Channelling,
simply put, is connecting to a higher or vaster source of ‘knowing’
than your currently conscious one! Inspired books, art, movies, even
inspired day-to-day decisions, or the surprising strength and motivation
to deal with situations is often what we could call ‘channelled'. The
only difference as ‘channels’ is that we do it on call, with a specific
purpose – to receive and spread gyan, healing or universal energy
frequencies! Thus where is the question of negativity? I have never used
protection – not in channeling or in energy healing . In my ‘work’, I
meet many troubled, angry or depleted people time to time, …but I
believe that ‘Divyaa’s' energy field has to be strong to be able to
lighten another…and in that how can light be touched by darkness/
negativity? Over time as you expand your energy field and
merge with this universal aspect of Self…the knowing becomes more
conscious and the need to ‘link’ or channel falls away and we speak as
Self! In Vedic terms, as you expand from (or remove the boundaries
between) manas and buddhi and aham and chitta, it is channelling! It can
be said that many of our ancient scriptures are channelled… when the
rishis heard it within them… it was channelling in modern parlance. I
still receive a lot of my knowing like a sort of capsule…either
in meditationor when I mull on a subject…and as I sit to write or speak…
it somehow unravels and clarifies itself! Is your husband on the path too? Yes.
It is a wonderful act of grace that he is also on the path. I have a
very supportive environment – starting from my husband and daughter – to
my various family members and friends. In fact, my whole family
including aunts, uncles and in laws are spiritually inclined. And so are
almost all my friends! This does not mean my husband and
I do not have differences or confrontations – but because we both
believe in the truth that we are each creator, living in a world we have
each created, we are wholly aware that it’s never about the ‘other’.
Therefore blame and judgment have no firm foothold! Indeed, recognising
that there is nothing to forgive is one step ahead of forgiveness.
Knowing that a ll is just as it should be even if we can’t currently
understand why makes judgment automatically redundant! The
word ‘automatic’ plays a large part in my reaching out. I truly believe
that in authentic spiritual growth, all these seemingly impossible
sounding concepts automatically become a part of you! Sometimes
aspirants read about enlightenment and its many stages/steps and try
to love unconditionally or to see consciousness everywhere…they try to
surrender or try to transcend desires…This trying and its accompanying
fretting arises because we feel these stages are something we need to
‘make happen’…while ac tually they are more descriptions of what ‘will
happen’ as one goes along. Our awareness of and focus on them allows
them to spontaneously unravel in our life. Do you see yourself as a guru? That
depends on your definition of the word. In its traditional meaning it
means one who dispels darkness (ignorance of and separation from Self).
In that sense I would say yes, because I have seen the profound changes
‘my’ reaching out has brought into so many lives. If your understanding
of a guru is one who helps another connect to their inner guru, then
again yes. If your definition is that a guru is a wholly
awakened soul… then no, for I am still on my own journey. Awakening is
not a onetime thing – but a series of shifts, like awakening from a
dream…and in that context I would say I am in the early morning almost
fully awake but not quite out of bed stage! And there is no rush or
anxiety – because being one with consciousness I know that ‘Divyaa’ is
not awakened because I as consciousness don’t choose it yet and when I
as consciousness do so…then so will I as Divyaa! Many think only a
wholly awakened master can spiritually enable others but I hav e seen
from personal experience that this is not so. Each of us provides a
service that consciousness needs us to. Some of us express only from the
‘top’ point of view of awakening. Some speak more from the beginner’s
point of view…and some like me express from all points along the one
continuum as all the steps are as valid as where they take you! And thus
all spiritual facilitators are doing what is required of them by
consciousness and thus reaching those consciousness needs them to
reach! You do not project a guru persona, though… As
consciousness evolves, changes are inherent and many different kinds of
gurus/teachers will appear. A large part of my message and thus
‘persona’ is that a young modern person living a full joyous life can be
wholly on the spiritual path too. I wear modern clothes, talk the
contemporary language, am called Dee or Divyaa by fellow travelers and I
guess that’s why I attract those who come to me – the contemporary and
informal persona/ambience is in sync with who they are and in that
comfort zone of not needing to be anything else to be spiritually
evolved they more easily find their divinity. Do you have a guru? Life
and every master, book, email I have come across has been a guru. As a
child, having the grace to meet many masters close up, I used to yearn
for one of them to be ‘my’ guru! I received tremendous grace from some –
but initiation never happened. I actually used to feel bad – and
rejected – but now I realise my guru was supposed to be an internal
awakening. A few years ago I ‘met’ Mahavatar Babaji internally, and
while he revealed himself to be my guru he also cautioned me that ‘He’
was here as an aid only and that I have to move beyond him too to
establish in complete Self-awareness. What would you say is the core of your teaching? Simply
put, it is the journey or shift from self to Self to Non-Self; the move
from destiny to free will to Divine will; the move from helplessness to
empowered creator and manifestation to sur render and non-doership. These
are all points along the one continuum and as each truth becomes your
experiential truth it automatically leads to the next! Thus the first
phase brings you in touch with your divine self, into becoming All That
Is and the second phase is its spontaneous dissolution into nothingness!
Paradoxically, the more firmly you can establish as Self (the first
phase) the more automatically and deeper does the second phase ‘just
happen’. Another important part of my message is
that life and the material plane is not something ‘less than’ the
spiritual. It is spirit that chooses to experience and expand itself
through the material plane! http://www.lifepositive.com/ A link to an article on FACE BOOK & SPIRITUALITY BY SUMA VARUGHESE IN THE SAME ISSUE Life positive - E-Magazine www.lifepositive.com | 
