Sublime

Among many others, I draw on the ideas of two spiritual teachers I should mention. One is my friend Douglas Harding, whose unique and inimitable approach sheds light on the Self as Consciousness, which is pure Kashmir Shaivism. The other is the enigmatic 20th-century teacher G. I. Gurdjieff. I met his teachings in my earliest days as a spiritual

But one quality that is indispensable is the authentic guru lineage.

Regardless, it’s recommended that beginners do a thorough background check of the guru in question—listening

I especially enjoyed the work of Sir John Woodroffe (1865–1936), a.k.a. “Arthur Avalon,” who—while prominently serving as Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court in British India—spent his private hours explaining, defending and ultimately practicing in the then widely reviled Hindu religious schools of Shaiva and Shakta Tantrism.

Practices in Śrīvidyā differ according to sampradāya, and along with Lalitā Devī, the tradition includes the worship of other deities, particularly the elephant-headed Gaṇapatī, Bālā Tripurasundarī (the form of Devī as a young girl), Mātaṅgī, and Vārāhī.