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ОглавлениеPerhaps you have heard the term ‘deva’ applied to fairies, nature spirits or angels. What exactly are devas, and what is their proper place in relationship to fairies and angels?
The term ‘deva’ is Sanskrit, and means ‘shining one’. In Eastern spirituality, there are different types of devas. For example, Hinduism recognizes three. The first is a brahman in the form of a personal God. A brahman is an abstract concept expressing absolute being or absolute consciousness, a state of pure transcendence that defies precise description. The second is a mortal who has attained a state of divinity, but remains mortal. The third is an enlightened person who has realized God.
In Buddhism, a deva is a god who lives in one of the 28 good celestial realms. Formerly mortal, they enjoy a long and happy life in these realms as rewards for their good earthly lives. However, they are subject to the wheel of reincarnation and still must overcome attachments that require them to reincarnate.
In popular Western spirituality, a deva is an advanced spirit or god-being who governs the elementals and nature spirits and the wellbeing of all things in nature. Thus, the devas can be seen as a type of administrator or manager. They are of a more refined energy than the fairy realm, closer to that of angels. When perceived clairvoyantly, they have flowing, shining forms of various colours.
Are devas angel or fairy? Actually, it is impossible to completely separate the spiritual realms, for they flow into each other. Devas more or less occupy a middle realm between fairies and angels.
In popular Western spirituality, a deva is an advanced spirit or god-being who governs the elementals and nature spirits and the wellbeing of all things in nature.
Our ideas about devas have developed out of Theosophy, a spiritual philosophy based on Eastern concepts that was introduced to the West largely through the writings of Helena P. Blavatsky in the late nineteenth century. Blavatsky was a co-founder of the Theosophical Society in New York City. She said she received much of her information from communication with various ascended masters who served as her mentors.
According to Blavatsky, devas are types of angels or gods who cannot be worshipped by humans. They are progressed entities from a previous planetary period. After our solar system formed, they arrived on earth before either elementals or man, and remained dormant until a certain stage of human evolution was reached. When our spiritual consciousness was mature enough to recognize and work with them, the devas became an active force and integrated with the elementals to further the development of humanity.
Blavatsky said that devas are under the ministry of the archangels. The vast army of solar and planetary angels are called the Army of the Light or the Hosts of the Logos. Each planet, each solar system, each type of being has an archangelic regent, supported by legions of lesser devas. She envisioned orders of devas intertwined with gods and angels, all responsible for every minute creation in the universe. Mountain Gods preside over the peaks, while Landscape Angels rule over the divisions and areas of the earth’s surface. Builder Angels use the Archetypes to create the lesser spirits, humans, animals, plants and rocks. Guardian Angels watch over humans, their homes, children and endeavours, while Healing Angels tend the sick, heal the wounded and console the bereaved. Ruler Angels guide and direct nations in the fulfilment of their destiny. Devas of Nature provide the spark of life to the Builders’ creations and nurture each being’s existence. Within this category are the nature spirits who tend the earth, air, fire and water – the brownies, sylphs, salamanders and undines – as well as the gods of storms, fire and weather. Devas of Art and Beauty lift up the beautiful in all things, while the Angels of Music bear the Voice of God, in all its complicated melodies, to mankind.
Thus through Theosophy, devas came to be regarded as high-level nature spirits. Even though they are involved in the spiritual growth of humans, they pursue their own work and are more distant to us than much of the fairy realm. When contacted psychically, they often deliver messages in which they express their dismay with our pollution of the earth and disrespect for nature. However, their unhappiness is tempered with love and willingness to help us get our spiritual act together – if we will follow through with positive action as a result of our contact with them.
Like many residents of the fairy realm, devas will gladly work with individuals who have the proper respect and attunement. Their work involves creating higher frequencies of spiritual energies, especially for healing. For example, they are actively involved in creating and producing homeopathic flower essences and healing gardens. Gardeners who work with devas consider them to be ‘architects’ of nature; one is assigned to every living thing, even the soil. Devas design blueprints for all living things, and orchestrate the energies necessary for growth and health. Devas dispense advice on planting, fertilizing, watering and general plant care, as well as how to eliminate pests such as moles and worms without killing them. The relationship with devas goes much deeper, to include a heightened respect for all living things and for nature, to work with unseen realms in love and cooperation, and to realize the interconnectedness of all things and to God.
Like many residents of the fairy realm, devas will gladly work with individuals who have the proper respect and attunement.
A breakthrough in our awareness of the devic world developed at Findhorn, a spiritual community in northern Scotland that became renowned in the 1960s and 1970s for spectacular produce grown with the advice of devas.
The founders of Findhorn were Peter and Eileen Caddy, husband and wife, and their friend, Dorothy Maclean. In 1962, the three found themselves out of work in Scotland – they had for years worked together running resort hotels – and they took up residence at the Findhorn Bay Caravan Travel Park, where the Caddys had their trailer. The area was desolate, but Peter Caddy felt he had been directed there for a purpose through spiritual guidance that Eileen had received in meditation.
The Caddys and Maclean had devoted themselves to spiritual study for years. Peter had a keen sense of intuition. Eileen had mediumistic gifts. Maclean channelled divinely inspired messages.
Peter gardened to pass the time, even though the sandy soil and the inhospitable climate were not auspicious. In May 1963, their world changed forever. Maclean received an unusual message about the ‘forces of Nature’, and that one of her jobs was to attune and harmonize with those forces, who would be friendly in their greeting to her. Peter interpreted it to mean that she could get guidance from Nature on what to do in the garden. This was immediately affirmed in her next meditation, with a message that cooperation not only would be possible, but would be welcomed with great joy. The communicating being told Maclean that she could attune to nature spirits and the higher nature spirits over them, that is, the spirits of the clouds, rain and vegetables. The being told her, ‘Just be open and seek into the glorious realms of Nature with sympathy and understanding, knowing that these beings are of the Light, willing to help but suspicious of humans and on the lookout for the false. Keep with me and they will not find it, and you will all build towards the new.’
Maclean did as instructed. The first nature spirit to come into her awareness was the ‘Pea Deva’, which she described as holding the archetypal pattern in place for all the peas in the world. Her primary contact emerged as the ‘Landscape Angel’, who had a broad, holistic outlook. The Landscape Angel often facilitated communication between Maclean and other beings. All communications were on the inner planes.
Initially, Maclean did not know what to call the beings with whom she came in contact. She thought them to be angels, but the term ‘angel’ conjured up to her hackneyed pop culture images. These beings seemed too glorious. She settled on the term ‘deva’, though in talking about them, she used the terms ‘angel’, ‘deva’ and ‘nature spirit’ interchangeably. (Later, years after leaving Findhorn, Maclean reverted to ‘angel’.) She never saw these beings with external vision, but sensed them on the inner planes. They were of awesome scope, she said. Their duties were to hold the archetypal pattern of all material things in place – even manmade objects such as machines – and to offer love to humankind. Within a year, under the guidance of the devas, Findhorn had been transformed. Cabbages, normally four pounds at maturity, weighed over forty pounds. Broccoli grew so large they were too heavy to lift from the ground.
In 1966, a friend of Peter Caddy’s, scholar R. Ogilvie Crombie, visited Findhorn. Evidently, he appealed to the nature spirits, for after his return home to Edinburgh, a nature spirit appeared to him one day in the Royal Botanic Gardens. It was about three feet high and was half man and half animal. It introduced itself to Crombie as Kurmos, and said he lived in the gardens and helped trees to grow. Kurmos soon introduced Crombie to Pan, the chief of the nature spirits. Pan told Crombie that he had been chosen to help renew the lost contact between mankind and the nature spirits. Crombie relayed Pan’s messages to Findhorn.
Findhorn attracted people from all over the world who wanted to participate in building an exciting new ‘community of light’ that was ushering in a new era of cooperation between man and the kingdom of nature.
Brian Nobbs, a British professional potter and artist, arrived at Findhorn in 1970, to find the place filled with magic and light. Nobbs, who ran the pottery, became Crombie’s heir apparent with the community of Pan. It proved to be a purposeful passing of the spiritual wand, for Crombie died in 1974, and Nobbs became instrumental in the preservation of the devic presence at Findhorn.
In the summer of 1971, Nobbs travelled to Edinburgh, and was invited by Crombie to spend the weekend with him. Crombie suggested that they spend a day visiting various places of devic importance, including the Royal Botanic Gardens. Crombie instructed Nobbs to be as aware as possible. ‘When you notice something, tell me,’ he said. ‘But I won’t give you any clues.’
The day was momentous, in which Nobbs experienced a tremendous expansion of consciousness that was, he said, ‘mind-shattering’. One of the most potent sites was the Royal Botanic Gardens, where Crombie himself had first encountered Pan.
