David grew up on the SW coast of Canada. He began witnessing full time during a 6-month retreat in the mid-'70s then the lights came on and celestial perception began. It soon became clear that Self was awake within but had not woken up to Itself through this form yet. Self co-existed with an identified ego. Subtle perception continued to unfold in a myriad of ways. With a more outward stroke into career, marriage, and family, inner development continued but took a back seat to life's responsibilities. Then in 2005, much of the old life fell away and spirituality moved back to the foreground. After some feedback and darshan with Lorne Hoff, Self, at last, woke up to Itself here. Probably because of the long witnessing, this was quickly followed by a series of profound shifts in Being. (see my first BatGap interview) And then transcending Being into Brahman. In 2011, David was awarded a graduate degree in Vedic Science. In this interview, we had an extended preamble to touch on the earlier shifts, then we discussed the ParaBrahman shift, pure Divinity, and how embodied Divinity is waking up laws of nature. This process will help raise the presence of Divinity in consciousness. In the second part of the interview, we touched on the book Our Natural Potential describing the 7 stages of enlightenment, then explored some related topics. For over a decade, David has been blogging on a wide range of subjects related to unfolding enlightenment. Under the nickname Davidya, he has posted close to 2,000 articles. During the Science and Nonduality Conference in 2017, David gave a talk on the stages described in this interview. Website: davidya.ca Book: Our Natural Potential: Beyond Personal Development, The Stages of Enlightenment (Rick Archer wrote the Foreword.) Other BatGap shows with David: First BatGap interview. Panel at Sofia U. Part 1 | Part 2 Panel Discussion: “Sudden or Gradual: Two Paths to Realization?” Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview Interview recorded October 25, 2018. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump 00:05:44 - The Shift in Thinking 00:10:04 - Beings in the World Beyond Appearance 00:15:18 - Experiencing Different Perspectives 00:19:23 - Exploring Consciousness and God-Realization 00:23:53 - The Illusion of Consciousness 00:28:01 - Filling Up with Light and Profound Networkings 00:32:35 - Awakening of the Devas 00:36:36 - Devatas within the Cosmic Body 00:41:06 - The Role of Devatas in Manifestation 00:45:42 - The Complexity of Creation 00:49:54 - Awakening of the Devas 00:53:26 - Writing the Book about the Seven Stages of Enlightenment 00:58:10 - The Three Gunas and Awakening Flavors 01:03:14 - Different Perceptions of the World 01:07:43 - Questioning the Sense of Self 01:11:35 - Integration and Distinctions 01:15:48 - The Role of Maps in Understanding Human Experience 01:20:06 - The Vedas and Group Consciousness 01:24:40 - Perspectives on the Universe and Self-Exploration 01:29:13 - The Subtle Descent of the Chakras 01:34:00 - Awakening and the Role of the Divine 01:38:23 - Kundalini and Awakening 01:43:08 - Importance of Experience and Knowledge 01:48:28 - The Inner Guru and Clear Discrimination 01:53:07 - Embracing the Awakening Journey 01:57:42 - Different Stages of Consciousness Unfolding 02:03:16 - Perception of Refined Values and Divine Forms 02:07:38 - Understanding the Causes of Wars and Consequences 02:12:27 - Recognizing and Clearing the Surface Issues 02:17:20 - Upcoming Material Announcement