The next stage along the spiritual path broaches the waters between self and Self. An example from Tibetan Buddhist practice is vajra breathing, which entails sending prana up the midline and out of the body to greater and greater spheres; in turn, such energy is culled back to the individual so that a rhythmic flow ensues. Progressively, a resonance between little self and Big Self develops which eventually pulls individual consciousness to a higher plane of existence. In terms of the Jyotish star map, the focus now tracks through the astral and mental lokas (levels) (D-9 chart) to the causal loka (heavens of the devas such as Indra; this loka correlates to the galactic center in Sagittarius) (D-27 chart).

More advanced work (levels 5 and 6 of Neidan yoga) raises the stakes and aims for larger and larger pieces of the cosmic turf (super-galaxies, galaxy filaments, superclusters and quasar groups all the way up to the Hercules-Corona Borealis Great Wall (currently the largest known cosmic structure within the universe). This work covers insurmountably amazing levels of experience and in the Hindu model relates to the higher lokas of the rishis (advanced sages) and purest devas. The related Jyotish varga charts include D-40, D-45 and D-60.

The next step, if you want even more, takes a spiritual seeker to the doorstep of Devi, Herself. That is, the universe itself stands as the final ordinary (physical) metaphor for spiritual progress. And, although many spiritual masters posit that "all One" is the end of the road, most likely it is not. That is, we all are simply part of a much greater universal dynamic system. So, becoming part of the One makes sense and has richness beyond compare. However, to think that our little vantage on Devi captures Her whole being and grace is slightly near-sighted, to say the least.

Throughout all history, humans have modeled nature and judged their model sufficient and complete. It doesn't matter whether the model comes from space ships, savants or simply inspired folks, the best bet would be to take a model—ANY MODEL—with a grain of salt and then just go with the flow. The Daoists say it well, "The Dao that can be named is not the Dao ... Knowing enough to stop when one does not know is perfection."