What I appreciate about Mama Aya is that she works with you where you are. I had to trust that she is benevolent and that trust has paid off. Using the things I am familiar with she shows me the connections and knots that I have had for years and years, and she helps me to unravel them using familiar tools.
I have become familiar with the tools of philosophy, of counseling and of theology so as I continue to study and work within those disciplines Mama Aya helps me to find the paths that will move toward my true self. I had been interested in Integral Theory for a few years. So when I got back from Panama, I began to study it seriously; this time via Ken Wilber’s book The Religion of Tomorrow. And every part of the work and study I have done in my adult life is addressed in this book. I have learned a lot and have begun to apply what he teaches to my own life.
It is not more challenging than anything I’ve ever done or tried but the ideas and tools make more sense to me than any other approach that I have tried. Wilber himself is a Buddhist but he is familiar enough with other faith traditions to make valid and valuable suggestions regarding them. He is a therapist and a philosopher. He understands modern physics. He is a very smart guy. But none of this comes across as guru stuff. He presents like someone who has been there, done it, understands it and wants to give what he has received to others pretty much gratis. My bullshit detector never rises very high on the meter when I read his stuff. I have been using the tools he suggests to help me progress in my own journey with some success. Check him out if or ask me more, then check him out.
One very important thing that I learned is the real difference between human levels of growth/development and and levels of awakening. Makes a big difference in what one pursues and how one goes about it.
Camel Through the Eye 