Devatas and Avatars: Should we be *trying* to Interact with "Higher Beings"?

As one develops in the direction of their perception by practicing concentration, does the contact and interaction with Avatars or the realization that these higher beings are functions of your own Self hold more merit?

If an avatar appears before you and offers you counsel is it more illusory then an internal realization of this intelligence? Yoga comes down to it again and again and again, one. Oneness. You are everything. Everything that happens to you, you've created. Everything is you and your perception is the keystone to unlocking the knowledge of this.

Devatas as they are called in Sanskrit, and in that culture and system those such as Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu, etc are recognized as idealized qualities or faculties of intelligence characterized for us to interact with for our benefit and yet they are also often reported as "visiting" devotees, practitioners, and even just "show up" people who have no cultural ties or beliefs in these deities.