Before we progress further, we must tackle this thorny topic. Very few other issues produce such an emotional reaction in western cultures. That in itself indicates where we can readily begin to confront the dark magicians.
An old saying from someplace goes: "Until you know, follow the guide. When you know, you won't need to be told: follow the guide." In the early part of the journey, we only fool ourselves in believing we can follow our own higher self within. First we must seek it in others who have progressed further than we.
The western mind is also preoccupied with being made a fool of. So there are endless concerns as to who is a genuine teacher and who is a charlatan. We are suspicious, cynical and poor in spirit.
We need help each step of the journey. Someone, anyone can be a teacher - can be a conduit of essential information to help us find the next evolutionary step. A child, a bird, an ant, a flood - the messenger must be respected, the moment must be respected, the message must not be lost, for the sake of our precious sensibilities. Beyond this there are higher teachers, then there is what we call a root teacher, and last there is the only teacher.
If you are sincere in your aspiration, and prepared to traverse the hard road, you will not fall prey to imitations.
The importance of the teacher lies in the transference of a certain type of high quality energy, which the teacher has acquired through his or her own practice and long journey. Information can come from anywhere, but the energetic quality that emanates from an advanced being is rare and priceless. Alas our culture has no inbuilt recognition of this, so for some time we fail to recognise or appreciate such contacts. We remain ensnared in personality.
Without the impact of an external awakened force, we simply walk in circles.
One of the main functions of the teacher relationship, is soul crystallisation. There are many ways to cause individuation. Pain, hardship, envy, competition, ambition - these are some of the ways our awareness solidifies; but the best is through our love for a highly evolved being. A friendship of warmth and knowledge, that arcs way beyond our understanding of time and event.
A few tips for beginners: beware of mental confusion, be prepared for emotional confusion. Choose figure eight, not circle teachers. Figure eight energy configurations leave you with autonomy, circle energy tries to force-absorb you into the aura of the teacher completely. Don't be duped by the teacher's mask - all advanced beings develop an idiot face to parcel out their psychic 'static energy' tension, and to distract the unwanted. This process is repeated time and time again on deeper and deeper levels.
True teachers are creatures of immense beauty - celebrate and enjoy them for they will soon be gone.
As to following the guide: eventually we learn a special language, with which to communicate with the spirit that moves all things. Try not to confuse this with any religious dogma, it is a real, practical, and intense interaction - not a belief structure.
I cannot over stress the importance of learning this language. It never ceases, we are always trying to read signposts in the fog, but there comes a threshold past which we solidify our confidence in the presence of a reciprocity. However do not be duped into presuming too much.
Internal worth can become a marketable commodity on many levels.
Next: Awareness (coming soon)Back: Will - Responsibility
Return to: Index
Home: Gordon's Granary