Editors Note: This is something that I have to admit I have done many times in my past. I can’t say that I have ever followed an actual Guru, but with the amount of Life Coaches, spiritual teachers, therapists and even doctors that have walked through my life who’s words I clung to like a chocolate chip cookie that would cure my world I can now see I have been making Guru’s out of people for a long time. Have you? Find out below with our article from Natalie Berthold! ~Nitika~
Why is it these days that almost everyone I know is seeking a Guru? People inquiring “Who’s your Guru?” has gotten just as common place recently as those in Indiana asking “Hoosier (Who’s your) Daddy? (sorry, I’m from Indiana, and it’s an old joke). Is it so that someone else can tell us what to do and alleviate ourselves from responsibility until this darned life is over…unscathed until the next one? Sure, the universe made humans to help other humans. My very livelihood depends on people seeking me out for advice, being both a teacher and an energy worker and counselor. Additionally, I thank God for those with other talents that I don’t possess…Chefs, masseuses, people who don’t mind scraping dead skin off my feet, dentists, farmers, architects, garbage men,etc. We all have valid and important skills to go around to help one another…but we shouldn’t seek out someone of a perceived different “status” of which to live under by his or her feet, and avoiding life.
Sure, every year I get my hug from Amma, feel all warm and snuggly inside, but then I go back to the real world. This doesn’t mean I forget about her and live like a hellion until the following year. It means I take her (the child-like innocence that she represents) as my one of many tools in the tool box, and apply them to LIFE. I don’t want this article to be misperceived…we all have moments of breakdown and inquiry of life and we might need serious help. I know many that have benefited greatly from spending a couple of weeks at an ashram to sort themselves out and to remove themselves from the everyday grind in order to re-prioritize! Hello, I love Eat, Pray, Love just like the rest of you..and our beloved Julia Roberts. However, it is the constant searching, living, grasping for a Guru that can be problematic. It is the running away to an ashram or a cave for years so that you can escape earthly responsibilities, that is a problem..and under the guise of studying under a guru.
Furthermore, tragically, it is not healthy to worship someone who may or may not be who they represent. It seems that almost every beloved eastern guru, when moved out west, falls prey to scandal..emotional, financial, and/or sexual abuse…some even justify it as doing others a favor by “breaking down their egos”. Many “guru’s” legitimize sexual abuse by calling it “Tantric Initiation” or “transferring their holy energy”. The Course of Miracles states to never make an idol out of anyone. This is how these things happen in the first place…a hierarchy is made and therefore an uneven distribution of power is created, and control and manipulation come easy…I truly believe that some of these guru’s don’t even know they are doing it because it is that effortless. We open ourselves up for this type of betrayal by giving them so much power. The fact of the matter is, no true Guru would engage in abusive behaviour. With true love, there are NO power struggles and no feelings of abandonment or wrongdoing…if you are truly “enlightened”. The other fact is, Gurus are people too. They make mistakes. So, when we place all of our stock onto one individual, and they f&ck up, our world crumbles.
The purpose of this article is not Guru bashing, or Guru-worshiper bashing. I have seen so many Gurus in this world who seem to be loving and amazing individuals, certainly worthy of looking up to and being used as a role model with which to live our lives. These Gurus though, the true ones, do not seek out fame. They do not seek to be worshiped. This would actually make them uncomfortable. They do, however, seek that you are living the best version of YOURSELF. Not their version. You are not living their life. You are living a more “normal” life, and you need to apply their teachings out into the real world. To really honor your Guru, do not live your life in vein. Make a life for yourself consisting of love and prosperity given the circumstances that you were individually given.
Lastly, I invite you to look for everyday gurus. These are people in your local community (friends, lovers, bakers, barbers, etc) who are living a life of love that you can parallel….they do not have to be the type who wear white robes and you smear honey on their feet and chant their name in mala beads, but rather, they are ordinary peeps doing extraordinary things. We are surrounded by real life gurus! You are one as well! The real Guru is yourself. We all have God inside of us…that is, that creative ability and energy that is all-powerful. When we constantly seek the ‘law’ from outside of ourselves, we are denying our own power. A Guru, by definition, is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom and authority in certain areas…Please don’t forget that you are the most wise and authoritative when it comes to your own life. Your innate internal wisdom is infinite. The new acronym for Guru is “G-U-R-U” ( Gee, You Are You). Congratulations. You do have a Guru…and he/she is the most powerful and knowing of them all…Yourself.
