This is a featured guest blog post from DoLiv Publishing.
Last night I watched a documentary about a woman on a spiritual quest to India. She met with a Guru, who asked her if she had a Guru, and she responded, coyly,
“No. I’m searching for my Guru.”
“Well you need one,” the Guru said, ”Because…”
And this is the part where I held my breath to hear his reply, since I teach a class called Be Your Own Guru, in which I pretty much suggest we don’t need Gurus anymore.
“…you need a Guru to act as a conduit to the Divine.”
I threw my hands up at my computer screen (mind you it was 2am, I’d had a wee bit too much coffee that evening) and said, out loud, to no one in particular,
“You see!? That is old thinking!”
This idea that we need intermediaries, that we don’t have access to our own divine guidance and guides, that there is a spiritual hierarchy only certain privileged folks have permission to be a part of. This is what needs to change.
We are leaving the age of permission and entering the age of allowance.
When we believe we are capable of communing with the divine, without petition on our behalf, we access an entirely new level of information, guidance and support in our lives.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve studied with many spiritual teachers and read hundreds of spiritual and self-help books. I am not suggesting we no longer seek wise counsel or the support of others. I’m merely saying it’s not necessary.
Which feels almost blasphemous and revolutionary to say, but there you go. It’s out.
In preparation for teaching my Be Your Own Guru class I decided to take my practice up a notch. I took on the challenge of a Guru/Self-Help 40-day fast.
This has not been easy. Believe me, like most people, I want answers, information, guidance, a burning bush. But most of the time I get the clock flashing 2:22 . What the heck does that mean? What am I supposed to do with 2:22? For 40-days I committed to not look that up online. Or Google “angel messages.” I am not going to look up in a book what the dead squirrel by the side of the road meant when I walked the dog this morning.
For forty days I have vowed to mine my own depths, capture my dreams, harness my inner knowing. For the past several weeks I’ve held back temptation to reach out to my usual flock of advisors – the tarot readers, astrologers (sorry guys), psychics, and friends who are more than happy to provide me with their insights.
(OK I did ask a couple of people for their advice but at least I caught myself! And when I took the time to look inside, to still the chattering voices in my head, the answer came crystal clear).
I am trying to hold my own counsel. Trust my inner knowing. Find back my compass of truth and wisdom. We tend so easily to give that away, assign our responsibility to others and that then erodes our self-trust.
I offer you to practice Being Your Own Guru for a time and notice when you’re tempted to seek answers, solutions, guidance outside yourself. What would change for you if you already knew? If you had the answers inside and didn’t need an intermediary? How would you go about your life differently if you trusted in yourself?
That is my invitation to you for 2014.