When the student is ready, the teacher will appear
There are a lot of gatekeepers in the realm of spirituality. I am shocked how many times I’ve seen or heard someone say “you shouldn’t try this technique without a master” when talking about meditation, contacting other planes of existence, astral travel, ascension, or whatever. This is ridiculous. For one thing, someone in human history must have been the first to try it, and they didn’t have a master. That’s how this all started. They’re fine and you will be fine too.
There are a few more things that really bother me about the fact that many spiritual people try to enforce this guru-devotee relationship. Spirituality is a really personal experience to me, so I have yet to walk the path of a true student except in studying on my own. When I was in middle school I went to the public library often and checked out books about astrology, witchcraft, Buddhism, the Beatles in their spiritual journey, you name it. I learned a lot on my own and that’s been my way for all these years. I don’t think I trust anyone who says that this way doesn’t work because it’s worked for me perfectly so far.
However, I also trust that “when the student is ready the teacher will appear,” as the proverb goes.
I will accept a teacher into my life if that seems to be the way the universe is guiding me. I just don’t desperately seek one without any faith in my own innate abilities.
Putting any kind of restriction or rules on spirituality, in general, bothers me. How can we truly explore the human experience and our consciousness if we are worried about rules? Beyond that, there are things I’d like to touch on here. Let me know if you agree with me.
We All Have Human Minds
The first thing that sets off alarms for me when someone says “you need a master” is that it suggests that somehow my mind isn’t robust or open enough to make its own journey. We are all human. We have the same abilities. I truly believe that. Some of us are just less open than others to new experiences.
There is no reason why you can’t be the world’s next spiritual leader. There’s no reason why you can’t make shamanistic journeys to the astral plane the same way a tribal leader can. We are all human beings and souls incarnated to this life, having made many journeys before this particular manifestation. There are mysteries we already inherently know within our souls and others that we can discover on our own in this life’s journey.
Now, if you want to seek a guru, there’s nothing wrong with that. Some people learn better interactively. But there’s no reason to think you need one to do what your soul came here to do —to enlighten yourself.
There’s a difference between being the cause of something and being the necessary condition for something.
I am soon going to be a certified meditation teacher. I hope to inspire others to use and open their minds in new ways. I will never claim that I am giving them the ability to find stillness and enlightenment. They already had that within themselves, and if they come to me to be my student, I will be honored that they have given me a chance to show them how to unlock their potential. I’ll never claim that my guidance was the only way they ever could have achieved it.
What’s the Worst that Can Happen?
For another thing, what’s the worst that could happen if you performed some trance that you were warned not to do at home? You never hear what the unintended consequence is — like, will I fall into a trance forever and never wake up? Will I develop a mental disorder? I want to know what is supposed to happen if I don’t have a master around when I enter into a certain mental state.
I could believe that bad things might happen if you do a ceremonial trance with psychedelics and mind-altering substances. But if you’re left alone to just explore your own mind and its potential, I don’t see any way that you can cause injury. It can only produce good things. It’s just a mind — nothing foreign. It can only hurt you if you let it.
The Fabricated Hierarchy of Spirituality
Spirituality is weird because humanity has always tried to make it accessible by a privileged few. We are so used to accepting that there are a small number of people with direct access to God and the truth. Human history as far as we know has usually involved the dominance of a hierarchical idea in spiritual things. Shamans, priests, monks, kings, and even “realized masters” may be intended to shine a light of hope on the rest of us to inspire us, but often they are used as reminders that there are people of different ranks and levels of power.
Spirituality, of course, doesn’t truly work this way — the universe naturally imposes no hierarchy. Humans did that.
I don’t trust any type of spiritual organization that claims you need to find a master or that you can’t access something without a master. I don’t trust any spiritual practice that gives privilege to anyone. We are all equal in spiritual status. Don’t let anyone make you believe differently.
Don’t Fall For It
You don’t need a guru. You can explore the abilities of your mind on your own. You can heal yourself. You can reach another state of consciousness. You can be happier, de-stress, and love yourself all without any teachers. You might want to read about the things you’re interested in first. I have written articles for enhancing your meditation practice about visualizations and quieting the thoughts. You could start there. You can do whatever you want.
My point is that you don’t need to do what someone else is requiring. Maybe you should even hesitate to trust someone who acts as a gatekeeper to spiritual enlightenment. Find your own path. Do what is right in your heart.
