Spiritual Teachers

I wrote this article a couple of months ago, and submitted it to be published in March's Aquarius magazine, but it didn't get in this month's mag, so here it is...


Teacher, Guru, Leader, Guide.

There are many types of spiritual seekers. You might even see yourself here! Most people want to shop around to see what’s available. Some make the decision to be a “jack of all trades” and invariably become a “master of none.” a spiritual perspective this means that to meander through the various spiritual disciplines and not commit to one, the seeker is relegated to a life devoid of mastery. Some spiritual seekers look for or find themselves in situations in which they are given the opportunity to choose among paths and/or teachers. For the spiritual aspirant, the goal of illumination and mastery can be daunting. The key is to listen to your heart.

My Sufi guide explains the need for the sincere seeker to find a teacher with a story. He likens the spiritual journey to crossing an ocean. In order to cross, you find the your path (your boat), and the teacher (the rudder). Even if you have sails or oars, you will probably end up going in circles without the rudder.

With a teacher, guru, leader, or guide, is one guaranteed to arrive at the goal of enlightenment? Nope. However, from my own personal experience, the interaction between student and guide creates the impetus, strength, and support to potentially take us farther and faster than we could accomplish on our own.

Many self-proclaimed teachers get mired in their own ego-induced state, becoming transparent to those who truly work on their chosen pathway. In fact, there are so many teachers out in the world today that it is surprising the world hasn’t experienced the great awakening that everyone seems to be waiting for.

So, what does the spiritual aspirant do to find the teacher that fits his or her ideal closely enough? Surely, many of you have heard that for every step the seeker takes towards the teacher, the teacher takes ten towards the student? Just keep looking and asking for it, and sooner or later; you will recognize your teacher(s), guide, leader or guru. There are many valid spiritual paths and spiritual teachers, so there is sure to be one for you.

Personally, I prefer to have a teacher who already has experienced being a student. This would mean that the teacher would also currently be or has been a student on their path for an extended period of time. To me, this would hopefully indicate that the guide knows not only how to give spiritual direction, but also knows how to receive it. Even the greatest masters had a teacher and/or guide for extended periods in their lives.

What is the benefit of making a commitment with a teacher? A person who has been a student of a specific spiritual path joins vast history of deep wisdom through their teacher. Although many teachings are given verbally, there seem to be just as many which are given non-verbally. Students and their teachers share experiences together, and a bond is created. This bond will allow the aspirants access to the wisdom of their teacher’s lineage. Many students and teachers have recorded having the experience of receiving energetic transmissions, and other phenomenon. People might consider this nonverbal phenomenon as signs on the pathway to the higher levels of attainment.

How does one recognize their teacher or guide? From my experience, there is an inner knowing, or perhaps an inner radar that pulls us towards the person who will offer us what we are looking for - as long as we are open and ready to receive. Aspirants who ask for their teacher/guide to appear are advised to be aware of who is coming into their lives. Be awake enough to recognize who and what is actually in front of you when they appear. My Sufi guide, in his wise ways, explained to me once that sometimes it takes the universe some time to set up those meetings. So, if you are sincerely seeking, want to get to your ideal goal as quickly as possible, and are not afraid of doing the work asked of you, you might consider asking the universe for your teacher, guide, leader, or guru today.

Tuning The Heart

Here's something of interest. It's a copy of the flyer of the workshop we're having in two weeks....


Tuning the Heart
A One Day Workshop
with Majida & Musawwir Gowins
March 10, 2007 - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"My heart has become an ocean, Beloved, since Thou hast poured Thy love into it."
Pir O Murshid Inayat Khan

The Heart is the core of our being. It is where our pure desires rise from and is the source of spirit. This one day workshop on Tuning the Heart is designed to enhance, challenge and awaken our deep rooted desire to truly know ourselves. Tuning the heart is a process of accessing our inner truth. It gives us reassurance and security and the joy of knowing that we truly do have purpose in this complex life. Spending a day learning to access, honor and caress the heart with love can be one of our lives more meaningful experiences.
We will work with our breath, focusing the breath energy on the heart. We will also work with our hands, learning techniques to massage and enable the heart energy. We will use practices of light as well as cosmic and celestial energies to enhance and ennoble the heart's core. We will focus on the heart with warmth and compassion to soften the structures that cause the heart to harden. Finally we will address our deepest questions, asking ourselves what the heart really means and how do we understand our pure desires.

"The human heart is the home of the soul, and upon this home the comfort and power of the soul depend." Pir O Murshid Inayat Khan

To nurture and cultivate the heart means that you are creating a home for your soul that allows it to shine like a sun.

Musawwir & Majida Gowins are long time teachers of Sufism. They are the founders of Inner Voice, a center for Sufi studies located in Yonkers, NY. They are accomplished spiritual guides. They are both certified retreat guides, ministers in the Universal Worship and healing conductors. Majida is a teacher in the Raphaelite Work, an energy healing modality.
Musawwir's book, "The Sovereign Soul" was recently published by New Paradigm Books

Saturday Workshop Fee - $60 per person, at Labyrinth Centre, 1216 Franklin Rd., Marietta, GA 30067
Saturday Evening Zikr - 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. - $10 - at Labyrinth Centre
Sunday Universal Worship Service 10:30 – 12:00 – love donation – location TBA
Brunch and Gathering 12:00 – 2:00 – love donation – location TBA
Individual Sessions Available Sunday Afternoon

Please contact Muhasaba Molly Wender at 404-256-1853 or MollyyWender@bellsouth.net for more information and to reserve your space.

Anger

Lately, I have been overwhelmed by the goings on in my life.

There has been a lot of anger in my feelings, and I have been having an interesting time processing it all. Part of me wants to figure out why I am having these intense feelings. Mostly, though, I found myself just observing those feelings as best as I can - using an approach used in Sufism and Ipsalu tantra - of switching my attention to being the observer. In other words, I observe myself feeling angry. This works to help me get out of whatever place I'm in. A sort of detachment and different perspective begin to form alongside the anger.

Anger, in general, is really not a very socially acceptable emotion in our culture. When I was a child (over 3 or so, I guess), it was deemed inappropriate to "act out" emotions that were considered negative. We didn't talk about anger, we didn't raise our voices, we didn't hit, scream or anything. I remember being asked to redirect my energy into something more "positive", like sweeping the walk or pulling weeds.
That type of activity might prove to help put overt anger on simmer, but the core of what the anger was rising from never got addressed or expressed.

Lately, when looking at the issues and accompanying emotions, I feel that meditation seems to be the most productive way for me to see what might be causing the emotional disturbance. The anger I was feeling seemed righteous, and when I sat with it and really paid attention to it, the visualization I was able to perceive, was it oozing out of me. Almost like a wound that lets out the bad puss and then perhaps can heal. Meditation and observation was a very nice way for me to give myself space, not alienate my friends and family too much, and sit with my emotions and give myself permission to look and feel what was going on. I also screamed into the pillow a couple of times. Last weekend, I burned a lot of brush in the yard, and consciously threw some of my frustration into the fire. This process, which I'm trying to express in words now, took about two weeks.

Fortunately, most of the anger has passed, but what has taken it's place is a sense of emptiness and perhaps detachment from hope that something or someone is going to appear to make it all better. I've come to the conclusion that the only one who can make the changes or choices - at least the changes and choices that can be made - is me. Some things are beyond my control. Yes, the sense of destiny is strong within me, but I don't want to succumb to the thought or belief that the decisions I am able to make don't make a difference. I believe that they do make a difference, so I am striving to make the best decisions I can based on the information I have at the time.

I can be an impulsive person (aries venus), and I have learned to be more patient - especially when I can recognize that my emotions are coloring my perspective. I need to give myself time to recognize that things happen for different reasons - and I don't have to make decisions right away...there is usually a window of time to look at options.

That's quite a diversion from the anger subject. But maybe anger in time and with patience turns into something quite bittersweet. For me, it has become another stepping stone to maturity.