Step XI Of My Spiritual Journey: In Which I Seek A Guru

At this point in my spiritual journey, and following my previous post on Britney Spears - and the abstinence there from - I have decided to head in the complete opposite direction (of Britney Spears) and actively commence a search for a guru. It seems a particularly appropriate move, given the diametrically opposing ideas of what my ideal spiritual guru should be, and well, Britney Spears.

Let me explain.

As any self-respecting Canadian / human being does, I have a television. I also have a computer, and my computer has this thing called the Internet. And then there are these other things called magazines and newspapers. And in all of these, and more or less owning all of these, is a woman named Oprah. And Oprah has this handy-dandy thing called a book club that I am nowhere close to being a part of, but due to the existence of all of the aforementioned things it's more or less impossible to not know exactly what is being read in Oprah's Book Club at any given time.

Which brings me to Eat, Pray, Love. I caved. I bought. I read. And, after thoroughly enjoying the Italy (eating!) section, I've started in on the India section (ashrams!). An ashram. The very concept is new to me. I mean, I've heard the word, but the whole idea seems a little cultish. And so far the book, to be honest, is not completely dispelling that notion.

But, anyway, while I'm not fervently throwing myself into the application-to-the-ashram process, I have definitely been a little bit wowed by some of the ideas she sets forth. In particular, and back to my point, the GURU! Since I've more or less stumbled through my spirituality journey, getting repeatedly sidetracked and / or distracted by my tendency to embrace the cynical, it makes sense that I would need a guru.

Now, I'm new to the guru world, and prone to instinctively dismissing the idea offhand as a little too "out there." I'm not about to shave my head, move to an ashram, or pretend that I could actually attain spiritual enlightenment. The blue light of euphoric godliness is not really my goal, and nor should it be. I like to set achievable goals, and celebrate raucously when I reach them.

But that isn't to say I'm a complete guru virgin. Sister Wendy was a nice start and really, she set the bar high, but unfortunately her whole vow of silence thing means that she has a tendency to go radio silent on me, which is not so helpful when one is on a journey such as mine. Thus, I decided to start again and begin my guru search anew. Now comes the hard part - where does one actually get a guru? My natural instinct is to search Craigslist, but I'm not sure that that is going to reap the kind of results I'm looking for.

So let's start with my ideal spiritual guru. Well, according to Wikipedia, the word guru is composed of the two syllables "gu", signifying darkness, and "ru", signifying "the destroyer of that darkness". So, a guru is someone "who dispels spiritual ignorance (darkness) with spiritual illumination (light)." Or, in other words and / or a moment of circular logic: Oprah.

Yes, you heard me, Oprah. But before the commenter frenzy begins, hear me out. Oprah won't ever be my guru. Firstly, because how could that even happen? What, I'm just supposed to call up the Harpo offices and ask?

"Hi, you've reached the offices of Oprah Winfrey, how may I help you?"

"Hi. Well, I'm on this spiritual journey thing, and I'd Iike to ask Oprah to be my guru."

[click.]

And secondly, because, well, see the first reason. It's not going to happen.

But that brings me back to Oprah again, because according to her other book club book, The Secret (which I've already mentioned once before) - apparently if I really want and truly seek a guru, the universe will provide me with one.

So: I hereby really want and truly seek a guru.

(And this is the part where if any of you actually do know Oprah / think she'd be interested in being my spiritual guru, by all means, and please, I beg of you, pass her my way!)

On that note, I'm out. Destination: Guru, here I come. And here's hoping for good guru news next week, otherwise, I'll just have to regale you with tales of East Village yoga classes, and a more in depth summary of Eat, Pray, Love.

Comments

[amamomofsons]

I have a bunch of sons, all free thinkers. One calls himself an agnostic, and two are atheists. A few are antithesis and for all of them it's just a non issue. One married a catholic.We adore her. We are surrounded by dear friends who seem to want permission to challenge themselves .For instance, I recently attended a dinner party with Jewish, Muslim, and Catholic friends. One of my sons best friends is Mormon and one of them has a best friend who is Persian. One dated a Hindu girl for a while. We have some very lively conversation around our table thats for sure. The Mormons would love to convert us, but respect us. The friends who seem most threatened are evangelicals.I had a very long friendship end with her telling me I was going to hell and she didn't want to watch it happen. My closest friends are Greek Orthodox and Catholic. Go figure. What about you? The trick is knowing when you can talk about religion and when to leave it alone. Not easy.

[amamomofsons]

When I discovered who I was, I made up my mind that it was my moral duty to question and challenge people around me to ask themselves why they believe what they do. I lost a few friends in the process who just can't get their head around the fact that I think our spirituality is bigger than what they have been told all their lives. Then, there are those who look at me as though I were some demon who has horns. The best is when I can make a person who was totally satisfied to follow in the footsteps of the previous generation actually reconsider why they think what they think. I want to give permission to the right wingers to really look within. They are zealots no different than any other zealots following blindly. It's fear and power that is to blame. Is it too late? Maybe, but as we evolve there is always a chance for future generations not to be held hostage by religion. To do that we need to purge our government of the Bush's and SEPARATE CHURCH AND STATE......Tax them like any other business and teach people to be independent. Religion is dangerous and most governments are dangerous.

[JimReed]

How about your sons? Did you ever have to challenge them or make them reconsider? Are they independent or held hostage? I am asking this because losing a few friends doesn't seem as bad as losing all close family members. Also, did you ever actually get any people around you to question what they believe? I am just asking because it seems like losing friends and family is a lot easier than getting anyone to question anything, just my opinion.

[amamomofsons]

Oh ....one thing I forgot to include is that spiritual people never judge anyone by their worst moment, but by their best.

[amamomofsons]

Good question. Let me think....When people are totally engaged,and spiritual they see and react to the needs of people and situations around them. They smile at strangers and offer help without a thought. I think that people who care for the the ill or unfortunate are exempt from having to prove themselves as spiritual. Spiritual people have a connection with their family and friends that is the real deal. They are unconditionally there for the needy. They are respectful and celebrate the diversity of others. They always protect the vulnerable They leave the planet a better place. They are responsible for their own happiness and they accept responsibility and make amends for their mistakes. They take care of their body. They lead by example and inspire others. They never take advantage and would never be the start of a conflict. They respectfully challenge others to be their best and they are honest and humble. They realize that they are not very important in the broad spectrum of things but they must work to be important to themselves. They are fair and kind. They are comfortable in their own skins. They don't fear death and they don't need answers that can not be found.They aren't searching and waisting a moment of their time here trying to figure out the big WHY. Is this a clumsy explanation? Since I have come to this path I have found such contentment and confidence and it isn't because of a group or person. It feels good. By the way ...good point on organized religion. I do wonder how many of us are out there though, seeing that we don't take head counts or send out offering envelopes.

[JimReed]

Some of the people matching that description had to go and blow it all by voting for Bush. Judging them only by their best moments doesn't solve our problem here. I keep thinking they need to repent of what all they have caused through that vote, and ask the rest of the world for forgiveness. The problem might be too big for a spiritual solution. A lifetime of good works can be wiped out by a moment of insanity, and the group provides that insanity, the same group that also constructed the good works mutual admiration society.

[amamomofsons]

Hi Jim,
I have tried both and discovered that I prefer to be an active participant in my life with all my senses alert. I still spend time thinking and learning and reasoning things out which can be a form of nirvana I suppose....that was a joke and I meant it not to sound so serious. I quite love quiet and peaceful moments as much as the next person. My hope for the people on this blog is that they find a path without allowing someone outside themselves to interfere in their personal spiritual journey. Of course in the end ...it's their choice. In all of my personal journeys I have come to mistrust organized religion as a whole ( as many have)and the idea of following a Guru or Priest, Imam, Minister, Rabbi, Shaman, Evangelical Reverend, Monk or any other leader in an organized religion is scary to me. Religion is the main reason we go to war. I think at last count there were 36 major conflicts on the planet and all have religion as their base.

[JimReed]

My response was supposed to be a joke too. If you are wide awake, what do you see? When people become spiritually engaged, what do they tend to do?

I think what we need to do here is try to make sure Verena shares our healthy mistrust of organized religion and their leaders. While we are on that subject, is there such a thing as an unorganized religion? Is that impossible to know because the moment they open up to the public and start to recruit, that makes them organized?

[amamomofsons]

Just a quick note,
Why is it that people try so hard to achieve nirvana which is really nothing more than a self induced coma, when they could actually be living their life wide awake and engaged with the world around them?

[JimReed]

You could try both and then decide which you prefer.

[JimReed]

It is a blessing when the spiritually enlightened choose coma instead of war.

[norrton]

"and celebrate raucously" ???

Sir Trippedalot says "Right On!"

gnofleas and yours truly, Happy valentine's day to all !

http://eyeofpeace.org/
BS
http://stonesareforidiots.org/
LK
http://singularitylove.org/
SE

[drblack]

Oprah has shown poor judgment many times.
She has Dr Oz who was fined by the Government for his cruel experiments on puppies and dogs.
She forced Dr Phil a man with a degree in Political Psych. This doesn't give him any ability to help people, but it does give him knowledge on how to manipulate people.
Oprah is the luckiest person alive.
She has no remarkable skill or talent but she is rich and famous.
I guess she does have a Charles manson type of charisma, but little else.
being in the right place at the right time was her greatest accomplishment.

[ccwpmarcus]

I'm going to speak up and debunk this line of thinking right now. Not that I'm particularly a fan of hers, I just dislike when compotent peoples' successes are written of to luck. Luck plays a part in it, just as it does everything, but without the skills to capitolize that luck would amount to nothing.

It's funny. Even though, I think more does need to be done to equalize the division between rich and poor I hold individual people accountable for enabling themselves to remain how they are. This accountability applies in all aspects of life, whether financial, in relationships, or spiritually as is the topic of this blog.

[amamomofsons]

There is a danger in following blindly anyone who sets themselves apart as a true authority in spirituality. No one has the right to push, guide, or influence us in our spiritual journey.I don't think we should follow traditions, organizations or people who claim to know something we don't because they don't know any more than the rest of us. Spirituality is personal. It is the most personal and important aspect of our lives and yet it is also the first thing we hand over to someone without any thought. We follow our fathers religion because it is the only thing we know.We join the big church and conform to it's rules to be a part of something bigger than ourselves ( a community) or we look for someone who will "guide" us in our very personal and unique spiritual journey. Look within. It's there.

[curiousasheck]

Your not ready for a Guru.

Just be yourself and play your role. We're all actors on the world stage and in the cosmic drama.

Watch out for fake Gurus in the meantime. Who are more interested in getting in your pants then setting you on a real path out of the madness.

[WilliePilgrim]

My suggestion, just in case anyone would like a "short term" kinda perspective;
Watch "Young Indiana jones meets Krinshamurti"..it's awful but it did dispell a lot of darkness about a few things.

[TheCult]

As Verena stated, a guru is supposed to be someone who dispels the darkness of spiritual ignorance with the light of spiritual understanding. The problem is that there are countless people who claim to be gurus, many have similar teachings, most with contradictory teachings to the other supposed gurus. What is spiritual darkness? What is the light of spiritual understanding? Since the word guru is coming from the Vedic (Hindu) tradition that is where we should look to find those answers. The Vedic tradition claims that all of reality everywhere is comprised of one substance, Brahman. Brahman is the infinite all pervading ground of being from which everything arises and is a part of. The Upanishads say Tat Tvam Asi, You Are That, you are part of Brahman. That is the first level of spiritual understanding. The next is understanding that Brahman is conscious and has it's own self identity, different from all other identities, yet at the same time all things and people exist as a part of Brahman. Brahman is a vastly ancient and supreme intelligent being. The next level of understanding is that Brahman is all powerful, Brahman controls everything and everyone within the universe from within, guiding everything and everyone to it's destiny. This aspect of Brahman is called Param Atma, Supreme Being. The next level is understanding the playful aspect of Brahman-Param Atma. This aspect is called Bhagavan. In it's aspect as Bhagavan the supreme being enacts Lila, or enjoying or play. To enjoy life it takes on human forms and enjoys living life with humans. All 3 aspects of the supreme are going on all of the time throughout eternity. The guru, in the Vedic understanding, is supposed to bring you to an understanding of your eternal connection to the supreme being, which will end your karmic journey of samsara, ultimately bringing you into that eternal life of spiritual play and bliss (Ananda) with that supreme being in it's aspect as Bhagavan. This is the goal of life according to the true Vedic tradition.

[wildflowermaven]

I too am reading Eat, Pray, Love, and so far find it a mini-spiritual awakening in itself. So many of the things she goes through, struggles with, strike a responding chord in myself, one that lights up dark corners and makes me realize something similar that's gone on in my own life. I don't think of the book or author as a guru, but it is a remarkable read, perhaps because the author is honestly relating her search for God and her life's purpose. I don't find the ashram to resemble a cult in any way, rather it is a structured environment to facilitate a person's spiritual journey. People come and go, and are free to partake in activities or not.

And in regards to Oprah, she is a great teacher, a true light in our world. Not a guru, nor would I think she aspires to be, but someone who brings to light many important things, like the shows she's done on forgiveness. Of course she has also done shows on redoing your house, and on cheating spouses, an eclectic mix that may well fit you to a tee Verona.

[lungfish]

In the end you teach yourself. A guru can give you a nudge here and there but inside, if you are training yourself correctly, is where you will find the guidance and the answers.

I recall watching a video of Thakr Singh in front of, perhaps, 100.000 followers. You could see the expressions on the faces in the crowds. Some were in adoration that suggested that they were not at all in tune with the message. Others were more self composed and understood that it wasn't the guru but it was what he was talking about that was important.

There is a big difference.

A message with truth has a ring in it that transcends the person who speaks it. That is what a person on the path is looking for. It isn't a personality to guide them and tell them it is ok to become greater. It is the information itself.

In that sense, there are many people who are telling you what you need to know. The question for you is, are you listening? If you are and YOU act on what you learn, you are teaching yourself.

In the end its a matter of understanding the difference between religion and spirituality. In Religion you give up your own common sense and allow someone else to tell you what is right and wrong. In spirituality you figure it out for yourself.

Spirituality is the direct practice...

Good Luck

[DocManhattan]

Good luck in your explorations, Verena, and watch out for those nasty charlatans ...

Me, I'll be keeping an eye on this column because I'm at the stage in my life where I can no longer tell irony from sincerity, and I'm hoping you'll be able to help me figure that one out.

In the meantime, your column tickled me. So, good job.