Tag Archive: spiritual teachers


Shaktipat: Can Psychic Ability Be Transferred from One Person to Another?

Filed Under: Intuitive Development, Psychic Ability, Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Shaktipat: Can Psychic Ability Be Transferred from One Person to Another?

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved.
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I recently saw an advertisement from a woman who says she can “transfer” her psychic abilities to others. This is supposedly done in three day-long sessions, and the total cost is several thousand dollars. She claims that this is worth it because one can skip many years of psychic development. Is this possible? What do you think of this idea? Also, is it possible that just being in the presence of a “guru” can cause spiritual enlightenment?
– Jan

Dear Jan:

It is never wise to try to cut spiritual corners in order to access various spiritual “powers.” Psychic abilities unfold as a natural consequence of spiritual development; if we simply focus on spiritual growth, psychic and other spiritual abilities will develop of their own accord. It is foolish to put the powers first and the awakening second. I would thus be very suspicious of a spiritual teacher who was promoting instant psychic ability or suggesting that it’s possible to “sell” enlightenment!

There are good reasons that spiritual practices like meditation and yoga have been prescribed for millennia. When we devote ourselves to lifelong spiritual development via regular spiritual practice, we enjoy a smooth journey where one state of being naturally flows into the next.

Big problems may occur when this natural order isn’t followed. For example, sometimes people have “kundalini experiences” when kundalini (life force energy) is awakened suddenly or “accidentally.” This may happen as a result of a fall or blow to the tail bone, a near death experience, or the use of psychedelic drugs. When awakening occurs like this, one may go through quite an uncomfortable period or experience what some call a “spiritual emergency.”

To me it seems only prudent to listen to the teachings of spiritual masters, and to devote oneself to the work involved in achieving our aims. Trying to become psychic in a weekend is like putting on a black belt after a few days of karate training, or someone with an honorary degree trying to practice law or medicine. You might look the part, but would you really want to be put to the test? You can imagine all the problems that might erupt from such an approach.

Now, all of these matters aside, is it possible for a teacher to transfer spiritual powers to a student? Supposedly, this is one of the greatest blessings of having a “guru.” This gift of spiritual awakening is most commonly called shaktipat. It’s sort of an initiation wherein a master awakens a student into higher levels of consciousness.

Sadly, the sort of guru who can bestow shaktipat is probably very rare, but even if your spiritual teacher can’t enlighten you instantly with a touch or a look, you may still gain great blessings from such a relationship.

For obvious reasons, it is very helpful to have someone who has been where you want to go show you around. Great spiritual teachers can save you tons of time by teaching you what they have mastered themselves. They can help you remain motivated and hold you accountable to your own personal goals. They can help you over stumbling blocks, provide specific answers and personal guidance, and lend you support and understanding when no one else in your life has a clue what you’re going through. The further “out there” we get, the more refreshing and reassuring it is to find someone who truly understands our strange spiritual experiences because they have been through that twilight zone themselves.

Further, just being in the presence of some people can instantly alter our own vibration. I’ve been in lectures and classes with some great spiritual teachers, and felt everyone present move into synch with that teacher’s energy. It is said that one who is connected to the stream of pure positive energy is more powerful than thousands who are not, and this can be directly experienced in such situations.

Ram Dass and Deepak Chopra are two such teachers who come to mind. Deepak’s aura was the biggest I’ve ever seen; it extended beyond the walls of the huge auditorium he spoke in. This was very surprising to me, as I had some prejudices about him beforehand that I realized were totally unwarranted. Similarly, when I went to a lecture by Ram Dass many years ago, I was in an altered state of consciousness the entire time. I have no recollection of anything he said, in fact, but I was blissed out for days following this experience.

When in the presence of such a person, we may feel like we’ve been hypnotized, but I believe this is not a matter of brainwashing – we’re just “under the influence” of this master’s energy. It only makes sense that the more time we spend with such a person, the more our own vibration will entrain to theirs.

It is thus wise to spend time with people you admire, people who embody qualities you are trying to develop or who have already learned the knowledge and skills you wish to make your own. At the same time, however, it is NOT wise to deify human beings or to see them as somehow superior to us. This is disempowering to ourselves, and it’s a pretty heavy trip to lay on the teacher. Remember: we can not see in another anything we do not possess ourselves, so we might say that a “guru” is simply embodying some part of ourselves that we are in the process of discovering and developing.

So if you find yourself in the presence of some great spiritual teacher, know that it is because you are in harmony with their energy and with moving in this direction yourself. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. In time, you may outgrow this teacher and move on to a new one – someone who can guide you further along your path. This doesn’t mean each one of our teachers will be somehow better than the last, however – just that whatever we need at the time is what we will attract.

Even when people find themselves caught up with ‘false gurus’ to whom they have given away their personal power, it seems to me that they’ve attracted just what they needed. What a powerful lesson! Through this experience, they are learning not to deify human beings, but rather, to value their own inner truth and wisdom above all.

In summary, if you’re longing for a guru, make sure you’re not trying to skip over some of the work you see before you. When we try to take spiritual “short-cuts,” we often end up lost and far off course. Also, make sure you’re not looking for something outside of yourself that can only be found within. The ultimate guru (teacher) is within you, and can be accessed at any time by honoring your own inner knowing as your ultimate connection to divine wisdom. If you’re satisfied that neither of these is the case, then longing for a guru may in fact be a sign that you are being led to a new teacher.

If and when you do find a wonderful spiritual teacher, question everything and be very careful not to worship this individual. Remember that your “guru” is no more divine than you are, and is not infallible. Do not expect your teacher to be a living saint, either; just because someone knows more than we do about something, that doesn’t make them perfect. Gratefully accept from spiritual teachers the lessons, knowledge and experiences that resonate with you as true and useful, and leave the rest behind.

Remember too that this is not a one-way relationship, and even spiritual teachers must earn a living. Offer your teacher the same courtesy, kindness and understanding you would to anyone else, and make sure you are giving back in equal measure to what you receive, whether you do that by paying for your lessons, volunteering your time and energy, or expressing your heartfelt gratitude.

– Soul Arcanum

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Why Irritating People are Great Spiritual Teachers

Filed Under: Relationships, Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Why Irritating People are Great Spiritual Teachers

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I understand that what irritates us about others is really about us. The part I have trouble with is figuring out how to actually take that irritation and apply it to myself. It’s like looking in a mirror with everything being backwards. Can you give me a short course on this matter?
– DeDe

Dear DeDe:

When someone does or says something that pushes a personal button for us, we tend to have a personal emotional reaction. By contrast, when someone does something abhorrent that we would never do, we may feel appalled but we won’t be personally indignant or annoyed.

For example, we may be shocked to hear about someone robbing a bank but not have a personal emotional reaction because this behavior is foreign and baffling to us. By contrast, we may feel really irritated when someone allows themselves to act in ways we wish we could act but rarely allow ourselves to.

I find it really annoying when people are lazy. No one would say that I am personally lazy; in fact, I tend to work all the time and rarely allow myself any down time. This doesn’t mean I’m not lazy, however; it means I don’t allow myself to be lazy. Whenever there is a lack of healthy balance, tension is born. I have traced my strong feelings about laziness back to my childhood, and even though I’m aware that I have some false beliefs and imbalances surrounding this subject, I haven’t resolved them yet, so I still tend to feel irritated when other people bring this issue up for me by being lazy.

By contrast, when I see someone working really hard and being rewarded for it, it underscores my own belief that it’s good to work hard. Thus I tend to like and respect hard workers because they’re like me. What I don’t consciously recognize most of the time is that lazy folks are like me too – they’re just like a part of me that I repress and deny because I don’t like it.

Another common example is the need to be right. I always think I’m right, and I find it really annoying to deal with someone who seems to think they are smarter than I am. When I step outside the ego and observe how I do the same thing, it’s pretty amusing. That sense of easy, nonjudgmental awareness is enlightening. When we can stop needing to be perfect and taking ourselves so seriously, we begin to see ourselves clearly. Then we can shift from the ego stance of I’m right and you’re wrong, to something more like Well, whaddya know!

Now let’s examine a subject I believe I have no real hang-ups about: sexuality. In my view – when it hasn’t been perverted by fear, shame, repression and denial – sex is all good. I have no problem with public displays of affection; in fact, it makes me happy to see others in love. I have no problem with homosexuality, bi-sexuality, free love or anything that doesn’t harm another person. I have no issue with anyone talking openly about sex or my own teenagers safely and respectfully exploring their sexuality. Given their intense socialization on this subject, most people have at least some repressed sexual issues, so many people are a bit shocked and disturbed by my relatively free sexuality.

That strong reaction is the thing to look for. As we become more conscious and begin to step outside the ego to truly observe ourselves, we begin to realize that our reactions to life and other people are not about them – they are entirely about us. No one else can make us feel any particular way at all: our responses are determined by who we are, what we believe, and how we interpret our experiences.

The more attached we are to seeing ourselves in a certain light, the stronger our reaction will be when others bring up parts of ourselves we don’t want to face. This doesn’t necessarily mean we act like those people; it usually means we have feelings we have fearfully repressed. Of course, sometimes we do act as they do but we don’t want to recognize it.

Further, the other person doesn’t even have to be a true reflection of ourselves – it’s what we see in them that reflects our own nature. A clear example of this is when one partner suspects the other partner of being unfaithful, when in truth, it is the suspicious partner who has been fooling around or at least thinking about it. This is where it becomes really clear that what we see in others is a reflection of our own true nature. People who assume the best of others tend to be well-intentioned themselves, while people who assume the worst are simply projecting their own shadows outward.

Once we realize we’re having a strong negative reaction to something or someone, we have to use our divine gift of reason to work our way toward some important realizations, such as:

I recognize that when I always need to look smart and right, I often just look ridiculous.

When I make up my mind that I already know the answers, I become incapable of learning anything new, and thus become LESS intelligent.

I’m attached to being right because I’m afraid of losing control of situations and the one-up position in relationships.

Being right may bring temporal satisfaction, but being loving brings lasting happiness.

This reasoning process naturally leads to greater wisdom and softens the ego so that the higher self may emerge more and more. When we become conscious of why we feel the way we do and how we’d like to feel and be instead, we become capable of positive change.

So when you have a negative reaction to someone or something, you might view it as a red flag drawing your attention to a personal issue or lesson. To resolve this, first shift from resistance to love by asking yourself what the other person is really after with their so-called negative behavior. If you can find compassion for them and give them what they want, you will move from hating them (and this part of yourself) to loving them (and this part of yourself), which will facilitate growth and healing. Further, we get what we give in life, so by giving to others what they seem to want, you will begin to attract a higher level of experience yourself.

For example:

If the other person wants to be right, can you let them be right? 

If they want to talk endlessly about themselves, can you let them talk and really listen? 

If they want more than their fair share, can you let them have it? 

If they want to criticize you, can you accept their criticism and apologize for anything you may have done or said to upset them? 

If they are rude, can you be polite in response? 

If they are angry, can you be soothing and validating? 

If they are lazy or misguided, can you allow them to learn from their own mistakes and reap whatever they sow? 

As you align with love, look within yourself. If you are annoyed because someone is lazy, ask yourself, Do I wish I gave myself more permission to be lazy too? Then examine your life for a lack of balance. If others are selfish, ask yourself if you wish you gave yourself permission to give more to yourself without feeling guilty about it. If they are angry, ask yourself if you are angry deep down and trying to deny or repress that anger.

Meditation, journaling, counseling and hypnotherapy are great tools for working through any issues that come up. When you get to the point where no one is wrong – where everyone is just doing their best to learn and grow – then you’ll know that you’re no longer caught up in ego-born denial or repression, and are on your way to greater embodiment of your own higher nature.

– Soul Arcanum

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Disillusionment with Spiritual Teachers

Filed Under: Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Disillusionment with Spiritual Teachers

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

Last night a guest on a radio program was talking about his incredible experiences while meditating. He was saying that one time while deep in meditation, he met Jesus, and he said that trying to look Jesus in the eye was nearly impossible because he was so intensely bright. Jesus asked him if he wanted to meet an angel and he said yes, and he started flying through our galaxy towards the center. He said that this was so blissful and ecstatic that it became too overwhelming and he wanted to stop it. He said there were nine spheres or levels of bliss, and each one was more intense than the previous. He got all the way to the boundary of the last one but felt that if he crossed into it, he couldn’t come back, so he stopped because he wanted to tell the world that this is real.

I’ve heard stories like this from people in the past, but over the past year, I’ve experienced huge disillusionment because I started following this man that I thought was a true master but I came to find out he is narrow-minded about a lot of things and hasn’t been open with the truth. I also found out Yogananda had some skeletons in his closet, so I’m a lot more cautious about spiritual teachers now. I just don’t know what or who to believe in anymore. Can you verify or debunk through your own experiences what this man on the radio was talking about last night? Part of me is inspired to start meditating again, but part of me is wary about getting suckered in.
– Ned

Dear Ned

Regarding the experiences this man described, I see no reason to doubt he was telling the truth. I’ve never had an experience like this myself, but many aspects of it are in harmony with mystical experiences recorded throughout the ages. While you could point to that fact alone to suggest that he was making it all up, one has to wonder why he’d bother.

Here are some of the aspects that mirror classic mystical experiences:

First, seeing a beautiful light is probably the most common element in reports of near death experiences. Some believe this light to be Jesus, while others interpret it to be some other divine being. Almost all say that they can’t look directly at it, yet it doesn’t hurt their eyes. Being bathed in this light is universally reported to be blissful beyond words.

Many people who have out of body and near death experiences report flying through space and exploring the nature of reality in ways similar to what this man described. The idea that there are nine spheres or dimensions is also common. In ancient Rome, it was believed that our physical world is one of nine spheres, and this was echoed in Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other esoteric teachings.

While you could argue that we’ve all been influenced both consciously and unconsciously by these traditions, these ideas must originate somewhere, so it would be just as foolish to reject them outright as it would be to accept them blindly. In the case of experiences that are reported time and time again from people throughout different cultures and belief systems, I’m inclined to assume there is at least a seed of truth in them.

My own journey has also taught me that far more is possible than most people realize. Certainly, if what you desire is mind-blowing mystical experiences, then you’re wise to go for it and expect to be guided to fulfillment.

Regarding your disillusionment with spiritual gurus, I do understand how you feel. There are two aspects of this issue we might examine closely: the sort of person who seeks to become a famous spiritual teacher and your reason for wanting to find a teacher you can wholly believe in.

I tend to view high profile spiritual teachers very much like I view politicians: the best people for the job are too wise to want it. It’s the ego that craves fame and fortune, not the higher self, so anyone who sets themselves up as somehow special is automatically suspect in my book.

If spiritual teachers set themselves apart or above others, keep moving. If they were coming from their higher selves, they would view you to be just as divine as they are, and would aim to empower you by helping you see that. This is not to say that you can’t trust anyone famous, just that we shouldn’t be surprised when famous spiritual teachers demonstrate ego-based behavior. Even many of those spiritual teachers who have fame thrust upon them eventually succumb to the seductive trappings of celebrity.

I also understand your desire to find someone you can truly believe in. Everyone longs for something special and magical, and when we don’t know where to look for it, we’re naturally eager to follow someone who says they can show us the way. However, when we place a mere mortal on a spiritual pedestal, we set ourselves up for disappointment.

The search for a great spiritual teacher is often rooted in a desire to find the perfect parent we never had as children. We want to believe that someone else – a spiritual teacher or a heavenly father – is all-loving and all-powerful, and if we just obey and worship them, they’ll take perfect care of us. This arises from fear and hence a desire to feel more secure, and a lack of faith in ourselves and our own divine nature.

It’s never wise to give our power away to another mere mortal or to worship another person in the place of God – whatever God may mean to us. God whispers to us within our own hearts and souls, so as we evolve spiritually, we stop looking for the Divine outside ourselves and start listening within. When we step into our own divine power, we lose the need for someone else to save us or show us the way.

So as I see it, becoming disillusioned with spiritual teachers you’ve had on a pedestal is a sign of spiritual maturity. Instead of viewing them as demigods, we might consider them fellow spiritual travelers who have already journeyed through territory we’d like to explore ourselves. Since all they can do is tell us about what they encountered and perhaps offer us advice or a map of the territory they’re familiar with, we’d be foolish to project superhuman qualities on them. We can take the best of what they have to offer us, but we should be prepared to leave the rest.

You’re not alone, my friend. All spiritual seekers go through the same pattern of experience: they find a teacher or path that inspires them and get really absorbed in it for a while. Then after they’ve soaked up all they need, they start to feel restless and are no longer intrigued or impressed. This is positive because it causes them to move on and explore new ideas. Staying with the same teacher forever would be like studying nothing but algebra; you might get really good at math, but you’d miss out on a wonderful variety of other subjects.

So your disillusionment is a sign that you’re ready to move on, not only from this particular teacher, but from your need to find someone who has all the answers figured out for you. You don’t need to find a teacher you can wholly believe in – you just need to trust your own inner being to guide you. Your inner being is trying to do that now by inspiring you to pursue your own amazing mystical experiences.

Finally, I sincerely believe that whatever you manifest is perfect for you at that time. In this situation, I see your disillusionment with others as having a wonderful higher purpose: it’s guiding you to develop greater faith in yourself.

– Soul Arcanum

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She’s Weary of Her Spiritual Mentor

Filed Under: Divine Guidance, Intuitive Development, Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on She’s Weary of Her Spiritual Mentor

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

Lately I have felt stagnant in my spiritual growth and practices. I had a friend that was kind of like a mentor to me, but within the past six months, I have grown very tired of her and weary of anyone trying to “mentor” me. Am I being stubborn, going through my own growing pains, or is it something else?
– Jennifer

Dear Jennifer:

I do feel you are being stubborn – not because you are resistant to others’ guidance, but because you are resistant to letting go of relationships you have outgrown.

As we grow and evolve, we are led to the people and experiences that can help us learn what we need to learn next or become what we want to become. When we first discover those people or experiences, we feel strongly attracted to them. This is our inner guidance telling us that we’ve found what we’ve been looking for. Our feelings of interest and excitement are signs from our inner compass that we should go in this direction. This is why it is wise to “follow our bliss.”

As time goes on, that which once was blissful and exciting naturally loses some of its shine. Challenges arise. Now we’ll either move beyond the surface to deeper levels of understanding, or lose interest and move on. This holds true both for new teachings/practices and for new relationships.

Think about it: when we first make a new friend or start dating a new lover, that person seems wonderful and fascinating. After a while we get beneath the surface, however, where things are more complicated. In addition to all the good things that first attracted us, we discover new stuff that we struggle to understand. We may not be sure what to think of it, and spend a good amount of time really weighing it out. That “struggle” is at the heart of personal growth.

If we hang in there, over time we learn how to work it all out: how to be patient and understanding with these new issues and push through the rough spots. If this relationship or practice really works for us, we may stick with it indefinitely and make it our own. If it continues to bring us joy and blessings, that will be easy. If it brings new lessons and challenges, we’ll be motivated to keep it alive – at least as long as our desire for growth outweighs our fears and insecurities.

If, however, we discover that there isn’t much for us to chew on beneath that surface, we’ll start to experience feelings of stagnation, boredom, frustration, etc. These are signs that we have outgrown the relationship or situation.

As we are always looking for “the answer,” “the key,” or “the one,” when we find something or someone that feels like it might be it, we tend to grab it with both hands and refuse to let go. We want it to be all we have been looking for, so we define it as such. Then later when we’ve outgrown it, if we fail to redefine it in light of all we’ve learned, we may feel confused because it doesn’t “do it” for us anymore.

Just because a certain person, practice, course of study, etc., is what we most need at one time, that doesn’t mean it will always be what we need. Even something of great power can become a hindrance if we cling to it too long. We can no more force ourselves to stay in relationships or situations that we’ve outgrown than we can force ourselves to wear the same pants we adored when we were six years old. Over time, they will become more and more uncomfortable until we finally discard them for something that fits better.

This is a natural process. It doesn’t mean we’re missing something, failing to appreciate our blessings or resisting our lessons. If you felt angry, inadequate, overwhelmed or challenged, I’d recommend you look within for how you may be resisting the wisdom and experience this teacher may have to offer, especially if you admire her and would like to become more like her.

By contrast, boredom, weariness and indifference are signs that it is time to move on. When we find ourselves saying, “I’m so tired of” this or that, or “This is getting really ‘old,'” it’s time to ask ourselves why we’re still in that situation. Usually, it’s because despite our lack of interest, we’re still living according to that obsolete definition, which keeps us hanging on.

To get unstuck, you just need to update your mental files and redefine this teacher’s role in your life in light of where you are NOW. It doesn’t really matter what you once got out of this relationship; what matters is how well it fits who you have become and where you want to go in your life from here.

While it’s wonderful to be grateful to everyone who blesses us with new wisdom and experiences, gratitude is not the same as obligation. Let go of any guilt you’re feeling about wanting to move on so you can celebrate how far you’ve come!

Now, this teacher aside, everyone on a conscious spiritual path at some point grows weary of others trying to mentor them. This is a very important turning point. I feel your inner being is telling you that you don’t need to be led by anyone outside of yourself anymore. Your next step on your spiritual journey will involve you developing your own conscious connection to Spirit and listening within for your own answers. You may still take classes or read books, but instead of assuming these writers and teachers know more than you do, you will weigh all input against your own inner wisdom.

You’re very wise to be questioning yourself. That means you have developed the ability to rise above your ego for higher awareness. It’s ironic: the more we can ask ourselves if we are just being “stubborn” due to ego issues, the less likely it is that this is true. Since you’re able to question your reaction objectively, I feel that you need to trust your feelings and honor them by doing what does feel right and best.

None of this means that you’ve learned everything there is to learn! It means now you have learned enough to dig in to a new level of experience, to apply what you’ve been taught and make some new discoveries of your own. This is very exciting.

It can be unnerving to begin to forge our own spiritual trail. It’s sort of like moving from a reader of great books to a writer of great books, or like moving from a child to an adult. Instead of trusting others to take care of us, guide us, and have all the answers, now we have to figure things out for ourselves.

Nevertheless, just as a child grows and realizes that her parents are not all-powerful and do not have all the answers, at some point in our spiritual journeys, we also realize that our gurus are not gods, and there is no one person out there with all the answers we’ve been seeking. While we can still learn from others, we realize that no one is a greater authority on our own spiritual truth than we are. No one else can direct us on our spiritual journeys better than we can ourselves by listening within for guidance and answers.

So when friends, jobs, teachers, etc. grow weary for you, ask yourself why you’re still there. Odds are good it is because you just haven’t updated your mental files on this situation in light of what you’ve learned and who and where you are now, or you’ve grown accustomed to being led and are reluctant to forge your own trail.

Whenever you feel stuck, call to mind the things in your life that you’re weary of, and for a moment, ponder how they are just one tiny possibility in an infinite sea of potential. Think of how many spiritual teachers there are! Contemplate how many friends, lovers, jobs, books, ideas, etc., you’ve yet to encounter. Let the immensity of all that potential stir your soul and draw you out of what has been into all that could be. If you listen to your weariness, it will eventually guide you into exciting new beginnings and discoveries.

– Soul Arcanum

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