Guru Shmuru
Someone called me a guru the other day and it made me very uncomfortable. It’s not that I don’t think I have valuable knowledge to share with other people and it’s not like I don’t view myself as a teacher and advisor. The issue I have with the term comes from the connotations that have been associated with the word.
Too often we are encouraged (by society in general and sometimes by the teacher’s themselves) to put our gurus, healers and sages up on a pedestal where they can do no wrong without tumbling painfully into the dirt. Too often we expect our healers to heal us completely, our gurus to hand out enlightenment and our teachers to have all the answers. We are told to follow, adhere to this process and maybe someday you can hope to be as divine.
I am a person, just like you and I make mistakes like anyone else. I won’t judge you for your mistakes and I don’t want to be judged for mine. I don’t want you to be like me, I want to help you be more fully and completely you. I don’t have all the answers nor can I magically make all your wounds disappear. I don’t want your adoration or unconditional devotion and I certainly don’t want up on that pedestal.
What I want is to share what I know, show you what has worked for me and what may help you. I want to provide you guidance while you build your own foundation, help you to empower yourself to heal your own wounds, I want to be your advocate and your cheerleader while you create your own wellbeing. I want you to see me as an equal, a fellow human being doing her best to stay on her path and in the light who sometimes struggles, just like you.
My goal is to give you knowledge (some from personal experience, some gleaned through my connection) to help you empower yourself to find balance and healing in your life. I want to help you find the tools that empower you to discover healing for yourself, I want to encourage you to create your own sense of balance and support you while you struggle through your own spiritual development. I’m not here to do it for you, merely contribute to your individual process with tools, techniques & teachings that I have found beneficial.
I don’t want to be your guru, I want to be your partner and your coach during your journey towards wellness. I want to learn with you as the teacher so often becomes the student. I want us to support each other and collectively make all of our existences richer and fuller. These are beliefs I hold sacred and are in part why I am doing the work I do. I want to help re-define the way that we view ourselves and the healing process through de-mysifing the metaphysical. My work is in part about helping you discover how to be your own guru, your own spiritual teacher. You may need more from me in the beginning but my fondest wish is for you to someday say you don’t need me at all.
