As a young girl still growing into her awkward frame, with hormones racing and a newfound desire for the attention of boys, what I needed most was to know how to be ‘cool'. So I found the guidance of Sally Socialite, the most popular girl in school. Sally became my social Guru. I wanted to be just like her. I put her on a pedestal as the bringer of understanding on all matters related to boys. But, as always, there was an eventual breakdown of this paradigm when I realized I could find this understanding on my own.
Everyone seeks a Guru at one time or another in their live. Whether it be as a young child seeking help accommodating their awkward integration as a social being, a student seeking a mentor, a woman healing the emotional wounds of a painfully detached father in the arms of the ‘knight in shining armor'. We all seek inner understanding, a bringer of joy, a bringer of peace, a bringer of healing. When I was a young girl Care Bears were my Guru, the bringers of great joy to my life. As I got older it became the company of horses and their strength and the solace they provided me during my awkward years. OK, so horses never left their lofty pedestal, but they had to make room for my first crush who clearly was my Guru for the first 10 months of our charade. Everything he liked became what I liked for I felt that if I did what he did, that he would love me as I felt I loved him. It did not work however, and the pedestal shortly made room for the next recipient.
We will call him Coach Knows All, my high school track coach. With his ‘un-cool' spandex pants and his dislike for TV or anything that was about ‘following the herd', this coach provided me with a basic foundation upon which I have crafted my identity, by simply giving me permission to just be myself. He continually encouraged me not to follow what others liked, but what felt best to me. He would pull on my toes before a track meet to help my body's circulation and would have me lay on the floor with my legs in the air to drain the lactic acids. I was one of the only ones who would actually listen to his strange ways because I liked not following the herd.
When I lost my first race I apologized to him and he looked at me with a crinkled brow exclaiming, "Michelle, everyone wins, everyone loses, it's all the same". It was all he had to say for me to get it. He very rightfully was my Guru during those years of feeling the pain of ‘fitting in' but in truth just desiring to be my own eccentric self. Time drew on as time always does, and I moved on to College, then on to studying with energy healers, shamanic teachers, and diving deeply into the spiritual. Many became my Guru because I put them there, some were ‘light' some were ‘dark', both were teachers, and I'm grateful for all of them.
These days I live in Sedona, AZ, one of the largest "New Age" hubs in the world, where I am constantly presented with various belief systems all claiming to be truth. I affectionately call Sedona "The Land of Discernment," because I have been hit with so many different and contradictory belief systems, that I must continually refine the subtle distinction between what I know to be true and what I merely wish to believe. People come to Sedona for a spiritual experience. To walk in what are called vortexes or spiritual energy centers, so that they may experience a depth of connection with their inner being. There are those claiming to be shamans, energy healers, and psychics as well as New Age book stores, crystal shops, and self-proclaimed Gurus every other week coming to Sedona to bring truth.
There are also ‘locals' who know that some of these spiritual practitioners are charlatans, and warn those coming into town that they are ‘fake'. However, who are they to tell others which road to take to the Divine? Who are we to deny someone else the experience of what we call a charlatan. In my experience some of my greatest teachers were those who turned on me, because it taught me to find the truth within myself. It is not another's responsibility if you cast them in the role of spiritual Guru. In the end, most people end up picking a Guru that agrees with their own personal point of view.
Anyone can unknowingly become a spiritual teacher for us the moment we gift them such a title. This is not to say that everyone is indeed a bringer of Divine Wisdom, but rather being open to the process of learning from all, opens up the pathway for finding Divine Wisdom in all. We are indeed learning from our experiences with others regardless if they are what we call light or dark, we grow. If we open ourselves up to focusing on the teachings, and not the teacher. There is a line that is often drawn around what a spiritual teacher or Guru really is. Many believe that to embody truth, the Guru must be pure and infallible. This standard of Christ-like perfection precludes the seeker from acknowledging the Divine "gift" that disillusionment with the Guru can be.
I have been challenged by the title Guru for most of my life, as I equated it to giving one's power over to a man or woman rather than finding it on your own. I however continually made my spiritual teacher my Guru, the shamanic lineage my Guru, the current book I was reading my Guru, but would have nothing to do with someone who actually called themselves a Guru.
In 2005 I began reading Autobiography of a Yogi and was exposed for the first time to Babaij. I quickly went online and researched this man to find pictures of Herakhan Babaji on babaji.net. This being grabbed my attention immediately and claimed me as his own. He began coming to me in dreams and teaching me about Truth, Simplicity, Love, and Service. This aspect of Babaji, who was no longer in the physical body, at least in front of me, was the greatest teacher I had met, because I was ready for the teachings. Perhaps the most profound of his teachings being this; do not attach to the teacher, attach to the teachings.
It was then I realized that Babaji coming to me in dreams was far more powerful than a being coming to me in the physical, because I was not giving all the power to his being, but rather just receiving the teachings. It was then I realized what to me a Guru truly is; A teacher who leads you to the teachings that lead you home to yourself. The process of receiving such teachings however is a process of letting go of the attachment to a being, and being open to the possibility that you can be taught by everything.
As I said, everyone has a Guru at some point. But once you are fully awakened, life itself becomes the ultimate Guru, and the teacher you most need to meet most is the one standing right in front of you. They are teaching you about your light and your shadow; your judgments; your fear. They are teaching you about your hurt, and how it feels to be ‘mislead' to God, when in your core you so deeply desire to be lead back home.
The woman who broke your heart and who taught you not to lose yourself so much in a relationship is your Guru, the school teacher who never paid any attention to you and silently encouraged you to own your knowledge without accolades, the spiritual teacher who built you up to break you down. We are all learning from someone, whether it be your collection of Carlos Castaneda novels from the 70's, that you continually refer back to, or the music of Jerry Garcia, or the presence of an avatar; we are all being guided by the Grace that moves us into Joy and Peace.
This world is a school. There are different subjects, different teachers, and different levels of teachings. Every level has its requirements and tests for passing. If you look in the dictionary and look up Guru, it says "A teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters". Everyone is our Guru, if we recognize it's about the teachings and not the teacher. Let life be your Guru. Let both your attachments and your aversions instruct you.
A true Guru leads you to God like one leads a thirsty horse to drink. The rest is up to you. You can find techniques and methods to achieve greater awareness, but it is up to you to follow them. In the end you will find that no method or religion can provide you with enlightenment until you are ready receive it. This is why the true Guru does not offer to tap you on the forehead and give you instant enlightenment. A true Guru taps you on the forehead lovingly bringing to the surface all that is not you for you to release with a trusting sigh.
I have had many Gurus and teachers. Some never asked for such a title, while others begged for it, then let me down only to lift me up again. The greatest Guru is the one who lead me home to myself. Let Grace be your Guru, the Grace of the Divine working through All.
Michelle Peterson has been aware of the subtle realms of Spirit since she was a young girl and has incorporated their presence into both her life and her work. Michelle has been studying with energetic healers and Shamanic guides since her late teens and transitioned from her job in Massachusetts as a school teacher in 2005 to fully walk the path of her heart in beautiful Sedona, Arizona. It is her joy to help facilitate other in aligning with their core Truth. She believes that no one can give you the answers, but they can however guide you into the Truth that it is already inside of you. She also believes that the work we do together is never about the teacher, but the teachings. Clients can experience Michelle's healing work with SpiritQuest Sedona Retreats.
