Over the years many dear spiritual brothers seeking the greater spiritual experience which is their birthright have sensed they would need a teacher to take them past the very deep and powerful blocks they have created to keep themselves out of the fullness of the light and glory of God. Many have asked us how to find their teacher.
A counselor coming from a background of devout Christianity might answer such inquiries by saying something like, "The only teacher you need is Jesus Christ. Just practice walking through your day with Him present. He is with you always."
A counselor who has been studying A Course in Miracles on a mostly intellectual level might also say something like, "Your mind is creative and you create everyone and everything as your teacher. You need no further teacher."
We are aware that these kinds of statements said in the right circumstances could be honest glad-tidings of absolute truth.
Another possibility is these kinds of statements could be used as dishonest denials in the service of the ego's enormous fear of moving into uncharted waters spiritually.
What if Jesus Christ was trying to get through to a man with the information that a certain enlightened teacher living physically on earth would take him past his blocks and open him spiritually in the most perfect way, but the man couldn't hear Jesus saying this because his ego had convinced him that the words, "The only teacher you need is Jesus Christ," somehow meant that Jesus doesn't teach in the form of other enlightened teachers?
What if a woman was well aware that her mind created everything and everybody as a teacher, but suddenly she realized that not only her spirit but her ego also was involved in this creation of lessons so that her mind was creating only the "safe" lessons that didn't really take her through her deepest and most powerful spiritual blocks?
The truth of the broader picture is that even if Jesus is felt as an ever present savior in one's life and even if it is a daily joyous experience that everyone and everything is teaching, there comes a time in the life of an honest spiritual student when he or she finds a desire welling up inside to be in the presence of a totally enlightened spiritual teacher who at least seems to be at times physically on earth. This desire is as natural as the welcoming of day following night.
There is no set time when this desire will arise. Sometimes it comes right at the beginning of a student's movement toward spiritual opening, even before the student has consciously thought of spiritual opening. Other times it comes only after years and years of chasing after every spiritual fad that comes along only to find out that very little progress has been made and there must be something deeper and more powerfully transforming than the offering of the latest flyer being posted.
Whether this desire to be in the presence of an enlightened teacher comes early in one's awakening or only after many years of spinning around in New Age circles, or Course in Miracles circles, or other spiritual circles, it is almost always preceded by some such thought as: "There is no way I am going to be able to do this on my own."
Then comes the happy realization, "I need a teacher."
With that realization, the student is getting ready. The teacher may not appear just yet. But the first step has been taken.
Before the teacher finally appears, there may be a stage when the student is actively searching for the teacher. Obviously one cannot find one's teacher by searching because the habits of mind that render a teacher necessary are the very same habits of mind that make it impossible to know where or how to look for a teacher.
All the student can logically do is pray for help or for rescue from some level of frustration or pain. As a result of such prayer the teacher will find the student.
But we don't recommend halfhearted prayers. The prayer should be made with all one's heart, all one's soul, and all one's being. Then the teacher will appear very quickly indeed.
Yet the student need not despair while waiting for the teacher to appear. If the student looks deep enough inside it will be evident that there is always a teacher present inside oneself guiding and instructing. The student who prays not only for an enlightened teacher but also for clear inner hearing and willingness to follow instructions heard inside is the student who is going to experience the least frustrations along the way and the fastest progress.
There is no reason to fear or disregard one's inner hearing. Some say that in the beginning the student hears much more ego than spirit speaking inside. But in truth hearing inside some spirit is better than no inner hearing at all and the trait of honesty, the trait of admitting to oneself when one is hearing ego and when one is hearing spirit, can hardly develop without practice.
Once the prayer has been made for an enlightened teacher, the teacher begins watching the student from seemingly invisible observation posts. The teacher is waiting, helping a little behind the scenes, and evaluating the student's true readiness. The student thinking he or she is ready has nothing to do with the student actually being ready for the next level of opening. When the student is really ready the teacher appears.
It's okay to be at peace and enjoy life while waiting for a totally enlightened teacher to appear in your daily life. That is precisely what your invisible evaluator is watching: your willingness to be at peace and follow your spirit and enjoy your spirit's leadership.
If your teacher hasn't appeared yet it's okay to be at peace and rest in the certainty that whatever you really need you always do have, and if you do not have something in your life right now you don't really need it at this time.
When the teacher appears the student usually recognizes the teacher by virtue of an inner connection that feels overwhelmingly right. But sometimes the connection is not felt at first at a deep level and the student relies on a clearly heard inner guiding voice. Other times the student is not so aware of an inner guiding voice but is merely walking through doors that are opening while other doors are being closed, so to speak.
Some time later, as strange as it might seem, those infinitely blessed ones who have found their teacher and have already been enjoying the unbelievable benefits and incredible breakthroughs ensuing from living in the presence of an enlightened teacher finally come to a second happy realization that the very end, the end of all ends so to speak, does not have to do with the teacher. The teacher may even seem to "send you away," or secretly laugh inside when you find a way to seemingly send yourself away.
When that happens it's okay to be at peace and accept things just the way they are, resting in the certainty that everything really, really, really is perfect just the way it is.
Then it's just a matter of waiting for the third realization, the happiest and most thoroughly consuming realization of all, which of course cannot be put into words.
At the end, teachers disappear altogether and the only awareness is of divine sovereignty. Although such a state cannot be put into words, we reach for it in our imaginations, don't we? We imagine that there might be one last human thought something like an astounding, "Wow! There was never any need for fear!" Then in one last imagination before even imagination disappears there might be nothing but God laughing.
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