Today I felt like writing and sharing with you, something that I am extremely passionate about. The concept and idea that you are you own guru.
YOU ARE YOUR OWN GURU!!!
During these times, in which more and more people are going through and experiencing their spiritual awakening and liberation, as well as the difficulties involved in this transformative process, there has also emerged a litany of “gurus” and “experts” giving advice on this subject and topic. The advice is often text book, generic, and therefore can never really be specific to you, and your specific experience with such a complex process of awakening; at it’s worst, the advice can be dangerous and harmful for the individual receiving it.
A prime example of this text book, generic, and possibly dangerous advice, is the instruction by “gurus” and “experts” to continually meditate on the third eye (6th Chakra), to fast for days, and to eliminate meat from one’s diet, as a fast track to spiritual evolution. As if this is the magic recipe for all of man kind to spiritually evolve. A suggestion like this, to say someone prone to “schizophrenia,” could be disastrous and harmful, for this individual already has an excessive amount of energy up and does not need to follow instruction on how to raise energy higher, such as the aforementioned and advice. If anything, a suggestion to meditate down, on lower energy centers, to eat a heavier diet consisting of meat and fat, in order to ground energy, would be more beneficial, and has been documented to work for individuals who have experienced psychosis due to excessive meditation.
We have seven major chakras or energy centers, positioned from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. Each chakra is associated with specific spiritual-psycho-emotional, life issues, and growth lessons, and each chakra is of EQUAL importance. (Please see: http://www.psychodynamicawakening.com/chakras/).The 1st or base chakra, is EQUALLY as important as the 7th or crown chakra. The 2nd chakra, is EQUALLY as important as the 6th or third eye chakra. The 3rd (solar plexus) chakra, is EQUALLY as important as the 4th (heart), and 5th (throat) chakra. THEY ALL ARE OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE!
To focus all attention, as “experts” advise on one chakra, is to ignore the life issues and lessons of the others. This is exactly what has taken place in much of the new age spiritual movement, the running away up, to avoid the issues of down. This is what is called spiritual bypass. I would like to give another example to help clarify. If you were suffering from an infected left foot. Would you focus your attention on your right ear? Well, this is exactly what is happening to those who choose to, or are advised to, meditate up rather than deal with down. In my experience as a licensed social worker and mental health counselor, having worked with individuals with all diagnosis, including “schizophrenia,” most traumas and issues that affect humanity are issues of our lower energy centers; these are the energy centers which house our personal relationships with mother and father, and often the neglect, abuse, and trauma of our childhood years. Most individuals are running up, to avoid the traumas of down. However, spiritual awakening and liberation is a process of cleansing all trauma, not running away from it.
So you may ask, if all chakras are equal, which chakra should I meditate on? How will I know? The answer is...
YOU ARE YOUR OWN GURU!!!
And your body is the temple. Your body will dictate to you everything, if you connect with it and feel what it is communicating to you. Do your legs and feet ache? These are lower energy center issues. Does your neck hurt? Is your jaw tight? These are upper energy center issues.
OUR BODY - OUR TEMPLE - DICTATES OUR MEDITATION.
When we get in touch with our body, our energy centers, our energy, we get in touch with ourselves. This is the true sermon on the body and true connection with God/Self. Our body will guide our meditation. Meditate and focus consciousness on any part of your body where you feel energy or sensation - including pain, for there is no physical pain, without an underlying psycho-emotional pain. Let your body guide your meditation and healing process, for it is far more intelligent then you give it credit for. The energy you feel is you! It is your spirit guiding you to liberate from trauma! It is your spirit guiding you through your spiritual awakening. It is you spirit empowering you. It is your spirit showing you that you are you own guru.
Spiritual awakening is a process of self-empowerment, and there is no self empowerment without struggle and difficulty. Just as we cannot lose weight and gain muscle with a magic pill, but through hard work exercising our body. Just as we cannot become intelligent and brilliant with a magic pill, but through hard work exercising our mind. We cannot gain spiritual enlightenment and liberation through the new age fixes being prescribed to us, but through the hard work of reconnecting to ourselves and our trauma and reconnecting with our spirit in order to liberate ourselves. There is no magic technique that will magically heal you. There is no magic crystal, medallion, talisman that will magically heal you. There is no “guru” or “expert” that will magically heal you.
The spiritual awakening process, is the technique showing you, that you are the magic. You are the magic crystal. You are the guru. You are the expert. You are the magic that will heal thyself. The difficulty, is going through the self empowerment process necessary to believe this is so. You are your own guru. You are your own liberation. You are more powerful than you can ever imagine. All you have to do is connect to this power already within you. Begin by feeling and connecting with this power right now. Begin by feeling and connecting with yourself and your temple right now.
-Michael Garbe