Once you learn to trust yourself, you realize that the
time is past to follow another unquestioningly. The
way to personal power is increasingly up to you and your
willingness to develop it. Working together and
sharing knowledge is not what I'm speaking about here at
all. When you are just setting forth on a conscious
path, taking workshops or going to conferences can be
invaluable, as others may be able to provide you with some
shortcuts. In addition, gathering together to create
more expansive states through field effects can also be
useful to the process of gaining your own power.
Learning from those who are further along the path or
receiving grace from a guru is not necessarily a bad
thing. The problem is when you give your power away.
While it may have been useful in the past to blindly
follow the rules and biddings of someone acknowledged as
being further along in their path, the time is quickly
approaching where we must have our own powers fully
sourced. Do you ask your mentor questions such as,
"What should I do next? Where should I
live? What career path should I follow?"
If so, then you are giving away your power. A better
question to ask is, "How can I tell which career path
I should follow?"
|
|
|
A great mentor will help you
develop the skills you need to trust in your own power and
discernment. If your mentor tells you that you can't
trust yourself, and you need to check with him or her to
make sure you don't screw up your spiritual path, than I
would highly recommend running, not walking, in the
opposite direction.
If
you've found yourself in situations where you've given
away your power to a mentor or teacher, then don't beat
yourself up. I too have had these situations.
Have I had teachers that exploited my trust?
Yes. But always I remember that it takes two to
tango. I can berate the teachers for being
power-hungry, or for their own personal failings, but the
situation only happens when I give away my power.
Reclaiming your power is all that is needed. Move
along your path a little wiser. You are really the
only person responsible for your path.
How can you tell if a teacher or mentor is one you should
be learning from? Well, if I were to tell you that
you don't know enough to choose your teachers, so you
should check with me first, that would be a big red
flag. Run! If the teacher says, "I cover
that in my workshop next weekend, would you like to sign
up?" Well, this is reasonable. It is more
effective time-wise and energy-wise to share information
with a group rather than with each person
individually. And compensation for sharing what they
know is not unreasonable, either, even in matters of
spirit. However, if the teacher says, "You must
commit to my five-year program and tithe 50% of your
income," that's a red flag. I don't care if
this person can levitate and walk through walls; being his
student is not going to move you more fully into your own
power.
Also watch and learn from the way the teacher interacts
with current students. Does the teacher celebrate
the successes of the students? What happens when a
student outperforms the teacher? A good teacher
wants this to happen. The best teachers want their
students to become colleagues, acknowledging that the
student is there to teach the master as well. If
your prospective teacher wants to take credit for the
students' successes, or is competitive with rather than
supportive of the advanced students, then I'd recommend
treading carefully. And lastly, anyone can be a
teacher. There are advanced beings doing great work
on Earth, and connecting with them can benefit you.
And even the most unlikely being can teach you much:
the grocery clerk, the prisoner, or even the stray cat.
You can learn many awesome things from teachers and
mentors--regardless of whether they are egoic or humble,
competitive or supportive--as long as you don't give your
power away. There is no need to throw the baby out
with the bath water. You can take what is useful,
but always use your own judgment. A good teacher may
challenge you and your assumptions; in fact, your should
expect this, as this is how we learn! A good teacher
may push you out of your comfort zone. But even if
your teacher is right to do so, you need to keep your own
sovereignty.
|
