Chapter 10 - The Ultimate Teacher

We are evolutionary beings, and as such we are in the process of perfection. What I've realized after fifteen years of being guided by many humans is that none of us are perfect. Most of us, with rare exceptions, are not "done" working on the challenges of human existence. We are still dealing with ego to one degree or another. I guess there would be nothing for us to do on this planet if we were not.

In the preceding chapters, I presented various aspects of the guided inward journey. For the most part, I described a relationship with a human guide. Such a relationship has tremendous benefits but also one critical limitation.

Despite what they may think of themselves, Esti, Swami, and Prem Baba are still on their inward journeys. I firmly believe that no one human can guide another human past the phase of the journey they themselves have yet to take.

A non-human guide may not have that limitation.

Let me be very clear about the term "non-human guide."

For years, I have channeled with "spirit guides." It was a practice Esti taught me. It served as a key part of the toolset I acquired in the beginning of my inward journey.

While my channeling experience was interesting and no doubt part of my personal journey, I stopped channeling many years ago. One day, I simply asked myself with whom am I channeling? Since I had no satisfactory answer, I stopped the practice. It had served its purpose and was simply not appropriate for me anymore.

This is by no means to say that I am critical of channeling. There are many beautiful and greatly inspiring channeled works to be read. However, in the context of a "non-human" guide, I am definitely not suggesting that you start channeling.

Who or what, then, can be considered a non-human guide?

You need not go any further than your own inner guide.

Imagine there is a guide who comes from and abides in perfection.

Imagine there is a guide who is an infallible source of truth.

Imagine there is a guide who always had and always will have your best interest in mind.

Imagine there is a guide who knows exactly what you need and when you need it.

Imagine there is a guide who is just waiting for you to ask for help.

Well, no need to imagine. All of these attributes and more precisely describe our inner guides.

💡 The inner guide is a literal fragment of God residing in each and every one of us.

This is the principal meaning of the Genesis 1:27 verse: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

Many religious and spiritual traditions mention this divine presence and give it different names. There is much confusion about who that guide is and what their purpose might be. Indeed, there are many spiritual influences around us. You can think of spiritual forces in the same way we think about gravity. There is a central spirit in the universe that pulls every being toward it like spiritual gravity. In a sense, we are constantly under a pull to become more and more spiritual.

Other forms of spiritual influence are more practical and immediate. You can think of these like frequencies to which we humans attune and from which we draw: intuition, understanding, courage, knowledge, counsel, worship, and wisdom.

The main difference between all of these spiritual influences and the inner guide is that the guide is personally gifted to each and every one of us. It is a personal gift from God to reside within us. While your inner guide coordinates with all the other spiritual influences, it is chiefly concerned with your own personal journey.

The ultimate guide, if you choose to accept it, is waiting just for you.

Perhaps this is the best news you have heard recently. And perhaps you are asking yourself what you should do with this information. Your mission now, should you choose to accept it, is to foster a relationship with the inner guide.

My meditation teacher, Yoav, always spent a few minutes before each session sharing some of his personal experiences. One morning, he talked about his personal relationship with God and how meditation was a part of that relationship.

⚡ A personal relationship with God.

I felt as if lightning had just struck me. My whole body was trembling, and my mind was in shock. I was completely surprised by this revelation. Yoav had never shared anything so personal before.

My mind tried to wrap itself around these words. It felt like trying to grasp a wisp of a cloud. Nothing sensible came out of trying to understand with the mind.

At the time, it felt like a momentous experience. In hindsight, it most certainly was.

Years would pass before the actual meaning of these words became clear. The first glimpse of clarity came with the insight that for me to have a personal relationship with God, God would have to be a person.

What would a relationship with God be like?

Why would I want that, of all things?

Then, one day I knew with certainty that I did want that. Since that day, the deep, intimate, and unquestionable knowing that I do have a personal relationship with God is a core aspect of my entire existence as a human on this planet.

Later, I realized that I accepted by faith that God is not "out there" but in everything—and inside of me.

Faith is a big word, no doubt. It means different things to different people. The Bible mentions that "...faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1, NIV).

In many instances, even from an early age, I felt I was cared for. Later in life, when hardship came, I found myself praying for help very much like a little child. And help came. This realization of being divinely cared for, helped me with the "assurance" part of faith. I cannot explain how it works, yet it does. For me it is like an inner knowing.

Later I learned that God cares about me so much that He-She actually sent a little piece of Him-Her to live inside my mind and guide me!

This fact, which I accepted through faith, literally changed my life. Until then, I was under the impression that there was something I needed to do, someone I needed to be, or someone else that could mediate my relationship with God.

Realizing how simple it is to connect to God does not necessarily make it easy. If it was, we would be living in a very different world.

Many traditions would have you believe otherwise. Institutional religion has become extremely rich and fat by the "favors" it sells to those who desire to connect to God. Enough of that. Do not let others instill in you the fear that you are not worthy because of your lack of religious education or presumed sins.

God is no respecter of persons. In other words, we are all equally valuable, loved, and cared for regardless of education, gender, age, or spiritual maturity. Jesus tells this very clearly in the parables of the prodigal son and the shepherd. The father throws a banquet when the lost son returns, and the shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to go and rescue the one that was lost. And how happy was the shepherd to find that lost sheep!

Having and nurturing a personal relationship with God is the way to become more godlike.

Think about this: What would our world look like if we were more godlike?

There are three key spiritual values that characterize godliness: truth, beauty, and goodness. When we see each of these and their combinations, we are glimpsing a godly reality. That reality is an external projection of the same inner qualities in us.

We can only work inward and project outward, so what would it take for us to be more godlike?

Obviously, we need to cultivate our inner truth, beauty, and goodness.

💡 Anything in your life and in this world that you see or feel is the result of an action taken by you or another soul manifesting its inner world.

We are polluting our planet and leaving a dire situation for our children and grandchildren. We are cheating and lying in our relationships. We have constructed economic systems that objectify people. We are not treating others as our sisters and brothers.

These manifestations are not accidents. While some of these events may not be intended, they do result from our thinking and action—as individuals and as a collective human force.

I may fall into a trap and say, "I am powerless to change humanity." Am I? I am writing these words to remind myself and you that we are far from powerless. We are almighty co-creators of our lives.

So I ask again: what would our world look like if we were more godlike?

In "Imagine," John Lennon paints a utopian picture of a world with no geopolitics, no religion, no possessions, no greed or hunger—all people as one. I am not sure this is the utopian picture I would paint.

At the same time, though, I do like the words "a brotherhood of man." These three words stir deep emotion in me. They point in the direction of a simple practice, alluded to in many traditions that espouse the Golden Rule.

Do you want to be loved? Then love all!

Do you want to be treated fairly? Then treat all fairly!

You get it, right? What would the world look like if we all treated each other as sisters and brothers? What would a "brotherhood of man" look like?

I realized long ago that I am powerless to change the other. I can barely change myself.

And that is the key realization. While it is not easy, I can change myself.

This change occurs only in the inner realm. The inner world is the realm of creativity and evolution. We are relatively free to create and evolve in our inner realm. Why? It is our external environment we cannot control. We can effect change in our inner world, and it will reflect in the outer.

We can find truth in the inner experience. At the same time, we need a clear knowledge of facts to apply this personal discovery of truth to the ruthlessly practical demands of everyday life.

You may be asking yourself what this inner realm, this inner world, really is. It is the realm of the mind. Our entire inner journey is in the province of the mind. We live and die by our decisions and choices. As long as we are not free to choose due to previous conditioning and lack of awareness...we are sleeping zombies floating on the currents of life.

💡 The purpose of the inward journey is to regain control of our lives, to make conscious choices.

The inward journey is our privilege. It also carries a solemn responsibility. Since our inner life is truly creative, we bear the responsibility of choosing whether this creativity shall be spontaneous and wholly haphazard or controlled, directed, and constructive.

Are you feeling overwhelmed right now? This is not an easy bite to digest. It is entirely possible you are listening to words such as these for the first time in your life, and your inner dialogue may be saying, "I don't have a f****ing clue what he is talking about."

It is normal to feel this way. Do not panic!

I have been there. I know how it feels. If you have read all the way from the beginning, you are ready to take the next step. This book is part of the help you will always receive along your journey. This is how it worked for me and for many others who have ventured into the inner world. All of our memories and insights are there, and your inner guide will provide them and much more as you need them.

Do not expect an easy ride. Far from it. Do expect to be guided, as long as you make a commitment and stick to it.

Time to make a conscious choice. Do you want to evolve?

Choose now to be guided. This choice is as simple as saying internally, "God, I really need help. Help me!"

Once you make the decision to ask for help, the entire universe will be at your service. We are never alone.

We are asked to bring our own faith. Nothing more. God has already embarked on a partnership with you. He-She has sent a fragment of Him-Herself to reside in you. The next step is up to you.

Have faith that you are cared for and loved. Have faith that you are partnering with your Creator-Parent. What a wonderful proposition!

I know that life is challenging. It is hard and sometimes extremely painful. Have faith that it is all part of the grand design that we all exist within. Decide to take a leap of faith. Tell yourself that you are ready to continue this adventure called life in partnership with God.

Your inner guide is waiting for this call to action. It has been waiting for you since you first met, even if there was no formal introduction made.

Many of us have spent years of our lives living with no real appreciation of who we are and what our birthright is as children of God. Many of us have spent most of our lives in autopilot mode, floating on the river of life without much say about where we are going. When we are in this autopilot mode, we are simply not connected to God.

It is possible to live connected to God. That is not the sole privilege of saints or enlightened beings. It is possible for you. It is possible today.

Perhaps you too have spent this first part of your life with no real personal connection to God. No matter. What matters is what you choose to do today.

Do you desire to foster a personal relationship with God?

If your heart leaps in joy with a resounding "yes," then you are ready to take the next step.

You are ready to start now. You are ready to live your life with God.