Whispering Wednesday

Hari Om

Yesterday there came the whisper of the word Guru. In general terms, we know this means one of great experience. A teacher of worth. A professor, in modern English parlance. 

In Sanskrit, the word means one who dispels darkness. Is this not what all good teachers enable? They can shine light upon a subject - it is up to us then to use that light to make our own investigations. When we get stuck we can again request the teacher to shed light... then we again can gather more to ourselves. 

Where light is, darkness cannot be. 

Another meaning for Guru is heavy. Gravity - in real terms and also in esoteric terms. A person who displays gravitas is generally considered to be serious and have some substance to them. Thursday is the day of the Guru - in its other guise as a name for Jupiter, the planet (though interesting to note that the name, which was used for a Roman god, derives from roots in Latin that mean 'day' and 'father'... he was in charge of the light!)

It is also the case that in the gurukula tradition, the Guru becomes the father - and the mother - of his or her shishyas. True seekers essentially sever family ties. The cost of being a devotee - a disciple - was recognised by Yeshu. The Messiah understood the personal cost of following a truly spiritual path. It must become a single-pointed focus and to those around one, this can appear radical, cold, even selfish. However, this is not the case. It is simply that one is no longer engaging in the nerve-induced emotionalism that ties one to life's events. The only emotional tie for a spiritual adherent is to the Higher Self and the manifest Self as seen in the Guru.

You can read a whole thread of articles on the Guru over at Chapter One.