Why I Am Not A Guru

Some people have asked - do I want to be a leader? Is that what all this teaching is about? No, this teaching is about helping you all in the best way I am able to begin to look up to yourself.

I know that there's a desire in us all - trained I believe in the best of intentions by those who raised us whether family, friends or in scholastic endeavors - to look up to someone, to emulate someone and to try to make our lives a tribute to someone. Sometimes it's a religious figure and that's understandable, other times it is a human being and that is often a matter of public image if not always private truth.

It is my intention here to the best of my ability to provide for you the opportunity to look up to yourself on the basis of the physical evidence of the things that you try here on this site to see if you can do it, if you might do it or if it even appeals.

It is not my intention to get you to follow me. It is not my intention to lead you somewhere or to be a authority or a hero. Rather it is my intention for you to find that in the mirror and to practice to the best of your ability that which works for you.

I'm bringing this up today because I feel that in a time now where we are surrounded by those who have images whether professionally created for them or not or whether they are politically or otherwise promoted - it is important to remember that the best we can make out of ourselves is and needs to be one of our goals to not only provide for ourselves, our capacities and our fulfillment but perhaps most importantly to set an example based upon the best we can be at any given moment for our friends, family and community.

And lets remember that we are not going to be perfect. As a matter of fact we're going to be imperfect. This example must also be set so that people do not try to live up to some impossible myth of what any human being can be.

We don't have to work at being imperfect, it will come naturally and I feel that this is what I need to say today. Now - you won't have to look to far to find imperfection in me and I won't try to hide it. I won't look to far to find it in you either.

So - that's all I have to say today. Just to remind you that the myth of perfection is not necessarily an ideal we ought to strive for. Goodlife to you all and goodnight.

The mystical And Shamanic Can Be Done Even If....

I want to talk to you about something today because I think some of you may be confused about this, I know I was at one time.

Even though many of you may be on the spiritual path or even choosing now or in the future to be on the mystical path it's important to know that there is no reason to expect some kind of perfection from yourself as a result. The purpose is not to learn how to be perfect.

The purpose is to have a means to serve and help the people and other beings if you can in the best way you have available to you.

I want to give you a little information here about that. I have some medical challenges I have had for my whole life. I know many people in the mystical and shamanic world that also have this. It's important for you to know this - we are just like everybody else.

We have some problems and others help us just the way we help others. It is not some type of thing where we are these ideal beings and we are sharing our ideal capabilities - nothing like that. We are all just like you - where we have our strengths - our things that we can do well and other things that are more of a challenge to us.

I recall once having a conversation with a wise old shaman. He told me that, when I consulted with him about what I'm saying to you now - meaning how come I could do all these things and had been taught all these things and still had medical challenges, he kind of chuckled and said, "You know," he said, "we all have these things." I've been taught how to do things too. I've been able to work on people and several times even bring people back from the brink of passing over. Of course I feel good about these things," he said, "and yet I have problems myself. I feel," he said, "that these things keep us humble. They keep us connected to the earth and they keep us from having any sense of being better than."

That's what he said. Those are not his exact words but they're pretty close as I recall.

I believe that this is true. I'm not saying to seek out physical ailments if you don't have them but I am saying that if you have physical ailments don't assume that you cannot do these things.

I'm not here to complain about my ailments, I'm just saying that I have them and I have been taught to do things that I feel are of great value as I've shared here and on Benevolent Magic blog and will continue to do so and even though I have these ailments I can still do these things.

So, be of good cheer. If you have difficulties you can still learn - you may adapt sometimes the things that I teach here so that you can do them no matter what your challenge is and if it works benevolently for you and others that's what counts.
I just wanted to pass that on to you so you didn't think that I had achieved some level of perfection. Perfection after all is identified and clarified and defined by different people in different ways.

It seems to me that as a society - a global society - we are all striving towards perfection and perfection in my mind is that which allows us all to have the food we need, the shelter we require, the love, the nurturance and support that we need from our fellow beings and a benevolent life and a benevolent lifestyle.

It is not a individual thing only - though yes, we need and want that. It is also the global family. When we all have that, I feel there will be no disease by any one person, no ailments, no pains and aches even because when we all have that - the messages that we feel as pain in our body when it isn't a disease are often messages picked up by our sensitivity that someone else somewhere is suffering and hurting.

Remember, if you get those pains and aches that come and go I recommend saying the following Living Prayer. I recommend saying, "I am asking that all those beings who need help, love, support and nurturance receive all that they need in the most benevolent way now from all those beings who can help them."

Goodlife to you all and goodnight.