[Editor's note: This is Day 16 of the Be Your Own Guru series. This is Melanie's first adventure as a guest contributor to ANY blog, and I'm humbles to share her voice today. Melanie brings the perspective of an artist and an intuitive to this conversation. She reminds us that we all have our own guru inside ourselves - and it's time to let it shine.]
Guru: the act of being a pure, spiritually aligned wise one.
Are you your own guru, or is someone else? Do you feel that this thing they are is separate and nothing to do with your own existence? Are they teachers and gurus who convince you they’ve got it down and are perfect super uber spiritual beings? (& Perhaps you're not?)
Well perhaps they have it down.
BUT
Everyone is unique.
Everyone is diverse.
Everyone has a different life...
Culture...
Take on things...
Approach...
Awareness...
Gifts.
If we are all unique, so are our journeys and ideas. Hell, my ideas are MY ideas on how to approach this thing called life.
Listen in a bit more carefully, its gonna start getting a little more complex & personal.
I’ve thought I’m all that and some… and then I didn’t at all!
I HAD to learn it for myself ...this entire coming to acceptance business, all this centering and heart focused living.
Humbly,
Heart fully,
Over time.
I fall right off the wagon some days and it isn’t pretty. As a friend reminded me, its not always rainbows and glitter! Those days I’m more Victor Meldrew than Dalai Lama.
NO matter how many teachers, gurus, coaches, mums wise words, articles, memes, quotes, books, videos ad infinitum I’ve followed, watched and been with, it had to be felt in my body; mind & spirit, not as a theory - or a concept to put on like a jacket.
You can’t possibly believe your “self” through someone else.
Its OK to reach for guidance and a helping hand, we all do, have done and will continue to do so. But a really solid "self" comes from feeling solid in ones OWN ways, not someone else’s ways.
Yes, there are patterns that match in our experiences, we’re ALL human (well spirits, having an experience in a body on earth - we won't count smelly alien husbands from mars...just don’t go to his side of the bed!), but someone else’s equations, constructions and ideologies to that end, well that’s their’s to have.
Not ours.
Yes, we can pick up ideas that resonate and a feeling of "lets try that, that’s a great idea" or "that resonates with me. That feels good to me, too".
Ultimately, its what brings us INDIVIDUALLY, fiercely and personally to our core, our truth, our REAL-ity & our bright light moments.
Well perhaps they have it right for them and perhaps in some way for us, but that’s THEIR answer. Of course, I have my own. We have our own trajectory, guided by our dreams, and desires. YOU have your own, too.
No one really is your teacher or guru, they purely point out and signpost what you have inside of you anyway, always. They are like a mirror of possibility.
In the words of Danielle LaPorte: "You choose to be moved... you have to be ready to hear the snippet of information from a teacher (or guru), to move and take action. We are the ones that do the work, if we choose."
Do you think your teachers and your chosen guru make you what you are? What made it OK for you to engage on your path and really feel it was true for you? Or have you found yourself hiding behind your guru, feeling that only they have the right to express themselves?
Yep done that!
It’s totally OK for you to have your own thinking & learn in your own way. Choose the path you came here for. Express that self out loud!
By the way, its taken precisely 28 days for me to make the leap and just do this thing in sharing my writing and thoughts. This is my first ever guest post on another website! You see I’ve also looked for the equivalent of the best pair of jeans in a teacher/guru before I realized I was my own guru.
And yes, I’ve had some great ones and some not so great ones! In fact everyone is a great one, really, because they teach you what you actually want from your own life.
Go, BE your own guru.
Melanie Maddison holds a degree in 3D design and uses a variety of media, including fabric, embroidery, paints and other materials to create what she calls "Soul Art" - a creative tool to help us "discover our connection with source". Melanie is based in her North London studio, where she also works with her international client base as an intuitive guide, melding her experience as an artist with her deep spiritual understandings to help clients gain clarity on their own ideas and creative pursuits. Her website hosts a gallery of Soul Art as well as a blog of inspiring words and designs. You can also connect with Melanie on twitter and facebook.