The lure of the Guru
Today we use the Sanskrit term Guru' in many guises
. What was once a spiritual teacher is now a Business Guru, a Fitness Guru, a New Age Guru etc.A Guru gives us wise counsel, guidance and advice. A Guru is someone we respect and seek to emulate. A Guru is a leader and a trail blazer.
A Guru is all these things and more. And it's the more' that I'm particularly interested in. A Guru has charm, charisma and attracts people like a magnet.
Looking back over my adult life I've met a few Gurus, some natural ones and some self proclaimed. Whilst I respected their knowledge and experience, I've never been susceptible to charm in a way that I see others succumbing. And in the case of self proclaimed Gurus I have a pretty good nose for BS.
However, some time ago I met a man who was well known in the industry I was in at the time. I knew of him prior to meeting him, respected the work he had done and hoped to learn from him. After spending a little time in his company I became completely fascinated by him and I spent a curious few weeks alternating between experiencing this fascination and then stepping back and trying to understand exactly what I was feeling and why I was feeling that way.
It's been a long time since I've come into contact with this person and, for me, absence means forgetting things! However, a couple of weeks ago I was at a seminar in a completely different industry (I have a portfolio career you know!) and a totally unrelated comment gave me what I believe to be the reason behind the lure of the Guru.
So, firstly let's go back to my particular Guru. At first glance he wasn't the sort that I was physically attracted to although there was a strong mental attraction. Likewise his personality was not the type that I found particularly attractive (perhaps too serious but hey, I don't know what he was like when he relaxed). But I was pulled into that man's aura and he became a major focus of my attention which was highly amusing to my analytical self.
And now to the recent seminar:
By virtue of your behaviours you are communicating.'
It was a simple comment. Whatever we do, however we behave, we are constantly interacting with each other. And most of us spend our lives doing things: we go to work, we cook dinner, we go out with friends, we have a quiet night in, we shop, we write on Face book. We just do loads of stuff and what we do and how we do it communicates a message.
Let's look at the alternative to doing' the art of just being'. EckhartTolle, in his book The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
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speaks about transcending our ego based consciousness to live in a state of being. The Japanese philosophy of WabiSabi also focuses on being present in the moment.
If we can spend our time being' rather than doing' how would that affect our communication? Would it make us seem calm as the world around us rattles by? Could we benefit from not doing anything or detaching ourselves from our thoughts? Could that benefit be so great that it affects those around us? Could that calm, being' energy draw people to us like a magnet? Or could it distance us from the doing' world because our energetic language is so different?
As a doer' I can be attracted by the state of being'. It's like sitting down in the eye of the storm for a while. The person who is just being' is attractive to doers'. And maybe that explains the lure of the Guru.
So, if you want charisma and if you want magnetism maybe you should just try being first and let your energy do the rest.
Will the next Guru kindly step forward?
Jackie Notman is a copywriter, fengshui consultant and e-commerce retailer. This article is from her blog Life and everything else' where you'll find an eclectic mix of articles and information.
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The lure of the Guru
By: Jackie Notman