It’s ok, you’re supposed to.
The spiritual guide/teacher is an important role and should only be occupied by qualified personnel. Unfortunately, especially these days, it’s not and all too often we hear about it in some sad story on the news. This post is intended to be some helpful hints so you don’t become one of those stories.
The first thing you should know is a qualified teacher understands and doesn’t mind answering questions about his or her qualifications for a teaching position. I have a policy of “no question is too personal” so ask me anything. Trust me, people do.
A good teacher will know that they are not for everyone and they do not have all the answers. They will share information. The difference in someone sharing information and teaching is the one sharing acknowledges that you are no less than they are and you may actually initiate an instance that teaches them something in the exchange.
Anyone that is stuck on “tradition” is stuck in dogma and dogma is a big Shamanic no-no.
Everyone deserves a background check. Shamanism is experiential. As time passes we learn more from our experiences and that can amend or outright change the way we believe things to be.
I went through a traditional eight year (every day) apprenticeship, then a two year “journey” in which I traveled to test my knowledge on the world. Every cell in the body is renewed after seven years. An apprentice grows into Shamanism. It becomes the very essence of the apprentice.
One does not go through a course of any type to become a Shaman. Period.
Compare this to something else. Let’s say you have an illness that requires surgery and you have two choices of surgeons. One has thirty years of hands on surgery and the other just went though an online course. Which would you tend to chose? Not a fair comparison? Why not? You are trusting the rest of your life to whomever you choose. People go to the Shaman because they need serious answers to serious issues in their lives. Eight years of college awards a doctor as eight years awards a Shaman. There is still the need for practical application and proof.
Ah yes, the proof part. Recommendations are a good start. People know if someone is good and been around a while and they can tell you what they did for them. Good teachers have a few things you can try that will prove their potential worth in your journey. If you can’t teach something, you don’t know it. If they say they are psychic, they can teach you to be psychic.
Honesty is a good quality. A good teacher won’t guarantee they are the one for you. They will tell you what they know from experience and what they think from deduction. Never the twain shall meet.
A good teacher will admit when the student has passed them and will help them find another teacher.
Accepting of change is another good quality. Dogma is still a no-no. The good teacher gets out of the way in a time when instinct is omnipotent and logic is nowhere to be found, to be rewarded with awe of the student’s journey.
Being respectful of another’s journey is mandatory. The teacher doesn’t write the scripts of another. They are part time directors and producers of a play. They are there to enhance the qualities and skills that exist in others.
A good teacher explores the person to see what the strongest qualities are and develops those skills without attachment to outcome.
A good teacher works towards the student being better than they are. It’s a selfless act.
A good teacher is ok with not being a teacher. We pass on what we know then go off to learn more.
A good teacher encourages self acceptance.
Ask the prospective teacher about their accomplishments. What have they done that was unique from any other teacher?
A good teacher has a good sense of humor and will make fun of them as much as they make fun of you. Humor and humility are essential safeguards to egomania. All the Shaman I know are serious people during ceremonies and certain types of energy work. After that, everything and everyone is fair game.
I’m not going to get into what you should beware of. There’s enough fear factor out there. These tips should help you test and validate whether or not you are working with the right person. Trust yourself and know that even if you find you made a mistake in your choice of a teacher, you did the best you could at that time.
We are all born in perfect spiritual order, with perfect spiritual sight. The programming of our cultural environment can throw us down and our eyes can be filled with society’s dirt. A good teacher will pick you up, help clean your eyes and ask where you want to go and help you get there. Just like you could do.
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