I call myself The Write Synergies Guru. Why guru? I made it up, though I have a genuine, if tenuous and academic, South Asian connection. I took Sanskrit at the University of Chicago for three years.
So did I choose this name just because of a connection with one of the most ancient, sacred languages?
For me, the key is in the term “sacred.” Because the work I do involves creating a sacred vessel around my clients and our conversations. Drawing from the deep and sacred roots of Sanskrit, I place myself firmly in a lineage of teachers whose work touches on the deep inner fire. Drawing out the soul of a client or their project and sharing it in words is a sacred trust.
I have taken “guru” as part of my public persona, not to attract mindless followers, but rather to invite into my circle and sacred space mindful, visionary people who are committed to becoming ever-strengthened in their own mindfulness, awareness, and consciousness. In essence, those who want to become their own gurus and their own best teachers, reaching out to exactly who or what they need as a resource in any given moment. They themselves become the sacred vessel.
But have I erred in taking this name? After all, many so-called gurus seem to have earned the bad rap they mostly receive these days. Guru means teacher in Sanskrit, or revered one, and that “revered” part is probably where things get dicey. Teacher, by itself, is pretty innocuous as a title, even in Sanskrit. That doesn’t give the term “guru” a free ride necessarily. I guess you just have to be mindful and discerning in choosing the gurus you hang with.
On being your own Guru
The following quote gets at the essence of my point: “You are your own teacher,†Mr. Gumucio said he was told. “You are responsible for your own experience.â€Â This quote came from the New York Times story at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/fashion/25yoga.html?ref=style via a twitter reference by @zenpeacekeeper.
That quote, “You are your own teacher…You are responsible for your own experience,” is really at the root of being your own guru. It means being aware and mindful of your own experiences and what you need.
So in creating this post, I was intrigued to find my good friend Michael Toms at New Dimensions Radio has a show on exactly this topic: Michael has interviewed Jeff Brown taking about “finding your own inner guru.” You can check out the replay at http://www.newdimensions.org/flagship/3340/jeff-brown-finding-your-own-inner-guru/source: (It’s free till June 9. After that. it’s just $1.99 for an MP3.) I am a donating member of the New Dimensions Global Broadcasting Council. Your support can help keep this national treasure of recorded wisdom going.