The Search For The Awakened Teacher
So you’re on the path of self development and spiritual pursuit. You want to dive more deeply into this awakening journey than ever before and YouTube videos and blog posts can only get you so far. At some point there is only so much you can do on your own. You hit a spiritual “wall” so to speak.
You need a mentor, a guru, a teacher… or whatever else you want to call it.
You feel like a guide would be helpful in this seemingly massive undertaking of spiritual work. Someone who has seen the other side, someone who is awakened themselves.
But truly enlightened individuals are hard to find. Awakened teachers are few and far between and usually not found in conventional ways.
I myself have had a few spiritual mentors in my own journey. I have found and paid for a phony teacher, a teacher not at the level I was personally looking for, and a teacher who truly met the standards I was looking for (my current spiritual mentor).
Here are my tips for finding a truly awakened spiritual mentor
A Warning About Fake Teachers
There are a lot of fake gurus out there that claim to be “awakened” or “enlightened” and they can help you attain that same status for a specific price. Although it’s not wrong for a mentor to charge for their guidance, most true teachers aren’t concerned with raking in as much cash as possible. A good mentor charges a reasonable amount and really does their work to help awaken people, not for the money.
Teachers who make outlandish claims can be tempting but it’s important to stay skeptical. Many good spiritual mentors will offer a session for free just to see if you two are a good fit. It’s important for you to use that session to get a feel for the teacher and what they offer.
How To Find A Spiritual Mentor
1. Visiting Spiritual Centers
If you want to find the most spiritually awakened people, you need to go to where they tend to gather. Find local spiritual centers such as:
- Zen monasteries & temples
- Hindu temples
- Spiritual retreat centers
I found my current spiritual mentor at a local Hindu temple for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). These are the places you need to go in order to find an awakened master.
WHAT STAGE OF YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ARE YOU IN?
WHAT STAGE OF YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ARE YOU IN?
Discover the 6 stages of awakening and find out where you are in your journey.
Every major city has at least one ISKCON temple or Buddhist temple. Use google maps to find one near you.
You can find a guru in just about any religious or spiritual tradition, so don’t be afraid to check out several different spiritual centers.
2. Through Spiritually Minded Friends
The best and most reliable way to find a spiritual mentor is through people you know personally. If you have friends or family who are on the spiritual path they may have already done the hard work of finding a guru for you.
This method usually bypasses any fake spiritual teachers, since your friends can vouch for their credibility.
Check in with people in your life who seem to be awakened or have an elevated consciousness. Chances are they may have a guide. Ask for their mentors contact info or if they’re taking on new students
3. Thumbtack
If you need to get in contact with a spiritual teacher ASAP Thumbtack.com is perfect for you. Thumbtack connects you to “spiritual counselors” and “spiritual life coaches” in your area. Some of which are ready to hop on a session with you at a moments notice.
Just type in “spiritual counseling” in the services section and enter your zip code to find a whole host of spiritual mentors in your area.
Although Thumbtack is a good place to find spiritual counseling, it does have its drawbacks.
You will have to pay upfront for a session even though you don’t quite know what you’ll be getting from the interaction. The reviews are a helpful hint as to what to expect and the quality of the coach, but you will have to pay to find out yourself. And most coaches/ counselors are a bit on the expensive side ($100+) though not much more than your average therapy session.
*Note of warning: Thumbtack and online directories can have fake or unreliable spiritual mentors as just about anyone can list themselves here.
4. Social Media and Online Content
A lot of younger awakened mentors in their 20’s and 30’s have their services posted on social media. You can find these people speaking their truth on YouTube, Instagram, and Blogs.
YouTube
There are quite a few on YouTube that accept clients. One channel that I love that offers this is Clark Kegley.
Clark Kegley has over a million subscribers, so working with him is guaranteed to be expensive. But there are tons of smaller channels that offer spiritual coaching or mentoring of some sort.
You could also find your future guru on Instagram. I worked with a coach for a month because I stumbled across her work on Instagram and really resonated with what she posted. Try searching Instagram for your awakened teacher.
Blogs
If you’re looking for an older, maybe more experienced mentor (like my current mentor) you should try looking online but outside of social media.
Most older teachers aren’t on social media or the internet at all for that matter. But you will definitely have better luck finding older awakened individuals on their blog or website if they have one.
5. Patience and Real World Searching
The truth of the matter is that truly enlightened teachers aren’t advertising their services on social media or thumbtack. A lot of them are so awakened to the truth of reality that they don’t care about making money or actively teaching others. They may be at such a high level of consciousness that they are perfectly at peace exactly where they are.
But these are the most knowledgeable people you could find and would do the most good for your personal development. Unfortunately these are the most rare and hard to find teachers.
There is a blind luck factor to finding these types of people.
The best advice I can give on finding these types of awakened mentors is to keep pursuing your own spiritual development on your own. As you work on yourself and dive into this side of reality you will eventually stumble upon awakened people and communities.
Keep searching and pursuing even when you feel you’ve hit a wall, you could be inches away from awakening and not even know it.
How To Identify A True Spiritual Master
So you go through all the trouble of finding someone you think may be a spiritual master, but how do you know if they’re really awake?
After all, anyone can claim to be a guru. What makes you so sure that this person is the real deal?
Well, there are a couple ways to know if someone really is an awakened guru or not.
Do they ask for money?
Is this person asking for money in return for your guidance? If they are, take a step back and evaluate them a little more deeply.
A truly enlightened master will have no desire or need for money, they will simply want to help you awaken.
Some spiritual coaches will charge for their guidance. This is fine, as long as they are not taking advantage of you and are sharing valuable wisdom. However, most of the time a truly enlightened master will not charge.
Trust your intuition
Ask yourself how this person makes you feel. Your intuition is your guide here. When I met my guru, I knew they were genuine right away. The air around him was uplifted, kind, and unattached.
You should be able to feel comfortable in their presence. Is this person kind and compassionate?
These are the things you should be asking yourself. Trust your gut and notice how you feel in their presence.
Are they offering wisdom right away?
My guru began connecting with me right away the first time we met. There shouldn’t be some secrecy or requirement for them to start sharing guidance with you.
If this claimed guru is withholding wisdom and guidance in exchange for something, that should be a red flag.
True gurus are abundant and want to share guidance with the genuine spiritual seeker.
How To Ask Them To Be Your Spiritual Mentor
It is said by many wise men that your guru finds you, not the other way around. Your spiritual mentor is meant to find you on your path towards ascension, so asking them should be no problem.
If they are meant for you they will guide you. If they are not meant for you then they will not.
Be genuine in your intentions
A truly enlightened master will know when a spiritual seeker is genuine in their intention to follow the spiritual path.
Come with the right intention to find a true guide and be open to whatever unfolds.
Be persistent
If a guru turns you away, this doesn’t mean all is lost. In fact, this is a good sign that they are a true guru. This could possibly be a test.
Don’t be afraid to ask for their guidance more than once. Trust with good faith that they will help you eventually if it’s meant to be.
Different Mentors For Different Periods Of Life
If you are just starting out in your awakening process then a highly highly conscious individual may not be exactly the right fit for where you’re at in your journey. Whereas if you’ve been pursuing the enlightened life for many years then you will probably resonate more with a very enlightened teacher.
Odds are you will have several spiritual mentors over the course of your life if you make awakening your lifelong pursuit. You may outgrow some teachers and grow into others as you grow yourself spiritually.
Basically you will have different mentors for different stages of your spiritual development.
If you want to find out what stage of your spiritual journey you’re in then take the free spiritual awakening quiz here.
Another great model to measure where your personal development is at is Spiral Dynamics. Take the free spiral dynamics quiz to find out which stage you’re currently at.
Check out the “Awakening” tab above to learn more about spiritual awakening.
Hi, I’m Ryan. I’m a meditation teacher, spiritual seeker, and founder of nurtureyourspirit.org. I’m glad you’re here! I founded Nurture Your Spirit because of my love of meditation, spirituality, and spiritual awakening.
Am having a church and orphans, we need to have orphanage and church to make the work easier. Am a Kenyan.
Thanks for your good information concerning on how to be in contact with a spiritual mentor or counselor.
Am from Uganda and to be sincere i have lots of problems so i can’t afford any payment. Any one happy to help me is welcom