We do not exist as independent islands, but in relationship to our families, cultures, countries, and ecological environments. We are beings in relationship with other beings. The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of what we exchange, give, and receive from others. Ultimately, no relationship is as important as our relationship with the guru. I say this because a true guru embodies the very energy, grace, and consciousness of God. The guru is the portal between God and ourselves who initiates us into the Divine Life and teaches how to stabilize and deepen our spiritual realizations. According to Sri Yuktewsar, when we give ourselves to the guru, “We become again baptized or absorbed in the stream of Spiritual Light, and rising above the creation of darkness, enter into the spiritual world and become unified with the Son of God, as was the case with Lord Jesus of Nazareth.”
We become what we focus on, pay attention to, and love. To the extent that we truly love the guru and follow his or her teachings, the guru’s God-filled consciousness marries our own consciousness, and our lives take on the fragrance of the guru’s life. Francis of Assisi shows us what a holy union of souls can be. Francis was so focused on Jesus and so wanted to imitate him that a few years before he died he became the world’s first stigmatist, receiving the wounds of Jesus on his feet, hands, and side. In a manner of speaking, Francis became another Jesus. Sri Yukteswar tells us how to nurture and deepen our relationship with the guru: “Regard the guru with deep love. To keep company with the guru is not only to be in his physical presence, as this is sometimes impossible, but mainly to keep him in our heart and to be one with him in principle and to attune ourselves with him. To keep company, therefore, with a Godlike guru is to associate him with the heart’s love, intensified by keeping his appearance and attributes fully in mind, and by reflecting on the same and affectionately following his instructions, lamblike.”
Guru of my heart,
Allow me to feel your love
As I open my heart to you.
