The subject of my article this month came after a series of minor recent events. I’m not griping or ranting, but rather I’m clarifying. I should be flattered by the acknowledgement but instead I find myself somewhat irritated.
I’m referring to the title of Spiritual Teacher. I am not a spiritual teacher. I’m a lot of things, but spiritual teacher isn’t one of them.
Last week I was introduced to someone as a spiritual teacher. “Who me?” I thought to myself. I didn’t correct the person who introduced me, but it just didn’t sit right even though the other person seemed mildly impressed. I didn’t think any more about it until the next day when I had to approve a biography someone wrote about me for an upcoming publication. They used the term “Spiritual Teacher” in my bio. Now I felt a tinge of irritation, and I was additionally irritated because I didn’t know why it irritated me.
You know how it is when Your Energy (formerly known as The Universe) wants to get your attention? It usually occurs three times in a row. Sure enough, a few days later I got an email from a new Shaumbra in Europe who recently discovered Crimson Circle. She profusely thanked the staff for their dedication and work, and thanked me for being a spiritual teacher. Now I couldn’t ignore it. I am not a spiritual teacher, and at that moment I decided to write this article about why this title gets under my skin.
I did some research on the Internet before I started writing my article. One website described a spiritual teacher as, “A person with the role and responsibility to teach a human being or universal being what they need to know, learn and understand on a spiritual level to contribute to their soul agreement, soul purpose or spiritual evolution.” Whoa, that’s a lot of responsibility for anyone to take on for another person. Is it even possible for any so-called spiritual teacher to teach anyone what they need to know, learn and understand?
There’s even a website called SpiritualTeachers.org. The website author reviews spiritual teachers on a scale from 1 (worst) to 5 (best). Fortunately, I am not listed on the website. There’s some interesting stuff on his site but I think the author considers himself to be a spiritual teacher, so right away I’m suspicious. Nothing like a spiritual teacher ranking other spiritual teachers.
Wikipedia lists about 4,000 American Spiritual Teachers. I am on that list, although I have no idea how I got there. I also see that I’m listed on several different “cult watch” lists as a spiritual teacher of questionable repute. By the way, don’t ever do a Google search on yourself unless you’ve had plenty of sleep and a bowl of Wheaties for breakfast. It can be ugly.
It bothered me that this whole “spiritual teacher” issue bothered me. “It’s no big deal, let it go,” I told myself. But yet I felt a deep aggravation. Ultimately it caused me to take a look at what I am, rather than what I am not.
I am a channeler, which is very different than being a spiritual teacher. My role is to translate information from entities such as Adamus. He doesn’t give me the words to say, but rather he transmits a stream of consciousness. I have to put it into words, as well as follow his timing, gestures, emphasis, etc. Even Adamus doesn’t claim to be a spiritual teacher, although he carries the exalted title of Grand Ascended Master and self-appointed president of the Ascended Masters Club. Adamus simply gathers up our energy and gives back to us what we already know, and what we’re ready to hear. He’s a big mirror, but not a spiritual teacher. So no, just because someone is a channeler doesn’t qualify them to be a spiritual teacher. They are just multi-dimensional translators.
I am a story teller. When people come for advice and guidance I find that telling stories is one of the best ways to let them see things that are already within themselves. I learned this from Adamus. Why give a boring, didactic lecture when you can offer a story, filled with expression and wisdom? Story-telling requires you to be concise, clever and imaginative. It is much easier and more entertaining for someone to listen to a story or fable versus a lot of blah-blah-blah mental concepts.
I am a business person, and proud of it. I never took a business class in my life, but along the way I learned how to operate a business. When I first started channeling in front of New Age groups, I was rather shocked about their deep distain for business. I would have been better off telling them I was an escaped convict rather than admitting I was a business person. Like most everything in life, business can foster corruption or power games, but at its core a business is a way to manage and balance a creative effort, whether you’re manufacturing toilet seats or running a content distribution company. I’ve seen many spiritual organizations fail because they didn’t know how to run a business. Crimson Circle operates an impeccable international company with 15 staff members. We clearly understand that the business is here to support Shaumbra around the world, not just to make money. The business supports the content (messages), not the other way around. We call our business “sustainable,” meaning that we put any profits back into new services for Shaumbra.
I am a Safe Space Facilitator. The thing that gives me the most satisfaction, and is my true passion, is creating a safe space. I’m not a spiritual teacher, but I love creating the safe space for Shaumbra to become their own spiritual teachers. The safe space takes place in many different forms. Every time we conduct a workshop we are creating a safe space for Shaumbra to allow their own transformations. Even though attendees think they’re coming to hear something new from Adamus, the truth is that they are coming for their own realizations while Adamus distracts and entertains. I’m a bit of a fanatic about setting up the safe space. The space has to be just right, from the room dimensions to the placement of chairs to the sound system, windows, refreshments and lighting. If the room feels safe, the attendees are able to relax and allow the spiritual teacher within themselves to come forth. The same safe-space principle applies to webcasts, Cloud Classes, interactions with Customer Service, the monthly Shaumbra Magazine, books, and every other “touch point” Shaumbra has with Crimson Circle. The new Shaumbra Pavilion at Villa Ahmyo in Kona is a beautiful example of the safe space. Everything was taken into consideration including the proportions of the building, the wood, lighting and air circulation, sound systems, gardens, position of the sun, break area and a thousand other details that make it a true Shaumbra safe space. The job of the Crimson Circle staff is to make sure it is a safe space, no matter what form it takes. Within the safe space, Shaumbra can bring their darkest aspects to wisdom. Without a safe space, the aspects continue to run the show. I take great pride and joy with helping to create that safe space for Shaumbra, then the rest is up to them.
I understand that nobody means any offense when they refer to me as a spiritual teacher. It only bothers me because you cannot teach anyone spirituality. You can suggest books for them to read, videos to view or classes to take, but I don’t believe you can be someone’s spiritual teacher. There is a flaw in the person who thinks they need a spiritual teacher, and a bigger flaw in someone who considers themselves to be a spiritual teacher. You can listen to someone who is going through their spiritual crisis and even offer some stories of your own, but ultimately there is only one spiritual teacher. It is the Master that is already within you, just waiting for you to stop looking outside of yourself for answers. That spiritual teacher – the Master within – has only one client, and that client is you.