Many world religions have their versions of spiritual teachers, but one doesn’t have to be a member or affiliated with a religious group to be considered a spiritual teacher.

In the basest sense of the term, a spiritual teacher is someone who can guide others in their quest for spiritual enlightenment. They are individuals who have gone through the same journey as the people following them and are willing to share their wisdom and experience to help others find fulfilment in life or navigate challenges.

 

1. What Are the Different Kinds of Spiritual Teachers?

Here are a few of the possible examples of spiritual guides that you can have in your life:

• Spiritual gurus and masters. These spiritual teachers mentor their students and guide them in the process of discovering and growing in a specific field of knowledge.
• Spirit guides communicators. These teachers serve as a mediator between people and their spirit guides, which are entities that offer guidance in the forms of signs, symbols, dreams, or thoughts.
• Meditation and visualisation leader. These spiritual mentors typically guide their followers in the process of self-discovery, living in the present, and striving to achieve the future they want.

There are plenty of other beacons of spiritual practices apart from these examples. To find the one that matches your needs the most, you must be clear about your desires and purpose for spiritual enlightenment. Do you want to know yourself better, be more in tune with nature, or have a deeper connection with the spiritual realm?

Answering this question and being clear about what you’re looking for will help you find the leader and teacher who can best guide you in your spiritual journey.

 

2. What Do True Spiritual Leaders and Teachers Have in Common?

Not everyone who claims to be a spiritual teacher is one. Finding these characteristics in the educators in your life can help determine if the people you keep in your counsel can genuinely lead you to spiritual enlightenment.

• They embody the spiritual message they are spreading. True spiritual teachers live the life they want their followers to lead and the message they preach. They abstain from what they’re forbidding their students to partake in and attend activities that require the presence of their students. In short, a spiritual teacher is a living example of how one should interpret their teachings.
• They have gone through the spiritual journey themselves. These true spiritual teachers have walked the same path that students now tread. Their wisdom, advice, and mastery of their craft are products of their mystical or practical experiences.
• They have refined their knowledge and are willing to share their teachings. These masters have exerted time and effort to ensure they can educate their students well. They are able communicators and can use different strategies to ensure that their students understand the principles and lessons they are trying to impart.
• They have no hand in the material possession of their followers. Greed has no place in the teachings of a spiritual leader and teacher. They do not use other people or take advantage of the devotion and worldly possessions of their students and followers for their gain.
• They have accomplished what they require of their students. True spiritual teachers lead by example. They only ask their students what they have completed in their own journey. It doesn’t mean that they are superior to their students—after all, some followers build on the accomplishments of their masters. Rather, they should not demand more than what they are willing to give up or that they are willing to exert themselves.
• They lead and educate with kindness and compassion. Kindness and compassion are at the heart of everything they do. They choose to be kind rather than cruel when driving a lesson home or guiding a student in making the best possible choices. These teachers understand that their role in the lives of their students is merely to guide them on the right path, not control their every decision.
• They are dedicated to the development and growth of their students. To spiritual teachers, their students mean the world. They are there for their followers through thick and thin, and they have the best interest of their students in mind with every interaction. Though they are still human, they strive to be the best possible version of themselves when teaching and leading others.

Are you looking for a spiritual teacher? Have you found one but are unsure whether you’re on the right path? Maybe you’ve been fortunate enough to find many people who can serve as your guide in this mortal plane, and you want to find out who among them can help you best. Whatever the case, keeping these characteristics in mind will help you search for a true spiritual teacher.

Get in touch with Scarlett Vespa today