How to Find and Evaluate a Spiritual Teacher, Spiritual Guide or Guru

It’s natural to seek guidance for your spiritual journey. Finding and selecting a spiritual teacher is one of the most important decisions you will make. We’ve put together a spiritual learner’s guide on how to find and evaluate a spiritual teacher, spiritual guide, or guru.

Whether you are just starting your spiritual quest or are an advanced spiritual explorer, this guide will help you assess potential teachers and mentors. The right teacher can help you open the doors to higher states of consciousness. However, this arena is also full of counterfeits, so finding the right spiritual teacher is essential. It starts with the right mindset.

Cultivating a Continual Learning Mindset

A mindset focused on continual learning involves adopting specific practices and attitudes that encourage ongoing personal and professional growth. It means being open to gaining new knowledge and skills. This attitude is proactive, encouraging you to seek learning opportunities beyond formal education or instruction of any kind. You can learn in many ways that don’t involve instruction. Here are some steps and best practices to help you develop this mindset:

To cultivate a continual learning mindset, start by embracing the idea that learning is a fun and exciting lifelong endeavor. Believe in your ability to grow through hard work. Set clear goals to keep yourself motivated and on track. Stay curious and make reading a daily habit to discover new insights. Dive into online courses and workshops to expand your skills. Seek feedback from peers and mentors to improve continuously.

Reflect on your experiences to understand your progress and stay adaptable. Join learning communities to share and gain knowledge. Balance pushing your limits by taking time to consolidate what you’ve learned. Leverage technology to access a world of learning resources. Keep your body and mind healthy to support your learning journey.

By incorporating these practices into your daily routine, you are cultivating a continual learning mindset that will help you grow both personally and professionally. And remember, the right spiritual guide can be a fantastic ally on this journey!

Learning How to Find and Evaluate A Spiritual Teacher

You can learn a lot at conferences and seminars. Books and electronic media are excellent learning tools, but nothing compares to personal instruction from a qualified teacher.

Feedback and one-on-one instruction can benefit almost every advanced spiritual learning practice. A well-qualified teacher can be an asset to your development, especially critical for learning advanced spiritual practices.

Personal instruction is essential for techniques that involve immediate feedback, like those that use mantras, sutras, mudras, and similar sound-based tools. It’s also essential for moving techniques like Tai Chi.

Learning how to find and evaluate a spiritual teacher, guide, or guru is like fishing. You must be observant and open-minded. Here are the things you need for this spiritual fishing quest. We will address the red flags of false teachers and the qualities of trustworthy spiritual teachers.

1. Assess Your Needs and Resources

Understand what you are looking for in a spiritual teacher. Are you seeking guidance on a specific spiritual path, or are you looking for general spiritual growth? The clearer you make these goals, the easier it will be to find the right resources. Cultivating a continual learning mindset starts with understanding yourself.

We conduct a complete learning assessment with all participants before our virtual or face-to-face learning events. If you understand your learning style and any roadblocks, you’ll know if you are ready or need to fix some things first. Our readiness assessment contains four primary tools:

1. The Enneagram Personality Profile and Instinctual Variant Stack
2. Cultural Photograph Identifier
3. The Cultural Assessment Questionnaire
4. The Cultural Symbolism Exercise

For example, if you are a kinesthetic learner and attend a virtual learning session, you’ll need to move around to cement the learning. Or, if you find you are unwilling to accept ideas outside of your specific religious beliefs, it will be a roadblock that will hinder your learning ability.

Remember to assess your resources, including money and time. If you have limited time, no money, and want to learn something, focus on free methods. There are several free resources on this website.

2. Decide What Technologies to Learn

The first step in how to find and evaluate a spiritual teacher, spiritual guide, or guru is knowing what you want to learn. If you don’t know what you want to learn, finding the right teacher is impossible. How do you find out what you should learn?

Create a journal if you don’t already have one. It doesn’t have to be expensive; it can just be a collection of papers.

Next, review the descriptions of spiritual practices and technologies. Find something that interests you. Here’s a short list below of methods you can research. Start with those that don’t require personal instruction, and lay a foundation for your practice. Then you’ll know what things you want that require personal instruction.

You can learn many of them by following the instructions in the article; they are like recipes.

1. Start with Rational Thinking Skills are the foundation for critical thinking. For more information and a deeper dive, read the article 10 Common Logical Fallacies and Spiritual Axioms. Cultivating a continual learning mindset shouldn’t put you in debt.

2. “Inner work” includes several other analytical processes, like The Enneagram Personality Profile and Comparative Analysis. These tools help you understand how the mind works.

3. Many people focus their practice on seated meditation. Everyone should learn the Two-Step Beginning Mediation. You can progress to Mindfulness Meditation. When you get serious about meditation, you’ll need a personal instructor for Japa or Transcendental Meditation and advanced sutras like Siddhis of Patanjali.

4. Moving meditation includes everything from Tai Chi Qigong to Forest Bathing Tree Grounding exercises.

5. There are several methods for expanding awareness. Look at Lucid Dreaming, Delving into Memories, Creating a Memory Palace and the Shamanic Journey, or Guided Meditation. Chances are you’ll find one that resonates, and you don’t need an instructor to learn it.

When you believe you are ready to seek more in-depth instruction, it’s time to find and evaluate a spiritual teacher, spiritual guide, or guru. Remember, you are the ultimate teacher. You can’t learn anything unless you are prepared. Assessing your readiness to learn is something you should do before you set out to learn anything.

Selecting a Spiritual Teacher

You are ready for advanced spiritual instruction once you have begun the path of cultivating a continual learning mindset and added some of the basic techniques to your routine,

3. Research Potential Teachers

Look into the background, teachings, and reputation of potential teachers. Read their books, listen to their talks, and explore their teachings online. The internet has made this easier in some respects, but it also has its pitfalls. Be aware of false claims and deceptive advertising. Fancy websites and testimonials can all be faked.

Search for facts and evidence, not opinions. Don’t fall for the written accolades of others. These are written to bolster the authority and credibility of con artists.

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Don’t believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.  Don’t believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.  Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.  But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. — Buddha Siddhartha Guatama Shakyamuni

4. Attend Introductory Sessions

Take part in introductory sessions, workshops, or lectures offered by the teacher. This allows you to experience their teaching style and see if it resonates with you. Be mindful not to give out information about yourself or your goals, as some unscrupulous people use this data to close the sale on expensive programs.

5. Steps to Evaluate a Spiritual Teacher, Spiritual Guide or Guru

Consider whether the teacher’s philosophy and approach align with your beliefs and values. It’s important to feel comfortable and connected with their teachings.

Check their credentials and lineage. Verify the teacher’s credentials and spiritual lineage. Authentic teachers often have a clear lineage or have been trained by reputable mentors.

Check the teacher’s background for solid training and experience. If you live in the USA, check the Better Business Bureau for people who have filed complaints of fraud or abuse. You can also use free services on the internet like People Finder to see if they are who they say they are.

If you talk with or interview them, be the first to ask questions. Don’t divulge what you want first. Ask what they can and what they like to teach. See if you can talk to other students. Ask how many students they have had and how many have left. If you can find contact information from past students, this can help you determine the credibility of the teacher.

The Red Flag of Spiritual Imposters and Con Artists

When evaluating a spiritual teacher, it’s crucial to watch for red flags that might show they are not genuine.

Be cautious of teachers who emphasize money, use fear tactics, or operate in secret. Spiritual con artists claim to have all the answers or promise instant enlightenment for the right price.

Manipulative behavior, inconsistent teachings, and pressure to conform are also warning signs.

Avoid teachers who isolate people from others or lack humility. By being mindful of these red flags, you can better protect yourself and find a teacher who truly supports your spiritual journey.

• They use “feedback” and endorsements to sell their services that can’t be verified.
• They are not being able to articulate how they will teach you what you want to learn.
• Their “celebrity” status is their main qualification to teach.
• Looking for “long-term” commitment to follow “them.”
• You must attend classes you don’t need.
• They cannot offer one-on-one instruction because they have too many followers.
• They want you to a package of expensive courses costing thousands of dollars (Mindspring, Scientology, etc.).

6. Trust Your Intuition

Pay attention to your gut feelings. If something feels off or too good to be true, it might be worth reconsidering.

The realm of spirituality has always been a space ripe with counterfeits and con artists. Today, we see fortune-tellers switching to the title of life coach. But, all cons start with religion. We see how the Christan Faith Movement spawned hundreds of false teachers to take as much of their flock’s money as possible. Everyone wants to sell you a horoscope or guarantee they can help you find your soul mate.

The problem is that there are more spiritual teachers today than ever before. More people are trying to sell themselves as qualified spiritual teachers. So, knowing the qualities or tactics of spiritual imposters will help you avoid them. How to find a spiritual teacher starts by knowing what to avoid.

Take notice of those seeking to become celebrities. Make sure you find a teacher or guru interested in teaching tools. You don’t want a teacher who wants to make disciples. The best teachers know the subject and are equally skilled at teaching. Someone who knows a lot but can’t help you learn it won’t do you any good. Someone skilled at teaching but unfamiliar with the subject will also waste your time.

If the teacher can’t or won’t teach what you need now, leave and find someone who can. Your spiritual journey will probably cycle between three principal modes: you learn or awaken a new gift, you use the new gift, and it transforms your awareness, and then you become inspired to share this tool and learn more. This is the pattern Joseph Campbell discusses in his book The Hero’s Journey (2).

7. Avoid Joining a Religion

Do you know how to find and evaluate a spiritual teacher that belongs to a religion? It’s a trick question. Religion has nothing to do with processes for investigating consciousness. You don’t need a higher power, an imaginary friend, or an invisible enemy. You don’t need to memorize sayings from holy texts. Studying and memorizing mythology has nothing to do with spirituality or spiritual development.

Religions can be distractions that keep you from doing serious inner work and growth. One of the essential tips for finding a good spiritual teacher is knowing who and what to avoid. Above all, don’t get sidetracked by religion. Don’t fall into the trap of confusing spiritual investigation with religion.

The Qualities of Trustworthy Spiritual Teachers

You know what to avoid. Here are the qualities to look for. An excellent spiritual teacher, spiritual guide, or guru is like a boat on a river. They will take you to a different place, help you open doors, and sometimes push you through them. They do what is necessary to give you the tools to forge your path.

“Guru is not the goal.  Anyone who establishes himself as a guru to be worshipped is not a guru. Guru is like a boat for crossing the river.  It is important to have a good boat, and it is very dangerous to have a boat that is leaking. The boat brings you across the river. When the river is crossed, the boat is no longer necessary.  You don’t hang onto the boat after completing the journey, and you certainly don’t worship the boat.” — Swami Rama of the Himalayas

The above quote is an excellent summation of a legitimate spiritual teacher, spiritual guide, or guru.

Good Teachers Work One-On-One

One of the top qualities of trustworthy spiritual teachers is their focus on individualized instruction. You don’t have to be alone to receive one-on-one instruction. Many excellent martial arts teachers can have several individual sessions going simultaneously in a large space. What it requires is an understanding of what is needed and how to accomplish the desired learning outcomes.

They may not be charming or socially adept. However, a knowledgeable teacher will challenge you and help you see through your boundaries. You can’t get this level of instruction in a large group.

Ideally, group instruction should make up only 50% of total learning. Personal instruction and feedback should make up the other 50%.

Use Any Means Reasonable and Necessary

An effective teacher will use any reasonable and necessary means to take you to the next level. They will teach you what you need, not necessarily what you want. Sometimes, this means learning mantras. Other times, they may use methods to shake you into eureka moments of growth.

Sometimes, these methods are unpleasant, but spiritual growth is about destroying boundaries. An excellent example of a teacher who challenges you is Don Juan. He is the main character in Carlos Castaneda’s accounts. Don Juan reminds me of my teacher, Guru Tua.

This approach differs from a person who has or seeks celebrity status. Salespeople, not true teachers, base their credibility on popularity and showmanship. These latter qualities are those of a salesperson, not a teacher. Above all, don’t follow someone because they are a celebrity. Focus on finding a spiritual teacher who can challenge and impart techniques that enable you to change. Stay away from those who cater to the masses.

Protect the Health and Welfare of their Students

Another one of the obvious qualities of a trustworthy spiritual teacher is that they care about the health and wellbeing of their students. An ethical teacher will not abuse or place you in harm’s way. Be mindful that sometimes predators masquerade as spiritual teachers. Finding your spiritual teacher may mean learning to walk away from unhealthy behaviors. Reasonable and necessary does not include emotional, physical, or sexual abuse.

One of my best teachers did his best to avoid being well-known or treated like a celebrity. He wanted to pass along his knowledge, and then he would send you out.

However, his teaching was so influential people kept pushing him into the spotlight. He resisted the spotlight to maintain a proper balance. He focused on teaching rather than publicizing what he taught. I’m talking about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (2). He taught teachers and sent them out into the world. He also openly promoted other teachers and other methods. His focus was on teaching.

In Conclusion

We hope this article answers your questions on how to find and evaluate a spiritual teacher. Selecting a spiritual teacher is an important part of the learning process. If you need help finding the right resource, let us know. Remember, it’s equally important to avoid the rabbit hole of Western organized religion. Focus on cultivating a continual learning mindset, and it will pay dividends.

References

(1) Joseph Campbell & Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero’s Journey, Wikipedia
(2) Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Wikipedia