"I think that it's time that the world does away with the vision of the enlightened Guru. To see a teacher as greater than yourself and to believe that he or she exists in the state of enlightened Bliss, unaffected by the world, only works against you because it separates you from your own divinity. Spirituality is less accessible to those who don't see their spiritual teachers as people just like them." - Teal Swan

I think there is a great lesson in this.  Too often people are looking for a guru...someone to do all the work for them.  Someone that they can bask in the light of instead of doing the actual work for themselves.  It takes many self-help books, time, meditation, and hard work to become "enlightened" or somewhere near it.  We have to put in the effort and stop hoping that we will find someone that by just being near them, we will be saved.  Everybody has this capability within themselves.  You just have to dig a little deeper and set aside that darn human ego and look for the love and the light within, which is hard to do sometimes.  It's much easier to go and listen to someone else speak about what it is to live in the light of God or the love of God and we all want it, but we think it's so much effort to get there within ourselves, when really, it's not.  We just have to do a little soul-searching and allow us the time each day to sit with ourselves and be still to cultivate that little seed of self-love.  Easier said than done, right?  Just try 10 to 15 minutes a day of sitting in a quiet space and practice on your breathing if nothing else.  Quiet your mind. It is within these moments that your soul connects and shows you that you are worth it.  You deserve it.  Whatever "it" may be.  Set an alarm every day (my best time is at sunrise) to sit and bask in the gloriousness that is life and then move on with your day.  Little by little, you will start to feel better.  More joyful, more peaceful and more relaxed.  Then, when you are able to, work your way up to an hour a day of deep relaxing meditation.  This is when you will really get to know your soul.  That beautiful part of you that gets buried in the busyness of the day and craves and deserves that attention from you to be loved and nurtured.  Believe me, I didn't nurture my soul and so far it has gotten me seven years of a debilitating illness with no known cause or cure, just lots of horrific physical pain.  I find, the more I am able to reach my soul, the more I am able to self-love, the less pain I have.  I am just learning how to do this myself, so we will work together!  Please let me know your struggles, your advice, and any thoughts you have on the subject.  Remember to look to the inside, not the outside, for inner peace.

XO ~ Amy Jo
Have a blessed day!