This post by Gabby Berstein originally appeared on gabby.tv. Find more like it here.
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The great Sufi poet Rumi said, “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” I believe that our wounds guide us to crack open to our highest truth and purpose. If you’re reading my blog (even for the first time), it’s likely that you’ve experienced a cracking open of sorts. Maybe you hit bottom with an addiction and today you’re on a path of sober recovery. Or maybe a series of anxiety attacks led you to a life-changing meditation practice. Or maybe you felt lost until you found a spiritual book that changed your life forever. However you got here doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re here.
When we embark on our own transformational journey we begin to hear an inner whisper that calls us to share our insights with others. Over time the whisper becomes a loud roar. The call to share is undeniable—because the path to healing the world begins with the individual. As we heal our own perceptions we elevate the people around us. This begins a ripple effect of one person lighting up another and another and another. This is how we will light up the world.
As a spiritual student I believe that we sign an invisible oath that in some way, we’ll be a teacher. As we expand our inner awareness and bare witness to our life blossom we likely sense the desire to spread the love. When we share our spiritual gifts they grow. A Course in Miracles says, “To teach is to learn.” As a student of the Course, I can testify to this truth. I have witnessed my spiritual awareness and faith grow immensely from my commitment to being a teacher. Becoming a teacher was the decision that changed my life forever.
Early in my Course studies I read about how when the teacher is ready the students will show up. This was the case for me. As soon as I made the commitment to share the information I was learning, then my students began to show up. They showed up as mentees, family members and in my case audience members as I began to share the messages through lectures and videos. When you’re on a spiritual path becoming a teacher comes naturally. You don’t need to figure out who to teach or where to go. Rather, you remain a humble student with the willingness to share the beautiful gifts you’ve been given.
At points in my spiritual journey when I decided to learn more I was guided to teach more. For instance, before I found Kundalini yoga and meditation I felt a strong call to heighten my own practice. Though I’d been a spiritual teacher for seven years I was seeking a more visceral experience of spirit. I prayed to know more. Quickly my prayers were answered when I was invited to a private Kundalini class hosted by a dear friend. I didn’t even like yoga but there was a voice within me saying, “get your ass into that class.” From the moment I met my teacher Gurmukh and experienced the technology of Kundalini I knew I was not only meant to be a dedicated student but I was meant to be a teacher.
With one month of Kundalini classes under my belt I started saying out loud, to everyone, including my lecture audiences, that I was going to become a Kundalini teacher. I had no idea where this proclamation was coming from. Spirit was speaking through me, holding me accountable as I stated my commitment to thousands of people in lecture halls and the twittersphere. I was being called to teach.
Then one afternoon in Kundalini class I kept hearing my inner voice say, “it’s time to teach, it’s time to teach.” Immediately following the class I thanked the teacher. She looked at me and said, “Gabrielle I’m familiar with your work. I think you should teach Kundalini.” I smiled and accepted the Universal memo. Twenty-four hours later I signed up for 270 hours of Kundalini yoga and meditation teacher training.
Becoming a spiritual teacher isn’t our choice. It’s an unconscious commitment we make with the Universe. {Tweet it} It’s not something that we do it’s something that happens to us. We can all teach in our own unique ways. You don’t need to be a self-help book author and motivational speaker to be a spiritual teacher. You just need to be a spiritual student with a desire to serve. Yogi Bhajan said, “If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” You’ve made it this far and it’s likely you’re hearing your own call to teach. Don’t deny that inner voice. Don’t push it away with limiting beliefs like, “I’m not ready for that teacher training” or “Who am I to share these tools.” That’s all a bunch of crap. When you make the decision to share your gifts, spirit will give you all that you need to facilitate the process.
The world desperately needs more light. When you are called to share the spiritual awareness you now have don’t hesitate to speak up. Be the lighthouse. In your light others will become illuminated. {Tweet it}
A Course in Miracles teaches us that, “A miracle is a service. It is the maximal service you can render to another. It is a way of loving your neighbor as yourself. You recognize your own and your neighbor’s worth simultaneously.” We need more miracle workers to balance the energy of these times. We need you.
It’s time for you to fully own this leadership role and surrender whatever is standing in your way from stepping into your power. In this video message I share guidance on how you can own this power and embrace the true reason for why you’re here, why you struggled and what you can do with it now.
Follow my guidance, take my lead and accept that you are a lightworker.
Another great resource is the video from my free training on How to be an Authentic Leader and Run a Spiritual Business. Thousands of people joined me for this training and I know the collective energy we’ve created is having a ripple effect on the world. Watch it for free here.
See Gabby Bernstein’s upcoming events here.
Photo by Ali Kaukas
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Featured on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday as one of the next generation thought leaders, Gabrielle Bernstein is making her mark. She is the New York Times Bestselling author of the books Miracles Now and May Cause Miracles. Her earlier titles include Add More~ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness and Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road to Self-Love and Miracles(published by Random House.) Gabrielle is also the founder of the social networking site HerFuture.com for women to inspire, empower and connect. Learn more at gabbyb.tv.