In the Company of Sages: The Journey of the Spiritual Seeker

(Paperback, 2nd Edition, New Edition of The Nine Stages of Spiritual Apprenticeship)

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Description

Explains how to successfully navigate the process of initiation, instruction, testing, and self-transformation under the guidance of a spiritual teacher

Explores how to approach a teacher for initiation and the importance of gauging your inner response and feeling of trust and resonance with the teacher

Discusses the process of separating from a spiritual teacher and how to negotiate the emotional conflicts that can arise at this stage

Shares the author's experiences with several remarkable teachers and details lessons learned through testing and confronting doubts and fears

In the search for inner awakening and self-realization, a spiritual mentor can be key to advancement. Yet the process of finding an authentic spiritual teacher who resonates with you can be daunting, especially for anyone who has had a negative experience with a guide. Exploring the emotional nuances of mentoring relationships, Greg Bogart details the path of spiritual apprenticeship: the process of aligning with a teacher, establishing a dynamic spiritual practice, and the later stages of separation and finding the teacher within.

The author explores the importance of gauging your inner response and feeling of trust and resonance with a teacher and your readiness to receive initiation. He explains how the teacher-student relationship affects the students state of consciousness over time and how most students eventually need to become independent from their spiritual guides. Describing emotional conflicts that can arise at this stage, he shows how wise teachers accept our need to separate and graduate while immature teachers try to thwart and control us.

Openly sharing his own personal journey, the author illustrates the lasting resonance of his encounters with several provocative spiritual mentors, including Swami Muktananda and Dane Rudhyar. He discusses how some fierce teachers practice "crazy wisdom" to confront our doubts, fears, and fixations and to activate our dormant potentials. Examining practices in Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist Yoga, Sufism, and Jewish and Christian mysticism, he also explores the deeper mystical aspects of the guru-student relationship.

The author shows how, ultimately, initiation leads the spiritual seeker to find the teacher within and how this can naturally lead to teaching others. Describing nine stages of the spiritual seekers journey, the author affirms that a direct path to self-liberation is still attainable through initiation and instruction in the company of sages.

Reviews

A clear, reasoned exposition that will help seekers of all persuasions. * Yoga Journal *
Bogart calls upon his expertise as a psychotherapist and his experience as a mature spiritual seeker to discuss issues that are crucial for Western students of inner pathways. This is a must-read for all spiritual seekers and their teachers. * Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., P.T., coauthor of What We Say Matters *
This book is valuable for anyone who has been a student of a spiritual teacher or who is contemplating becoming one, and it helps prevent misconceptions so that a mature teacher-student relationship can develop. * Yoga International *
Bogarts book is a clear and detailed map of the experience of self-unfoldment under the guidance of a guru or spiritual guide--including its difficulties, dangers, joys, and ultimate value. Highly recommended. * John Warren White, author of What Is Enlightenment *
If the recurring stories of gurus gone egregiously astray have you wondering whether teachers still have relevance on the spiritual path, I encourage you to read this wise and balanced book. Bogart makes a cogent case for the perennial value of awakening to who we are in relationship with one who already knows and can point the way. * Stephan Bodian, author of Wake Up Now *
In this volume, which I regard as his best, Bogart brings an integrated psychospiritual perspective to his description of the guru-disciple relationship. I welcome this book and will recommend it frequently to clients and students of my own. * Bryan Wittine, LMFT, Ph.D., teaching and supervising analyst, C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco *
Based on decades of firsthand, inspiring, and life-changing experiences and scholarly research, Greg Bogarts In the Company of Sages astutely and caringly steers you through the winding terrains of the spiritual mentor and student relationship. * Stuart Sovatsky, Ph.D., author of Advanced Spiritual Intimacy *
This is an excellent practical guide for anyone seeking a spiritual teacher and for those who are teachers. Bogarts openness and forthright storytelling may benefit parents or loved ones who are concerned about friends and family members who invest themselves in spiritual practice. I highly recommend this book. Well researched and documented, readable, and personal, it lights the way for those navigating the journey of transformation. * Laurel Clark, author of Intuitive Dreaming *
This uniquely insightful book is a new classic of contemporary spiritual literature. * Master Charles Cannon, originator of Synchronicity High-Tech Meditation *
"Sensitive both to traditional views and the unique concerns of seekers in the West." * David Frawley, author of Yoga and Ayurveda *
Valuable, even essential, words of wisdom to open the eyes and minds of those who have a spiritual teacher in their past, present, or future. * Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior *
Clarifying, balanced, highly readable, and above all helpful. This is the best book available on spiritual apprenticeship and the psychological issues involved. * Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., author of Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga *

Author Bio

Greg Bogart, Ph.D., MFT, is a psychotherapist in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a lecturer in psychology at Sonoma State University, a teacher at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and the author of numerous books on astrology, dreams, yoga, and spiritual depth psychology.