Spiritual mentoring: Key takeaways on how to find a spiritual teacher

• • Understand the mentor-mentee relationship may not be life-long, but having a mentor is essential for life-long growth.
• • Acknowledge that finding a spiritual mentor reflects a commitment to personal and spiritual development.
• • Spiritual mentors can guide and uplift you on your journey, facilitating growth and self-understanding.
• • Striving to improve your life often enhances the lives of those around you as well.

What is a spiritual mentor? Our definition

What is a spiritual awakening and how could a spiritual mentor help you when navigating your journey? A spiritual mentor is someone who has done a lot of spiritual work on themselves. They have a deeper understanding of spirituality and the importance of achieving wellness. They hold high in regard to our connection to divine energy to which we shall all return and actively work to facilitate the elevation of their mentee’s spirituality as they work through the various spiritual awakening stages. A spiritual mentor is not necessarily a religious person, but finding a spiritual mentor who is compassionate about others and their struggles – they want the best for everyone. Spiritual mentors or spiritual guru’s are not to be confused with an apprenticeship. They are more like role models guiding you as you travel along your spiritual path, acting as a positive influence, sharing their teachings with you, and answering any questions that may arise.

What does a spiritual mentor do?

Essentially a spiritual mentor is a teacher. They are there to share the knowledge they have learned. They facilitate your personal and spiritual growth with love, compassion, and unconditional respect. Sometimes, a spiritual mentor realizes when you need someone to talk to and they will just listen. They are good mentors in the sense that they empower you by showing empathy towards your problems and may offer good advice if you ask a question on something that’s troubling you, or causing confusion. Spiritual mentors help us reach our fullest potential by teaching us new skills, which includes problem-solving. A spiritual mentor will help you learn how to start your spiritual journey.

Do I need a spiritual mentor?

We all live busy lives. even if we are blessed to live amongst nature, we are still heavily influenced by external factors that can lead our thoughts and emotions astray. A good mentorship can keep us on the right path of mindfulness.

How to find a spiritual mentor that is right for you

A good mentor is not necessarily without faults, they are only human after all. They do not have to be high ranking members of society or your elder, but they do have to be further along in their spiritual practice than you. They need to be knowledgeable and easy to talk to. 

1. Do they react maturely to their personal problems?

As previously mentioned, no human being is perfect. We all have trials we have to face, a spiritual mentor is still learning themselves. If your mentor reacts defensively or in any other negative manner, this shows that they are unable to learn and grow from their mistakes. Therefore it will be hard for them to be a good role model for you.

2. Do their values and beliefs resonate with your own?

As spirituality has many different facets, like religion, politics, or culture, your mentor does not necessarily have to follow the exact same belief or value system, but it should be similar enough for your ethics to match. Their underlying, core values and beliefs should raise questions within your own and positively challenge you to further your understanding of yourself and your spirituality.

3. Do they have their own spiritual mentor?

Every doctor needs their own doctor when they get sick, just like every teacher needed and still needs a teacher. The spiritual path to mindfulness and enlightenment is an ever-flowing process. If your mentor has no mentoring relationship for themselves they may have duped themselves into believing they have reached the “top”. But, we all know there is no hierarchy in spirituality.

4. Do they look to themselves or others for direction?

In this modern world, we live in, we are constantly fronted with criticism and judgment.  It is inevitable for us to look towards our peers for reassurance or guidance. A good spiritual mentor is not afraid to seek advice, but they are confident in their self-image. They use their inner-knowing to guide themselves through life with an ability to detach from the opposing opinions of others.

5. How do they spend their time?

Time is undeniably short-supplied and precious. Good spiritual mentors will strive to spend their time on things that elevate their frequency. Spending your time critically trawling the negative newsfeeds of social media is bound to bring you down. If you have a low vibration then it is impossible to help elevate others. Make sure, when seeking a spiritual mentor, that they are committed to uplifting others and actively working towards the benefit of the community.

6. Are they Humble?

It is important that one is able to admit when they have done or said something wrong. Mistakes are meant to be there to learn from, and a good spiritual mentor is someone who has truly grasped that fact. They do not boast their spiritual gifts egotistically, they use them purely for the empowerment of their mentees.

7. Make sure to ask about their spiritual mentoring guidelines.

This is simply so you don’t get involved with a mentor whose values and beliefs systems might clash with yours. it is important for your mentoring relationship to uplift you as opposed to restricting you. It is also important to see the dedication of your mentor. If they have no readily available guidelines this might portray their lack of effort or care.

8. Find a spiritual mentorship program

Join a church congregation or bible study after school, start a chalah bake with the women in your synagogue, or join a coven of witches where you meet weekly. It doesn’t matter what your religious or cultural preferences are, there will always be the availability of someone who cares for you and your personal growth.

9. Find a spiritual mentor online

If you are too busy with your career or are less inclined to speak about your trials and tributes in person, there are always online options. This means you can see counsel from the comfort and privacy of your own home. Here is an example of a program, by Malanie Wiliams, which you may participate in.

 https://melaniejwilliams.com/spiritual-mentorship-program/
What can I expect from a spiritual mentor when mentoring begins?

 

How do you ask someone to be a spiritual mentor?

Before you ask someone to be your spiritual mentor you need to understand what you want out of your mentoring relationship. This includes how you would like to correspond with the said mentor. Be it once a week at the coffee shop up the road, after church on Sundays, or in the library at university. It also includes what kind of guidance you might be interested in from career, relationships, or religion. once you have established this understanding of your expectations, you are ready to pop the question. Make sure you have scheduled the initial meeting so that you have enough time to ask all of the important questions and the potential mentor can listen intently so they are not in a rush for their next appointment. Be explicit of your expectations, demonstrate your dedication

How do I find a Christian spiritual mentor?

A life or spiritual mentor is someone with whom you can seek good advice or insight according to their experience. A Christian mentor, on the other hand, is based upon discipleship. It is accompanying someone who will help you embrace your relationship with God, or Jesus, and further improve your Christian standard of living. You can find a mentor through your friendships in your local church, whether they be a long-term mentoring relationship or just once off. You can also make use of other resources like online articles from reputable sources or podcasts alike.

What qualities make a good spiritual mentor?

The characteristics of a spiritual person are important when seeking a mentor. A good spiritual mentor should be empathetic, level-headed, confident in their beliefs, honest, authentically themselves, friendly, approachable, and humble.

How do I become a spiritual mentor?

A good mentor is someone who has a thirst for knowledge that can help with their own spiritual or personal growth and that of the community. Make sure you have equipped yourself with the knowledge and ability to answer certain questions. Keep an open mind towards mentoring and always be keen to set aside some time to answer any questions your peers may have, you never know, you might be a mentor without having realized it. Don’t forget to try our spiritual awakening test!

Written by:
Jade Small