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Can I receive spiritual guidance
via Internet or telephone?

Yes, it is possible to guide a person over the Internet and telephone. I am doing it all the time with good results. Naturally telephone and, more so, e-mail tend to be impersonal. It is also not usually a secure form of communication. Thus it is best if you meet with a teacher in person at the beginning of the relationship and continue meeting him or her occasionally as required to maintain close connection. In other words, it is a good idea to include telephone and e-mail as a part of the spectrum of ways you interact with your teacher but not to limit yourself to just these two "cyber" methods.

Historically, startsy (Russian Orthodox spiritual mentors) guided people through letters, a medium of communication that is even less immediate than e-mail and telephone. In pre-Revolutionary Russia (as it is nowadays) it was not always possible to take time off from your "worldly" responsibilities to visit your teacher. So people maintained contact in the manner best suited to their situation and spiritual longing.

I believe that most emotionally mature persons do not require continuous close contact with a teacher. Generally only those who are in need of constant mothering, i.e., those who are emotionally "unripe" like children, require constant supervision. At-a-distance spiritual guidance usually presumes a certain degree of ego stability and generally requires a greater degree of self-directed involvement from the student, such as disciplined meditation and asana practice, reading and spiritual service.

Generally, at-a-distance relationship with a teacher is more suitable for busy professionals and family people who by virtue of their underdeveloped spiritual aspiration and/or their living situation are incapable of withstanding the rigor of being in intimate proximity to the teacher. It is much more expedient for your spiritual path if you are able to live close to the master, do intense sadhana (spiritual effort/practice) and serve the world through the master’s organization/mission.

Finally, we should never loose faith that the Lord/Mother of the Universe is the sole Guru. Every teacher is merely His/Her agent. Thus we are never alone or without guidance. All that is required is willingness to listen and a little spiritual effort...

For more information about Personal Consultations, please click here.

— Anatole