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January 4^th, 2010

Some people might think it pretentious of me to call myself “The Guru Kalehuru.”  I suppose they have a point.  I can certainly  be pedantic at time (I am a teacher by profession), and when I become pedantic without being on solid intellectual footing, then that is pretentious.

I started reading Tarot cards long before I ever called myself Guru.  Now, there is a pretentious business.  I sometimes do preface my readings with a disclaimer, something along the lines of “this is not magic and I am not a psychologist” but I don’t press it.  Nobody wants to hear it and besides, the success of the reading depends very much on the subject thinking that I am somewhat more than a normal human being.

So, sometimes I call myself Guru.  Literally, it means teacher, but when I am in front of a class of students who want to learn English, I expect them to call me teacher and not guru.  That would be silly.

Guru implies ancient wisdom, esoteric knowledge, traveling on astral planes and being in touch with other dimensions, higher states of consciousness, illumination and enlightenment.

I’m totally in favor of all that stuff, but I have never, not through reading Tarot nor on my wildest acid trip, ever managed to reach a higher state of consciousness.  At any rate, not one that was verifiable, even to myself.

Still, I am convinced that higher states exist, and that some day we will reach them.  Here’s how I see it:  Take a piece of standard size writing paper.  Start listing the known states of consciousness at the bottom, and work up.

1. Nothingness.  The void.  The big empty area between solar systems.  No consciousness, nor anything to be conscious of.
2. Consciousless matter and raw energy.  Yes, they have existence, but the consciousness is still not there.
3. Bacteria, plants, etc…They may have some kind of a recoil reflex, but that’s not the same as knowing fear.  Not exactly Shakespeare, but they are higher on the self-awareness scale than say, for instance, a rock.
4. Animals.  They are not human, they can’t look into a book and read about the past or speculate on the future, they have no knowledge of governments or great film stars.  Nonetheless, they think and they feel.
5. Us.  Capable of incredible brilliance when we are not busy being hideously obtuse, which is most of the time.

Now, look at how much paper you have left!!

Of course, that’s not a proof.  The map is not the landscape, the metaphor is not the mathematics.  But look at it this way.  At the top of the paper, write something describing the ultimate consciousness – oneness with the universe, total comprehension, being God, whatever you wish to call it.

Since we are not there yet, or even close, we know there are at least some states of consciousness between us and that.

So, I’ll keep looking, and calling myself a Guru just for the laughs.