Just as we have centuries old documentation of “God-channeling” oracles, we have centuries old documentation of “the spirit of falsehood” oracles.
In the Old Testament, the wicked king, Ahab, consults 400 prophets (oracles) about going to war with Arameans. They reply God will give him victory. One prophet disagrees and tells Ahab about his vision – which is very different. In Micaiah’s vision, a spirit says he will punish Ahab for God: “I will go out and be a spirit of falsehood in the mouths of all his prophets”. God responds, “You will deceive him, and you will succeed. Go out and do it” (22:19-22). Given this seemingly God-directed false prophecy, Ahab goes to war and is killed.
In more recent times, we often learn of false oracles in the form of corrupt religious figures, controlling cults, false gurus, abusive and exploitative church leaders…
REFLECT:
Do you believe in / follow a spiritual teacher?
If yes, how do you determine if the messages are “true”?
As a student of comparative religion and a leadership professor, I’m more of a sampler – studying leaders who have global perspectives and universal truths, despite their affiliations. So many of my teachings have come from books. At one point, I chose to have more human contact and decided my annual birthday gift to myself would be a guru experience. (After spending time with several recognized gurus, my ironic quip was that I ran out of gurus long before I ran out of birthdays.)
In Eastern spiritual traditions, the Sanskrit word “guru” translates as teacher.
In Western traditions, gurus are experts in their fields –
and can include spiritual teachers .
To avoid “false spirits”, I created a Change Your Mind recording to recognize truth / true spiritual leaders (Trust Your Guidance). This developed my inner BS detector. For instance, I have known many devotees of Satha Sai Baba (1926-2011). But when I saw his picture, I “knew” he was not pure. Over the years, I wondered why I felt this way, as he
(1) taught Love all, Serve all: Help ever, Hurt never
(2) founded a charitable trust (valued at $8.9 billion) that built hospitals, schools, and water projects, as well as a soccer stadium
(3) performed “Christ-like miracles” – conjuring things out of thin air, curing illnesses and making food multiply
Nonetheless, Satha Sai Saba proved to be a false guru. His miracles – which he called his validation – were reported to be “staged magic tricks”. When challenged, he refused any up-close observation / filming or scientific testing of them.
In addition, A BBC documentary provided interviews with men claiming Satha Sai Baba molested them. Then six men were killed in his apartment. As the police came in the front door, he went out the back door. Indian authorities never investigated, and he was given a ceremonial state burial. Despite these facts, about six million people from all over the world still follow him.
Fortunately, I avoided “false spirits” and had transcendent experiences with my chosen gurus, though I continue to question one of them..
Transcendent:
My encounter with Daya Mata (1914-2010), President of the Self Realization Fellowship, was transformative. She simply stood in front of me, bored into my eyes with her eyes, giving me the feeling of being overtaken without being invaded. I felt suspended, and then WHONK WHONK WHONK I was whizzing through the universe – zipping through deep blue galaxies – and into the void. It was a velvet darkness, all encompassing and enveloping, and had a quality of emptiness and fullness at the same time. I had no concept of time. When I “returned”, Daya Mata curtly nodded to me and walked away. For the remainder of the three day silent retreat, I floated around the grounds in a spiritual daze.
Transcendent – Leaving Questions:
While living in Sedona, I was part of a global peace torch ceremony. Inaugurated by Sri Chinmoy (1964-2007), relay runners carried a peace and harmony torch around the world for thousands to hold, including world leaders such as Mother Teresa and Nikita Khrushchev. The runners brought the torch to Sedona, and as I held it, I felt overwhelmed with love. I instantly cried, felt light bodied, and zipped out into the void. Someone had to take the torch away, as I was in an altered state, clutching it tightly.
When the global run was completed, Sri Chinmoy created a children’s run starting in Maui, Hawaii. At the opening ceremony, I sat in the front row a few feet from him. When he began the meditation, WHONK WHONK WHONK I went into an altered state and felt bathed in joy. I hardly made it to my car afterwards, and have no idea how I drove back to my condo.
Sri Chinmoy was later accused of mild sexual misconduct. I felt confused about how he would have such pure spiritual power and be capable of misusing it. Perhaps the accusation was unfounded. But I still question.
APPLY:
Identify the characteristics / behaviors you REQUIRE in a spiritual teacher. Identify your “deal breakers” – the things you will NOT accept.
God’s Monsters, Esther J. Hamori, Broadleaf Books, 2023.
