Hi Mike,I always enjoy reading your thoughtful posts. You hit on some key points in your post above. It seems you have successfully deconstructed for yourself the behavioral mechanism which causes unhealthy dependence on those who have the capacity to teach you something.
I have done the same philosophically, but the emotional patterns are harder to re-script. I am therefor alternately too skittish and or too ready to pledge my lifelong uncritical allegiance. Because of this disfunctionality, I keep distance, and my distrust keeps me isolated. One of the fine gifts of being involved with the Fatguru.
I am curious though. Some of your writing indicates a continuing interest in what might loosely be called "spiritual" disciplines. Is that no longer the case? Your rejection of the entire idea of spiritual mastery seems incompatible with such an interest. Are there any examples of spiritual ascendency which do not involve on some level a close relationship between an adept and an initiate? And are you saying that any such relationship is by its nature corrupt or corrrupting?
