The Guides

They say there is a secret sect protecting and guiding the world. These guides don't protect certain powers or interests. They support the growth and sanctity of everything, especially the awakening of the human race. The men* of this sect can see far into the past and into the future. To protect the sanctity of the earth, they assume any role or any position. Some call them angels, as they might appear and disappear out of nowhere. They can even appear to be your best friend for a moment, while they help you on your path. They make small differences that have big impact on lives in positive ways.
How can you tell you are in the presence of such guide? You feel lighter, but are unsure of why. You feel it becomes easier to act noble, helpful or speak a deeper truth. You more allow words to come. You feel more supported by life in general. You feel more meaning and purpose in your life. Whether you feel this because a guide is near or helping or not doesn't matter. When you feel these things you are on the path.

*) Now women may ask, why not women? Fear not, there are whole lineages of female wise ones, handing down ancient wisdom to help life with care and compassion to unfold. And mind you, as with the men, mostly it's not so much the ones that become public with spiritual retreats or use a lot of mystic talk. But, as I am male, I wouldn't know of this, would I?


Here are a two stories about guides. Other stories might refer to them as well.


The story you have heard before
Once a man fell into a channel. He was helped to land by a man that seemed to appear out of nowhere. When back on land he lay for a few moments gasping for air in the grass. When he rose, the helper was nowhere to be seen*.

*)There are those that would consider this an angel story. That might be. Are guides angels or angels guides or otherwise. I can't tell. The people who experienced these things did experience these things. In my family there are several such strange stories. One was a doctor hurrying through the forest to my grandfathers house, where a patient really needing care. He was there in 10 minutes. When he had saved the patient he was asked how he got there so quickly. The doctor didn't understand the question. He had jumped in his car and taken the shortest route. my grandfather was astounded. Then he told the doctor the road was barred by some broken trees because of a storm. The doctor told he hadn't seen any trees across the road, but when he drove home, for sure the road was blocked and he had to ride a completely different and longer route to get home.

A Thousand Hugs.
A certain high ranking manager thought only about his position. He pressured, manipulated and betrayed everyone around him just to score his targets and rise on the corporate ladder. He felt untouchable and totally self justified. Then his wife got very sick on cancer. At first nobody expressed sympathy and compassion with him. Then one employee of his said they should all hug him at every possible occasion. Awkwardly they all agreed and started doing this. The first hugs the man resisted and felt weird. Then he gracefully accepted them. Then one day he broke down and cried. When after a thousand hugs and the healing of his wife he went back to full time work, he had completely changed. Now he supported anyone else who wanted to achieve something, he had the highest integrity, he always helped people as much as he could. And people kept on hugging him, now out of true linking.

A few years later a college asked to the man who had come up with the hugging idea, how he got that idea. This man reacted confused. He claimed to have been to making a call when it was decided. It was upon his return that he found everyone else seemed to have embraced this idea. He had just joined.

Same But Different

“So, every teaching story has more than five layers of meaning?” the student asked.
“So, what of it?” said his friend.
“Yeah, what of it?”, said the master.

They both look at the master. He looks at the friend. “Wasn't that what you were saying?
So, I says it too.”
He winks at the boys, “Same, but different.”

Saving the big fish

A CEO of a huge company planned to build a factory that would kill all the fish in a certain lake, while putting all the local fishermen out of work. The night before the meeting to okay this decision he finds a message on his computer screen, it says: “What makes your children truly smile at you?” He withdraws the plan the next day.

Someone who knew a guide asked, why this was not done more often. The guide said sadly, “How often do you think such a man in such a position, can look through his blindness and be awakened to his light from within?”

Judgements

A woman is brought before a revolutionary Islamic tribunal for betraying the revolution with indecent behavior. The accused sits in her stand like a proud woman. The audience gapes at her.
The Judge calls her a sinner. He accuses her of harassing men with indecent flirtations, drinking alcohol in front of others and freely offering social judgements against the revolutionary victory.
The accused starts to tremble. Is it fear and or anger?

When the judge gives her the time to defend herself or offer humble apologies, she bursts. She shouts at the judge and the court. If she is as they claim, than the court and revolution is exactly like her. She claims the court to be full of biased ideas what is good and what not, reveling in self justification to harass the other sex and anyone who doesn't play along with the so-called revolution. Then she takes of her head scarf and waves her long lustrous hair.
She finishes with the words: “And everyone who does not see natural beauty in my hair. Anyone thinking only of indecency rules or sex while watching it, is a sinner and betrayer of the revolution too.” Then she sits down. The whole audience and the court listens and watches in shock. Men stare, or stare demonstratively not, at her hair. This woman has for sure crossed all the lines.

Then the judge rises. He shakes and trembles. He cries like a man in despair and then falls to his knees. All the while wailing he moves towards the woman on his knees. “Thank you for opening the eyes of the court, thank you for exposing us as sinners and losers who hide behind a veil of power and revelers in self justification that bully everything that is other. Thank you for exposing my secret sexual longings to everyone in this room. Thank you for showing the same guts to break the laws, as we did in the revolution, for something you believe in” When he reaches her hem embraces her knees and cries. The whole court and everyone in the audience is flabbergasted. The woman sits frozen and looks at the judge. She puts her scarf back on.

Then the judges rises like nothing happens and demands release of the woman. The other members of the court rise to protest his judgement. The judge looks with fire in his eyes at them. “If there is just the smallest grain of hate against this woman or reveling in power within yourself, then you are not part of a revolutionary victory, but part of a new tyranny. If there is but one small part in you either lusting or hating this woman, you show me, that you cannot control your own emotions. How then can we trust you to control your thoughts honestly when sitting in judgement.” The men of the court stare at him. “And I will wail on your lap too, until you too understand.” he follows. The woman is hastily released.
A few days after that, the judge is removed from office and never seen again.

Addition: They whisper this story though is shared all over the country. A few will add it's not the woman, but the revolution that has been judged. Some whisper the Judge was a Sufi, others think the woman was one too, or became one because of this event. There are even some who claim the woman was a Sufi master and the Judge her student. Others it was the other way around. Some say everyone present in the courtroom who had a open heart was changed for the better after this. Others say this would never have happened in real life and is just a story. Whether these last ones are right or wrong doesn't matter. They are asleep.

Don't try this at home.

One day a traveller on the path travelled to Turkey to find a certain other. When he knew he was in the right city, he went to a bench in the park and sat there until a man appeared who sat next to him.

The traveller arose and hit this man on the head with an old paper shouting: “Where have you been all this time, where have you been all this time?” The man on the bench accepted the punishment gracefully. Then the traveller stopped, wondered and put his hand before his mouth. “Oh, Master, I have totally started on the wrong foot. Let me start again.” He fell on his knees before the man and hugged him, while stammering: “Oh master, oh master, how glad I am to finally find you.” The man on the bench took the hugging gracefully. Then the traveller stopped and sat down next to the man. “That was entirely the wrong foot again. By the way,” the traveller said, “it is not entirely clear to me, who here is the student and who the master.” The traveller smiled. The man on the bench took this gracefully.

The Visitor

One day there was a secret journeyer on the path who met a man in a park. They talked about the teaching in this world. When the man arose he followed him to his home. Since this man was also a learner on the path, he accepted with grace. This man, who was a shopkeeper, gave the sage a place in his home. The shopkeepers wife wondered about this.
“My wife, what can I do? This is a secret sage of the age who thinks I am his teacher. I am to learn from him.”
“How come then, he thinks, you are the teacher?” asked his wife.
“He is so secret, even he doesn't even know, he is the teacher.” answered her husband.
“How come then, you know and how come you feel free to tell me?” his wife wondered.
“Do you believe me, it is so?” the man asked.