In the Company of Sages

In the Company of Sages describes the process of searching for a spiritual teacher, and the experience of self-unfoldment and transformation under the guidance of a teacher. The book explores how spiritual teachers initiate us, kindling our inner spiritual life, guiding us through various tests of character. It details the process of searching for a spiritual teacher, being nourished and inwardly activated by spiritual practices, and finding the teacher within through the self-liberating practices of dream work, pranayama, and meditation. It describes how the teacher-student relationship gradually matures so that we become independent and are able to naturally unfold our own potentials and capacities.

Available in Print and Kindle editions from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Powells.com, Simonandschuster.com, and Innertraditions.com.

Published by Inner Traditions

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

“A clear, reasoned exposition that will help seekers of all persuasions.” • Yoga Journal, March/April 1998

“Sooner or later every spiritual seeker needs expert guidance on the path. Those who have arrived at this critical juncture will find this book clarifying, balanced, highly readable, and above all helpful. This is the best book available on spiritual apprenticeship and the psychological issues involved.” • Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., author of Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga

“If the recurring stories of gurus gone egregiously astray have you wondering whether teachers still have relevance on the spiritual path, I encourage you to read this wise and balanced book. Greg Bogart brings insight, maturity, and extensive research to his discussion. While addressing the controversies and complex issues involved and also the importance of ultimately becoming your own teacher, Bogart makes a cogent case for the perennial value of awakening to who we are in relationship with one who already knows and can point the way.” • Stephan Bodian, author of Wake Up Now

“This is an excellent practical guide for anyone seeking a spiritual teacher and for those who are teachers. Bogart’s openness and forthright storytelling may benefit parents or loved ones who are concerned about friends and family members who invest themselves in spiritual practice. I highly recommend this book. Well-researched and documented, readable, and personal, it lights the way for those navigating the journey of transformation.” • Laurel Clark, author, Intuitive Dreaming

“In this volume, which I regard as his best, Bogart brings an integrated psychospiritual perspective to his description of the guru-disciple relationship. I especially admire Bogart’s fair, compassionate, psychologically sophisticated insights on the shadow of spiritual teachers and our tendency to idealize illumined but very human men and women. I welcome the new edition of this book and will recommend it frequently to clients and students of my own.” • Bryan Wittine, LMFT, Ph.D, Teaching and Supervising Analyst, C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco

Searching for a Spiritual Teacher

In the Company of Sages describes the lasting resonance of the author’s searching for a spiritual teacher and his numerous encounters with several provocative spiritual mentors, including Swami Muktananda, Dane Rudhyar, Chogyam Trungpa, and Judith Lasater. He discusses how some fierce teachers practice “crazy wisdom” to confront our doubts, fears, and fixations and to activate our dormant potentials. Examples are drawn from practices in Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist Yoga, Sufism, and Jewish and Christian mysticism.

Excerpt from In the Company of Sages

At certain stages on the spiritual quest, we need a teacher to guide us on the path. Just as we seek a teacher to learn a foreign language or a musical instrument, if we wish to be enlightened, then we need to find a guide to instruct and inspire us. As Milarepa, Tibet’s most accomplished and celebrated yogi, stated, “You need a qualified and dependable guru.”

Throughout human history, there have been people who have demonstrated signs of spiritual realization, mystical illumination, or intimacy with God. The idea spans nearly every culture and era, that certain people are able to awaken higher consciousness and become conduits for healing and spiritual truths: yogis, shamans, prophets, illuminated saints, ecstatic mystics. These are individuals who have been entrusted by others with the mantle of spiritual leadership. Many cultures revere the figure of the shaman, who enters trance states, returns with insights from the spirit world, and initiates apprentices. I ancient China people sought out the Taoist sages Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu to question them about the meaning of life. In ancient Greece philosophers such as Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato and Plotinus taught doctrines and techniques to lift students beyond ordinary consciousness into mystical experience and contemplation of higher realms of existence.

What this Book Does

• Explains how to successfully navigate the process of initiation, instruction, testing, and self-transformation under the guidance of a spiritual teacher
• Explores how to approach a teacher for initiation and the importance of gauging your inner response and feeling of trust and resonance with the teacher
• Discusses the process of separating from a spiritual teacher and how to negotiate the emotional conflicts that can arise at this stage

• Shares the author’s experiences with several remarkable teachers and details lessons learned through testing and confronting doubts and fears

Available in Print and Kindle editions. Order from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Powells.com, Indiebound.org, and Innertraditions.com.

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

In the Company of Sages: The Journey of the Spiritual Seeker

320 pages, paperback ISBN 978-1620553848. $19.95

Reviews of In the Company of Sages

“Valuable, even essential, words of wisdom to open the eyes and minds of those who have a spiritual teacher in their past, present, or future.” • Dan Millman, author of Way of the Peaceful Warrior

“Greg Bogart has done an excellent job of describing the experience of self-unfoldment under the guidance of a guru or spiritual guide. His book is a clear and detailed map of the process–including its difficulties, dangers, joys, and ultimate value. Highly recommended.” • John White, author of What Is Enlightenment?

“Bogart calls upon his expertise as a psychotherapist and his experience as a spiritual seeker to discuss issues that are crucial for Western students of inner pathways. The chapter on “Separating From a Spiritual Teacher” explores the issue of the fallen guru from a particularly clear and heartfelt perspective. This is a must-read for all spiritual seekers and their teachers.” • Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., P.T., author of What We Say Matters

“Full of wisdom and insights, this book is an essential guide for students and teachers at all levels of their spiritual journeys. Highly recommended.” • Sandy See, co-founder and teacher, Friends Along the Path Meditation Group

“Sensitive both to traditional views and to the unique concerns of seekers in the West today. In this time of either naive guru worship on one hand, or vengeful guru-bashing on the other, this book provides a welcome voice of balance and clarity.” • David Frawley, author of Ayurveda and the Mind

“Greg Bogart explains how an aspirant is transformed in a teacher’s enlightening presence and expands in awareness toward absolute freedom. This unique book will become a new classic of contemporary spiritual literature.” • Master Charles Cannon, originator, Synchronicity High-Tech Meditation

In the Company of Sages is of great and practical value to aspiring practitioners of all the various traditions devoted to enlightenment.” • Midwest Book Review

“A wonderful examination of the nature of spiritual mentoring.” • Review by NAPRA   (New Age Publishers and Retailers Alliance)