The term spiritual leader brings to mind many inspirational people - Mother Theresa, Ghandi, the Dalai Lama. These types of leaders can help provide us with the motivation and discipline needed to make a change in our lives. Many of them led difficult lives, yet they never gave up, they maintained a positive attitude and they helped others despite their own problems. We can learn a lot from their experiences and advice.
When Gretchen Rubin asked her blog followers about their spiritual leaders, the following names were put forward: Norman Fisher and Rabbi Charles Kroloff, two Zen teachers; Vincent Van Gogh, who is mostly known for cutting off his ear and sending it to his girlfriend (did he really?), but who was very spiritual, as shown in his letters, Dear Theo; Charles Darwin; Saint Paul; Ben Franklin; Lama Norlha Rinpoche, another Tibetan Buddhist; noted philosopher and writer, Henry David Thoreau; and Saint Francis of Assissi.
Hearing these names and thinking about finding a spiritual leader really sparked my interest and curiosity. Many of them are people I would love to learn more about. However, if I had to choose someone, who would it be? After some research, Gretchen came across someone who intrigued her - Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. The story of how she discovered this little-known saint and what she admired in her intrigued me as well. Often, the choice of a mentor is due to a quality in them that we admire. For example, James Ehnes is my ideal of a violinist as he is so technically precise in his playing yet he creates a beauty through this precision combined with the quality of his tone that is unequalled. I listened to many violin performers and attended numerous concerts before realizing my preference.
As to the question of a spiritual leader, that is something I will also have to research thoroughly before making such an important decision. Gretchen has provided me with some good suggestions here as a starting point on this journey.
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