The majority of people worldwide believe in the soul (74%). Yes, surveys are unreliable but the truth is the percentage isn't really important, what's important is the fact that over 50% (the majority) of people believe that we have a soul. Mind, Body, and Soul. That is what the majority of us believe ourselves to be. We have doctors for the body, we even have different subtypes of doctors for all the different parts of the body, which are plenty. We have doctors for the mind, which is also broken down into subtypes for different mental and emotional aspects. So where are the spiritual doctors? Doctors for the soul?
When we think of spirituality or the soul, we often think of religions. Think of religion the same you would think of the American educational system. Religion has levels, this topic was partially discussed in this post here, which was specifically referring to Christianity, more specifically the bible. Every major religion has levels, the highest level of religion is mysticism. Mysticism is where all the religions meet and point to the one true God or true nature of things. Christianity has Christian mystics. Judaism has the Kabbalah. Muslims have Sufism. Eastern religions have levels as well. You follow the teachings of Buddhism until you become a buddha, The term 'Buddha' is not a name but a title, meaning 'Awakened One' or 'Enlightened One'. Just as Christ wasn't Jesus's surname, it was his title.
Religion in its basic form could be considered elementary school. This would include the religious people who go to a religious service weekly but don't really incorporate religion into their lives beyond a weekly sermon. When you go deeper into religion you could be considered to be in high school. This would be the people who make the religion their identity. The hard-core religious people. Then you would move on to undergraduate school which would include priests, rabbis, monks, and so on. After that you would move on to your graduate studies. This would be considered to be someone like the pope. Next, you could go for a doctorate. That would be what we would consider to be the saints. Lastly, are the master teachers, that would be people such as buddha, Christ, and Muhammad.
There was once a time when we didn't have doctors. The first doctor for the body is considered to be Hippocrates of Kos (460-377 Before Common Era, BCE). The first doctor for the mind is considered to be, Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920). There will be a day when we have just as many doctors for the soul as we do for the body and mind. Presently, they are hard to come by.
What is a doctor for the soul and what do they do? A doctor for the soul is exactly what it sounds like, a doctor for the spirit or soul. A doctor for the soul helps to heal the soul and awaken the real you.
How do you know when you need a doctor for your body? You feel pain or can tell something is out of place. How do you know when you need a doctor for your mind? You feel pain or can tell something is out of place. How do you know when you need a doctor for the soul? You feel pain or can tell something is out of place. We all instinctually know when something is not quite right within ourselves, even if we don't know what it is. That's what the doctor is for, to help you figure out what is going on and to heal it.
You have religion, and then you have spirituality. They are simply two levels of the same thing. When people have started their spiritual journey, they usually don't have anywhere to turn. The spiritual journey can be utterly terrifying. When you experience a dark night of the soul, you have nowhere to turn. You want to call an ambulance and go to the hospital, but you know it's not your body that's sick. You want to check into a mental hospital, but you know it's not your mind that's broken even though it feels that way. You feel like you're going insane, but you can't tell anyone because no one would understand. You feel like you're dying even though you know you aren't somehow. So, you head to the internet, trying to find anyone who can help you, anyone who has been through what you have been through. You want someone to explain what's going on with you so you can know you're not going insane. Sometimes on the spiritual journey you get some answers by searching the internet but more often than not, your left feeling alone, terrified, and with nowhere to turn.
A spiritual doctor is someone who you can turn to when you can't go to the body or mind doctors. They are someone who can explain what is happening to you spiritually and why is it happening. They can give you helpful advice to get through it. They can prescribe you methods and practices. Most importantly they can comfort you. Most of us who are on a spiritual journey, didn't know what we were signing up for. Most of us didn't ask to start it. Our spiritual awakening seemed to be random. For most of us, it seems random. Why me? Why was I picked? You were picked to fulfill your purpose. Since we don't know what to expect on a spiritual journey and don't have a doctor to go to, we end up going it all alone and terrified. A lot of us fight the process out of fear. You aren't alone and you don't need to go through it alone. There's nothing to be afraid of. If you're here reading this, it's for a reason. We don't see anything that we don't want to see. There is help, you are not alone! I Love You and Peace Be With You!