The Intersection of Leadership and Friendship in a Community of Light

A New Beginning

In January I returned home from a trip in which I graduated from a 4 year journey of Spiritual training. This was not just any Spiritual training. It was not like receiving a master’s degree from university. Although from the outside it might look that way. It was not memorization of sacred texts. Although there was definitely deep learning. It was not academic. It was Character training. Clarity training. Inner work. Training to step into a more embodied connection with God, the Universe, myself and….take a breath here and really feel what this means for the planet….all of humanity. All of us.

I’m going to say something here. And I hope it can be well-received. There is a great need for correct Unity. I don’t have all the answers. But I do know what the answers are NOT. I would love to see humanity be able to unify from a common cause of compassion, understanding and hope for what we are capable of creating together when we all get aligned toward what is Good and Right. Rather than uniting over war and conflict and fear and anger.

This graduation did not mark a completion. It marked a new beginning. And as I sit in contemplation around what that means for us, as a human community, one of the things that comes up over and over is “what is friendship and community?”

Community and Friendship in the New Paradigm

What does friendship and community look like in a world of Peace…if that is our goal?

What expectations do others have around relationship and how do we engage with, nurture and support each other to RISE to greater heights?

What does it mean to NOT use the desire for “friendship” and “community” as a way to stay small, NOT to solidify our disordered ways of being, NOT to remain comfortable in our mutual discomfort? But to grow and evolve our character and our consciousness? Not only as individuals but as a collective.

This becomes a particularly important question for anyone who has accepted the responsibility of any kind of leadership or guidance role. We must ALWAYS be asking “how can I BE better?” And we must always be growing ourselves so that we can hold the line amidst the pressures and expectations of the world. That requires both courage and humility.

In fact, we ALL should be asking ourselves that and seeking to improve ourselves.

We can ask ourselves “How can make the world better within my circle of influence?”

We can also ask ourselves, “Am I a GOOD Friend?”

Being A Good Friend

What do I mean by that? Well, I’m going to invite you to ask yourself what you think friendship means right now. Maybe even write down some thoughts about that……

Now, I’m going to invite you to evolve that thinking.

You may have different labels and expectations for different friendly relationships. That is appropriate…a lover, a colleague, an acquaintance, a mentor, a teacher, a “hang out buddy”.

How many of your “friendships” keep you circling in drama? How many help you rise above your drama? Do you actually WANT friendships that help you rise out of your drama?

Here is a question:

What if all of our friendships could be evolutionary? Support us to reach higher levels of inner peace, self-awareness, healing and growth?

This is where spiritual mentorship, spiritual guidance, or a spiritual consultant can be helpful. There are many different traditions that offer that. We can all use support in navigating around our lower ego-driven behaviors, triggers and wounds. Because sometimes life feels really hard. All you have to do is look around and you can see people are suffering. In many different ways.

That is a big responsibility.

I would offer a perspective shift.

Kalyana Mitra.

Spiritual Friend. A Good Friend.

What does that mean?

There is a sanskrit term that I love, Kalyana Mitra, often translated as "spiritual friend", “noble friend”, or "virtuous friend". Mitra is the root word for maitri, which means loving kindness. While the word friend is used, its meaning is very different from a casual or personal friendship.

A Kalyana Mitra is someone who is committed to your spiritual development, not your comfort, approval, or emotional validation. Their role is to support your growth in wisdom, integrity, and ethical clarity. Even when that growth is challenging. They walk alongside you on the path, not to commiserate or indulge patterns, but to help you see clearly and progress.

A true Kalyana Mitra offers guidance, perspective, and encouragement rooted in practice and lived understanding. They may share joy and difficulty, but they do not collapse boundaries or blur roles. Their care is expressed through discernment, steadiness, and truth, not emotional entanglement.

In this way, a Spiritual Friend is not a friend in the conventional sense. They are a support for awakening, not a companion for avoidance. A Kalyana Mitra is someone aligned with your highest potential, even when that requires discomfort, responsibility, and change.

Continual Self-Improvement in A Community of Light

I am continually called to do my own inner work. This includes ongoing training, self-refinement, and annual re-certification to remain in integrity with the teachings and the lineage of King Salomon as I work as a Guide in the lineage. This ensures that the guidance and support offered is grounded, responsible, and aligned with a living, time-tested tradition. And that I am also working to be a better version of myself each day.

My wish for us all is that we may be Good Spiritual Friends for each other.

That we work always to treat each other with kindness, respect and understanding.

And in this way build strong communities that will anchor Light in the world so that we all can create a better world together.

It takes an army.

May we be an Army of Light!