When/How will an aspirant know he is ready to teach?
-Of course there are physical criteria, such as being a decent orator, but my question is more in the realms of one's own progress with meditation, concentration, and comprehension of the teachings.
I mean, of course it would be obvious to have enough intellectual culture in studying the vast library of Samaels books.
The Books I would say are critical to read and understand, for teaching would be:
-The Fundamentals of Gnostic Education
-Introduction to Gnosis
-Treatise of Revolutionary Psychology
-The Great Rebellion
-Dream Yoga
-Revolution of the Dialectic
What other books, and resources would you recommend are invaluable for an aspiring instructor? (Both inside, and outside of the gnostic teachings.)
-For example, I have been recently trying to understand it from other perspectives, and views that complement Gnosis it in a totally novel way,
For example reading up on:
-Swami Vivicanada's works
-Studying The Tao Te Ching
-Rumi's Collections of Poems.
-Artwork and Poems of William Blake
-More recent works, like Ekart Tolle's 'The Power of Now'
Even still, after all I just listed above, this is just merely "intellectual culture" of the aspirant. This is all rather obvious to me, that someone would need to have that. But the question I am inferring is much different..
Comprehension is far beyond intellectual understanding, and memorization of conceptual theory.
Is merely just such an "intellectual culture", and a talent in public speaking all thats needed?
For example, if the student-teacher finds themselves barely able help themselves, (stay consistent in their own practices), would they not be doing an injustice to others, in attempting to teach from this point?
Is it Just, in teaching the parts of the doctrine, which we have not yet personally confirmed through our own direct mystical expirience?
Of course it is possible someone can experience astral projection with the proper training in ethics, and consistence of upright meditation practice. This is a simple task to test, experience directly firsthand, and confirm it's truth. But I am referring to the parts of the teachings that cannot be so easily confirmed over the span of a few weeks of solid practice..
How does an instructor know it's the right thing to teach things they have not expirienced?
I feel strongly that one should not blindly teach, nor blindly follow.. and I have seen many people be severely burned by this type of thinking in other esoteric schools.. they merely confirm astral projection to be true, then they become a blind follower of the esoteric tradition that taught them this. They no longer question the tradition they are taught, and start blindly believing silly/strange things, assuming it to be true, because of the truth they experienced with projection..
How much of this is just the rhetoric of the ego, and avoidance of possible responsibility?
Surely 'I' could reason my way out of anything..
I feel it is necessary to have an experienced instructors insight..
Thank you in advance.