There are so many spiritual teachers in one’s life, and they can take many forms. There are humans, some who are well-known like Pema Chodron, Paramahansa Yogananda, Byron Katie, and countless others. And, there are plenty of other humans not so well-known, those within our circle like family, friends, and work/school colleagues. Sometimes a perfect stranger is a spiritual teacher to us.

Then there are the spiritual teachers of the animal kingdom.

In today’s reading in “Everyday Joy, 365 days of ohmygod life,” the authors Z Egloff and Melissa Phillippe share their thought that cats are the ultimate spiritual teachers.

Cats are the ultimate spiritual teachers.
They rest when they’re tired.
They purr when they’re happy.
They clean up after themselves.
And they’re not afraid to show their emotions.

Well, I do think the authors are on to something! Surely many of us would do well to learn from the felines and emulate them in living a satisfying, spiritual life.

From “Everyday Joy, 365 days of ohmygod life,” by Z Egloff and Melissa Phillippe, March 30

Personally, I’m more of a dog person. Dogs enjoy spending time with humans, far more than cats do. More importantly, dogs show unconditional love, no matter what, even if they’ve been abused by their human. This attribute is definitely a God quality, and no doubt you’ve observed that spelling the word “dog” in reverse results in the word “god”.

Any being can be a spiritual teacher to us. As is often the case, if we are open and willing, we can glean pearls of wisdom from a menagerie of characters.

Divine Power, please make me aware of the spiritual teachers in all forms who cross my path throughout the day, demonstrating a better, happier way to live.