Greetings from Russell's Remnant:
Russell Whitesell admonished his disciples, "Seek the company of holy men."
Good company helps us stay away from bad company. "God" company will call out good.
Contact with disciples, initiates and Masters acts as a precipitating agency, evoking that which is good and bringing to the surface that which is undesirable and which needs revealing in order to bring about rejection. This contact draws out the best and evokes the worst. Things are bound to happen in your life.
Russell also pointed out that the most important thing is not the lecture of the holy man, but being in his aura - being in the same room with him. If you visit a saintly or holy person you will surely get some vibration and good ideas to elevate your life, something that you can't get anywhere else.
"An initiate - who better to love a woman? A woman is as safe as she wants to be with a Master. An initiate can marry any woman. The initiate Socrates married the meanest woman in town. From the second floor balcony, she would throw garbage on him as he taught his students in the atrium." - Russell Whitesell
A hard but great lesson is to recognize the spiritual family to which you belong - this is seldom the same as the earthly family. Blood relationship impedes the acceptance of the concept of Brotherhood. Do not tie yourself to those you love. Often the clinging hands of love can hinder progress - not only your own but also that of those we love. Free yourself; or you will muddle through the remainder of this incarnation and, in another life, have to face the identical problem of family relationships and financial responsibility. Hold on to no physical plane attachments. If you do they will fail you, and the pain in holding will hinder you on the Path. Walk free and hold no person to you in the bonds of attachment. Stand alone or only with your brother disciples as friends.
To bless and consecrate, lamas often whisper prayers and blow their hallowed breath upon saffron or rainbow colored uncooked rice, which is then tossed over the object of benediction, whether animate or inanimate. Through the holy man's efficacious visualization, great benefits ensue.
Every time we use soul-force we raise a great force of karma against our adversary, the after-movements of which we have no power to control. The very quiescence and passivity of the spiritual man under violence and aggression awakens the tremendous forces of the world to a retributive action; and it may even be more merciful to stay in their path, though by force, those who represent evil than to allow them to trample on until they call down on themselves a worse destruction than we would ever think of inflicting.
Without the guru one would not even have heard of the Buddha, not to mention your personal diety. Obviously, guru devotion is most important for your development. One's principal spiritual guide is more kind than even the Buddha, for the teacher has accepted one as his personal responsibility. Seek out a sun and feed it life. Let time take care of those stars whose size is small and their radiance limited.
The repetition of mantrams or sacred words is an invaluable aid to spiritual growth. The potency of a mantram depends - uttered by an ordinary man it serves to stimulate the good within his bodies, to protect him; and it will also prove of beneficial influence upon his environment. Uttered by an adept or initiate its possibilities for good are infinite and far-reaching.
The teacher is the spiritual friend, a senior warrior. Trust is an essential ingredient: if you enter into a serious relationship with a teacher, you make a commitment to stick with them, and they make a commitment to stick with you. The role of the spiritual friend is to insult you. All your blind spots are going to come out with the spiritual friend. If you enter into a relationship with a spiritual friend, you're really asking for it. The spiritual friend serves as a mirror for you to see where you're stuck. The relationship encourages you to wake up. When your cover has been blown you begin to see the situation as your teacher.
Intense meditation on your teacher's instructions is more important than analytical meditation based on texts. Gratitude to the teacher starts with making a commitment never to give up on that one person.