Smart, funny, talented, devastatingly handsome and connected to Spirit – so why isn’t your favorite Mystic world famous and living in a castle by the sea surrounded by adoring acolytes and dancing girls? Why isn’t he being interviewed by Oprah, featured on the cover of People Magazine (Handsomest Man Alive edition) or staring in a Netflix series based on his own fabulous life?

Ho hum.

Being rich and famous isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Most celebrities, after all, can’t handle their own day to day lives without management help. The use of glamour – a magic spell that produces the illusion of attractiveness – has a heavy price. Notice that most celebrities have diagnosed or undiagnosed but clearly evident mental health issues, such as depression, pathological self-absorption and histrionic personality disorders, to name a few. They might also engage in substance abuse and self-medicating behaviours, or dependency, and participate in deviant life-style action – very often pedophilia.

Not all rich and famous people have these problems: but enough do to advance the stereotype.

Of course, wealth, power and popularity are not bad things in themselves. They do, however, extract a heavy toll on the spiritual life.

If you check the history of mysticism for the past 5000 years, you’ll find that almost all mystics or spiritual people have led simple lives. Comfortable, maybe, but never lavish or vulgar. The only truly wealthy mystic I’m aware of is Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor who lived from the year 121 to 180. He was more stoic philosopher than mystic, but he wrote a wonderful book called “The Meditations.” Despite the fabulous wealth and power connected to his title, he lived a very modest and contemplative life. He preferred inner splendor to outer ostentation.

Now I’m talking about REAL mystics – not fakers who use spirituality as a way of gaining control of people or resources – who exploit the weak and mock their own believers and followers. There are plenty of frauds around. They are the ones who get interviewed by Oprah, appear in People Magazine and have Netflix documentaries made about them.

Of course, it’s nice to be appreciated. It’s nice to learn that people benefit from your efforts. It’s nice to know that your gifts are being put to good use.

It is also nice to enjoy a calm, harmonious life – one that’s comfortable but not frivolous – and to be free, for the most part, to work and play as you choose.

That is TRUE wealth. And that is the life of your favorite mystic.