For many of us, God is too remote for us to be able to have a personal relationship with him. A guru therefore becomes the personification of all wisdom made available to us through his perception and is a representation of the wisdom of the unconscious. He will help us to access our own innate wisdom. Psychologically, we all need a symbol for a father or authority figure (a Wise Old Man) and this is one such representation. In searching for knowledge of a specific sort, we need an external figure with whom to relate. In Eastern religions, this is the guru - who performs the same function as the priest in Western religion. A guru appearing in a dream nowadays need not only be a holy figure, but more a person whose words can be heeded. Thus, someone who is considered to be knowledgeable in the field of business might be seen as a guru. Consult the information on Archetypes and also Religious Leaders in Spiritual Imagery in the Introduction for further clarification.