From Student to Mastery.
Student:
“You will find only what you bring in.” I was looking for quotes for this blog when I came upon this wonderful quote from Yoda in “The Empire Strikes Back” where Luke Skywalker faces his fears (Darth Vader) while training to become a Jedi Knight. It was a quote I had not remembered. Fears will certainly come up while learning new things. Your beliefs will be challenged, and you may realize you are much more than those Beliefs. Bring a curious and open mind and allow yourself to be surprised. What do you want to learn? How do you find a teacher? You may not know how qualified a Teacher is, or even if he is good at teaching. Maybe she has many years of experience or only just a little. Are you gaining something new, fresh and which inspires? Did you sign up because of the teachers popularity, or did you ask questions of previous students? Do your homework first and you will always find Your teacher.
Teacher:
When I learn something new I usually feel a need to share. What is inside yearning to be shared? I teach things I love practicing. “Always pass on what you have learned” is another quote from Master Yoda. Teaching is the best way to Master what you most want to be. Teaching is the way I create and let others know that I am alive with joy. The teachers I learned from seemed so out of reach. I felt as though they had all the right answers, and if I could get to their level, everything would be O.K. and I woud be successful. I wanted to be a teacher, but my mindset held me back. I Believed that I needed to follow a certain pattern of many years of school, costing thousands of dollars. Impossible was my usual mantra and I was only barely surviving life. Magically, I found an easier way, and teaching showed me how to become much more than what I believed I could be. Now my purpose has opened me to thrilling mysteries, complexities, a larger view of life, and is still being revealed along the way.
Listen:
Your body’s response to everything are your feelings. Listen carefully, and practice. In Gary Zukav’s book “The Heart of the Soul: Emotional Awareness,” he likens scanning your body’s feelings/emotions to the instrument panel on a vehicle. When you go for a ride in your car, if you never check the fuel gauge you’ll run out of gas. If the vehicle overheats and isn’t stopped soon, the engine will be ruined and likely be very expensive to replace. It is also very expensive to replace body parts that have been neglected or overused by not paying close attention to the signs, or symptoms of illness. “Your emotions are the instruments that tell you how your energy system is functioning.” Zukav is saying that pain is an extremely important feeling that lets you know what’s happening in your body. Of course, pleasant feelings tell a different story and have a more optimistic result. Listening to your feelings, and thoughts can tell you if what you’re receiving is good for your body and soul. Listen carefully to everything, and practice.
Student:
Bring your full attention to what the Teacher is saying, and demonstrating. Learning something new always requires that you become a student. “You must unlearn what you have learned.” Again, Yoda knows his stuff! I have been in several classes where, probably due to my poor attitude, I have not allowed myself to learn a thing. The main reason is that I seemed to believe I “knew it all” (after all, I’ve been teaching over 20 years!) and I also probably didn’t like something about the teacher. Yes, I sometimes don’t like people, or what they exemplify, for any number of reasons, and that blocks me from receiving. Looking back at this taught me other valuable lessons such as patience, understanding and compassion for others. Could it be possible that I continue to need the lessons?
Mastery:
When you achieve Mastery, you are allowed to say all of the Wise and Magical sayings and not just listen to others say them! You can also make fun of yourself easier! These sayings begin to materialize and become something to look forward to. A few amazing things sometimes roll off of my tongue when I least expect them. I would say that, in possibly one or two things, I am a Baby Master, and I’m just getting started being good at them. Many years ago I heard a speech by Jack Boland, a Unity Minister. I recently transferred it from the original cassette tape to mp3 CD and listen regularly while driving. One thing he said struck me, “We can hardly teach it yet, all we can do is be Living examples of people who have come to Love their lives...” He was, I believe, a Master of speaking, and yet even he knew that he had much to learn. The title of his speech was, “Building a New Mental Equivalent.” The entire talk came down to this passage, which for me is what I’ve been working on ever since:
"You can be intellectually brilliant and have a mind that is far reaching...capable of pondering great things, but that same mind can be filled with self-defeating concepts and ideas...ideas that can separate you from the good that you seek and from the joy that you rightfully deserve. And there's not one of us here this evening who does not have programmed into our minds many, many self-defeating thoughts and feelings... Each one of us, everyone of us, you do, and I do..."
These self-defeating thoughts, accompanied by strong feelings which most of us have had since our childhood, must be faced. We cannot grow or change unless we feel them again, and begin to use them for their intended purpose. That purpose is to Love ourselves, Shine our inner Light, and take back the Joy We Rightfully Deserve so that others may follow.
