Mentoring is done one person at a time.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Mentoring - One by One
A few years ago I had the good fortune of finding time to enjoy breakfast with a close friend who I had not seen in some time. Megan is a skilled grief therapist whose specialty is working with children. She was also closely affiliated with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and has traveled the world conducting workshops. At the time of our breakfast, she had just returned from South Africa working with native South Africans in an attempt to help them heal some of the wounds they had experienced as a result of the turmoil that country had experienced.
She related stories of 11-year old girls in outlying townships who are routinely put on birth control because their chances of being raped are so high. She described a common form of punishment for political dissidence ... something called necklacing ... where tires are filled with gasoline, placed around the dissidents neck and set afire. She told me of witnessing, from a passing bus, scenes of beatings and harassment and of her frustration as she watched people streaming by paying no attention as if nothing unusual was happening.
We talked about the pain we both experienced in seeing the great need for healing among the peoples of the earth and the struggle we felt about how best to promote that healing.
The next morning as I drove to work I gave a great deal of thought to our conversation and that part of the "Lords Prayer" ... Thy kingdom come. And I understood that this is really a two part prayer.
The kingdom cannot be physically manifested in a community until a sufficient number of people have realized it within themselves. A community based kingdom with its manifestations of wisdom, compassion, justice and love is a result of individual commitment. It cannot be built apart from individuals.
The most effective mentoring is done on an individual level. It is like the little leaven in the bread that helps the whole loaf expand. Janice provides mentoring to Bill who provides it to Allan who provides it to Tammy. And the base enlarges. We cannot tackle all of the worlds healing needs at once. Recognizing this, mentors promote healing first at the level of the individual and then at other levels as opportunities arise.
She related stories of 11-year old girls in outlying townships who are routinely put on birth control because their chances of being raped are so high. She described a common form of punishment for political dissidence ... something called necklacing ... where tires are filled with gasoline, placed around the dissidents neck and set afire. She told me of witnessing, from a passing bus, scenes of beatings and harassment and of her frustration as she watched people streaming by paying no attention as if nothing unusual was happening.
We talked about the pain we both experienced in seeing the great need for healing among the peoples of the earth and the struggle we felt about how best to promote that healing.
The next morning as I drove to work I gave a great deal of thought to our conversation and that part of the "Lords Prayer" ... Thy kingdom come. And I understood that this is really a two part prayer.
The kingdom cannot be physically manifested in a community until a sufficient number of people have realized it within themselves. A community based kingdom with its manifestations of wisdom, compassion, justice and love is a result of individual commitment. It cannot be built apart from individuals.
The most effective mentoring is done on an individual level. It is like the little leaven in the bread that helps the whole loaf expand. Janice provides mentoring to Bill who provides it to Allan who provides it to Tammy. And the base enlarges. We cannot tackle all of the worlds healing needs at once. Recognizing this, mentors promote healing first at the level of the individual and then at other levels as opportunities arise.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Mentoring - Co-creation
A spiritual awakening is spreading across the face of the earth and shining light into categories of our lives that, in the past, were typically thought of as separated from the arena of spirit. The value of systems thinking is becoming evident. We are learning about the benefits of a more holistic approach to health care. We are witnessing a shift away from traditional approaches to religion and concepts of God to a more personalized and spiritual belief structure.
These changes give witness to a transformation of human consciousness; a change in the way humans perceive themselves in relation to God and the willingness of Spirits angelic realms to assist us in our efforts. We are replacing old structures and belief systems and invoking archetypes of empowerment and co-creation with God.
The old belief structure encouraged the thought that, as individuals or community, we were largely at the mercy of forces beyond our control in terms of our own destiny. We understood God as judgmental, jealous and an all powerful being who had set into motion a chain of events in our lives that could not be altered. This created walls between ourselves and Spirit and turned us away from spirituality and toward religion which has been used as a leading excuse to persecute, enslave and kill millions of people throughout the centuries.
This recent spiritual awakening and the invocation of new archetypes is changing the way we see both ourselves and God. It is ushering us into new realms of science which teach us that, in many ways, we are co-creators of our own reality. These new realizations are helping us become more powerful individuals. These transformations are occurring so that a new paradigm of reality can be birthed and take hold across the face of the earth.
The old reality excused our behaviour and encouraged us to shirk responsibility. We were, after all, pawns in a cosmic play that had been set into motion without our permission and in which we participated without power. The new belief system, that we co-create our own reality, will make us give greater thought toward our individual and global actions. It puts a new focus on responsibility and accountability. It emphasizes cooperation and systems thinking rather than isolation and protectionism.
Mentors are agents of invocation. They are explorers of empowering archetypes. They help clear the channels between archetypes and egos. They are in touch with Spirit. They are co-creators with God.
These changes give witness to a transformation of human consciousness; a change in the way humans perceive themselves in relation to God and the willingness of Spirits angelic realms to assist us in our efforts. We are replacing old structures and belief systems and invoking archetypes of empowerment and co-creation with God.
The old belief structure encouraged the thought that, as individuals or community, we were largely at the mercy of forces beyond our control in terms of our own destiny. We understood God as judgmental, jealous and an all powerful being who had set into motion a chain of events in our lives that could not be altered. This created walls between ourselves and Spirit and turned us away from spirituality and toward religion which has been used as a leading excuse to persecute, enslave and kill millions of people throughout the centuries.
This recent spiritual awakening and the invocation of new archetypes is changing the way we see both ourselves and God. It is ushering us into new realms of science which teach us that, in many ways, we are co-creators of our own reality. These new realizations are helping us become more powerful individuals. These transformations are occurring so that a new paradigm of reality can be birthed and take hold across the face of the earth.
The old reality excused our behaviour and encouraged us to shirk responsibility. We were, after all, pawns in a cosmic play that had been set into motion without our permission and in which we participated without power. The new belief system, that we co-create our own reality, will make us give greater thought toward our individual and global actions. It puts a new focus on responsibility and accountability. It emphasizes cooperation and systems thinking rather than isolation and protectionism.
Mentors are agents of invocation. They are explorers of empowering archetypes. They help clear the channels between archetypes and egos. They are in touch with Spirit. They are co-creators with God.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Mentoring - Solitude
“The sight of your cities pains the eyes of the red man. But perhaps it is because the red man is a savage and does not understand. There is no quiet place in the white man’s cities, no place to hear the leaves of spring or the rustle of insects’ wings. Perhaps it is because I am a savage and do not understand, but the clatter only seems to insult the ears. Like a man who has been dying for many days, a man in your city is numb to the stench.” Chief Seattle
Solitude plays an important part in life. It is only through periods of solitude that one can achieve the concentration, insight and clarity necessary for focus. The noise and clutter of cities, where our sensory systems are continually assaulted are not conducive to slipping into the quiet pool of solitude and connection with nature that are essential to strengthening our ability to focus. This is why Jesus often slipped away to quiet places for prayer.
It is difficult for me to say that people who live in cities are at a disadvantage in this regard. There are many types and sizes of cities and each has its own collective environment. And I do not wish to offend anyone who lives in a large city and has very limited connection with the earth in her natural state. Certainly there are very good and focused people living within the confines of bustling cities. So my comments must be interpreted in a general sense.
Humans are multidimensional. But the densest part of our being (our body) was fashioned from the earth and these connections with her remain very strong, having a great impact on the other dimensions of our being. This is why being “grounded” is important to our process of focusing.
We have a special relationship with the earth in her natural state. There are natural energetic templates that exist between the earth’s structure and our own bodies.
The frenetic activity, chaos and crime generally associated with larger cities distorts the energy templates that exist between the environment and its inhabitants. The construction of physical structures that are incompatible with the natural flow of earth energies in any given region makes it difficult if not impossible for a person to feel connected with the earth.
Overcrowding and the multitude of personalities that are part of city life can create and attract negative energies that further distort the template. Pollution causes redirection, implosion or cessation of energy flow until the wound heals. Disruption of normal template structures and the connections they facilitate between earth and inhabitant can cause physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological distortions.
Mentors help their students by 1) teaching those who live in cities to generate and surround themselves with energy shields that will help deflect negative influences, 2) encouraging all to create time when they can retreat to natural surroundings for rebalancing, 3) inspiring them to become change agents in the process of reducing and eliminating pollution, for responsible use of resources and for ensuring that the design of living spaces is done with respect for the earth and 4) teaching them methods of reconnecting with the earth.
Solitude plays an important part in life. It is only through periods of solitude that one can achieve the concentration, insight and clarity necessary for focus. The noise and clutter of cities, where our sensory systems are continually assaulted are not conducive to slipping into the quiet pool of solitude and connection with nature that are essential to strengthening our ability to focus. This is why Jesus often slipped away to quiet places for prayer.
It is difficult for me to say that people who live in cities are at a disadvantage in this regard. There are many types and sizes of cities and each has its own collective environment. And I do not wish to offend anyone who lives in a large city and has very limited connection with the earth in her natural state. Certainly there are very good and focused people living within the confines of bustling cities. So my comments must be interpreted in a general sense.
Humans are multidimensional. But the densest part of our being (our body) was fashioned from the earth and these connections with her remain very strong, having a great impact on the other dimensions of our being. This is why being “grounded” is important to our process of focusing.
We have a special relationship with the earth in her natural state. There are natural energetic templates that exist between the earth’s structure and our own bodies.
The frenetic activity, chaos and crime generally associated with larger cities distorts the energy templates that exist between the environment and its inhabitants. The construction of physical structures that are incompatible with the natural flow of earth energies in any given region makes it difficult if not impossible for a person to feel connected with the earth.
Overcrowding and the multitude of personalities that are part of city life can create and attract negative energies that further distort the template. Pollution causes redirection, implosion or cessation of energy flow until the wound heals. Disruption of normal template structures and the connections they facilitate between earth and inhabitant can cause physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological distortions.
Mentors help their students by 1) teaching those who live in cities to generate and surround themselves with energy shields that will help deflect negative influences, 2) encouraging all to create time when they can retreat to natural surroundings for rebalancing, 3) inspiring them to become change agents in the process of reducing and eliminating pollution, for responsible use of resources and for ensuring that the design of living spaces is done with respect for the earth and 4) teaching them methods of reconnecting with the earth.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Mentoring - Mind and Miracle
Most of us spend the majority of our time engaged in mindbabble. Mindbabble is one of only two activities in which the mind can engage but it is the prevailing of the two.
Mindbabble is the result of sensory interaction with what we perceive as the world outside us. It can be helpful in that it allows us to discern, interpret and experience the surrounding environment. This sensory system is continually evaluating experiences and leaving records of these encounters in our biocomputers ... the brain. Therefore, mindbabble is memorized information and is always past tense.
When we permit ourselves to participate in mindbabble, however, we lose the present moment. When we are outside the present moment, we cannot fully give ourselves to the project at hand, cannot fully engage the person we are talking with, cannot be alive in life. When we are outside the present, we live either in the past or in our projection of the future. In that respect, we live in illusion. There is no liveable time except the present.
The second mind activity ... mindfocus ... is complete existence in the present. It is direct perception and interaction with the experience of the moment. Whereas mindbabble is mechanical, mindfocus is purposeful, deliberate and elected. Whereas mindbabble is characterized by exigency and haste, mindfocus is distinguished by transparency and serenity; it is the absence of preconceived opinions and judgment. When one begins to classify, analyze and judge, they have lost the present moment and are simply creating a new database of information to serve as the foundation for future mindbabble.
Mindfocus is the only state of mind from which healing and suspension of consensual reality can occur. It is the state of being from which healers change physiological functioning of the body, shamans slip into alternative realities, barefooted firewalkers cross beds of hot coals without injury and wounded relationships are healed. It is the realm of miracles.
Miracles can be the normal state of affairs when one lives consistently in the present. It is because we so often live in the past or in our conceived future that we see so few miracles.
When miracles do not occur, we know that we are not living in the present. Miraclesare not possible when one is operating out of the past or projected future. The ethereal illusion of past and future cannot provide a template substantial enough to support a miracle.
Recognizing the value of the present, mentors encourage their students to anchor themselves in the present, giving attention to the flow of life as it occurs.
Mindbabble is the result of sensory interaction with what we perceive as the world outside us. It can be helpful in that it allows us to discern, interpret and experience the surrounding environment. This sensory system is continually evaluating experiences and leaving records of these encounters in our biocomputers ... the brain. Therefore, mindbabble is memorized information and is always past tense.
When we permit ourselves to participate in mindbabble, however, we lose the present moment. When we are outside the present moment, we cannot fully give ourselves to the project at hand, cannot fully engage the person we are talking with, cannot be alive in life. When we are outside the present, we live either in the past or in our projection of the future. In that respect, we live in illusion. There is no liveable time except the present.
The second mind activity ... mindfocus ... is complete existence in the present. It is direct perception and interaction with the experience of the moment. Whereas mindbabble is mechanical, mindfocus is purposeful, deliberate and elected. Whereas mindbabble is characterized by exigency and haste, mindfocus is distinguished by transparency and serenity; it is the absence of preconceived opinions and judgment. When one begins to classify, analyze and judge, they have lost the present moment and are simply creating a new database of information to serve as the foundation for future mindbabble.
Mindfocus is the only state of mind from which healing and suspension of consensual reality can occur. It is the state of being from which healers change physiological functioning of the body, shamans slip into alternative realities, barefooted firewalkers cross beds of hot coals without injury and wounded relationships are healed. It is the realm of miracles.
Miracles can be the normal state of affairs when one lives consistently in the present. It is because we so often live in the past or in our conceived future that we see so few miracles.
When miracles do not occur, we know that we are not living in the present. Miraclesare not possible when one is operating out of the past or projected future. The ethereal illusion of past and future cannot provide a template substantial enough to support a miracle.
Recognizing the value of the present, mentors encourage their students to anchor themselves in the present, giving attention to the flow of life as it occurs.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Mentoring - As Empath
It is helpful, but not essential, for mentors to have experienced a specific type of life event before they can assist others through the same experience. From this perspective, "walking a mile in my shoes" is not necessarily a prerequisite for effective mentoring.
But if a person is significantly challenged or wounded by a specific event it can be helpful if both mentor and student allow a shared field of experience to occur. This way, the mentor can gauge the type and depth of wounding that is occurring, the mental, emotional and spiritual state of the student and if the student is cognizant of all the issues contributing to his situation. Experiencing this knowledge allows the mentor the assist the student in the most effective way possible. In this way, mentor becomes healer.
Mentors can accomplish this through a form of meditation where they allow their consciousness the drift into and mingle with the consciousness of the student. This is often referred to as crossing over to the others viewpoint. This is possible because the mentor has a larger ring of consciousness than the student, Smaller rings cannot merge in an ascending manner with larger rings, but larger rings may access smaller rings.
This is not an intrusion into another persons state of being if consent is given. In many respects, the process is made possible by the shared field that permeates the universe and of which all of us are a part.
This is much different than trying to assist someone with an event by saying, "I know what you're dealing with because I went through the same thing." People may have shared and similar experiences, i.e., losing a loved one, but react to it and process it in completely different ways. The technique involving merger of consciousness is highly individualized and generally strengthens the energetic cords that exist between the mentor and student.
But there is a risk. The mentors consciousness will touch a consciousness that is in turbulence. There may be anger, frustration, feelings of helplessness, confusion and perhaps a desperate desire for help at almost any cost. The mentor must focus his consciousness, strengthening his field and infusing and protecting it with appropriate energies before any merger is attempted. Preparation will ensure that the mentor repels the stickiness of negative energies or wounding emotions.
When the process is finished, the mentor will have insights into the person and their situation that will go far beyond any attempts to verbalize. They will experienced immediate apprehension of the situation. They may then draw from the pool of their life experiences and knowledge to create a structure of support, encouragement and direction.
But if a person is significantly challenged or wounded by a specific event it can be helpful if both mentor and student allow a shared field of experience to occur. This way, the mentor can gauge the type and depth of wounding that is occurring, the mental, emotional and spiritual state of the student and if the student is cognizant of all the issues contributing to his situation. Experiencing this knowledge allows the mentor the assist the student in the most effective way possible. In this way, mentor becomes healer.
Mentors can accomplish this through a form of meditation where they allow their consciousness the drift into and mingle with the consciousness of the student. This is often referred to as crossing over to the others viewpoint. This is possible because the mentor has a larger ring of consciousness than the student, Smaller rings cannot merge in an ascending manner with larger rings, but larger rings may access smaller rings.
This is not an intrusion into another persons state of being if consent is given. In many respects, the process is made possible by the shared field that permeates the universe and of which all of us are a part.
This is much different than trying to assist someone with an event by saying, "I know what you're dealing with because I went through the same thing." People may have shared and similar experiences, i.e., losing a loved one, but react to it and process it in completely different ways. The technique involving merger of consciousness is highly individualized and generally strengthens the energetic cords that exist between the mentor and student.
But there is a risk. The mentors consciousness will touch a consciousness that is in turbulence. There may be anger, frustration, feelings of helplessness, confusion and perhaps a desperate desire for help at almost any cost. The mentor must focus his consciousness, strengthening his field and infusing and protecting it with appropriate energies before any merger is attempted. Preparation will ensure that the mentor repels the stickiness of negative energies or wounding emotions.
When the process is finished, the mentor will have insights into the person and their situation that will go far beyond any attempts to verbalize. They will experienced immediate apprehension of the situation. They may then draw from the pool of their life experiences and knowledge to create a structure of support, encouragement and direction.
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