Gently Shake the World

 

 

 

"In a gentle way

you can shake the world."

 

Gandhi

 

 

No matter where we wander, we are always accompanied by our lovely selves.  We can hide, ignore, avoid, and dissociate from our inner selves, but they are still very much present waiting to be recognized.  

 

Not too long ago, I accepted an opportunity offered by a woman who was completing her last requirements to become a religious Spiritual Counselor.  She was to mentor my spiritual path for eight weeks.  At our initial meeting, we seemed to connect as she explained her expectations and presented the guidelines.  I like being challenged about my spiritual beliefs and I sincerely looked forward to exploring this situation with her.

 

During the eight weeks, we created a wonderful working relationship.  She had very wonderful people skills highlighted by the ability to truly listen and feed back my comments accurately in her own words.  I always felt as though she really understood me.   

 

I listened closely to what I said, and then I would hear it back in her own interpretation, so I heard my words twice.  There were times I was amazed at how I might 'parrot' something, and when she responded, I realized I was not speaking authentically.   It came to light how many bricks in my foundation had cracked or needed new mortar.  This became a time to reconstruct a more sturdy foundation. 

 

My mentor was not nearly as liberal as I am. I knew that she did not embrace many of the beliefs that I held dearly as truths.   She never preached nor tried to alter my thinking.  She would dig deeper into conversations, as though the point was not to change me, but to understand me.

 

Although my intention from the beginning was to help her, I must share that she would often shake my world, but gently.  Without religious dogma or patriarchal hovering, my words could be flowing without censorship.  Every week she would create a safe haven for me to explore.

 

She had a small gift to share with me at our last gathering.  It was a token of thanks as neither one of us had been paid.  We were both accepting the time spent together as a love offering. I, too, had a small gift for her, but the real gift was the time we shared.

 

There was an evaluation with specific questions, I was obligated to complete.  I was to comment on her strengths and areas needing improvement.  I was over joyed to respond: 

 

My mentor was loving and kind.  She never preached

nor tried to change my mind.  She offered compassion

rather than correction and guided me through several

 of my hidden  land minds.  Although there was a structure

it was flexible with a weekly summary, and an uplifting

prayer.  She was consistently prepared to handle any

situation that spontaneously surfaced.

 

My mentor will undoubtedly receive her degree,

but she is already an exceptional Spiritual

Counselor who has truly gifted me.

 

 

It is important for us to remember that we impact the lives of many whether it is deliberate or not.  In being an authentic person, one does not instruct another to believe as told.  One encourages the other to explore and discover, to learn and understand, to love and not judge.  We can gently shake each other's world.