The Holocron

The Holocron

Ihavehadquiteafewmentorsthroughoutmyshortlifetime.Myfirstmentorsweremyparentswhotaughtmethatstrengthcomesfromwithin,andit’sgoodtoinvestintheself.Theyalsotaughtmetolovethroughservice.MynextmentorsweretheStarWarsfilms.Thesemoviestaughtmethevalueofspiritualityandthepowerof“good”overevil.Then,Iwastrained.FirstbyWakanLogus,thenbyArgonis,thenbyVallen,thenbyHavoc,thenbyDavid,thenbyJackie,thenbyCharles.Really,thelistwouldcontinueifIhadtheinclina-tion.Ihavehadmanyteachers.Notjustformally,either.IhavelearnedfromeveryJediandSithIhaveencoun-tered,eventhelikesofJenniferandtheSithAcademycrew.

This brings an important lesson to us all, I think. We can learn from anything. We can learn from watch-inganimalsmove.Yes,wecanevenlearnfromsciencefictionmovies.

RobertGreene,aprominentauthoronselfimprovement,publishedabookcalledMastery.Init,heout-linesaveryself-centeredversionoftheHero’sJourney,outofwhichtheJediPathiscarved.Thefirststepforhimisobservanceandexploration.Then,findingamentortakesprecedence.Mentorsareabletoinstillwisdomintothestudent,somethingthattakesusbeyondknowledge.Theprospectivestudentcanlearnallthefactsandinformationhewouldlike,butitwilldohimnogoodwithouttheguidanceofexperience.And,thatiswhatwisdom really is in the end. It is at once more and less than that.

As you read this edition of the Holocron, I hope you remember the magic you felt when you met your firstmentor.Rememberthepowerthatwisdomhastoinspireandleadyoutogreatness.

Enjoy!

-Connor“Zeref”LidellEditor in Chief, Holocron

LetterfromtheEditor,ConnorMartin“Laxus”,Editor-in-Chief: Connor is a Jedi from Indiana where he co-runs the Indy Jedi with Crystal Neumann. He has been a Jedi for over a decade, training at various sites. He currently is on faculty at the Institute for Jedi Realist Studies and is a Knight at Temple of the Jedi Order.

to be continued

The Holocron

Mentor What is a Mentor? How are they useful? A mentor is a wise and trusted friend or teacher. The name actu-ally comes from the Greek classic The Odyssey in which the mentor was a close friend of Odysseus. This mentor was also person Odysseus left his son Telemachus with to teach while he was away. There are three major roles that mentors play in our lives, which are (a) the teacher, (b) the counselor, and (c) the friend.

The Teacher In our opening days of our paths, the mentor gives us the information we require. At first, the mentor gives us the information we need. We then later turn to the mentor to tell us where to find the information we require. The teacher may not always teach us what we want, but instead, teaches us what we need to advance in our studies. Thus, the mentor is pointing out our flaws, testing and challenging us to achieve our best, and push-ing through the boundaries we once thought were impossible.

The Counselor The job of the Counselor is a difficult one. At this stage in training, the counselor gives us or tasks or mis-sion and allows us to complete the task on our own. We are judged not only on our successes or failures but also on the steps we took in order to complete the task. As an adviser, the counselor’s job is to test us to make sure we are prepared to become full Knights in the order. Next, the student goes to the counselor for wisdom and guid-ance not for specific answers. The counselor is also a sounding board for sorts as the student is solving their own problems or venting frustrations.

The Friend After we become knights we are free to accomplish our own missions as we see fit. Our masters are now our friends. They are our equals and support the transitioned student in their new roles of knights within the or-der. Thereafter, the once student may still come to the master for advice or wisdom. However, through question-ing the mentor or friend allows the newly transitioned student come to their own conclusions through careful questioning. In truth, the role of the friend is to listen more and speak less. The role of the mentor is perhaps the most important role that we play within the Jedi Realist community. We train the next generation, and if successful, we make our students better than ourselves. Our words and our actions either show the student how important our training is through example, or can in fact turn the student off to this path altogether. When you take on this responsibility, remember that it is an honor to be of service. Give your students something to strive for and a high benchmark to exceed by the time their training is com-plete.

Mentor By M.J. Hannigan :

The Holocron

continued...

Marcus Aurelius By Edan Edan is a Brit Jedi Knight at TOTJO, with a slightlymore unconventional spiritual background. Currently, she is an accountant by day. But by night, she is 2 years into a part time psychology degree to further her knowledge and un- derstanding of people. She is rarely not studying something, but when she is not, she enjoys playing music, gaming, writing, running and watching the birds from her window. Edan finds some of the greatest enjoyment in deep conversation, so she is always open and willing to chat to anyone and everyone.

Thegreatthingaboutteachersisthatyoucanfindthemanywhere.Youdonothavetowaitforformaleducationorfindsomeonewhoisanexpertinsomething. As a teenager, I used to browse bookshops a lot out of boredom, and one weekend I bought this little paperback called Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I knew nothing about him, or the book, but I think it is the truthtosayhehadabigimpactonme.Histhoughts,thoughalmosttwomillenniaold,areasrelevanttodayasthe day he wrote them. The odd one or two seem a little out of place for modern society, but in the rest insight forourcurrent,everydaylivescanbefound. I would like to share some things that particularly stood out to me; to share with you some of the wis-dom that he shared with me. “Ifyouaredoingwhatisright,nevermindwhetheryouarefreezingwithcoldorbesideagoodfire;heavy-eyed,orfreshfromasoundsleep;reviledorapplauded;intheactofdyingorsomeotherpieceofbusi-ness” (from book 6, paragraph 2) When the decision to do something comes up, there is often a bit of a discussion going on in one’s head, includingthoughtslike“butit’sdifficult,”or“I’msupposedtobedoingsomethingelse.”MarcusAureliusre-minds us that it does not matter what we are doing. The right thing is the right thing. Therearepeoplethatmightstandoutasbeingthosewhohave“donewhatisright,”butoftentheirstoriesarenotonesofeaseandrelaxation,butofstruggleandsacrifice.Therearesomeverynotablepeoplethatany of us could perhaps name, but there are many for whom doing what they feel is the right thing. Perhaps the peopleworkingforMédecinssansFrontièresoutinAfghanistan,isnotonlydifficult,butitisalsodangerous.Itistemptingtoseethemandapplaudthemfortheworktheydo,butgooninourlivescomfortably,perhapstry-ingtoavoidsituationswheredoingtherightthingdoesnotfalltoustodecide. But in a time where the words that come out of our mouths are often “I’m busy,” it is worth being remind-ed that we too might have to make sacrifices to do what is right, and even perhaps put ourselves out of our way to do so. Hopefully, doing the right thing becomes its own reward regardless of the trials that lead us to it (and through it). Marcus Aurelius, one of the ‘Good Five Emperors’, named so because of their commitment to ruling with wisdom and virtue, appears to have lead by example; along with his “co-emperor” Lucius, they made changes that benefited the people, rather than the power that governed them. For someone who seems to have been reluctant to be emperor, being faced with opportunities to do the right thing must have been a daily challenge. I have no doubt though that his motivations were in part because of his belief expressed in the next quote. “Always think of the universe as one living organism, with a single substance and a single soul; and ob-serve how all things are submitted to the single perceptivity of this one whole, all are moved by its single impulse, and all play their part in the causation of every event that happens. Remark the intricacy of the skein, the com-plexity of the web.” (Book 4, paragraph 40)

The HolocronMarcus Aurelius By Edan

NomatterwhatyourdefinitionoftheForceis,Ithinkmostwouldagreethatitconnectsus,allofus,insomeway.Thinkingofalloftheuniverseasonethingratherthanmanyindividualaspectstogethermakesthingsalotlessforeign,lessunusual,morelikeallofusthanusandthem.Ashumans,weverymucharein-clinedtosidewithgroupsweassociatewithandcanidentifywith,whichcanmakeitdifficultsometimestoseewhatrelevancethosewhoarenotpartofthosegroupshavetous. Ifwelookfromaboveasiffromspacedownontoourplanetandrecognizethatatthatdistance,therearenogroupsbuttheonehumanraceandtheoneworldwelivein,andthenitismuchclearerthatweareone.SomethingIhavediscoveredfromattendingQuakermeetingsisthatwhenpeoplereallyfeelconnectedandequaltoeachothertheyaremuchmoreinclinedtohelpothersandtotalktoanotherpersonasafriendeveniftheyareastranger.Eventhoughonlinetherearemanywhospeakofequalityandconnectionandbeingpartofthe Force that is all, and in all, it does not always seem to me that these ideas are necessarily felt deep down by thosethatwritethem.Meetingpeoplewhoreallyfeelthisconnectionhasshownmethatthereisasubtlediffer-ence in the way those people talk to each other, treat each other, than those who do not. It is quite humbling to see,really,andamotivationinmyownlifetorememberwhatMarcusAureliussaidandbepartofthatonesoul. “Whatevertheworldmaysayordo,mypartistokeepmyselfgood;justasagoldpiece,oranemerald,orapurplerobeinsistsperpetually,‘Whatevertheworldmaysayordo,mypartistoremainanemeraldandkeep my colour true.’” (Book 7, paragraph 15) This last one means quite a bit to me, so much so that I read it at the opening of my knighting in August. Therearesomanypressuresonourlivesthatitcanoftenfeelthatweareputtingonaplaywitheachsectionofourlifeabitlikeanactinaplayandwehavemanycostumechangestokeepupwiththepartsweplay.Thereistheworkcostume,thefriendscostume,theparentcostume.Wehavetobeagreatmanypeopledependingonthe situation. In all of this, I wonder sometimes how we manage to remember who we are, if how we act to-wardsotherschangeswitheverydifferentsituation. Marcus’quoteremindsmeeachdaynottobeswayedbypressuresfromthedifferentpartsofmylife,nottoletothers,orindeedthe“play”pushmeintobeingsomethingthatIamnot.Ihavenotfoundthetruealignmentyet,butIbelievethatifIcankeeptoMarcus’suggestionthenitwillnotmatterwhatcostumeIamwearing, because the true me will shine through them all, and maybe one day I won’t need those costumes at all. Thepowerofteachersisthattheirlessonsdonotalwaysneedtobeovert,orevenobvious;theycanbesubtle,thoughtfulideasabouthowtolive.MarcusAureliusisoneofthoseteachers,andIhopeyoufindsome-thingofhisideasuseful,astheyhavebeenusefultome.

The Holocron

continued...

TheideaoftakingonaPadawancanbeascaryone.Itbecomesanevenmoredauntingtaskforonewhohasjustrecentlybeenknighted.WillIbeagoodmentor?HowdoIteachsomeonehowtobeaJedi?Whatwillbethecurriculum? Before those questions can be answered, I want to make the distinction between teaching and mentoring. Oneteachesasubjectoraskill,butonementorsaperson.Whilethemartialartistmaysaythatheteachesmanystudentsathisdojo,itwouldbemoreaccuratetosaythatheteachesmartialarts(asubject)toseveralstudents.I am in no way downplaying the roles of teachers (particularly as that is my profession). Rather, I am showing how teaching and mentoring can reinforce each other. Theclassicalviewofateacherisonewhohaslearnedsomuchaboutaparticularfield,thatsheisasubjectmatterexpert.Shemayhaveevendevelopedcurriculatoutilizewithherclassroomofstudents.Wecan imagine those teachers in our grade school or professors in a lecture hall. We also see this at the Jedi TemplewithYodainstructingagroupofYounglings.TheyarelearningtoconnectwiththeForceastheywieldlightsaberstodeflectboltsfromaremote.Themainobjectiveofanyteacheristhatyoupassthecourseorreachthenextgrade–inshort,knowthematerial. Amentor,ontheotherhand,focusesontheindividual.Heformsarelationshiporbondwherehegetsto know the capabilities and needs of a person. Here, we can think of that person at work or a club who took usunderhiswing.Thementorwasshowingushowtofunctionwithintheorganization,revealingwhatisimportant,andwaystoavoidunnecessaryexperiences. We return to Yoda only this time in the swamps of Dagobah. Now, he is training Luke in the ways of the Jedi. He has Luke face his dark self in the cave. He even helps Luke weigh the options of finishing his training over saving his friends. The ultimate aim of a mentor is to help develop that person to be able to perform without the presence of a mentor. Let us look further into the mentoring process. It typically consists of 4 stages. In the first part, the mentor does all the work. A Jedi who is recently knighted, will take all of her training and live it out in her day-to-day life. As she is showing how material is fully incorporated, she may gain the notice of others. She starts forming a bond with one of them making him her Padawan. In this second part, she serves as a model; the mentor does all the work, while the apprentice watches. Eventually the Padawan has seen and done enough that he is given much more freedom. It is in this third part that the apprentice does the work while the mentor supervises. We now approach the purpose behind all this training - the time of the Jedi Trials. In the last part, the apprentice does all the work, showing he can exist as a Jedi Knight in his own right. In contrast with the teaching process, we have only three stages. Firstly, the teacher first presents all the information to a given number of students. We have another Jedi Knight who wishes to teach on the subject of energy work. He creates a class in which he has 15 students and gives many lectures and exercises.

Of Mentors and Teachers By Angelus Kalen : Angelus Kalen (Gabriel Calderon) has been involved with the Jedi community for well over a decade. He began with what was then the JEDI Academy, which is now the Institute for Jedi Realist Studies (IJRS). He continues as a senior instructor at the IJRS. Angelus also became involved with the Jedi Resource Center which organized offline Gatherings. At the encouragement of the organizer, he started an offline group in Illinois in 2006 - “Chicago Jedi”. Over the years, several offline groups came together to form the Jedi Federation, in which Angelus provides direction and leadership. He has quickly become a prominent and respected voice in the Jedi community.

The Holocron

Then, the students demonstrate their understanding of the subject matter. Some of those students show an aptitude for the material, while others exhibit a lot of frustration and choose to leave the class. Given this range of mastery, the teacher will then use that information as evaluative tool to alter his teaching strategies, if he so desires. The Jedi Knight decides to change the format of the class, hoping that it engages others in ways he may have overlooked. Returningtothementoringrelationship,therearekeycomponents.Itmustprovideencouragement.Thingsgetdifficult,particularlywhentrainingfortheJediTrialsorgearinguptogobeforetheKnighthoodReviewBoard.Therelationshipalsoneedstoadapttothesituation.Onewillmentorapersondifferently,iftheyareinthesamecityoracrossthecountry.APadawanmayexcelinoneareabutneedsattentioninanother.Therelationshipmustshareexperiences.Itiseasiertorelatetooneanotherwheneachpersontellstheirstory.Wecangainnewinsightbyhearingfromeachother’sperspective.Lastly,therelationshipbetweenamentorandaPadawanmustcreatethefeelingofsafety.Itisonlyinthatsecurity,thatweareabletobevulnerableandhavethe ability to ask for help. EducationplaysapivotalroleinthelifeofaJedi.Whereasoneisskilledinafield,anotherisskilledincreatingarole.TheJedimaygotoateachertospecializeinbecomingahealer.AnothermayseekoutaChapterLeadersotheytoocangrowagroup.Wearecontinuallyseekingtobetterourselveswiththehopesofimprovingtheworldaroundus.Assuch,bothteachersandmentorshavetheirplaceinourtraining.

Of Mentors and Teachers By Angelus Kalen

The HolocronMentoringAcrossTechnologyByDiamondFirefist:Diamond Firefist (Crystal Neumann) is a 32-year old woman, who resides in the Indianapolis area. She is currently a Padawan under Zen Ryo Senchi, and she aspires to become a Master and mentor for others on the Jedi path. Diamond is working on her skills in mediumship, healing, and herbology. Her hobbies include: gardening, dancing, and reading. She is a wife and mother of two beau-tiful sons. Her eldest son is also currently walking through the Jedi path. She began her path with the Chicago Jedi and is working on building the new chapter in the Indianapolis region.

Throughtechnology,theworldseemstobegettingsmaller.TechnologyhasgivenrisetomentoringfromanywherewithanInternetconnection.Technologyhasclosedageographicalgapbywhichdifferentcommu-nities are also allowed to blossom, as mentors and mentees can communicate through methods such as social media,onlineforums,emails,andtextmessaging.Technologybringsforthalotofinterestingpotential.Forex-ample,myMasterlivesinChicago,andIambeingmentoredfromtheIndianapolisarea.Yet,itisstillimportanttotakenoteofanydisadvantages. Inaface-to-faceenvironment,amentorwillseethementee’sconfusedlooksoraskdirectquestionstodeterminewhetherthelearnerunderstandsaconcept.Inthevirtualenvironment,thementormusttakeonadifferentapproach.TheymustreallyassessthePadawan’swork,readbetweenthelines,andaskquestionsinavarietyofwaystocheckforunderstanding.Gettingtherecanbeajourney. Thementorisalsonotabletodeterminethementee’sfrustrationlevelswithoutbodylanguageortoneofvoice.However,theMaster’sjobremainsthesame.Theymustultimatelyprovidetheanswertothequestion,“IsmyPadawanlearningwhatIamintendingforthemtolearn?” Themainsolutionforanyin-personorvirtualmentorshipsistokeepthelinesofcommunicationopenandhaveanopendoorpolicy.Wehearittimeandagainthatcommunicationiskey.Itisimportanttonotethosewhoarereceivingthemessageandcheckfortheirunderstanding. In communication, we have senders and receivers. For example, it is crucial to understand how others can receive the message. Understand that no matter how well you try to explain something, the person you are explaining it to may not always 100% understand your message. It has nothing to do with the listener not listen-ing, but that no two people have the exact same personal beliefs, biases, upbringings, experiences, and so forth. Let’s consider the following example, as I offer some instructions:

Get a pen and piece of paper out. Please draw a circle. All around that circle, draw many half circles. At the bottom of that circle, draw a vertical line. At the base of the vertical line, draw two ovals in a v-shaped form. What I just explained was how to draw a flower. Did everyone get it? Using this same example, I have personally seen some people draw a flower, while others drew something completely different. It is a good lesson for mentors, as they offer guidance to their Padawans. It is also a good lesson to remember for Padawans as they communicate with their Masters. One must not make assumptions. It is important to remember that one does not know something unless they are told. About the Author: Diamond (Crystal Neumann) is a 32-year old woman, who resides in the Indianapo-lis area. She is currently a Padawan under Zen Ryo Senchi, and she aspires to become a Master and mentor for others on the Jedi path. Diamond is working on her skills in mediumship, healing, and herbology. Her hobbies include: gardening, dancing, and reading. She is a wife and mother of two beautiful sons. Her eldest son is also currently walking through the Jedi path. She began her path with the Chicago Jedi and is working on building the new chapter in the Indianapolis region.

The HolocronFromtheYounglingsCorner:OnMentoringByGold:Eli “Gold” Neumann is a 13-year old teen who lives in the Indianapolis area. He was first published at the age of 9, and intends on writing creatively and expressing his thoughts. He aspires to be a video game designer, violinist, and comedian. Gold is currently working on his mediumship and astral projection. He enjoys good food, hearty belly laughs, and loyal friendships.

Iam13yearsold.Iunderstandasateenager,Ihavealottolearnfromtheadults.Imakemistakes,andIguesswealldo.IsupposethereareafewmistakesIdonotwantanymentorstomakewiththeYounglings. ItisimportanttonottreattheYounglingsliketheyarechildren.Wedonotliketobetreatedthatway,evenifweseemchildish.YoudowantustobecomeKnightsatsomepoint,right?Mymom,dad,andgrandmaalways tell me, “When I was your age . . .” Well, I think sometimes it is important to think about what it was likewhenyouweremyage.Whatdiditfeellikewhenyouhadsomeoneyoulookedupto?DoyourealizesomeofyouarelikerockstarstousYounglings? Do not say things like “Oh you don’t understand.” Sure, maybe I do not understand some things. Men-torshavemoreexperience.ButIthinktherightthingtodowouldbetomaketheYounglingunderstand.Trytoexplainitinawaytheycouldseethings.Thinkofarelevantsituationwhenyouwereateenager,andusethatasanexample. Goodmentorsareknowledgeable,exciting,andenthusiastic.Ithinkgoodmentorsalsoseepotential.Everyonehasaskillthatmaybetheydonotseeinthemselves,butitisagoodmentorwhowillpointitouttothem.Nurturethatpotential,andmaketheYounglingfeelliketheyareinasafespacetotalkaboutthings. Also,keepremindingmewhatitistobeaKnightandwhyIevenshouldgettothatpoint.Letmeknowwhatyouneedmetodointhefuture.Again,Ihavealottolearn.Teachme.

The Holocron

I am the last person you should be listening to regarding mastering anything. There are very, very few things I have mastered in my life time. I’m only 23, so who’s to say I have really mastered anything at all? On the other hand, though, I am at the top of my field right now, and I hope that what I have learned there I can pass along to you. To catch you up on my life, I should tell you that I just finished my first semester teaching at a major university in the Midwestern USA. I graduated with a Bachelors Degree of Music in May 2015. I now work at the university part time while getting my Masters degree. I am working in my field, where I do gigs for pay, and I am called to travel all over the country to sing. This kind of behavior is generally not seen in people of my age. I have overcome limitations, though, and I fought my way to the top where I intend to stay for many years to come. I want to share with you how I did it. My journey began when I was a kid singing Cher songs on my hearth at home. I took that karaoke track to my first grade class where I shared my passion with my classmates. Thankfully, we were young enough that they were impressed and actually cared. Years go by, and I spend all of my waking moments singing and per-forming. I take acting and singing lessons. I take classes. I spend all my afternoons in the studio working. Fast forward to high school, I am in all the musicals. I have cut albums. I have been working with the best mentors in my area. I am taught by my mentor, Todd, who would bring us in on the weekends and drill music theory into our heads. I enjoyed the punishment. I love learning. I love sacrificing for learning. And, this helped me in my other pursuits as well. I excelled in academics because when you master one area, you tend to master others. It’s an attitude thing. And, this is the first important lesson I have to pass on to you today: Attitude is everything. Talent is worthless unless you have the drive to use it. I know many talented people who skate by in their lives. They sit there and do nothing with themselves until they wake up and realize it is too late. Are you one of those people? Are you talented? Do you just do enough so people are impressed with you and then leave you alone? Todd pushed us to do better. He made us work until we couldn’t breathe anymore. Guess where his stu-dents are now? Pentatonix. The world famous a cappella sensation? My former best friends and students of Todd. Great-ness comes from being pushed. Greatness comes from working hard. And, that is attitude. So, if you are wonder-ing how to get started on the path to greatness, start by examining how you approach mastery. What do you do every day towards your goal? Ask yourself questions. These are the tools to use: 1. Ask questions EVERY day. “What can I do to help me be my goal?” “What energy, space, and consciousness can I be to help me reach my goals with ease?” “What do I need?” “What does my body need?” Feel the energy of these questions. 2. DO every day. Have a non-zero day. If you feel like crap and you want to become a weight lift ing star, even one push up is better than none. Even working out at home is better than just decid ing not to go into the gym.

OnMasteryPart1byConnorMartin“Laxus”,Editor-in-Chief:

to be continued

The Holocron

The Hardest Task

An aspiring mentor’s view on what makes a good mentorWhen you get to a point in life after which you are expected to mentor others, it is time to put thought to what mentoring actually means. After my knighting at the Temple of the Jedi Force I was told to keep my eyes open for prospective apprentices, and at that point it dawned on me that I was going to have to do what others have done for me; guide them on possibly one of the hardest paths there are! It is a challenging thought, because the last thing I would want to do would be to fail that responsibility and some individual trusting me to help them. In my experience; preparation and reflection is needed to ensure a good result, regardless what you do in life. So I am attempting to put in words what I would demand from myself as a mentor for an apprentice, or even simply people I come across who are new to the path, taking their first wobbling steps into our world. The first, but not last crucial fact of the matter is that our mentors could never be perfect, and likewise, we’ll never be. However both we and our potential protégées would earn from deeper reflection into what ideal-istically it would entail to be a good mentor or teacher. Some communities would use the title “master” and yet many who tutor have yet to gain such a rank both in title and practice, like myself. But what does it mean to be a mentor? What should you provide when you take on the responsibility of being a mentor to someone? What can you as a mentor gain from the experience?

The responsibility of a mentor

What is the responsibility of a mentor? When I look at the question I keep in mind what mine has done for me, and what I in turn would want to give my own apprentice when I get one. Walking the Jedi path is prob-ably one of the hardest things I’ve done in life, and continue to be an ongoing challenge. Keeping this in mind, I would want to help an apprentice by being a guide on their own path, which would include pointing them to important resources and have a flexible lesson plan that would provide them with much of what they would need to grow as Jedi. That would be the vocational part of the mentoring. However there would also be a social part. This would include giving care and support; help them retain their motivation by being an inspiration and giving them encouragement to face the more difficult tasks. It would require a willingness to give time and energy into a lengthy mentor-mentee relationship, possibly spanning for more than a year. It would demand a personal interest into the growth and success of the apprentice and an ability to provide constructive and helpful feed-back.

The Hardest Task By Anirac Morgan

continued...

The HolocronKnowing the “How and Why”

Needless to say; we cannot teach a path we cannot walk ourselves. Ensuring that we have the material and experience to actually provide the student with what he or she would need would be essential, otherwise it would be next to immoral to take on a student we cannot provide for. However, this doesn’t mean we have to have all the knowledge in the world, but we should have enough to be a guide for an apprentice, and equally important have an awareness of what we lack. Where the holes are in our own learning, so that we do not presume to teach what we do not know, but instead find the information we need, turn to wiser heads if need be, honest and hum-ble about our own strengths and weaknesses. Having a proper study plan on beforehand might help us see more clearly if what we can offer is enough so that we can in good conscience take on an apprentice. Also, by knowing ourselves, our own strengths and weaknesses, we can pick the right apprentice for the right teacher. By choosing an apprentice wisely, we’ll ensure that the student we pick fit according to our strengths and weaknesses, so that it can be as good as possible a mentor-student relationship. This would also depend on us getting to know the ap-prentice before making a commitment to him or her. There should be a balance, I think, between being a compli-mentary pair (my strength to counter his weakness, his strength to counter mine) and yet being of like enough a mind so that one can connect with the student. It won’t matter if I have a lot to offer, if I do not have to offer what the student needs. If that is the case, it would be wiser that the student picks another mentor, one who might be more suitable for that particular student. By maintaining mindfulness, one should also be able to assess the apprentice and give lessons accord-ingly. If the student has read 100 books, there’ll be no point in giving lessons intended to teach spelling.

Walking the Walk

What does this mean though?

One aspect of mentoring is the mentor as a role model. When you take on the responsibility of guiding someone with less experience on a path, any path, ultimately you also take on that of a role model. People fol-low actions, more so than words, and that particularly goes for the young or inexperienced. We often learn more from whom someone is and how they act, rather than what they say. This makes it essential that as mentors, we practice what we preach. We walk the walk everywhere we might be observed and learned from. We uphold our duties and remain focused on what we claim as important parts of the path. We carry with us this responsibil-ity wherever we go. Not just because the student is inclined to parrot us, but also because lest we walk the walk the way we talk the talk, the student might not be inclined to believe in our talk to begin with. We might create a wave of disgruntled disillusioned and disappointed apprentices who might leave the path entirely due to their disappointment.*** As a conclusion, I have learned immensely much from the people I consider my mentors, from the first tumbling steps I took on the path. I learn from what I see, what I read and from my own reactions to what I am presented with. As a mentor, I must never forget that beyond anything; I am still a student. When you cross the line from mentee to mentor, you do not stop learning. It is simply a different phase of your learning, another step on the path as Jedi. What we learn can benefit others, and teaching will benefit both the mentee and the mentor. It’s a complex working relationship in which both parts must give of their time, interest and attention. However it is also incredibly rewarding, I would think. Lessons given me years back are lessons I still carry with me. My mentors have given me an incredible gift, one I carry with me as I grow as a Jedi. If I could give just a tenth to someone of what was given me by my mentors, I will be content.

The Holocron

Gentle hand that Guides.Guru of Kindness, Knowledge.

Inspire, Uplift, Teach

Haiku on Mentors By Samantha Wilson