Changing Roles

Greetings all,

I write again from the far far away.  The frantic pace has slowed now until my return home.  This weekend I've helped to set up a booth at a fair, break it down, and taught my first all day workshop solo.  Tonight is for despacho ceremony.

This weekend if nothing else has shown me a glimpse of the role of teacher.  It's funny that I don't necessarily view myself as much of a teacher because I do teach classes every week on tai chi.  I've simply been doing it for so long it appears a natural part of my life.  I've taken my fair share of workshops and seminars on shamanism but this is really the first time I've been the teacher.  I have co taught workshops before, but this is the first time I've been the person in charge.  It was just me and spirit.

I must say spirit did all the heavy lifting for the weekend (apart from moving some big crystals at the fair breakdown).  The drum sang, apart from its steady beat I heard voices chanting.  So did some of the workshop participants which was quite exciting.  I have been hearing the voices in the drums for years now, but to have people new to it be able to experience that from the start was amazing.  I was quite relieved at how the day went because as I was preparing for this workshop I realized I actually never took this workshop from my teachers.  I did of course consult them for their advice, but a great deal of the workshop was provided by spirit.

Wearing the role of teacher is strange.  In Chinese the term Sifu means either teacher or master.  I was named a Sifu back in 2003 and it felt weird to me back then.  It took a couple years of teaching tai chi to beginners for me to become comfortable with that identity.  It is interesting to note the dual meanings of the word and it gives a nice glimpse into the lens with which the teacher role is viewed in another culture.  In our culture we sometimes think of teachers as low paid child minders with summer vacations.  There is a great lack of respect.  Shamanism is all about respect.  People make a fuss about respect.  They think it is about bowing and kowtowing to others judgment, but it is simply treating others with compassion and acknowledging their sacredness.

As I switched gears the day after my workshop to help out in a friend's crystal booth I got a second chance at trying on the teacher role.  Someone recognized me from Youtube.  They were telling me how they struggled to access the zero point field of possibilities and I showed them a quick trick I'd picked up from another quantum consciousness teacher.  They were amazed at how they instantly sank into their heart space.  That was really gratifying for me to see.  I am usually surrounded with so many gifted teachers and practitioners that it is easy for me to forget that I have a lot to offer others as well.

How about you?  Do you pass along tips and tricks for smoothing out life's journey?  Do you keep your knowledge hoarded unsure of its usefulness?  Do you know your stuff until someone tries to put you in charge?  Why not try stepping into the teaching role here and there?  They say the best way to truly learn something is to teach it to another.  We are all teachers whether we know it or not.  Some of us teach consciously others simply by example.  Be generous with your knowledge for we are only here a little while and if we fail to share our knowledge it dies when we do.  So pull out your blackboard chalk because school is back in session.

Peace and Blessings,
Thomas Mooneagle