Who Are Your Teachers?

Submitted by deorre on April 12, 2006 - 7:42am

Learning can take place in the most unpredictable of places. There are the standard venues, including school, internships, church, books, and parents. There are friends and other acquaintenances that may contribute to an individuals' overall learning curve.

There seems to have been a significant drop-off in the learning that gets passed on via family channels. Parent-mentors, it appears, are being replaced by peers in the schoolyard. And if that goes bad, then the counselor, therapist, or probation officer will pick up the slack. Quite sad, the loss of this inherent mentoring system.

It can be exciting when learning takes place unpredictably, when it is least expected. I suppose that speaks to the seeming randomness of the cosmic classroom.

I was in a coastal California town one time, preparing to present a seminar to the local Jungian Society. I believe I was to speak on the 'Imaginal and how allowing its' entry into our consciousness would enhance our very existence. All very life-affirming. Depth, and all that.

Yet, I was stuck. Though I could speak to the material with ease, an introduction needs to be tailored to each specific audience. And I did not know what I was going to do. I justified to myself, while getting in the cab to get to the site, that I would let the imaginal take over and essentially report on the phenomonlogy of getting from point A to point B. I wasn't totally satisfied with it, but it had potential.

Along the way, I was noticing the surroundings. As we entered the downtown area, there was this developmentally disabled man-boy, standing on the sidewalk, smiling and waving to all that passed by. Back then, we called them mentally retarded. I guess that's not cool, now.

I was struck by the sheer innocence and seemingly mindless friendship this fellow was offering up. He, welcoming me, to this new city. Once it had set in just what this metaphor (or was it a metaphor?) was for me, I turned around to wave back. It was too late. The fellow was already sharing his verve with others entering his domain.

He taught me something, that teacher in disguise. Primarily, he showed me the value of absolutely BEING IN the moment. Secondly, he gave me great fodder for my introduction to the concept of the imaginal.