A mentor, who’d, helped her students, tapped into their potentials, and, develop them by the day, and, not all of us can be blessed enough, to meet one of these in our lives, translated…
The first time I’d received a letter from my instructor, I was, no longer a student.
Last autumn, I’d returned to my alma mater, and sat in on a lecture from the Communications department “Jungian Fairytales”. The very first set of notes, was signed by the T. rexes, princesses, princes in the Creativity lab. I didn’t know which one of the three I’d fitted into, and, I’d felt, that I was, more of the T. rex, but the vegetarian sort (if that exists). I watched the professor on the podium, so animated, she was, without a doubt, the sorceress of this “forest of unconscious enchantment”, and, there must be some sort of a spell inside her radiant smile.
Every Thursday, I’d waken up early, and, sorted through my work early, and headed out to school, there was a “technological rice ball” shop, it said that you will NOT feel any bloating after you’d eaten the foods. I’d always ordered one, then, with a black cup of coffee, walked, slowly uphill. The laboratory is up the hill from the school, and, even though there’s the small busses I can ride on, but, since college, I’d enjoyed walking. Up the slopes, there’s a “Windy Pass” that’s exposed to nature, as I’d walked, I’d, sorted through the posters of the activities in school, sometimes, I’d just, enjoyed how those posters were, designed. The Creativity’s Lab, was a wooden circular room, without the desks or the chairs, only the mats. I’d enjoyed that window seat, a bit off from the professor, and, as I’d looked outside the windows, enjoying the views, I’d, listened to the lectures, and, eaten my rice ball and coffee.
I’d just, wanted to just sit in and listen in class, but the instructor wanted those who were auditing to give feedback to the laboratory (this was the very first spell of the sorceress). And so, I and a younger schoolmate created a “Twelve Ways We Can Meet”, combined the arts and drama, and, the performances of thirty-minute increments, we’d, involved the audience to create with us.
The very first person we’d bumped into, was that professor. As we’d started the semester, we’d not known one another well, but, during that interaction in class, she kept wanted to rouse up my state of mind, kept laughing, “I really want to make you made! It’s really odd!”, in the end, as I’d fought with my lab partner for real and for fake, we’d, ended, this interesting experience (end of first spell!).
The professor kept reminding me of the color “green”. OR maybe, as she’d described that “forbidden room” inside our bodies, it’d reminded me of how Adam and Eve taken the forbidden fruit. I kept believing that the apple was red, only to know, that it was, green later on (there are other versions of the story). Green is a symbol of wisdom, like the emerald, or the jade Bengals, but, these accessories, are mismatched with the instructor, who’d, dressed more androgynously, but, if she had a cup of macha latte, then, there wouldn’t be that strong a dissonance. That sort of a Japanese drink, still contained a small amount of caffeine, more suitable for her.
After a few classes, the professor invited me to critique after the other students did their presentations (the second spell). Actually, I was, a bit lazy, so, I wasn’t, really that into it, but felt, that using the resources from the school free of charge, was a bit, taking advantage. And, I’d, ended my leisure breakfast sessions, and in order to fulfill my promise, I’d stopped, skipping, even as only, an auditing student.
And yet, with the progressions of the course, I’d found, that I’d started, altering my own thought processes (the breaking of that second spell). When I’d watched the movies, I’d used the archetypes I’d learned in the course, to dissect the characters, and, as I’d watched the Korean soaps on T.V., I’d thought, “Ah, the female lead is the Sleeping Beauty, still in a coma, and kept in the puberty state of mind.”
Toward the end of the semester, the professor put that third spell on me, she’d invited me to present an eight-week performance seminars next semester. The first time I’d told her no, but she kept putting the hexes on me. Two weeks later, I’d handed in the lesson plans to her, said that eight weeks seemed too short. As the semester ended, the professor told us, “Your hero’s journeys are, temporarily, done”.
From an auditing student, I’m about to become, a “threshold guardian”, but, my hero was just on her way. The professor said, this was the gift she’d, wanted to, give to me, although she has no idea what’s inside the gift. I’d, taken the gift she’d given to me, and, carried it, and looked forward to my spring semester. It’s not time to open that present yet, but, as the time comes, the bow on the box will open all on its own, and, go where it’s, supposed to go, and, the third spell will, be broken. The sorceress had me witnessed: the best kind of love, is guidance.
Turns out, I’m no T.rex, or a princess, but, a “witch in training”.
And so, that, is what mentoring is all about, someone seeing potential for something in someone else, and helps the individual, tap into her/his ability, helping the student become a better version of her/himself, and, it’s truly rare, to find someone who inspires us like that, to make us want to be better versions of our selves.