If our personality is so inclined, it is easy to not want to be in a teacher role. I know that one well for myself.
Yet, it is also good to acknowledge that we all go in and out of teacher roles in many different ways.
For instance, if someone writes spiritual books and holds retreats, that person obviously goes into a teacher role, whether they want to or not. Others will place them in a teacher role. Nothing wrong with that, just good to notice and acknowledge…
Even for me, when I write on this blog, I go into a teacher role – in the minds of some – whether I want to or not.
If someone approaches me for “consulting”, as happened recently, I say that I am not a teacher (not trained in any tradition, only scratch the surface of all of this in even a conventional sense, and there is not a stable Ground awakening here), and I am not a therapist (not trained), but I am happy to have a conversation as a fellow-traveler to fellow-traveler.
Still, I am mindful of going into a teacher role – in the minds of some – when I write this stuff. Again, nothing wrong with that, just good to notice and acknowledge.
Trigger: Bernadette Roberts resisting being seen as a teacher, even if she goes into a teacher role by writing books and holding retreats. She has turned out to be a great teacher for me, as reflected in some of the recent posts here.
Interesting that you would say writing this blog puts you in a teacher role. To me your writings seem more like a diary of your thoughts, written for yourself. Though I read thoughtfully I take your words as ‘true’ by default, so in that way you are serving as a teacher to me, or at least as someone further along in the journey and working harder at it.
Any way. Keep it up.
Thanks!
Yes, it is true that this is meant more as a journal, a way to record and clarify a few things for myself. (Although it is always good when somebody says “hey stupid: don’t you see…”!)
I meant “teacher” more in the sense that we all go into teacher roles for each other, in different ways.
Sometimes, there may be pointers in what somebody says that we explore for ourselves. Other times, what we say or do feels wrong for somebody else, so they get to explore what is more true for them. Or we serve as projection objects for each other, getting familiar with something first in someone else, and then in ourselves – if we are open for it.
There are many ways we are teachers for each other.