Desire and the Inner Quest

[yezida]

[More from my ongoing project]

People write to me periodically about the problems in their communities with people wanting initiation into this or that, and there not being enough initiates to go around. I wrote a whole article for Thorn Magazine (no relation!) on this subject regarding the opening of the Mystery in all of its variety and glory.

Comments

[nancyblue]

I see graduate degrees as tools in the toolbox, not ends in themselves. People tend to romanticize grad school and have vastly overblown expectations of both the process and the outcome.

Getting a graduate degree should be driven by love but they need to be part of the bigger picture of one's life. You can get all the degrees you want, but at the end of the day, you still have to do the Work.

[yezida]

Which is another reason I sometimes consider grad school: continue to hone my critical thinking skills, be able to adjunct teach at universities, or present at conferences etc.

But again, so far, desire has not been strongly present enough to channel life force in that direction. Luckily, I have plenty of other work to do!

[nancyblue]

Indeed you do! I often say I am successful in spite of my degrees, not because of them. It actually breaks my heart to see the situation that many of my grad school colleagues are in.

[ewigweibliche]

The universe is conspiring against me. GAH.

I'm currently struggling with this right now.

[veedub]

graduate school can be fun and a big boost to one's ambitions. but it can also be boring as hell and the reverse of inspiring. i was very fortunate in that i paid no attention to anything anyone else said, only took the classes which interested me (with a few exceptions--there's no getting away from statistics :P), and kept tinkering with my program almost until the very day of graduation. the people in the graduate office eventually came to sigh and shrug whenever i walked into the office and changed my (mandatory) program yet again. but i ended up being one of the two people in my class who got MA's in Special Major. i met the other one at commencement, as we had to walk in together. she had constructed her graduate school experience in order to become a museum curator specializing in woven works, from tapestry to basketware. mine was designed to turn me (intellectually, at least) into a personal trainer specializing in physical training/health maintenance of people over 50

[chasmodai]

In my opinion, quality control and being better prepared to serve are good reasons for initiation

[yezida]

preparing teachers and initiating people are two different kettles of fish. Just because someone is an initiate, does not mean they can or should teach and not being an initiate does not mean someone has nothing valuable to pass along.

I get that it is all arbitrary, and I'm not against initiations or degrees in general - just saying one needs to be interested enough in the work/practice to do it even without a piece of paper at the "end".

[chasmodai]

I agree with you completely. There is a huge difference in doing it for the ego-validating sheepskin (or whatever,) and doing it as a part of the work. I do know people who have achieved it as an end goal, and had nowhere to go from there.

I don't think an initiate is necessarily a teacher. I have observed that the demand creates an opportunity for less qualified people to attempt to teach. If a seeker hasn't previously heard of a person, they will often seek reassurance by looking for some sort of credential. There is a common perception that an initiate has done certain work and has certain things to offer. I do think that it can be worthwhile (for some,) to choose to seek initiation in order to be better prepared to serve. Is it necessary? Not for everyone.

[autumnsfolly]

What I find fascinating about this line of conversation is that very few people who want a "credentialed" teacher will actually verify those credentials.

What is to stop someone from saying ... "I'm a third-degree, grand-high poobah of the what-not tradition" and therefore am supremely qualified to teach. Nothing. How many seekers are going to call the High Priestess of the what-not tradition and check up?

I had a student once who claimed to be a 3rd Degree - and it baffled me why she would come to me/my group for training. People can claim whatever they want, in magical teaching, on their resumes, on job applications. Unless others are willing to check .... you see where I'm going with this.

And I agree wholeheartedly with the statement that just because someone has been initiated does not mean they can or should teach, as well as the thought that it can be very worthwhile to seek initiation in order to be better prepared to serve. I think some folks perceive the only way TO serve is to teach, and that's just not the

[muddyslush]

Studying creative writing in college was a great venue for generating work and developing skill. But I struggled afterward because I'd begun writing to get into MFA programs and I'd lost sight of what I loved about writing, or what I wanted from writing. Getting shut out of those MFA programs did re-connect me to my passion in writing, though it was a pretty terrible-feeling experience.

I've found my values have shifted a lot in relationship to academia after a few years of being out. Now it feels more like a big hoop to jump through to get the bona fides I need for the work I'd like to do. There's also access to resources and information that is contingent on one's degree. I think I'll learn a lot too, but I'm already beginning to see what will be helpful and what won't.