I have been reflecting on the role of The Teacher, and of teachers that are important to me, as the arc of one of my most beloved and favorite instructors draws slowly to a close, and she prepares with integrity, grace and spiritual dedication to leave her body.
She has been a teacher and a supervisor—of me, my work and my programs for more than fifteen years. She has been beside me in some of the most expansive, difficult and rewarding times of my professional life. There can be a real mystery as to why someone is aligned to you as a teacher or practitioner, and what is that particular magic and chemistry that arises between two people that creates good soul work, deep change and moves a process forward.
The answer to this is unique to everyone, and when I reflect on this relationship, I would say the qualities that stand out to me most are her needle-like precision and her ability to sum up the process with a very small number of words evocatively and distinctly in a way my entire system recognized. I could pivot in a moment, understand difficult situations, and find answers to clients’ processes in a flash.
…and shift my own personal process remarkably, instantly and permanently!
She also has an extensive education and rock solid psychological training that was very helpful to me when I was working with clients who had extensive or complex trauma. Many people that I work with, by the time that they reach me, have had very difficult experiences that have been complicated by medical situations, further trauma, misaligned practitioner journeys and the intricate and often psychologically and energetically expensive impacts of Awakening.
It is well known that I am willing to take on complex clients and to help people find the light and the way out of really dark situations, and I am not afraid of meeting people in them. Neither is she.
Though you know me, my work, and my unique practice and knowledge, my teacher has been alongside me for this decade and a half, accompanying, engaging, teaching, awakening me to aspects of my gifts and skills that took the work further and deeper in practice, in teaching, in my own inner worlds. 🫂
What a celebration to honor our compatibility! To be accompanied and supported by a shared language and a common ground of compassion, of love, of depth, of symbolic thinking, of precision and clarity; 🌸 To have space held by someone who is a long-term Buddhist practitioner, who can bring that lens of detachment and kindness to all that arises.
She has also taught my students, and amongst so much of her expertise from psychology and Process Work, she is also a teaching expert in Death and Dying. To my amazement and awe, she taught my own advanced students tools and approaches when supporting the dying, while she herself was recovering from initial surgery for terminal cancer, with absolute presence and grace. 🙌🏼
Now, she brings that same wisdom to her own process.
She will leave quite a space in my life and in my professional world. 🕊️
I will sit with that for some time as I cannot imagine who will fill it.
When I told her I would miss her, she told me that she would still be here for me and I could talk to her whenever I wanted. I will imagine her resting amongst the stars and I know that she will show up. She is that kind of a person. ✨
Wishing you the most beautiful travels…
May you be well.
May you be loved,
May you be free . . .
I’d love to hear from you.
Who have been the teachers who have shaped your life, your work, or the person you are becoming?
If someone comes to mind, I invite you to share a little about them in the comments below. 🌸
