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Preparing the Path Requires Learning and Experience

January 2, 2024

Learning a new skill takes patience and determination. Small children think they can do something with ease. A 6 year old can watch people riding horses on TV and say “I can do that!” Then, when confronted with a real horse—huge and intimidating no matter how gentle, they quickly realize there is more to this than hopping on! Learning to be a barrel racer, roper, or just to be a good horseman takes years of practice, research, gaining confidence, enriching oneself emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Developing a skill takes effort and it is important to lay out a step-by-step path to make that happen! 


Learning can take place in informal group activities, or in classrooms, or by reading or watching presentations by people who might have clues to help you. For instance, in working with my horses, I find the need to understand them better. A good way for me to do this is to observe professional trainers on You Tube videos. I can also watch experienced trainers work with the horses where I volunteer. 

a staircase made of rocks in the desert

DEFINING THE PATH

Answering the question, “What do I want?” can help to start the process of learning. You have to have a destination in mind: a vision of yourself doing something. The something can be playing classical guitar, writing songs, being an inventor, flying jets, climbing mountains, healing people—the options are limitless! Young children and teens, while curious, are impatient and once they figure out “what makes it work,” they lose interest in digging down to really understand the ceremony of learning something. Mr. Miagi in the Karate Kid, was notable for assigning apparently meaningless routines: “wash-on; wash-off.” By the end of the movie we realize that these routines were essential patterns, or forms (katas) in the Karate tool kit. 

LEARNING AS A CEREMONY

A YouTube video about the Southwestern potter Maria Martinez, illustrated how she understood that making her unique pots was not just a utilitarian effort, but a real ceremony. Beginning with finding just the right soil, she illustrated how to mastering the spiritual aspects of the potter’s ceremony for making a beautiful vessel! In the Karate Kid, it was the tea ceremony that provided a glimpse of the ceremony of Karate. Learning this, the Karate Kid, also learned a new respect for details, motion, and for the thought process that is required for doing something the right way. Learning to play the piano, the guitar, or the saxophone can also be a ceremony; so can framing a house, pouring cement, or installing a roof. 


Another aspect of Ceremony is the spiritual side. One can simply follow instructions by rote, or actually understand the purpose of each step and for each tool, and how each of these has a spiritual component, thus learning the ceremony connected to that endeavor. Everything that takes place, first takes place in the unseen (spiritual) world. Then it is carried into the seen (physical) world. You will see many professional baseball players, swimmers, and other people in sports praying before a meet. This is also part of the Ceremony. To move from step to step in our path, we need to rely upon the Creator to reveal that path. The Creator’s way is to recognize that “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Here are some questions that can be directed to the Creator for answers. 

 

  • Who are the people that I admire and what is their world view? 
  • Who provides a role model? 
  • Who provides an example of what not to do? 
  • How did these people learn to do this? 
  • What does their experience provide for me? 
  • What can I read, or watch, or listen to?
  • What talents do I need to develop?

CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT YOUR CURRENT PATH CAN LEAD TO A NEW ONE

So, in evaluating your own path, especially when you find yourself in an uncomfortable spot in your career, what might be useful to learn? How about the path that your company is laying out? Does it align with your vision of your future self? Are your comfortable with the values that are driving the decisions? Be prepared, lay out the steps (one-by-one) to lead you to your next destination—even if you have to spend time learning to balance on each one. 

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