Susan Ford Wiltshire

Athena's Disguises does not have to do with mentoring in the modern sense - i.e. where by one receives (or chooses/is chosen by) an individual in the same profession or area of study as oneself who guides and aids in one's own develop and progress...rather this book is about mentoring in the classical sense: "Mentoring in the classical sense, however has to do with discernment of choices rather than with self-advancement in choices already made. It as to do with the company we keep, some of it quite unexpected and perhaps short-lived. It has to do with risk and change as we continue to grow. So...I think in the modern sense, mentoring is generally looked upon as a safety net...an individual takes one on to guide and help...to keep one from taking risks and in the classical sense, it works just the opposite I do believe.

What I was struck by most in this book can be illustrated by this quote:

"Athena pulls alongside those whose need makes them open to help. She offers the right words in the right place at the right time, thereby empowering her companions to do for themselves whatever it is they uniquely must do."

And:

"In these disguises Athena imparts to each individual the courage and insight required to become one's best self. She empowers other for the sake of their own journeys. "

And finally:

"In the classical model elaborated here, mentors have our interest rather than their own at heart. They never want us to become like themselves. Rather, they care about us enough to want us to become who we are, discerning and living out the gifts that are uniquely our own, both individually and within our communities."

That more than anything deeply resonates with me...this is what I have tried to do with all my students and have been rebuked repeatedly for it...in some individuals actually feeling that I wasn't teaching them to be exactly like me...to do exactly what I do...and that rather misses the boat...what I strive to teach is a framework that allows each student to incorporate a core set of practices into THEIR beliefs and modes of being...one that they can use and modify for a lifetime...not one that make another a "mini me," that has never been my goal...and I wish I had read this a long time ago...it goes a long way toward explaining my own personal philosophy toward teaching...and that is basically that my "gift" what I have to offer of myself to others is available to EVERYONE without discrimination...that offer it without strings attached...but it seems that less and less people want to run with that, to be guided and nudged rather than told and prodded with a stick to do as I do or as I say and never question it...and you can be JUST LIKE ME. What I want is for my students to go away with something that is uniquely their own, that they can claim as something they did for themselves...not something *I* did for them.

I also find messages for myself in this book that keep cropping up for me over and over...the sort of "let go and let god" type of thing...whereby one still sets goals and makes plans, but where one cannot force the result in terms of time and actual outcome...where one has to be patient and let the universe move along as it should. That I cannot say I want this or that thing in X amount of time...that what I need to be doing is setting my goals and taking the appropriate action...and allowing that thing will, in their own sweet time and way, work out for the best in all ways concerned.

I was also astonished to find this quote, which is a tidbit about life that has always resonated with me and which I have tried to point out to both friends and students alike over the years and which is nearly always met with hostility:

"There is always time to do what you really want to do." I learned that moment that priorities, not hours, determine what we have time to do.

...Plates may be full, other commitments may have been made, schedules may conflict, but lack of time simply will not do as an excuse.

I'm finally learning to deal with "I don't have time" in myself and with others...and this book helped drive this home for me in a BIG way. I think most people would probably find this book boring...and for some parts of it, it really is...but it helped me immensely and I'm very grateful to have had the chance to read it.… (mehr)