Unpublished Work © 2012 Cristina Carlino

YEAR OF THE BUTTERFLY:

BE THE STUDENT IN YOUR OWN STORY

My brilliant butterflies: Have you heard the Buddhist expression, when the student is ready the teacher appears?   Now I am no Einstein and I never went to college, but maybe it is because I learned from some wonderful teachers in high school that since then I have come to see everyone is my teacher.  As long as I am awake and ready enough to remember in the moment that I am a student and in return, perhaps, a teacher for another.

If life has convinced me of one truth as unshakeable as 2 plus 2 equals four – it’s Einstein’s quote “imagination is more important than knowledge.”  Most important is to keep on questioning.  The beauty for me of being older and spreading new wings is that I feel wiser yet know I know less. My imagination soars. I have more delicious questions than ever. Some I get my answers to out of moments of great sunshine and plenty of others from times of deep personal darkness.   That’s how this school rolls.

I believe each of us have some of the student archetype in our psyche’s palette. For example, for me I am a student of beauty and the one thing that will always remain the same; change. I never need to worry about being bored. I am a student of motherhood, music, curiosity and creativity. Of friendship and humanity and archetypes. If I had to choose a “major” I would say I am primarily a student of daydreams and feeling free.

And my direction shows me daily that a very big part of my education Is not just what there is to learn but also what to unlearn.  This unlearning class meets daily.  Sometimes it’s in session for an instant, sometimes an hour; often through the night and in our dreams.

Here are a few subjects on the things to Unlearn Syllabus:

Self Judgment: (I should have, would have or even could have)   

Judgment of Others: (Same as above but back at you)

Off the Rails of Responsibility: (I am here to take care of others emotional needs before my own)

False Fears:   (Which ends up to be most of them masquerading as reality)

Self Pity:  Give it an inch and it takes a mile or a month…

Secrets:   If we’re only as sick as our secrets, how healthy am I?

Shame:  A single instant can set off a memory in our body of feeling embarrassed or bad from as far back as childhood or perhaps farther.

Resentments:  Many easy to come by- most hard to let go of.  Forgiveness is only water that not only puts out the fire but leaves few of the ashes in its wake.

Pride:   Gone haywire.  I can do it myself.  I don’t need to ask for help.  If I want something done I’ve got to do it myself.

And from there, history takes us eventually to the subject of letting go. A pop quiz where the Universe hands out answers to an eternity of questions and speaks sometimes softly – sometimes loudly, “surrender.”  There is nothing here but my love.

What are you learning today?

With grace and gratitude,

Cristina