New Teachers, New Lessons: Part 1 “Introductions”

Can’t help it. It’s from the Universe.

I woke Thursday morning thinking about what I wanted to write for today’s blog. I’ve been mentally drafting a number of themes but for this week’s offering, I hadn’t settled upon anything. Not that long ago, this would have caused me some level of anxiety—facing a deadline, self-imposed though it is, and having started nothing. But, as I’m growing older and more into my spiritual self, I’m learning to both let go and trust more.

It appears to be working.

This was when I opened the morning’s NY Times (digital feed on my iPad) that I got my guidance from the Universe. And, I ain’t gonna lie, I smiled and chuckled out loud—one second before I said out loud “Okay then, that appears to be the one. Thank you!”

Quick back story:

Part of my morning routine is to play a series of mind puzzles offered from the NYTimes—my little attempt to continue to grow dendrites and neural-synaptic connections. I challenge myself to complete “The Mini” (a “mini,” imagine that, crossword puzzle) in as little time as possible (my record, please believe me, is 24 seconds! THAT was an especially bright morning if I do say so myself!). With that done, I play “Spelling Bee” and I typically end with the day’s “Wordle” puzzle.

My guidance from the Universe whimsically came to me when I opened this morning’s “Spelling Bee” puzzle (the goal of the puzzle is to form as many four letter plus words as you can from the seven letters given with the ultimate goal of finding THE one or more “pangram’—word(s) in which all seven letters are used). Here was today’s puzzle (the center letter, btw, is highlighted because each word MUST contain it!):

I saw the pangram immediately!

Can you? Can YOU see the seven letter word (well, at least one of them) in the puzzle?

Hint: I’ve already given you the answer!

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On New Teachers and New Lessons:

The themes I’ve been thinking about, and wanting to write about (so that I can learn more about myself!), have centered upon some new teachers that have entered my life recently—like “since Dad died” recently. Something is happening (within and about me) that seems to be very abundant and fertile when it comes to my spiritual growth—one thing (or lesson) from one of those teachers being that ALL growth can be spiritual if you know how to make it so (and I’m learning how to make it so).

Next week’s post will be another “Dad post” drafted from some time last year when Dad was physically still alive (see what I did there?). But the week after, Part 2 of “New Teachers, New Lessons” will be shared—and in that sharing, I aim to learn more about myself as I write, but also to continue to offer to you all what I tried to coax from Dad during his time with us through his final days of life, into his dying, and then through his death, and on to his new way of being a presence in all our lives: namely, some humble Elderings. In Part 2 of “New Teachers, New Lessons,” I look forward to introducing you to one of my new teachers (there are FOUR of them!), and delving deeper into the meaning of…

THAT was one of themes that I was “kicking around” in my mind—to tease out more fully the meaning of Alchemy. Because, I LOVE that word and what it means and what it is coming to mean as I craft my own life and death. And this morning, the Universe reminded me, in a very fun way, the Truth of the matter.

In a seven letter pangram of all things!

As I wrote today’s entry, again trusting fully the words come without any force, today’s blog has turned into an introduction rather than going where I thought it would go when I wrote the first paragraph above. And THAT is just as it should be, because that is just as it needed to be. It is exactly what it is—and it is perfect just as it is.

“In all the Universe, there is not a single speck of dust that is out of place. Everything is exactly where it needs to be, when it needs to be. The evidence of this is because it is. The Universe does not make mistakes.”

~ Alan Watts

I’m excited to share with you, in the coming weeks, some of the new lessons I’ve been learning, from some very exciting teachers, that are making a difference for me—in every single moment of my journey.

So, until then, fellow Alchemists, continue on continuing on. Our shared human journey continues.

And may all our unique, though shared, journeys continue to be beautiful and perfect just as they are.

Because they are.

“The purpose of our lives is to help others through theirs.”

~ Peter Matthiessen

“We are all just walking each other home.”

~ Ram Das

Always and Ubuntu and with Love,

Always Love,

~ kert

and in gratiarum actione!

🙏🏼

Postscript: The following, from Leonardo da Vinci, came to me from the Universe the other day too—in a book from one of those four new teachers I talked about. I could no longer wait to share it so here it is—a sign that we are on the right path!

As I lived with Dad through his physical end, it became clearer to me that THIS was what it’s all about. For certain, helping Dad to learn how to die, wisely and with skill so that his death became a teaching for his family, WAS part of the intention. But, boil down all the rest of our lives lived every day, and I’m starting to believe THIS is really what it’s all about. What it’s ALL all about. Living in order to learn how to die. BUT…

This realization begs an important question. Maybe THE most important question. I’ll not give it, or variations of it, to you outright trusting you can see it yourself in da Vinci’s quote; but I know this for sure: those who do not understand, articulate, and live INTO that question are simply taking up space and breathing our air as they pass their minutes on Earth in complete obliviousness. Thus thereby, and unbeknownst to them, causing them to miss out on the truest nature of what it means to be human and what it means to experience resonance with Soul.

As for me, I am learning that each day presents to me the lessons I need to learn about how best to die. And in doing that, to also bring about my highest self for each moment in order to appreciate how truly miraculous and precious life is. I just have to be aware enough to recognize those lessons when they come. As a result, I have been given a new mantra to live and die by—and it’s making such the difference.

I’ll share that mantra soon with you, too. In its own time though. It’s one of the intended “parts” from “New Teachers, New Lessons”—one of those themes still swirling around in my mind. Now, if it shows up in a NYTimes puzzle, well, then my life will truly be complete—you can bet I’ll be looking around and stay opened to any hints from the Universe that the timing is ripe, even if it isn’t as a pangram.

BTW: This past week I was formally granted full certification so I am now a full-fledged Hospice volunteer. I will begin my service within the next week and thus will be adding more teachers and opportunities to learn about how to become more fully human. I’ll keep you posted on some of those lessons. They will be, as you might guess, rich and wholesome alchemical ingredients in the cooking up of my life…and death.

Thank you for being my fellow traveler and Alchemist. YOU are a part of my alchemy too. And for that, I remain grateful.

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