The Importance of Mentorship
Mentor - an experienced and trusted advisor
Mentorship - the guidance provided by a mentor; the time during which one receives guidance from a mentor
“The origin of wisdom is a convergence of sacred male and female power” - Phil Cousineau
The word ‘mentor’ has both Greek and Indo-European roots: men from Greek meaning ‘to think, to remember, and to counsel’; while mens comes from Indo-European and refers to the ‘mind’. Therefore, in essence it is that which makes the mind, or mind-maker. The word ‘mentor’ was first used as a name in the Odyssey. Mentes and Mentor are both old friends of Odysseus and go to Ithaka to defend his court from the suitors and also guide his son Telemachus. At many points in the text we come to realise that Mentor is actually a “she” in spirit, as Athena is the guiding force. And thanks to them, Telemachus begins his rite of passage towards manhood, until the mentor recognises the changes within and the passage back home (everything being cyclical) may begin, only thus can the ritual education be complete. This story recognises the balance required between male and female power and guidance of the ways of the outer and inner worlds.
It is a mentor’s task to take the “war” away, as it were, from the pupil’s mind and thus show the right way to cultivate and direct the energy that is implied and resultant. But what is this “war”, this chaos? One’s inner turmoil, that comes about from opposing forces within one’s Self has been and is called by many names. I feel that the name dragon, or even daemon is quite apt as the image conveys the drama and the magnitude of the issues that arise if left unaddressed. To say that the mentor takes the “war” away does not mean that the dragon/daemon is hidden or simply swept under the carpet or even avoided. The dark side has to be faced. The mentor shows the path by which we can face, challenge and come to terms with such an existence, such duality or multiplicity even.
As the mentor teaches one to deal with the fear of the unknown, it is also the fear of failure that is being faced. The mentor requires the pupil to be in a state of continual change, a process of editing oneself - the point being progress rather than perfection. Because if there is no failure, there is no freedom. This is also what instils confidence, a sense of self-worth and understanding. Mentors, in many ways, exemplify the notion of living the myth of Sisyphus - that only by embracing the struggle will we be able to recognise the beauty of it.
According to David Brooks, the mentor is also the one to acquaint the pupil with a sense of taste, and becoming familiar with what is best. In this way, the mentor is providing a moral education of sorts. When brought face-to-face with excellence the mentor also instils a sense of humility, which is needed to appreciate the world, oneself and how the teachings and guidance influence both. Nowadays there is a slight shift away from the term ‘mentor’ to remove any sense of hierarchy within the system of teacher and pupil. I believe that to do so is delusional as the hierarchy is there whichever term. To understand that we all learn from each other - whatever our status as either teacher and/or pupil is something that cannot be forgotten, and for someone who is a true mentor this is part of being humble - and this is what is lacking in a dominating hierarchical structure, lack of humility. The beauty of mentorship is that it allows for such two-way communication.
The mentor is also the one who helps us appreciate that some things simply cannot be taught - they are implicit in many ways and so can only be learnt through attention and example. The path provided through guidance and experience allows the pupil to understand their energy and cultivate it into something of essence and purpose - also through the understanding that it was always within.
The mentor instils the mindset and mentality of the master, as opposed to the victim. This is something important to keep in mind, when we live in a society determined to divide us into class, race, religion, sexual orientation and the like… this all becomes a fight between oppressor and oppressed. By transforming the struggle into love and purpose, the notion of being a victim flies out the window. And so the journey of one’s rites of passage may ensue.
