Fasting Day 19 of 40: Eternal Student

We are all students. No matter our skill level and profession, there is an aspect of our exploration that has not been discovered yet. It can be holding a tool differently, resonating a different part of the throat as we sing, or catching a turn more smoothly as we drive. Everything we do provides an opportunity to explore. It is our curiosity that guides us. We are all self taught in this way. Even through our teachers, they can spend all day lecturing, but if we are not willing and open, that knowledge falls away. The heart of mastery is to discover anew what it is we do.

It is through our curiosity that all learning and retention is achieved. I have spent hours in some math classes listening to words brush over my hair and through my ears. I did not enjoy it and felt apathy and the loss of my precious time. As I have grown, I have come to explore math for fun. After years of telling myself I was dumb because I couldn’t understand math, I finally realized that pattern. It has only been through letting go of that story I had been telling myself, and starting over fresh, that I have come to enjoy numbers. My spirit is involved with the process now. Our inner fire naturally guides us to what we wish to discover when we are ready. As we follow it, the smoother and easier our growth into new realms becomes.

As students our curiosity teaches our teachers. After years of exploring a path we often forget the questions we answered to get us there. This is true of our teachers as well. As a student you offer your ignorance, your questions, and the teacher has the opportunity to remember how they got here in the first place and share it. A lot of the lessons we learn are subconscious or learned over a few short moments. They are not always processed by our waking mind and therefore we are not aware of what we know.

Somethings feel “obvious” or well known within a craft. This is taking for granted just how much we have explored. You can think of a carpenter’s knowledge. In general you sand with the grain. It is easier for both you as the sander and for the wood. It provides less friction and smoother movement. It is so common that it is almost forgotten until the carpenter teaches someone how to sand. In singing I have been taught to warm up my voice countless times; so much so, that it does not make sense to do anything else. It is simply what you do. Because it has become so ingrained in the master carpenter’s mind, or in mine with song, we can forget the reason we started doing it in the first place. So when someone asks “Why do you that?” It causes us to stop and think about what it is we are doing. It provides perspective of our own expertise. As a student you remind the teacher of what it is they already know, but may have forgotten.

Mastery is the recognition that we are always learning. It is with everything, and not just our arts, crafts, and works. Picking up a pitcher of water, “Am I holding this the best way possible?” Putting my pants on, “Do I enjoy the way this feels as I do it?” Taking a shower, “Can I be kinder to my body as I scrub?” Each and every thing we do in our days, provides us with a greater opportunity of self-exploration and mastery. It takes deliberate thought and attention to do so, and this brings us from doing to being. It is in being that we explore constantly. Our nature of being allows for having and doing, but does not require them. It is simply to be present with each moment as it arises. The more we are able to be, the more fulfilling our days are and the more we are able to explore every moment.

All the Love,

Ryan Orion

Fasting Notes:
It feels pretty strange to say, and I hadn’t really thought about it until someone asked. I haven’t pooped in over two weeks. I knew it would happen as I began my fast, the body would naturally switch over to urine and sweat to void excess matter. To expect it is one thing, to experience it is another.

I now am choosy about which conversations I wish to energize and which I wish to just listen to. I am fully aware of the energy in my words and decide daily how much I wish to engage in conversation, even when they are interesting. On days I have not followed this guidance I feel drained and it requires a deep meditation to return to a place of balance.

I am still doing my morning yoga. It takes longer to get up and get my mind into it, but it happens. Today was a short one, but I hope to continue the process throughout this journey as it is one of the things I look forward to daily.

LAST CALL! I Am hosting a live zoom devotional tomorrow night, May 1 at 6PM CT to share my experiences with fasting and answer questions. I would love for you to join us. You can find the event below. It will direct you to my subscription page, and the event is beneath that. Thank you!