the reciprocity teaching
real magic requires real reciprocity. i learned this from watching my own teachers.
i have never not acknowledged the women mentors in my life. i’ve had two very significant mentors but i feel that everyone that i come in contact with has taught me something. but one mentor specifically is a woman named bernadette and she and i were introduced through a mutual friend who spoke highly of her and recognized our similar levels of eclecticism. after getting to know bernadette for a while and watching her in action and not just in her words but evidence of her life and things that she did and had done in the past, i said to her “i’m going to florida to learn from you.” when i said that i didn’t know how but the universe made it happen and i did. i lived in florida for about two and a half years and now today as i sit in brazil i wouldn’t be here if it were not for her support of me and i continue to learn from her and seek her out for guidance. and i continuously give her acknowledgment and recognition.
but i think to be able to acknowledge our mentors that we haven’t paid, it takes a level of confidence and self-esteem. but true mentorship is also a part of reciprocity. it’s like the same when the teacher is ready the student appears. an example of this would be when i first visited her home and met her family, i stepped onto the porch and her daughters were there and instead of introducing me as courtney, the first thing she said to them was “this is my teacher courtney.” this obviously took me by surprise because i considered her my teacher. but in that moment i understood the true meaning of reciprocity.
most people pay someone for education and learning and then only then feel comfortable to acknowledge the authority that someone carries and they go into debt to learn or to get a degree. but what i’m learning is that access to my magic is a privilege.