Not exactly how you would expect a post about awakening to start out. That is exactly the point.
Indulge me as we back in to the one.
There was a doctor of sociology that was a senior member of my last department. You could count on him thoughtfully sitting through every department meeting, presentation, and major class discussion. At their conclusion, he would smirk, fold his hands and say,
“So, what?”
Bachelor degree student to colleague to internationally renowned visiting scholar, we all got it. The “Chris Murphy” test of approval was whether you could answer that question directly or not.
So, What?
Chris asked the question very specifically to make the point that all the theory, ideas, or facts in the world were great to hear about. Why are you, a presenter, asking us to care about this topic? What does taking action on it change in our or someone else’s lives?
Posing ‘so what’ was his way of helping to guide us into that space of really grounding why we were doing what we were doing. In asking that tough question, he was preparing us for the real world. Dr. Murphy was helping us define and see our objectives and goals and to be able to articulate them to ourselves and others. He was also showing us that no matter who you were or what your rank, the ability to define what you were doing easily and understandably to self and others was the sign of truly knowing’ what one was doing. (Not all the top scholars were able to answer that question. Food for thought.)
How ‘So, What?’ Influenced My Life of Asking Questions
So, what? I loved this question so much that it stuck with me for ten years. It is so blunt and jarring. It really makes you think. Knowing it was coming always encouraged me to dig deep into the core of what I was doing and why. To explore my convictions and to think long term about what it all means. Even though I have long left the department, I hear his voice and see his face as I create.
In short, when Dr. Murphy asked, “So, what?”, he forever engrained the value of that question in me. He did exactly what a great teacher does. He did not tell me what to think. He helped me think in my own way. In more depth.
Being able to encourage that type of self-awareness is something I very much aim to do with my teachings.
So. In the spirit of Dr. Murphy, I say: Awakening, SO WHAT?
If we apply the term “awakening” (or any of its derivatives), take a moment and ask ourselves: what do we really mean? What does awakening look like and how does it happen? Why am I doing it? What is the objective? What is the benefit?
These questions are important ones in that they encourage us to go into our own personal beliefs, to identifying *or remembering* our own convictions, and to remind us of why we are doing what we are doing.
Do not be ashamed if you have never really thought about this or not done so in a long while. I am asking this question today knowing that it is powerful because within it all, sometimes the reason we do things gets lost in the shuffle. Coming here helps bring us back.
As a spiritual teacher welcoming readers to a new phase of creation, I am dedicated to laying out a solid foundation of self investigation and soul awareness techniques upon which to ground your life. This is spirituality for the 21st century! As such, getting to the brass tacks of what we are doing when we talk about these concepts is a GREAT place to start.
Awakening.
So, what?
What are you Awakening to?
What are you waking up from?
What does all of this mean to and for you?
*For now, resist the urge to crutch on what anyone else says. Do not Google the answer or try to recite the answer someone else gave. Sit with yourself in meditation, talk to yourself while you are going about your life, and let the answer trickle in. Something this complex takes us more than one go to reel in! You may even like to throw on the Music of Crow Medicine playlist and take it out on a walk with you!: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0KBOGn10Rra4AQorhiYrr3?si=5671c56accdd44e0.
I have many thoughts on this one. Come back for them as a main feature publication and Crow Medicine podcast topic. For now, I encourage you to get into your ideas!
Love my content and feel like saying ‘thanks’ for creating it? I gratefully receive little gifts of $5 here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/crowmedicine.
Love,
Katie
Did this topic fire you up? I hope it did! Stay tuned. I will be calling readers back in a future post to share some of what their thoughts on ‘awakening’ is. Hearing what this means to other people is super rich. ‘Subscribe’ to this blog, follow me on FB (Katie IndiCrow, Crow Medicine with Katie), youtube (Katie IndiCrow). I love getting to chat with our community about our topics!
Recent posts you might like: Making Friends with ‘No’ As a Part of Healthy Communication – Crow Medicine: (crow-medicine.com)