The word “graduation” conjures up feelings and memories for many people. It is a rite of passage that most have experienced. To graduate is to move forward — to complete an education or training course where you find yourself more knowledgeable and able than before you began your term. I thought quite a bit about whether it is possible to graduate without effort. I didn’t come up with any circumstance where one could just show up for a period of time without expending mental or physical energy in order to receive the title of “graduate.”
May and June are usually months when graduations occur. Schools and training programs send off their tired and weary. Did you graduate? Have you reminisced about how long ago it has been since you were awarded a certificate acknowledging your efforts? Have you not yet graduated from your place of learning? Are you in the process of earning a commendation? Whatever might be the case, we come to accept that graduating is what we do as a people. I believe that we souls enjoy the 3D concept of “cap-and-gowning-it.” This formality is a recognition of our work. We feel validated when someone makes a speech in our honor. A plaque, diploma, certificate, document, or gift acknowledging our time and effort is the reward we seek. “Move the tassel” and “sign the yearbook” are familiar phrases that often make us wax poetic.
I’d like to toss this concept to the spiritual realm and play with it there. As a soul in Earth School, do we formally graduate? I have not encountered a ritual or event that specifically marks our movement from one stage to the next. It seems to me that we are perpetually learning and growing. Our souls enjoy challenges and we particularly seek adventures that test our fortitude. Some say that each time we have an aha moment we graduate to the next level. There are spiritualists who use the phrase “to graduate” when refer to someone who has died, or transitioned from the physical to the etheric plane. We know on a higher level that we are constantly growing each time we take a spiritual step forward.
When a soul in Earth School begins its journey from Day 1 there is no formal entrance exam, headmaster, curriculum or rubric. It is more like an independent study program where you choose your major and change it whenever you wish. No grades, no tests, no “please report to the principal’s office.” When does it stop? Does anyone really know? If there is no formal graduation ceremony, when is the work done? Well, it seems that before we incarnate, we set up a “course of study.” It is quite formalized, yet there is much wiggle room (free will) to be considered. We take into account what interests us, what issues we are currently addressing, as well as how we can be of Service to others. We forget our “schedule” when we are born. Spirit guides, Angels, Masters, and other Divine Ones assist us in the ethers; they are our personal trainers, coaches, professors, and teachers. We are never without Guidance. We inquisitive souls are very interested in learning and growing. The most “lazy student” might appear to be a future dropout, yet their soul yearns for more than what they appear to reject. They might even be playing the part of a disinterested matriculated student in order to have this experience for soul growth purposes. To appear rebellious, stuck, and lackadaisical could be motivating others to move ahead. (Being of Service in this way is very challenging. Kudos to these souls.)
So, I ask you to ask yourself this question, “Are you graduating?” I do not mean, “Have you graduated?” In Spiritual Land, are you aware that you are enrolled in a course of study? What are you learning? What themes do you think you are working on in this lifetime? How many diplomas or certificates do you feel you’ve earned? Did you drop out of Earth School? Why? Might you consider re-enrolling? There is no entrance fee or deadline. The purpose of this exercise is to remember that we are constantly challenging ourselves and we are graduating every time we learn a bit more.
You are a student. You have been in many lifetimes. Go inside and assess what’s on your schedule, who your teachers are, and whether you enjoy your classes. Make changes if necessary. No one is judging here. The only requirements are an open heart and the desire for more.
I hope you enjoyed your lesson.
Congratulations!
Bless you,
~Joanie
