Research Paper By Juliet DiFranco
(Spiritual Coaching, UNITED STATES)
Statement of Purpose
A learning orientation to life presents the philosophy that life is a school and all experiences are opportunities for learning. In the context of spirituality, the soul has a curriculum of lessons to be learned. Spiritual coaching is a method of reinforcing the process of learning and growth from a spiritual perspective.
What is a Learning Orientation to Life?
The foundation of this ideology is that life is a school. And, human beings are students who are learning and growing. With this orientation, all experiences have value because they provide lessons and opportunities for growth. Growth, in relation to someone who is “learning and growing”, means the advancement or betterment of the person, or the evolution of their consciousness.
A learning orientation to life advocates the position that there are no mistakes in life, only lessons to be learned. This level of thinking rises above the widely-held perspective that life is a game of right and wrong, or good and bad. The right wrong game can lead to unnecessary suffering when people view something, someone or some experience as “wrong” or “bad.”
In her book Guilt is the Teacher, Love is the Lesson, Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., says
splitting thoughts, emotions and behaviors into… good or bad, black or white, safe or unsafe”keeps people helpless, powerless, ashamed, enraged, and anxious.
Rather than thinking in terms of good and bad, it is more helpful to think in terms of conscious and unconscious, aware and unaware. (1998, p. 47)
With a learning orientation to life, a person is open to the possibility that a lesson – an awareness, a useful learning, a benefit, perhaps even a blessing – can be culled from their difficult life issues or challenges. This gives a sense of purposefulness to negative experiences. A challenge can yield a learning. Some important lesson and direction for growth. With this mindset, issues can be resolved with minimal to no suffering. Viewing life as a classroom filled with learning opportunities opens a space for acceptance and compassion in resolving issues and achieving inner peace.
Spirituality Blended with a Learning Orientation to Life
From a spiritual point of view, each human being is a soul who has come to the physical world of Earth to learn. The moment one is born, school is in session.
The soul has a spiritual curriculum of lessons to be learned. Teachers are encountered along the way.
School is in Session In her book, If Life is a Game, These are the Rules, Chérie Carter-Scott, Ph.D., creates Ten Rules For Being Human (1998):
The Ten Rules For Being Human
- You will receive a body.
- You will be presented with lessons.
- There are no mistakes, only lessons.
- Lessons are repeated until learned.
- Learning does not end.
- “There” is no better than “here.”
- Others are only mirrors of you.
- What you make of your life is up to you.
- All the answers lie inside of you.
- You will forget all of this at birth.
Arguably, five of the ten rules support a learning orientation to life. Rules 2, 3, 4 and 5 are evident. Rule 9. All the answers lie inside of you implies learning is sought, or endeavored, and the answers can be found from within. Carter-Scott’s rules also undoubtedly proclaim spirituality with Rule 1. You will receive a body and Rule 10. You will forget all of this at birth. Those rules articulate the spiritual tenet that a human being is a soul in a body and the concept of reincarnation.
Every person has their own spiritual curriculum. Lessons to be learned specific to their individual soul. The lessons can be as varied as there are people.
Lessons could pertain to learning and mastering a specific positive quality such as acceptance, patience, self-respect, enthusiasm, thoughtfulness, open mindedness, optimism or dependability. Or, lessons could be about overcoming challenges or negative emotions, such as fear, resentment, guilt, apathy, hate, distrust, absolution, intolerance or lack of integrity.
Lessons can be large-scale or more precise.
According to the book, Loyalty To Your Soul by Ron and Mary Hulnick,
Souls come to Earth to learn, and there appear to be many classrooms going on simultaneously. Some are learning how to fulfill basic survival needs; while others are learning about families, boundaries, responsibilities, communities, and much more. Some are learning about creative expression, and some about service and altruism. (2010, p. 45)
People can also learn collective lessons being learned by others, too, as part of humanity.
Author Brian Weiss, M.D., best known for his book, Many Lives, Many Masters, lists this quote on his website:
Life is a school. We are here to learn compassion, non-violence, faith and charity. We are here to unlearn negative emotions like fear, anger, jealously, and greed. (1997)
One universal lesson all individuals seem to be learning is love. There are many forms of love: love of family, love of friends, love of people in general, romantic love, love of Spirit/God, Self-love, love of nature, love of animals, love of interests or passions important to the individual. Learning to love and be loved may be the most powerful lesson of all. In Weiss’ book, Messages from the Masters:
Tapping into the Power of Love, he writes,
Love is an energy, the highest and most pure energy. At its highest vibrations love possesses both wisdom and awareness. It is the energy that unites all beings. (2000, p. 136)
In a grand sense, a soul and their spiritual guides can be considered responsible for the curriculum of that individual’s life.
In Carol Adrienne’s book, The Purpose of Your Life, she states,
Before you were born, you and your spiritual guides selected a life in which you would be able to work on tendencies that had previously challenged you in other lifetimes or that would further develop your consciousness. Your purpose each moment is to make choices that advance your evolution as a soul. (1998, p. 273)
There are also people encountered within a person’s life who can be considered teachers or spiritual allies. These teachers can take the form of people who affect the individual either positively or negatively. In other words, the teacher could be a loved one or close friend or possibly an antagonist or enemy. In some respects, the adversaries of a person’s life are their greatest spiritual allies because they trigger challenges, which necessitate learning, growth and resolution for the person. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the growth and learning.
Each of the key players in your life is part of a contract that you all agreed to work through in this lifetime… Our mates in our peer soul group come and go throughout life, stimulating us to learn about compassion, love, responsibility, integrity, reliability, courage, the fruits of failure, the struggles of advocacy, or the balance between humanitarian and individual goals. (1998, p. 273)
Spiritual Coaching Tools to Support Learning and Growth
Spiritual coaching is an ideal method to reinforce the concept of a learning orientation to life and support a person’s learning and growth. These spiritual coaching tools facilitate the evolution of a person and their consciousness:
reframing issues as blessings, conscious choices and gratitude.