The student believes that the self is learning once the lesson plan is recognized; in reality, emotion is what is recognized – the response of the self, that which has been automatic for many, many years – potentially many, many lifetimes – those responses that are supplied by the field belonging to the lesson plans of the self. Recognizing that the self need be patient, need expand the view beyond the self, to welcome others that the self finds annoying, irritating, frustrating – those that the self judges frequently – to welcome them to spend more time in the self’s presence; for it is in this way that the self sees the self – all those things that irritate, frustrate, anger and potentially cause sorrow within the self are things that reside within the self awaiting recognition, awaiting resolution. The typical student isolates the self, particularly from those situations where irritation, frustration, anger or sorrow could be experienced and begins to tune out those individuals that annoy, irritate, frustrate or anger the self; it excludes the self from all situations that may challenge the self. The self stops drinking and smoking and the self stops placing the self in situations with others who drink, with others who smoke. It is telling the self, “I need more time. I cannot challenge myself at this time…I am not strong enough,” only to find that many months may pass, oftentimes, years and once the self begins to expose the self to these situations, the self finds that the self is still too weak to be challenged. It is to challenge the self early on; to provide the self with as much challenge as possible while the self’s resolve is strong, while the desire within is unimpeachable, while the self easily and readily casts aside all that which says that the self may not make it, that the self may fail. Recognizing the task – to learn – is multi-phased; it is awareness, identification, followed by recognition, followed by choice – to retain or to change. The choice of the self informs the Teacher of that which need be learned in future; all choice made by the self is honored by the Teacher. The Teacher is, in fact, delighted that the student is now choosing.

There could be many, many, many experiences and then no experience and then many more experiences before the puzzle is complete, before the self recognizes all components, all pieces of the puzzle that worked to bring forth that which was needed to teach the self.

It is to recognize that to embrace another means that the self understands the lesson plan – the self understands that all negativity experienced by the self is due to failed lesson for the self or another for whom the self is embracing the lesson - taking the lesson upon the self, rather than recognizing that it belongs to another. Rather, the individual is focused upon the damage done to the self, blaming the other for damaging the self, rather than recognizing that the other has failed no one other than the self. Service has been provided to the self so that the self may see how another responds to lesson failure, to then examine the self to observe the self’s own failures, to determine if correction need be made. The failure of the self to cast off those energies given to the self, placed upon the self by another who was failing, is lesson indeed. To cast off those energies that are offered to the self by another who is failing to learn is simple – it is to look at the lesson to determine what the other has failed to see and it is to bring to the other’s attention that which is well seen by the self. It is holding the energies in limbo, so to say, until the other can retrieve them.

It is the mind that aids the student to put away those things that cannot be understood; recognition that the self cannot understand all experience as it is being experienced is critical to the student who walks the path to healing.