This interview is with a ten year old boy, Okrim, who is in his first year of Gymnasium, the school in Germany into which outstanding young students are placed. There is some question as to whether Okrim will be able to continue, because illness has caused him to miss a lot of school and because of some poor results on some tests, but he has only had one bad mark in religion and one in English. He gets headaches and fevers that have kept him out of school. In addition, he misses spending time with his mother, who has been finishing her education and now has long, tiring days as a special education teacher.
There are many things that could be done with such a set of presenting problems. Where to start? With Integral Deep Listening, we start by identifying the strongest issue for our new friend, Okrim, and then listen to his own inner wisdom, in the belief that his own inner compass will show us the way forward…
What are three fundamental life issues that you are dealing with now in your life?
1 sickness
2 Missing my mom
3 Fear I won’t do well in school
Which issue brings up the strongest feelings for you?
My mom not being around a lot…It makes me rather sad…
If those feelings had a color (or colors), what would it be?
Grey
Imagine that color filling the space in front of you so that it has depth, height, width, and aliveness.
Now watch that color swirl, congeal, and condense into a shape. Don’t make it take a shape, just watch it and say the first thing that you see or that comes to your mind: An animal? Object? Plant? What?
An Eagle!
Now remember how as a child you liked to pretend you were a teacher or a doctor? It’s easy and fun for you to imagine that you are the shape that took form from your color and answer some questions I ask, saying the first thing that comes to your mind. If you wait too long to answer, that’s not the character answering – that’s YOU trying to figure out the right thing to say!
Eagle, would you please tell me about yourself and what you are doing?
I am in India! I’m looking down into a canyon. I might be sitting high up in the mountains where there is snow…
What do you like most about yourself? What are your strengths?
I can fly fast! I have an Eagle’s eye! I can see very well! I see a master and his pupil down below! They are rescuing someone! A girl is unconscious and she is being rescued from a canyon. There’s a boy who also has special abilities just like that girl. That boy’s totem animal is a jaguar and this boy can turn into a jaguar any time he wants. The jaguar boy thinks that they want to hurt this girl but realizes that they won’t….
What do you dislike most about yourself? Do you have weaknesses? What are they?
I don’t like my greyness!
Eagle, you are in Okrim’s life experience, correct? He created you, right? What aspect of Okrim do you represent or most closely personify?
Everything! I’m actually a lot like Okrim!
Eagle, if you could be anywhere you wanted to be and take any form you desired, would you change? If so, how?
I would be another color! White! I am a male eagle and I’m about two meters long and my wings are three meters each!
Wow! You’re as large as a Pterodactyl! You’re the largest bird I’ve ever met!
Eagle, do you have a name?
Aquiliam!
(Continue, answering as the transformed object, if it chose to change.)
Aquiliam, how would you score yourself 0-10, in each of the following six qualities: confidence, compassion, wisdom, acceptance, inner peace, and witnessing? Why?
Confidence: 10
Compassion: 10 I help people! I help myself, too!
Wisdom: 10 I am very wise and sometimes I share my wisdom with Okrim
Acceptance: 10 I can accept Okrim with a 6 in religion!
Inner Peace: 10
Witnessing: 10 It’s a matter of wisdom, how much witnessing you can do…
How would Okrim’s life be different if he naturally scored like you do in all six of these qualities all the time?
No, I like his life pretty much the way it is.
If you could live Okrim’s life for him, how would you live it differently?
I would bring more inner peace into his life by meditating. I sit on a very high rock. I close my eyes and go inside and meditate. Silence. Sometimes.
If you could live Okrim’s waking life for him today, would you handle Okrim’s three life issues differently? If so, how?
1 sickness I don’t get sick!
2 missing mom I would tell her to spend more time with me.
3 fear won’t do well in school
What life issues would you focus on if you were in charge of Okrim’s life?
Meditation! Before sleep. Because I also meditate before I go to sleep….I feel better when I do it. He would have far more peace if he followed my instructions. He would get along better. He wouldn’t take it personally if his mother is tired and doesn’t have time for him.
How would you handle his sickness, Aguilam?
I don’t get sick.
What’s your secret?
I don’t have stress! I always catch rabbits and relax!
If you had to go to Okrim’s school and answer silly questions on religious tests, what would you do? .
I would laugh!
Would your recommend that Okrim and his mom meditate together?
Yes!
How come?
Because mother will also calm down and be more peaceful. Because she also has a lot of stress!
Why do you say that?
She always talks about how much stress she has…
There is a meditation seminar that I teach that will occur on Saturday, February 12th. Aquilam, do you think it would be helpful for Okrim and his mother to attend?
Yes!
How would you handle school stress without getting sick, Eagle?
I wouldn’t get bad marks! I know everything!
Humans have to study and learn. What would you do if you were Okrim?
I would practice or ask me! During meditation….
Aquilam, pardon me, but since you are an imaginary eagle that Okrim created in his mind, we have to put you to the test. We have to see what happens when Okrim follows your advice in order to see whether he should trust and respect you or not. So, for instance, he needs to meditate before going to sleep every night between now and his next appointment so we can see if your recommendation makes any difference or not. Next visit we will also ask you, “Has Okrim meditated with his mother? Did he ask you for help with his studies?”
That’s good!
In what life situations would it be most beneficial for Okrim to imagine that he is you and act as you would?
When he’s meditating before bed or with his mother. If he’s under stress.
Character, do you do drama? If not, why not?
No!
What is your secret for staying out of drama?
I fly above it! I catch rabbits!
Okrim, what have you heard yourself say?
Aquilam told me to meditate before sleep, to meditate with my mom, and maybe ask her, without putting pressure on her, if she does have more time. Aquilam hears every time. I can hear him speak to me when I meditate!
Others: I’m really impressed with this eagle! I don’t really know what to imagine when I hear meditation….
Maybe you can ask Aquilam about the type of meditation he does…
Absolutely amazing self-confidence!
Perhaps Aquilam is white because white is the color of peace….
Aquilam is wise and doesn’t get into drama because of it. He has great compassion. Okrim can ask it for advice!
