Coyote

[JanCarolSeidr]

If you cannot learn a thing the direct and easy way, then you may be asking Coyote to teach you.

Coyote is a backwards teacher. He teaches by doing everything wrong until you understand what is right. He shows you the wrong paths so that you can learn the hard way – what is the right path.

Coyote teases and cajoles – if you take it personally and cry, you are not learning the lesson. If, instead, you can laugh at yourself, then you are accepting coyote teaching.

I had a mate growing up who was an excellent Coyote teacher. He would get in your face and mock you mercilessly. Really, he was telling you truths about yourself, in a brutal mirror. Now we would call it, “pushing your buttons.” He took great pleasure in pushing those buttons, but he wasn’t malicious about it. I learned a lot from this coyote friend, but I also admit to spending some time in tears as I tried to understand the harsh lessons about myself.

As you find yourself knocked on your arse again, look up and see if Coyote is laughing at you. Are you choosing to learn the hard way, the backwards way? Or is there an easier, more direct way to learn?

In the Norse tradition, this corresponds with Loki (please don’t get confused by the Marvel Adventures of Thor…). In Lakota, this teacher is called Heyoka.

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