By Denise Orpustan-Love, professor of Human Services, Purdue University Global
When asked to write an article on mentorship, I knew without a moment’s hesitation I would write in honor of my mentor, Angeles Arrien (1940-2014).
Arrien was a cultural anthropologist, educator, and award-winning author whose books have been translated into 13 languages. Her book The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer, and Visionary explores cross-cultural, archetypal, and perennial wisdom practices. Through extensive research, Arrien synthesized and integrated universal practices found in indigenous and wisdom traditions that focus on the development of each archetype as a path to character and wisdom. Through these practices, you can learn to walk “a spiritual path with practical feet.”
An immigrant from the Basque Country in northern Spain, Arrien taught indigenous and perennial wisdoms — the ancient and enduring lessons found in nature. She embodied this wisdom in her teaching, writing, and mentorship. The principles of The Four-Fold Way align with the timeless teachings that nature continually renews with each passing season. Perennial wisdoms are in part what nature teaches us — but they are equally what nature brings out in us: our best nature. The more we mirror her wisdoms, the wiser we become.
In my own relationship with Arrien, she would continually and subtly acknowledge my busyness. In time, I would find the courage to address this imbalance. All of nature, she would tell me, “moves in a rhythm of medium to slow.” Her message, to live with the natural cycles and rhythms of the earth, is more needed than ever before — to honor our ancestors and our home: the sacred mother earth.
I continue to learn from Arrien’s mentoring after her passing as much — if not more — than when she was alive. She planted seeds that grow with each passing season and each encounter with my own students at Purdue University Global.
Arrien mentored through presence, character, listening, and actions; aligning words with deeds. Through a process of educational empowerment, mentors recognize the unique imprint of each human, and they inspire students to identify and share their unique contributions to the community.
Naming your gifts and contributions is an important rite of passage. As I wrote in The Mill House Speaks,
Give your gifts to those in your village and receive the gifts they bring. This will bring you balance and harmony. Through sharing your creative expression in the community, new insights and illuminations of your life purpose and meaning will emerge. Leave your unique imprint on the cave wall.
It is by the way of the ancient pathway or life aspect of the village that we manifest our best nature. Through presence and modeling, mentors illuminate a path for our best nature to grow. Mentors are always paying attention to meaning. They are passionate about instilling hope, while balancing optimism with practicality and honesty; holding on to strength and positivity, while courageously sitting with pain and the uncertainty of silence.
In this tradition, mentoring connects the individual to the visible and invisible web of connections in the natural world. These include the perennial wisdoms tied to our ancestors, home, land, local community — and the global village. All pathways are folded into one interconnected whole. Mentors listen to the unseen but felt signals that call us further along toward our life purpose. In so doing, they continue to plant seeds so others may find their own voice and share their life’s message. They inspire us to speak our truth and shine our brilliance. Through mentorship, we manifest our best nature and in turn, light the path for others to find their own way. The circle continues.
To close, I’ll leave you with a passage from The Mill House Speaks,
[Follow the] mystical path in everyday life to experience the blessings of life-health, life purpose, and passing on your legacy, a legacy that manifests in each moment through alignment of mind, body, and spirit. Nature renews and regenerates as rich soils grow and new seeds are planted for future generations to follow their dream.
This is our best nature.
This article is an offering of the Purdue Alumni Association in partnership with Purdue Global for the Purdue Women’s Network.
Denise Orpustan-Love is a full-time adjunct faculty member and course lead in the Master of Science in Human Services program. She has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses in human services, sociology, and social work since 2007 and has more than 20 years’ experience as a social worker. Orpustan-Love — a Basque-American — is committed to environmental protection, preserving 300 acres of forestland in northern California and restoring an 18th century mill house with farmland in the Basque Country in France.