Lessons:???

How fast is to fast to complete lessons?

I think it depends really on the person, I myself have more spare time to complete these lessons (Insomnia) than what other people do. When I complete these I do not feel a sense that I myself am rushing. I feel that I am going at a pace that my mind feels comfortable at.

Although something has been bothering me...
I read somewhere on a journal comment ( I do not remember where though) or forum that someone said they could complete all the lessons in one week but it would be useless because they would not learn anything? Like they are rushing.. I think this is concerning because they are putting a time frame or expectation on finishing the initiate teachings. I could finish the teachings in a month or a few weeks, or a lesser timeframe but I want to see where the current takes me.

Is it truly a wasted thing if you finish these teachings a little faster than expected?
Maybe I need to sleep, (Hehe) Maybe I need to meditate.

On another note for some reason I am finding Lesson one the hardest out of all the lessons I could not finish it...(At least not yet) I find the others are more enjoyable to complete or that my mind takes to the challenges of the other lessons easier. This one is a challenge

As this is a forum, what lessons are you having the most difficulty with and at what rate do you find yourself completing the lessons?
(Also as I am really tired I apologize in advanced if this post doesn't make any sense or something. Or my grammar is horiible)

There are people who have not completed the IP that have been working it for years, and one person who did it in like 3 days...

You get out of things, what you put into them...

I also am a fan of revisting lessons...

You ever watch a movie, or read a book, and then complete the task again later in life?

As I am different now, than I was when I joined totjo, different from when I traveled for a living, and more different still than when I was a child...

Elizabeth and I were just discussing this, and I discuss it quite often... :lol:....

Hi Oola,

Like you I'm working through the IP currently and I've had some similar thoughts to those you've spoken about.

I thought about it for a few days before I started studying and I came to deciding that it boils down to balancing out following:

Am I enjoying my study?
Am I getting the most benefit out of my study?

If you can confidently and honestly say to yourself that you've struck that balance for you, then great!

For me, I have been doing one section per day that I have free. I'm working in the order the classes are presented and I am doing one Joseph Campbell video and following write up per day. That's just what is right for me though. I have a mentally taxing job and have to manage my study around that which includes getting enough sleep.

Also, I like to have time to digest what I've learnt, even if only unconsciously. I like to talk it over with Mrs Kanto, which often helps cement it in my mind.

So, yeah - do what works best for you and make sure you're having fun

Jestor wrote: There are people who have not completed the IP that have been working it for years, and one person who did it in like 3 days...

You get out of things, what you put into them...

I also am a fan of revisting lessons...

You ever watch a movie, or read a book, and then complete the task again later in life?

As I am different now, than I was when I joined totjo, different from when I traveled for a living, and more different still than when I was a child...

Elizabeth and I were just discussing this, and I discuss it quite often... :lol:....

Thank you for your reply Bishop Jestor, I was contemplating the exact same thing in terms of revisiting lessons. My plan was that I was going to finish all the lessons (However long that takes) take a small time away to meditate and reflect on these things and see if I can improve my answers or if I find out something I completely missed before in the questions.

I was worried about the disapproval that one would get for completing them too fast but that seems kind of silly and small minded now.

Kanto wrote: Hi Oola,

Like you I'm working through the IP currently and I've had some similar thoughts to those you've spoken about.

I thought about it for a few days before I started studying and I came to deciding that it boils down to balancing out following:

Am I enjoying my study?
Am I getting the most benefit out of my study?

If you can confidently and honestly say to yourself that you've struck that balance for you, then great!

For me, I have been doing one section per day that I have free. I'm working in the order the classes are presented and I am doing one Joseph Campbell video and following write up per day. That's just what is right for me though. I have a mentally taxing job and have to manage my study around that which includes getting enough sleep.

Also, I like to have time to digest what I've learnt, even if only unconsciously. I like to talk it over with Mrs Kanto, which often helps cement it in my mind.

So, yeah - do what works best for you and make sure you're having fun

Woah, you can do the Joseph Cambpell write up? I am struggling with it too much, I can't even finish the source materials. I have no idea why it is so difficult for me to complete.... Maybe I should write down why I am having difficulty and then figure out how to overcome that? (To be honest Lesson one is going to be tackled last.)

Yeah I have someone I can talk to as well, although he's a Revanite so we find ourselves at odds sometimes.
As for enjoying myself? I can honestly say that I am enjoying the lessons (except for you Lesson one) I find them to be stimulating in a good way and just the right amount of challenge!

Thank you Initiate Kanto for your response!

Oola wrote: Woah, you can do the Joseph Cambpell write up? I am struggling with it too much, I can't even finish the source materials. I have no idea why it is so difficult for me to complete.... Maybe I should write down why I am having difficulty and then figure out how to overcome that? (To be honest Lesson one is going to be tackled last.)

In fact, I'm about to do one now. I had a flick through all the lessons and I got the impression that Joseph Campbell's interviews were going to be a bit of a foundation for the lessons that follow after - certainly it seems the most time consuming with the six videos all at 55 minutes a piece! I find the way to get through them is to watch them and make notes, then when it's done I go get a cup of tea or some such, perhaps talk it over with Mrs Kanto, then I start writing. I always start off as I write feeling like I don't get it, sometimes I'm just expanding on my notes, but without fail I get to the end of my writing and realise I did get it, I just need to clarify it all in my mind. There's certainly some big topics and themes in the interviews, and some conceptually difficult ideas too - not to mention they can sometimes ramble off on a tangent before coming back to the nub of the discussion.

Anyway - I'm sure if you give it a go and take your time and make notes you'll find it gets to being clearer. Also, and probably much wiser than listening to me ramble on, is to ask in the forums. All the Knights have done this already, not to mention a whole host of other Novices. I'm sure they'll all be happy to give you their take on it!!

Best of luck for your studies Oola

Looks like its been covered, but I thought I would throw in there that I did the first lessons over the course of a few weeks and then stopped with McTaggert. I'm still here, still learning and still considered a member of the community(atleast, I'm pretty sure!). On Jestor's advice I'll be taking Zenchi's soon and diving back, but I was reminded not to force in a sort of way(no pun intended) so I'll be taking my time.

By the way, Welcome!

I must admit, I loved the Campbell lesson and have since bought several of his books, but there were other parts of the IP that I liked less and merely tolerated... I'd say the key thing is to not get too hung up on a single part of the programme if the rest speaks to you. Yes, you will need to complete that lesson if you plan to become an Initiate or higher, but you could do so either in one six-hour blast or over the course of a few weeks or months.

It would probably be just as useful or interesting for you to give a detailed response to why you didn't get a lot from the lesson, or found it particularly challenging... after all, your Initiate Journal is there to be read by prospective training masters. If you give a note-perfect response to Campbell after finding it a real chore, you might end up giving completely the wrong impression of your tastes and attitudes.

I know the guidance is to complete the lessons in the order listed, but if you make a note to explain why you'll be taking a detour I'm sure no-one's going to mind. Jediism as practised here at the Temple is not a one-size-fits-all religion... and that's also true of how long you "should" take to complete the programme. I thought I finished pretty quickly, and it took me a month... some people spend years on it, and others just a few days.

Perhaps you can see the logic in advising people to take their time and enjoy the lessons, even if not everyone will want to. They're not just about analysing the source material, they're there to make you consider the themes and ideas in relation to your wider perspective, your life and the path you're choosing by being here.

Welcome to the Temple, by the way! May the Force be with you on the road ahead.

I think that what one has to remember is that the point of the IP is to hopefully set the foundations for a lifelong faith. Such a thing cannot usually be achieved in a few short days...for most people dedicating oneself to a new path requires a great deal of thought and reflection.

I was a chronic rusher during my earlier days here - I completed the IP at a rate of roughly one exercise (i.e. chapter or essay) per day, and I really struggled to resist the temptation to do it faster. I'm just a naturally fast worker, and I was eager to learn. I was pretty pleased with myself when I finished it within a month, but now, looking back? Not so much. I honestly wish I had taken much more time to really reflect on the lessons in more depth. Would there have been anything to lose by doing so? Not really. Anything to gain? Definitely.

People say "I'm a fast reader" or "I write quickly" or "I've always been good with academic study" - but it's not about that stuff, right? Just because you can read something quickly doesn't mean that you've had time to think about it from every possible angle, to put it into practice in your daily life, to really start to understand how it affects your long-held view of the world...

We don't shout about it, but we do currently have a compulsory minimum timeframe in place. Not because we want to limit people or make them read slower - but because by the time they become an Apprentice, and later a Knight, we want to make sure that they really have had the time and space to understand what they are getting themselves into and what direction they want to go in with their Jedi path.

I think, basically, we don't mind people going quickly if it is clear that they have really put a lot of time and thought into it and that it isn't detrimental to their learning. But if people are rushing the work to gain rank, it doesn't go unnoticed. As Jestor said, everyone has their own natural pace and we all understand and respect that - it's just that, when working out what that natural pace is, it's important to remember that there's a lot more to the IP than just academic study.

Oola wrote: On another note for some reason I am finding Lesson one the hardest out of all the lessons I could not finish it...(At least not yet) I find the others are more enjoyable to complete or that my mind takes to the challenges of the other lessons easier. This one is a challenge

Hi, Oola. I had a relatively easy time with the Campbell videos... but only because I'd listened to them previously (about 10 years before viewing them for the IP). To be honest, I didn't understand most of what he was talking about the first time through. I was in a very different place then (mentally and spiritually), and I'm sure that was part of why I wasn't grasping the material... though I also think it's reasonable to assume that the time I spent away from the series enabled me to look at the subject matter from different angles and sort some things out in my head.

Maybe give it a few days and go back to it? It is a lot to take in. I don't know if this would be helpful for you, but I found it beneficial to take notes while watching. Even if you don't think what you're writing is making sense, this might help you solidify your thoughts or decipher some of the ideas being presented.

All the best to you.