About Mentorship

Being a guide for others

After taking class with Prosperos instructors, using the techniques in their own lives, and participating in audio group study, some students desire to take the next step on the path of unfolding the experience of Ontological instruction in their world : being a guide to others.

High Watch

The first step in this process is the High Watch degree (H.W.), which acknowledges that the student understands the fundamental techniques taught by The Prosperos®, Translation® and Releasing the Hidden Splendour™, well enough to explain them to another person. This degree is often compared to a Bachelor of Arts in Ontological Studies, and a perusal of the High Watch Reading List, a curated reading list for students seeking the H.W. and advanced certification, demonstrates that this is not a frivolous statement.

Members of the High Watch support other students by :

  • committing themselves to "keep the High Watch" - i.e., to look beyond materialistic circumstances in their personal lives and in the political life of their communities to reveal the eternal and boundless reality always present in the midst of "things"

  • participating in the High Watch Translation Service, using Ontological principles to see through the appearance of problems that others have brought to their attention

  • presenting workshops to help students better understand and use Translation and Releasing the Hidden Splendour

  • serving as observers for audio study groups

  • undertaking tasks to support the ongoing operations of the School that permit the instruction to be presented around the world.

Intern

When a student decides that she would like to begin presenting class material and working more actively with other students, the next step is to apply to the Executive Council to begin the process of becoming a Mentor by beginning an internship (H.W., m.). The internship is performed under the guidance of the Dean and the supervision of a Mentor who is appointed to work with the intern. Award of the H.W., m. certification is approved only when the student has demonstrated increasing levels of responsibility within her community; it is considered comparable to a Master of Arts in Ontological Studies.

Interns hone their skills by :

  • providing leadership for students in their communities, developing involvement of fellow students, and organizing group activities

  • making themselves available to counsel students with particularly troublesome issues that can be approached using Translation® and Releasing the Hidden Splendour™, under the guidance of the consulting Mentor

  • working with the Dean and their consulting Mentor to acquire robust counseling skills appropriate to the environment of Ontological studies

  • learning platform skills essential to presenting the instruction in an interesting and compelling way, in accordance with the curriculum established by the Executive Council

Mentor

When the Dean and the consulting Mentor agree that the intern has mastered the skills required by his internship program the degree of Mentor (H.W., M.) is conferred. Mentors, legally speaking, are ordained ministers with all the rights and privileges of clergy.

Mentors develop and promulgate the instruction by :

  • providing counseling services

  • providing guidance to students in their community, including those who wish to become H.W. or H.W., m.

  • regularly offering class material and encouraging the formation and continuation of audio study groups

  • hosting social events

  • working with the Dean to develop new materials appropriate to the community in which they live

This overview is intended to explore, very briefly, the categories of Mentorship developed over the years. The Mentors Association has developed a Mentor's Handbook which gives much greater detail regarding the expectations for interns and Mentors.

For more information, contact the Mentor’s Association President, Calvin Harris, H.W., M.