Wild Genius
An alchemical procedure of initiatory transformation.
COMMITMENT
Apprenticeship | Considerations
“Don’t tell me women
are not the stuff of heroes
I alone
rode over the East Sea’s winds
for ten thousand leagues.”
Qiu Jin
"Capping Rhymes with Sir Ishii From Sun's Root Land"
Professionally delivered and professional expectations
Consider seriously the amount of time and energy you will invest in this process. To make it worthwhile, your course work and the many practical exercises must be done faithfully. You must battle the confusion it always causes to deal with real people in the real world. Remember that you are on a learning curve, and play the "long game." Resilience and persistence will be good personal resources. The work is done so you can offer it to community; the bumps on the road are part and parcel of the process.
Having said that, events in life do come up, and every effort can be made for accommodations to genuine extenuating circumstances. In no way is the process certified by any official agency, it is authorized by self authorization and the intrinsic value of the work. I fully expect that your knowledge will speak for itself in offering your work to your community, and it is my intention to offer a strong endorsement, which I will do in a measured fashion, reflecting your own talents.
I expect meeting times to be kept well, whether with myself or other members of the cohort, or with mentors I recommend for you. I expect honesty about your challenges, and then I will be able to extend generosity for accommodation needs. Financial obligations should be kept on schedule.
This is a non-prejudiced environment and more is expected than simple tolerance for diversity. There will not only be an absence of discrimination on the basis or age, skin colour, cultural background, gender, sexual orientation but also an active pursuit of uncovering privilege, hidden and overt, in service of the task of leadership in this context, which, in part, is to recognize wisdom and leadership, even under circumstances when it has been marginalized to the edge.
See also the Code of Ethics statement (which applies to Apprentices,) a living document that may develop and refine through time at:
Résumé | Team | Ethics
REQUIREMENT
Apprenticeship | Considerations
"I sat on the throne drinking
nectar with allah
I got hot and sent an ice age to europe
to control my thirst
My oldest daughter is nefertiti
The tears from my birth pains
created the nile
I am a beautiful woman"
Nicki Giovanni
"Ego Tripping"
Time, Tech, Health, Language, Money
TIME
An ongoing process will be our online group meetings. The details of timing can be accessed through the main page on this website: Journeys|Alchemists
Because the apprenticeship will include attendance and planning for the in person program events, there will be a high variability in the workload week to week.
TECH
A good internet connection, and a computer modern enough will be a great asset, as the group meetings will be on Zoom. Your cell phone should be modern enough to add Apps—we will use Signal for one-on-one calls and group calls. We now have an independent-of-facebook private social networking site for our group online work which you will need to get in the habit of checking regularly and contributing to.
HEALTH
You need to be of basically sound mental, physical and emotional health to withstand the rigours of this program. Having said that, accommodations may be possible, depending upon individual circumstances. Apprentices are expected to be forthcoming about any challenges they face, and pro active in communication.
LANGUAGE
The language of instruction is English, and the reading will be at a university level.
MONEY
Regular Monthly Tuition is to be paid before the fifth of the month for the upcoming month or may be prepaid for several months.
PROCESS
Apprenticeship | Considerations
"Who would linger over
small ponds and reservoirs?
I care neither for
Ganges nor Jamna—
I am making my way to the sea."
Mirabai
A step by step process, not a rush process
I want you to be fully committed if you are joining this intrepid group.
The application process itself is meant to give you value by making you reflect on some aspects of life from an interesting angle.
Put some effort in to do a stellar job on your application presentation. Show me some of your grit, show off some grace, reveal some of your hard-won guile and native quirky genius. Get help if you need it from someone who is knowledgeable about document presentation. You can be creative alongside being clear.
My partner Rowen is the Co-Facilitator for the program. She is a trusted advisor, a perceptive observer, a fierce protector, a sensitive intuition, a loving presence. We work many hours in the background to keep the integrity of the apprenticeship container. Before we receive an application, we expect to have had a call to meet you.
There are spaces available now to begin January 2023.
We look forward to making your acquaintance, and to serving as teachers, mentors, and colleagues in this audacious adventure.
Sincerely
Randy and Rowena
Wild Genius
November 2022
POLICIES
Apprenticeship | Considerations
Then animals long believed gone
crept down
From trees.
We took new stock of one another.
We wept to be reminded of such color.
Tracy K Smith
"An Old Story"
Guidelines for the operation of the program
COMMUNITY BEHAVIOUR
Advance notice is required wherever reasonably possible for missing class. This should be done ideally at least 24 hours before class on the private online Studio.
Members of the cohort are expected to comport themselves with respectful behaviour and remain worthy of the appellation "in good standing." See the code of ethics at:
FINANCES
Participants are expected to plan for and meet the financial obligations with due diligence including sending tuition by the fifth of the month for the following month.
DISPUTES
Disputes will be handled initially through discussion (see the code of ethics above) and then by consultation with the ad hoc board of advisors, and finally by mediation with a mutually approved moderator.