Welcome to Mentor Link, an interactive, cocreative question-and-answer forum. I began writing for the Sedona Journal of Emergence! in 1994, more than twenty years ago. Over the years and for a variety of reasons, I have taken periodic breaks from writing, but sooner or later I feel the familiar tug from within, and opportunity usually follows.

Lately I have been working with people who have benefited from a little mentorship in one or more areas of life. Mentorship is different from spiritual guidance in that the goal is not to impart knowledge or understanding as much as it is to bring about an understanding of one’s own pre-existing nature. Recently, it occurred to me that others might benefit from these exchanges, and with permission to share them publicly, this column was born.

My favorite term for a mentor is “sensei,” a Japanese word that means “one who has gone before.” A mentor, or sensei, is a compassionate taskmaster who offers mentees (students) physical agility, mental acuity, and spiritual harmony — how to think on their feet, as it were.