PASSION – passion is what I pass on to others.  Every one on the Camino had a story to tell, and in every story, there is a lesson to be learned.  We are all teachers and students of life, and it is a lifelong journey.  Stay in Sprit and pass that on.

The origin of the word PASSION:  (Etymonline)

The origin of the word passion and its subsequent meanings is a complicated one.  Like the evolution of the meaning, the application in real life is just as complicated and something that we humans seek our entire lives as we pursue education, employment, meaning and purpose in life.  The word passion originally comes from the Latin word patior, which means “to suffer”.  The idea was that there was some force outside of you that would cause you to do something, in some way to suffer.  It was used to describe an intense desire that originated in a wide range of emotions such as joy, grief, hope, fear, love and hatred.  It definitely had a more religious context and use.  Today, passion is used in so many somewhat controversial ways.  It still is used to describe an intense desire and love for something or someone, but perhaps it focuses more on a force coming from within you rather than externally.  To feel passionately about something today evokes either a strong love or a strong hatred.  As Marianne Williamson says, “there is only love, and we are either moving toward it or away from it”.  That is the place where I will start with my interpretation of the word passion.  The closer you move to love, the more passion you will feel about everything and everyone.  There is only love, and that should be the passion of all humans.  When there is only love, then, there is no suffering. 

Rearranging the letters of passion= I pass on.   I pass on love = passion.  From there, we are making the world a better place.  When we share our gifts of passion, our pure, true love from the heart, we are contributing to the Greater Good of humanity.  So many teachers are leaving the profession today because they have lost their passion for teaching.  They are being forced to teach to a test and a test score.  They feel they are no longer able to teach what they love and that the love of children and what is in each one’s best interest and needs is being placed secondary to data and rankings.  Hearts are being broken, and I pass on a love of learning has been reduced to just “I pass”.  Feelings of rejection, betrayal, abandonment and fear are replacing love in the classroom.  Love of learning, love of teaching, love of children, love of teachers is hiding under the desks as if a tornado were coming or a shooter were in the building.  There is so much fear and anxiety permeating the walls of the classroom instead of love and joy. THIS.MUST.CHANGE.  We must find a way to return to love.  There is a path through Spirit, and we must each do our part as a village to raise this child as a healthy, happy, worthy, whole human who is a blessing and gift to this world.     

Essential questions for PASSION:

(applicable to self, students, parents, colleagues and all humans on journey of lifelong learning)

Love excites all the senses so that we can be more sensitive to ourselves and others.So, What does love look like?

What does love sound like?

What does love feel like?

What does love smell like?

What does love taste like?

How does love act and be in my world and the world beyond me?

How do I show love, and how does it show up for me?

When I am not feeling love(d), what do I do?  Why?

What do I really want to pass on to others?  What do I want to be remembered for?

What difference do I want to make in the world? 

Affirmations, cheers, “Can Do” Statements

for the “Common Core” Belief of PASSION:

I am pure and innocent love.

I always choose love, no matter what other options may be present.

I pass on love in all that I do and say.

My actions and words only come from a place of love.

I light the way for myself and others with words and actions of love.

I am sensitive to love.

The light of my love shines brightly on others and illuminates their love.

I use love to end all suffering, internally and externally.

I heal myself and the world around me with love.

I find a way to share love and model it for children every day.

I make a difference every day and in every way through my choices of love.

Loves makes the world a better place and a happier, more peaceful space.

Love ends suffering.

Love is always the answer.

If we come from a place of passion and pass on love, we find our path and purpose in our life’s journey.