Mentorship​ in Pkinism is an incredibly important job; as a Mentor, you (whether you are the Practitioner's parent/legal guardian or not) are regarded as a guiding light to whichever Practitioner in your life selects you as trustworthy enough to guide them on their journey. This can be a daunting task, but it is also a very honorable position to take, if you so choose it.
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Job Description
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To get into the specifics so that you understand what the job entails, Pkin Mentorship consists of the following:
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Making a commitment to be a guiding force in a Practitioner's Cycle for a certain number of years (see below for some Mentorship duration options)
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​Making sure to never manipulate or abuse the Practitioner into doing what the Mentor thinks is best - whether it takes place before the Cycle begins (when the Practitioner is deciding whether or not to partake in the journey), or during the Cycle itself (when they might be picking and choosing which parts of the journey to partake in)
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Bestowing one Physical Pkin Archetype to the Practitioner on each of their birthdays from ages 12-23
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The Practitioner may also have a say in what the Physical Archetypes look like​, if they wish (See Physical Attribute Guide for possible options)
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Prioritizing the protection of each of your Practitioner's Physical Archetypes from damage and destruction
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Providing insight to the Practitioner about their journey, which includes how the Archetypes' stories relate to the Practitioner's life, helping the Practitioner understand the personalities of their Archetypes/the relationships between them, the Mentor telling stories from their own life that relates to the Practitioner, etc.
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Encouraging the Practitioner to document their journey in any way they feel comfortable in order to gain insight on their own
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Explaining Pkin concepts to the Practitioner - like Sacred Choice, Pkin Nomenclature, Areas of Growth, the Bracket Duration Formula, etc. and helping the Practitioner to implement them into their practice
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Helping the Practitioner figure out what each of their Archetypes' personality traits might be (and being open to that changing or staying the same over time)
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Helping the Practitioner draw/interpret various Pkin Diagrams, including the Spiral Calendar, the Beoiwt Tere, the Quartet Muscle, Triangle Code Symbols, the Derivative Wisdom Motherboard, etc., plus any Diagrams they may come up with on their own
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Observing Pkin Holidays and Rites of Passage with the Practitioner
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Attending annual or biannual check-in consultations to make sure everything is running smoothly
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This doesn't include additional drop-in or scheduled consultations​; those are optional
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Mentorship Durations
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Mentors and Practitioners can choose between a few different options for how long they would like to maintain this kind of relationship. This approach both allows Practitioners to get multiple perspectives throughout their Cycle, and puts less of a strain on the Mentor position.
Take a look at the options below and discuss them with your Practitioner to see what would work for the both of you. After that (or even if you're still having trouble figuring out what you want), set up a meeting with a consultant and discuss it with them:
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Duodecimal Cycle (1 year) - Can start at the beginning of any year in a Practitioner's Cycle and last until the following year
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Bienniel Cycle (2 years) - Can start at any age from 12 to 22 and end two years later
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Quarter Cycle (3 years) - Can start at any age from 12 to 21 and end three years later
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Tierce Cycle (4 years) - Can start at any age from 12 to 20 and end four years later
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Half Cycle (6 years) - Can start at any age from 12 to 18 and end six years later
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Full Cycle (12 years) - Starts when the Practitioner turns 12 and ends when they turn 24, spanning the whole Cycle
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If you chose one of the first four options and get to the end of that term, only to find that both of you would like (and are able) to continue your Practitioner-Mentor relationship, feel free to meet with a consultant to choose one of those options again and continue being their Mentor.
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The Mentor's Oath
To be sure that Mentors are taking their jobs seriously, an oath is taken to initiate them. This is called The Mentor's Oath, and it is taken by the Mentor placing their left hand on the Pkin Venn Symbol and raising their right hand before reciting the following words in the presence of the Consultant and the Practitioner:
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"I, [state your full name], a Pkin Mentor, confirm that I am twenty-four years of age or older - and hereby recognize the responsibility I have for guiding the Practitioner, [state Practitioner's name], through their Pkin Journey, which I am fully committed to fulfilling. And I solemnly swear to abide by all Sacred Tenets of Pkinism by never using my position of power to abuse or manipulate in any way, shape or form, including honoring the Practitioner's autonomy to make choices about their own practice - but rather to provide guidance and insight. I fully recognize and accept that my position may be terminated and replaced should I violate any of these rules."
After reciting the oath, the Mentor then signs their name at the bottom of the Mentor Initiation Contract, followed by the Consultant and Practitioner doing the same. Following this, the signed contract is filed in the official records, with the Practitioner and their newly-appointed Mentor having the option to each keep a copy for themselves.
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Community
After being initiated as a Mentor, feel free to make a request to join our Mentor Community! In this community, you will be able to connect exclusively with other Pkin Mentors, exchange tips to improve your Mentorship, exchange ideas on Physical Archetype gifts, greet each other on holidays like Mentor Appreciation Day, and much more!
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Premature Endings & Replacement Process
There are a number of different reasons why a Mentor's term may end prematurely. In some cases, the Mentor or the Practitioner may be feeling like their life is going in a different direction/the relationship isn't serving them and they want to end the relationship. Other times, the Mentor's life may have ended unexpectedly. And, in the worst cases, they may have been exhibiting abusive behavior towards the Practitioner they were Mentoring for.
In any relevant case, it's important to know how to go about replacing your Mentor (if you want to do so).
First, to Practitioners: before your first Mentor is ever initiated, make a list of backup Mentors. This is important not only for premature term ends, but properly completed ones as well, because it provides you with a convenient list of people to choose from so that any transitions between Mentors can go more smoothly. And this is especially important if you and your Mentor chose the Full Cycle duration - because, as previously stated, a lot of unexpected things can happen between the start and end of a term.
In the first case of prematurely-ended terms, which is the best possible outcome, the Mentor and/or Practitioner may feel that their life is heading in a different direction and cannot continue the relationship, or the dynamic just isn't serving them for one reason or another. In this case, it may or may not be very painful to let the other person go, and either party should let the other know that this is what they want or feel is best and have an open discussion about it. After this, if they need to, they can take some time to grieve.
In the case of an unexpected death - again, the Practitioner can take all the time they need to grieve the loss of their previous Mentor. And if they want to replace their Mentor, they should consult their list and take extra care in their selection, because their new Mentor will need to be one who is understanding and respectful of what the Practitioner is going through and their process of healing.
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In the worst case scenario, where a Mentor violates any of the stated Pkin Tenets or rules - especially by a marked lack of prioritization of Sacred Choice - their position can be reported to a consultant and thus terminated and replaced by a new Mentor of the Practitioner's choosing.
Any new Mentor (if they accept the position) is to review the Sacred Tenets, as well as the Mentor requirements listed above, and take The Mentor's Oath just like their predecessor did. The new Mentor can then either serve the remainder of their predecessor's Mentorship term, serve their term to the nearest year (the Practitioner's next birthday), or until they or the Practitioner wants to end things; and if it works for both parties, they may also add their own term.
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Mentorless Practitoners
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Some Practitioners may feel that having or replacing a Mentor isn't a necessary component for them to go through their Pkin Cycle. Sometimes, just having someone to provide their Physical Archetypes for them is enough - and other times, even that isn't necessary. Some may feel they can be mentored by many different people in their life without an official person to hold the position, and others may feel such a degree of independence that they are able to do their own research and Mentor themselves. Some may be between Mentors and either need time to grieve the loss of an old one or feel they can manage for the time being.
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If any of these scenarios fit how you feel, you are completely valid and you don't need to have an Official Mentor if you don't want to. Further than that - not only are you valid in your choice, but you actually have something in common with Pkinism's Founder (Ren Moulaison), who never had an Official Mentor! Granted, she did have her mother to lean on during her Cycle, but she was never given the position officially because 1) the concept of a Pkin Mentor hadn't been created yet (because Ren was the only Practitioner at the time), and 2) she was more of a Life Mentor for her anyway and just sort of fell into the role.
Furthermore, the relationships between some of your Archetypes might even serve as Mentor figures to you, as they help each other along their journeys - therefore, helping you along yours.
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So, if you don't feel like you need a separate person to be your Official Mentor, just take comfort in the fact that even the Founder didn't have one - and that you are already your own.