A Certified Leader can begin training to Mentor others, and so becomes a Mentor-in -Training, eventually reaching acceptance as a Mentor.
Mentor-in-Training
If a Certified Dance Leader is deepening in their commitment to the Dances, wishes to serve the lineage, is inspired to share what they have been given, is drawn to teaching and guiding others, and is being approached by others to do so, the mentor and the leader may agree that the leader may begin to work as a Dance Mentor-In-Training.
The ongoing relationship between the mentor and the leader enters a new phase, one where emphasis is placed on the mentor guiding the new Mentor-in-Training toward becoming a Certified Mentor. The mentor and Mentor-in-Training will continue over time to assess whether mentoring is appropriate for the latter. If the Mentor-in-Training does not develop in this direction, the mentees who have been working with that Mentor-in-Training will be supported by their mentor and/or the Guidance Council, and will be encouraged to seek another mentor.
Training to become a mentor is a rather long and gradual process. It is over an extended period of time that the Mentor-in-Training develops in the experience and process of mentoring others. At some future point, when/if there is noticeable growth in the Mentor-in-training and in at least two of their mentees, the mentor will recommend that the Mentor-in-Training be appointed as a Certified Dance Mentor.
If a mentee of the Mentor-in-Training has developed to the level of being certified before the Mentor-in-Training has become a Mentor, then the mentor will recognize the mentee as a Certified Dance Leader on behalf of the Mentor-in-Training.
Mentor
Dance Mentors are recognized when they are in a committed mentoring relationship with two or more mentees to whom they have been able to transmit mastery in leading the Walks and Dances, and when they have begun to step into a recognizable path of service to the Dance and Walks transmission. This path of service might be by creating learning opportunities for Dance leaders (including but not limited to their own mentees), and by possibly serving DUP International, the Sufi Ruhaniat International, or their local Dance region. They continue to deepen in their own spiritual practice, the Elements of Mastery, and in their own leadership skills in the Dances and Walks.
Senior Mentor
Senior Dance Mentors will be recognized, to a great extent, on the basis of the quality of leadership of their own mentees. They will have certified a number of mentees, some of whom may have gone on to become Mentors themselves. It is recognized by their peers that Senior Mentors are holding an ever-widening piece of the transmission for the Dances and Walks. They will have worked extensively and intensively with and for the Dances and Walks for many years and taken responsibility for protecting and nurturing the lineage of the Dances and Walks for the benefit of others and future generations.
Guidance Council
The Guidance Council holds in trust the transmission of the Dances of Universal Peace and Walking Meditations in the lineage of Murshid Samuel L. Lewis. Four to six Senior Mentors, appointed by the Pir of the Sufi Ruhaniat International on a rotating basis, have the responsibility of guiding leaders and mentors by encouraging their spiritual expansion and personal development, supporting learning opportunities, setting guidelines for certification and for mentor acknowledgements, recognizing mentors, and upholding standards of conduct and human relationship that are in keeping with the transmission of the Dances of Universal Peace.
