Where to Begin with the Pathwork?

It is important to recognize the interdependence of emotional and psychological work with the process of spiritual growth, but to know they are not one and the same. The Pathwork lectures offer some very astute understandings of how we can heal emotionally. The Pathwork methodology asserts that psychological healing is essential for developing the capacity to grow and transform spiritually. Much of psychological work is the process of emotional maturation, or to put it in another framework, the development of a healthy ego.

In many schools of psychology this is the end point of the work and the client finds completion. But in the spiritual process, here, in a certain sense, is just when the work begins. The Pathwork teaches that to develop spiritually we first have to develop a healthily functioning ego; only then is that ego able to let go of itself so that our identity rests more and more in our universal self. In this way psychological healing is part of The Pathwork. But in a sense, it is just the preparatory stage. In the next stage we use the healthy ego both to function effectively in the day-to-day world, and to make choices that enable us to release the ego-self and merge with the great oneness. And of course we need to keep working with the ego level issues concurrently with the deeper and deeper levels of spiritual unfolding.

Authority must always be addressed when one considers joining a structured organization or embracing a methodology. Pathwork is a spiritual organization which represents certain principles, practices and traditions. This is a community attempting to live the teachings. And we are human so it’s an imperfect endeavor! In this, Pathwork is similar to other spiritual communities and modalities. Our collective human history with organized religious communities has left most of us with baggage about the role of authority; how to be part of and belong to a community; how, at the same time, to maintain one’s sense of integrity and organic unfolding in one’s own essence and particular self.

In The Pathwork we are given some very precise and wise guidance about this. The lectures contain teachings about spiritual law – laws that are not particularly different from what we might call “universal principles for life”. At the same time there is one’s personal law or perhaps another name for this would be one’s own and unique spiritual task. Each individual is deeply encouraged and supported to understand the calling of this task or unique personal law. Participants are helped to understand their issues with outer authority and to strengthen their capacity to take responsibility for and live from their own inner authority. As you might imagine, this can lead to some interesting and challenging dynamics and interactions. As we progress in the work, these issues organically arise, calling one to confront one’s tendencies to submit or rebel. Neither option is a true expression of inner authority. Here is where the need to have that healthy ego as well as the capacity to let the ego go, is crucial. But of course the addressing of issues of authority is essential to the fostering of a healthy community and the growth and transformation of its individual members.

Although The Pathwork process contains some very useful tools for emotional healing, this is not the primary purpose of the work or community. Rather, the main purpose is the deeper work of discovering oneself as a spiritual being and evolving towards living a spirit-led life.

Additionally, the deeper work requires considerable self-responsibility. There are leaders and teachers who can help and guide you. The lectures provide a grounded framework. But finding your own way is required. This is a contemporary spiritual community offering an approach that potentially can be a lifelong process in the search for unity with all. We are a living experiment in the spiritual paradox that “There are elements of the work we alone must do, and yet we cannot do it alone”.

You are welcome to put a toe in and find out further what The Pathwork is all about. However it will be up to you to answer the question, “Is The Pathwork right for me?”

The administration, program design and community planning of The Pathwork are provided for the most part by volunteer work. Teachers and helpers charge for their teaching and spiritual counseling work. Each of them has committed a minimum of 10 years to train and develop themselves for the task of being a Pathwork teacher and helper. They are financially compensated for their time and skills, but also contribute in volunteer work to support and sustain the community and programs.

Most communities have a bursary program for those with financial need and at the same time we encourage participants to make the investment of both time and financial resources a priority for their own development.

It is a spiritual principle that the more we are willing to put in, the more we will receive back. Hence our desire to grow and change asks us to engage by way of concrete actions, investment of time, effort and – because we live in a material world – money. So often it happens that when one can commit to do the work and invest in the process, the “universe”, in its myriad ways, comes forward with support. This is a fundamental lesson we can learn only by taking a leap of faith!