The Undefended Self: Living the Pathwork

"In the unified plane of consciousness, there are no opposites. There is only good, only right, only life. Yet it is not the kind of good, or the kind of right, or the kind of life that comprises but one half of the opposites on the dualistic plane. The unified “good” transcends the opposites, and is of a completely different nature. The good

The emptiness and even temporary depression we feel on releasing an image is the “abyss” that comes from surrendering a false belief that had seemed to make our lives understandable. An image creates a false unity of belief and experience which gives us a kind of security because it seems to make our lives coherent and our experiences familiar. But

6. Take responsibility for the image and the vicious circle it has created. At any stage of the work on our images, their hold on the unconscious can immediately be lessened by our willingness to take responsibility for our lives. Even if we do not know exactly what in us causes the disharmony or unhappiness, assuming self-responsibility loosens parts

Human consciousness is neither simple nature nor pure spirit. We are, instead, in the middle stages of evolution, beings of both spirit and matter, of partial but not complete self-awareness, caught in restless incompleteness and inner division. We are in a state of disequilibrium seeking balance, of disunity and duality evolving toward unity.

Take a current problem. Strip it of all the superimposed layers of your reactions. The first and most handy layer is that of rationalization, that of “proving” that others, or situations, are at fault, not your innermost conflicts which make you adopt the wrong attitude to the actual problem that confronts you. The next layer might be anger, resent

Marcie began to see that this pattern with her new boyfriend was, in fact, a common pattern with anyone from whom she desired love. She could see that her underlying belief was, “Love is not to be trusted. I must work very hard to get love, and, even then, probably I won’t be loved. But at least I can keep trying, which keeps me in control. As long

The ego would not be so emphasized if the false belief would not exist that the self is annihilated the moment the ego is not the sole ruler of human life. Hence, when you identify exclusively with the ego, you cannot identify with the greater consciousness, nor with the feelings in your body, for they go hand in hand. If you identify with the ego

In the Pathwork we call our false and limiting beliefs about life “images.” This wrong belief creates cramped energy in the body, resulting in constricted emotions and defensive attitudes that further support the misconception. Thus images define and limit our reality. Images become a set of blinders or dark glasses which inhibit and circumscribe o

Transformation of the mask includes the process of grieving the death of our idealized self, realizing that this false self is actually already dead. It is a lifeless, nonvital version of ourselves that must be let go if we are to become who we really are. To release the mask also requires that we reexperience the childhood hurts that gave rise to

The Guide’s answer to the puzzle of human perversity begins with an understanding that we experience life according to our images which create vicious circles, in such a way that our negative world view and negative choices constantly reinforce each other. Our everyday perceptions of the world are not reality; they are a product of our illusions. B