Two Basic Ways Of Life -- Toward And Away From The Center

By The Pathwork Guide

Greetings, all my dearest friends. I should like to start this lecture with a special blessing whose deeper meaning you can feel if you are open to it. Otherwise the words will not mean more to you than just words. This blessing is the simple statement, TRUTH BRINGS LOVE AND LOVE BRINGS TRUTH. From whichever end you start it, or are able to start it, one must lead to the other and both become one. This pathwork is concerned with tentatively groping in both directions.

In the very center of man’s personality there exists a potent, white-glowing mass of energy. It is a constant fire that explodes within itself over and over again in a bubbling mass. Each of these minute explosions multiplies the mass, so that kernels are expelled which are of the same substance and of the same energy as the mass. When this fundamental creative process is not obstructed and the ongoing process is functional and harmonious, then the endless continuum of creation spreads and floods over with joy and with well-being. The constant flow of movement spreads more and more and yet is contained within itself in an orderly fashion. There is no chaos in this process.

Where this creative mass of energy manifests, it brings into the respective organism the essence and the nature of the creative substance. As I said, it is joy and it is well-being. But this is not all. Since it is the divine mass, then it must also contain consciousness of the highest order. Each bubbling, exploding, spreading kernel is a nucleus of consciousness which contains infinite potentials of wisdom, of intelligence, of knowing, of talent, of creativity and every resource you are able to conceive of. In this divine consciousness infinite modes of self-expression, of bliss, of pleasure supreme and of stimulating change of new ventures exist in the most peaceful and secure state. All words to be used cannot even remotely do it justice. Each kernel contains everything that ever was, everything that ever will be, and everything that ever can be. If these words are truly understood in their far-reaching significance and are taken literally, as they are meant to be, then nothing can ever appear hopeless to an unhappy human being.

The combination of consciousness and energy is all-powerful. It is the omnipotence correctly ascribed to God, but which is misinterpreted by the child, whose inner knowing of its inherent omnipotence makes it abuse it. The abuse occurs by putting it into the service of the selfwilled little ego. The latter must be overcome in order to find man’s divine nucleus where real omnipotence reigns supreme.

Most human beings are ignorant of the fact that they express part of this ever exploding, ever increasing energetic mass of consciousness and of power. They may have certain theories and accept certain philosophies that postulate these truths, but they are not deeply aware of being a part and of being an expression of this powerhouse of strength and wisdom. All life is concerned with bringing about the state in which the organic process of the energy mass takes place without interruption, without hindrance, without obstruction. The human state of consciousness has obstructed to a considerable degree this ever-unfolding creative process. The state of development of an individual can be gauged by the extent to which he is conscious of this fact and by the extent to which he makes room for this process to take place.

These are facts which you already know in principle. However, they have to be brought to your attention again and again in forever new terms, with a new light and from different angle, so that finally an inroad can be made which then leads to an emotional experience of these truths. At first a vivid new experience takes place in the mind, which then gives the necessary stimulation and perhaps a new feeling of comprehension so that the obstructing mechanism becomes weaker and the creative expansion process becomes stronger in impetus.

The human state of consciousness finds itself in a state in which the individual can take one of two basic directions in life. They are the fundamental ways of life that an individual either can choose or has already chosen. One is toward this unfoldment and the elimination of the obstructions. The other is away from it. The human condition can be adequately explained by stating that it is a struggle to give up the one way of life and to find one's way into the other. The majority of human beings are still oblivious of this choice, and therefore ate still moving away from the center. They strive to find a happiness that can be found only in the opposite direction. Since they are ignorant of containing within themselves all they could ever need, they try to grasp what they need away from themselves, from others, from substitutes, from illusions.

The direction toward the center is an infinite process. In other words, there is no stopping, no end result, no goal. It is forever new, forever increasing, with expanded vistas and with endless possibilities of blissful ways of being and ways of self-expression. The multitude and the variety contained in this creative force make boredom impossible, nor do they bring fatigue, since fatigue is merely a result of the opposite force set in motion by striving in the other direction. The incredibly beautiful state of being cannot possibly be conveyed in words. This state knows no fear whatsoever, since the absolute knowledge exists that there is never an end to blissful life, there are only better choices. This is truly no illusion, my friends. It is the stark reality of the inner life of the Creative Being. Fearlessness results when the individual knows that all good can be had and that it need never end as long as it is chosen.

The direction away from the center is finite. The more the individual moves into this direction, the more he is in despair -- not only because it is the wrong way that leads to destructiveness and to unhappiness, but also because an end is feared. Only the end is feared in a wrong way. It is believed that existence -- and therefore all hope of bliss -- actually ends forever. Since the creative kernel in each human being is so strongly filled with its own nature -- which is the bliss we are talking about -- all human beings long for the fulfillment of their inherent nature. When this fulfillment seems to move further and further away, then man believes that there is no hope. In other words, that there is no solution in sight. In that sense, the perception of "the end" is incorrect. But the perception that there is "an end" is correct in that there is a limit after which no further way out exists in the direction that one has taken. This direction truly leads to an end. There must come a breaking point -- a collapse -- because this direction leads to an entrapment from which there is no way out. Seen in this light, then it is actually a blessing to arrive at this breaking point. Only when this breaking point has been reached can the other direction be found. In other words, the other way can be found only when the entity finally recognizes, "I am in a state from which there is no way out. Therefore, the old way is wrong." It cannot be found out otherwise.

I would like to point out that every entity who is on the road toward unfoldment and the activation of the center -- in other words, everyone who is moving in the right direction so that life is a fruitful and constructive experience -- has reached this breaking point at a previous period of his spiritual history. Such a person, too, must have been at the point of no return, where absolute despair reigned and there seemed to be no way out. This motivated him into a new way of operation, into a different approach, into a different direction. Thus it is folly to assume, to conclude that it is a tragic occurrence when a person obviously moves rapidly into this point of collapse and no return. The truth is that this is necessary when an entity is still completely blind and therefore is entrapped in error and destruction. The breaking point is then the healing power, the only possibility from which the good way can first be looked for, then seen, and therefore undertaken. The marvel of the universe, of creation, is that the more rapidly destruction is approached, the nearer the salvation of ultimate bliss must be. Hence, reaching the breaking point of no further way out has a deep importance for the development of each entity. This leads directly to the right direction, to the bliss of coming into one’s own, and to finding the power of the spiritual force inside -- its explosive power, its ongoing process of positive unfoldment, of endless delight, of unlimited possibilities for pleasurable and meaningful existence, of real selfhood, of the dignity of being a creator of one’s own life in the universe and of expressing God within oneself. But this direction is found only after a breaking point has been reached.

I venture to say that every one of you has experienced this innumerable times in your life in small ways. You have come to a state of desperation where you thought that there was no way out. Then something in you changed because you found yourself conscious of a tense insistence in one specific direction. As long as it was not desperate, then you still hoped that a desired result would come from this direction. Only when it was clear that this was not the case did you give up this tense insistence. Something in you relaxed -- you let go of the old direction -- and, lo and behold, the desperation vanished. Solutions occurred in a completely unexpected way. Only by having reached the limit of the old direction, when the insistence has no longer any hope, out of sheer desperation, did you find the way that leads to all that you could ever want. In small ways you have experienced it many times. The old insistence, the old beliefs, the old stubbornness, the old destructive patterns are often not given up unless you are at this last phase of the old road. Every entity experiences this in every life in many small ways, and it also reappears in every entity’s cycle of lives. But in a principal way there is one significant point when this happens on an overall plane. You might look at the human race from this point of view. Look at all the people in your environment and see how many of them are basically still on the road toward the finite breaking point, how many people are where the limit is about to be reached, and how this limit is feared. And yet how stubbornly they refuse to look for another way. Then you see a few individuals who are on the upper unfolding way. In other words, who are moving toward their inner center, who have the major breaking point behind them. When you evaluate human existence from this point of view, then you will come to see that the latter is a very small minority. You, here on this Path, are therefore a very small minority. And even you who are groping with your personal inner problems and with your human struggle are still bent at times -- unconsciously and unknowingly -- in the old automatism. In other words, on the wrong road that in many cases has been instituted for centuries. Only as you become more aware of yourself do you eventually see this destructive process that leads to this limit from which the way cannot continue in the same direction. At least now you are meaningfully preoccupied to ascertain this fact about yourself.

The human personality is an integral part of this great power and of the creative substance that I mentioned. When I say "the human personality," I actually mean everything about it: the conscious intelligence, the will, all the feelings, and all the capacities. That means those already unfolded and those which are still slumbering as potentials. Since destructiveness and evil are not verities in themselves but only distortions, they are included. The conscious personality is not a separate, different thing. Its nature is of the same substance and it contains all the elements to be found in the nucleus of being. Therefore it would be an error to approach your self-realization as though your ego personality were basically and intrinsically different from the inner power that you are about to activate. But the ego, as it is developed now, is very limited in its power and in its intelligence in comparison with the larger, vaster part that you wish to activate through this pathwork. Therefore, it is necessary for you to comprehend that whatever is at your disposal -- your conscious personality, although it is limited in comparison -- contains all that you need in order to first activate and then become one with this explosive power. In other words, that ever erupting power of love, of truth, of consciousness, of strength and of creative living that is the God Consciousness. Although the ego consciousness is ill equipped to handle life by itself, it is perfectly endowed with everything you need for every conceivable situation you are in to assume the attitude necessary to bring you into a state of union with the greater power. This is a tremendously important knowledge for you to have. For without this knowledge you think that you must despair, and you are therefore powerless, while with this comprehension you can grope in a hopeful and meaningful way.

At each difficulty, at each bend in the road where you cannot see around it, simply say: "I have at my disposal right now everything I need in order to find the attitude that is compatible with the Greater Power." Then this power can make itself known to you. What is the attitude you have toward your present difficulty? This is what counts. And this is where you have the choice to assume either a constructive attitude or a destructive attitude, either a truthful attitude or a self-deceptive attitude. You have the power to find out what you really feel and why you feel what you feel. You have the power to request guidance from the greatest wisdom imaginable. You have the possibility to want to be on the constructive road that leads to building up, to creating, and to unfolding -- rather than giving up, as is done so often in a difficulty. At the same time, you also have the power to let go of your stubborn insistence and of the rigid upholding of your unconscious destructive attitudes whose nature is as yet unexplored by you. You have the power to overcome the temptation to indulge in resignation and to indulge in self-pity. Therefore I say to you, realize that you have everything you need in order to assume the attitude necessary to activate the greatest power in the universe. Each and every instant of living -- and I do not care whether it is beautiful or ugly, easy or difficult, lighthearted or heavy -- contains the potential to be in bliss, provided you penetrate the Now to its deepest level. Each instant contains ultimate truth, if only you decide to turn into the right direction.

These words may not be easy to accept, and perhaps even more difficult to feel. But if you begin by contemplating this -- if at any given moment of your road toward light, toward truth, and toward fulfillment you start to think about all this and you take this sentence very seriously, and you do something with the meaning of this sentence -- then I say that where there is darkness light will come; where hopelessness seems a fact of life to you, ever increasing possibilities of new expansion will dawn upon you as the starkest reality you have ever experienced. Each second of your life contains the All and the Ultimate. This is not a mere phrase. It is an absolute and stark reality, forever realizable. If you move -- even while you still find yourself in your error -- toward the limit point where the turnaround must come, even that is good if it is truly understood, if this understanding is groped for honestly, if it asked for, if is prayed for. Suddenly it will take on a new meaning.

In order to make all this a little easier to realize, let us look at a very important obstruction. We have talked about many obstructions, such as the errors, the misconceptions, and the destructive attitudes -- in many ways and from many approaches. At this time I would like to make it very simple. I would like to discuss this in terms of the soul movements, which are a reflection of the personality’s attitudes. If you become more finely attuned to your soul movements, then you will perceive that each attitude that you assume results in a certain movement. For example, if you are in an attitude of love, then the soul movement is very different from a soul movement that stems from an attitude of fear and hate.

The greatest and the most hindering factor is fear, especially unconscious, repressed, unrecognized fear. It must be understood that these words are directed at that level where your fear exists after its repression has been made conscious. For not knowing what goes on in the self is the greatest obstruction there is. This ignorance is also more responsible than any other single factor for fear. Every destructiveness is connected with fear. In other words, either it comes from fear or it leads to fear and it perpetuates fear. Therefore, fear is a tremendously important element. The soul movement of fear is tension, it is a cramp, it is a stopping of the flow -- the flow that comes from the inner energy center that enlivens man. Fear blocks the opening where ever increasing self-renewing new life flows into the outer organism. In extension of the last lecture, fear breeds non-movement. It freezes, it paralyzes, it stops all movement. Thus it is accurate to state that the soul movement of fear is no movement. Thus it is of great importance that fear be understood in terms of the dynamics of the soul movements.

In this work we have discussed many elements of fear. You have found what some of your fears are, why you are afraid, what misconceptions exist that create fear, etc. I do not wish to go into this topic now from that angle. I say to those of you who are not aware of your fears when you are unhappy: you must have fears if there is anything that either burdens you or that frustrates you. If you feel that your self-expression is hindered, if you feel that there is more to life than what you experience, then you must have fears which you do not know about. This fear must eventually be experienced in order for you to come out of it.

As I said, the dynamics of fear is tension, a cramp, a paralysis. Such a cramp prohibits the creative flow. If you go deep enough and you truly confront the fear dispassionately, then you must always recognize that it comes from a very strong, cramped, stubborn, insistent desire for something. Some philosophies preach desirelessness because they have recognized this fact, although this can be easily misunderstood, as I discussed earlier when I was asked about this. Desirelessness must not be confused with indifference, with stagnation, with escape from the conflicts that one’s desires may bring in an as yet undeveloped state. Healthy desires are relaxed. They are in rhythm with this unfolding, inwardly exploding life energy. The cramped desire is the one that breeds fear. It is the desire that says: "I must have it or else. I will not take no for an answer." This is the kind of desire that breeds fear. It is the kind of desire that comes out of distrust and out of fear. "I must have it. I will not give up until I have it." This insistence denies the ever unfolding possibilities of life. Therefore it insists on one specific thing, at one specific moment, in one specific way. Hence, it reveals distrust, ignorance of the universe, and the fear that one may not get one’s way. It comes out of the darkness that does not see any other way and any other possibility except the one insisted on. Therefore it cramps itself up within itself.

A strong desire of this nature is always behind fear. When this desire is first acknowledged, then examined, and finally experienced, then it will be seen that distrustful elements are always behind it. So look at your fears from this point of view. Only as you can give up and you can let go the specific desire that is behind the specific fear will the fear vanish and therefore your soul movements will relax. For the greatest inner pain comes from the cramped soul movement. In this way you will make room for the endless possibilities of new unfoldemt that exist within yourself. That is, within your inner universe.

Sometimes this may mean to abandon a desire entirely because it is found to be destructive in itself. At other times, the desire itself is perfectly valid, but the way it insists on being realized is unrealistic and therefore leads to disappointment, and hence to pain. At still other times, the desire may be valid in itself, but the reason or the motivation may come from destructive attitudes. For example, from dependent trends, from self-alienating trends. Try to ascertain the desire behind each fear. This is my advice, my suggestion, my message to you. If you pray for this inner understanding and for this inner action, then something in you will change drastically.

Now, are there any questions in connection with this lecture?

QUESTION: Yes. Letting go of these desires, is this an act of will that takes place?

ANSWER: Yes, it is the inner will. Often the desire itself may be legitimate and even healthy, as I implied before. But it is the insistence -- in other words, the "I must have this now" or the "I must not have this now," -- that is so harmful. What I advise is not to necessarily give up the desire per se. What you have to give up is the cramped soul movement that is connected with having the desire. It is a conscious and deliberate decision that is directed toward the inner self, the feeling self, where you feel yourself letting go of something. In other words, letting a certain attitude go. Let us take a simple example, which is so universal that it is applicable to everyone. The fear of death contains the desire to live. There is nothing wrong with this desire, for the truth of creation is that life is unending. But the fear of death contains every false attitude I discussed in this lecture. Physical death is the final breaking point of the limitation reached on the road that leads away from the center. Since every human or incarnated being is in the state of moving away from the center to a greater or lesser degree, then everyone must go through the experience of death. But this limit is feared and therefore is cramped up against. But denying the result of one’s own action is an unreasonable inner act. It implies not assuming the responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions and of one's choices. For example, if you are going East and you wish to come out West, but you cramp up against coming out West while all the time continuing on the road toward the East, then you will be in a conflict with yourself and with life. Accepting death in the right way merely means assuming the consequences for one’s past direction. It does not mean to abandon one’s desire to live. In fact, the desire to be dead is far from healthy. It stems from morbid fears and from the desire to escape. Thus, I am not saying that in order to overcome death, and the fear of death, the desire for life must be abandoned.

What I am saying is that the healthy attitude leading toward life would be an attitude somewhat like this: "I know that death is coming. I do not know whether I will continue to live. I would like to continue living. My outer intellect only knows the theory of a continuum of life and the philosophies of it. But I do not as yet experience the truth of it in my inner feelings. I would like this eternal life if it exists. I will not deceive myself, though, by pretending that I feel the truth of a continuum of life. I want to let go of the fear that I will not live and I want to accept what comes, for I trust that the universe is benign, even if at this time I cannot know, see and experience the continuum of life that I would like." This is the attitude that will eventually bring you the inner experience of the truth that life is unending. How soon this will come depends on how genuine this attitude is and how deeply it is experienced. And, above all, how effective is the trusting letting go -- letting yourself go into trust, the letting oneself be carried, while being honest at the same time where one is in this respect. All of this determines how soon the experience of the truth that there is nothing to fear will make itself felt. For living is an unending process.

QUESTION: How can I synchronize feeling and movement?

ANSWER: The inability to do this reveals a tremendous frozenness that is also a result of fear. For instance, the fear that if you express your feelings, then you must move out into the world. You fear that by doing so then certain unwelcome results will occur. Here, too, you must ask yourself precisely what it is that you fear will happen if you move with your feelings. Perhaps you fear rejection, perhaps you fear ridicule, perhaps you fear hurt, perhaps you fear disapproval. Whatever they may be, you have to state the fears, you have to concisely know them. Only then can the courage and the generosity come that make you take a risk. There must be risk involved! Apart from all the other things I said about fear, it is also a refusal to risk anything. It is impossible to lose a fear if the willingness to risk does not exist. This means risking. Not wanting to risk is ungenerous. And anything that is ungenerous is incompatible with the nature of the power that you wish to unite with. In order to be activated by this inner reality of being, to become one with it, to be enlivened by it, to know it and to express it, the outer personality must be compatible with it. That means compatible in its nature, compatible in its attitudes, compatible in its laws, compatible in its way of being. These are natural and logical laws. If your character and your attitude are incompatible with the laws of the greater power deep within your center, then you cannot express this Greater Power. Not trusting the universe -- and therefore never wanting to take a risk -- is a spirit of pettiness. Where the human conflicts and the human problems reside in the soul, this pettiness also exists.

Therefore, the only way is to face what it is that you fear, to face what it is that you want, and to face where it is that you ungenerously withold yourself from trusting and from risking. That is the only way out of your fear. There is no other way. Fear is a result of duality. You see, if you want so strongly, then you must fear not to get what you want just as strongly. To put it in the opposite way: if you fear something so strongly, then you must automatically want equally strongly that which you do not wish to experience. In this too strong "wanting" and this troo strong "not wanting" is not only a cramp, there is also the duality. In other words, Yes versus No, good versus bad. Duality must end in conflict, it comes out of conflict, and therefore it must wind up at the breaking point of no return. The limit finally offers no other alternative but to turn around where the unitive principle will reveal itself in its fearless, conflictless state. Then a soul movement exists where neither Yes nor No is overly strong. But not because one has no desire to expand in bliss, for this is the natural desire, but because one trusts the universe and its laws that it will come without the ego’s cramp of saying too much Yes or too much No.

December 6, 1968