The Work | Ritual Inspiration from Byron Katie
Clarify the inner knowing and draw out answers that are personal, resonant, and transformative. The Work, an insightful process developed by Byron Katie, helps us question our stressful thoughts and beliefs, and through that questioning the thoughts lose their power over us.
"Painful emotions are the temple bells that wake you up to tell you "It's time to do The Work."
~Byron Katie
The Full Moon in Sagittarius has us questioning, questing, seeking an expanded deeper awareness of ourselves and our situations. Having set out on a path on the new moon, and followed it through to this point, we seek illumination--to have obstacles clearly outlined and defined, so that we can proceed in just the right way.
We seek guidance, looking around, and hopefully at some point looking IN, with techniques like this one outlined below, that can help clarify the inner knowing and draw out answers that are personal, resonant, and transformative.
What is "The Work?"
In 2003, Byron Katie first introduced the world to The Work with the publication of Loving What Is. Nearly twenty years later, Loving What Is continues to inspire people all over the world to do The Work; to listen to the answers they find inside themselves; and to open their minds to profound, spacious, and life-transforming insights. The Work is simply four questions that, when applied to a specific problem, enable you to see what is troubling you in an entirely different light.
As we do The Work of Byron Katie, not only do we remain alert to our stressful thoughts—the ones that cause all the anger, sadness, and frustration in our world—but we question them, and through that questioning the thoughts lose their power over us. Great spiritual texts describe the what—what it means to be free. The Work is the how. It shows you exactly how to identify and question any thought that would keep you from that freedom.
What are the steps?
Notice | To begin, relax and be still. Travel in your mind to a specific situation where you were angry, hurt, sad, or disappointed with someone. Witness the situation. Be there now. Notice, name, and feel the emotion you were experiencing at the time. Find the reason you were upset.
Write | Staying anchored in the situation, at a specific moment in time, write down your responses to the questions on the Worksheet, using short, simple sentences. Write without censoring yourself. Allow yourself to be as judgmental, childish, and petty as you were in that moment. This is an opportunity to discover the cause of your stress and emotions in that moment.
Question | To begin, isolate a statement for inquiry. Now apply the four questions. Begin by repeating the original statement, then ask yourself each question. This Work is a meditation practice. It’s like diving into yourself. Contemplate the questions, one at a time. Drop into the depths of yourself, listen, and wait. The answer will meet your question.
- Is it true?
- Can you absolutely know that it’s true?
- How do you react when you believe that thought?
- Who would you be without the thought?
Turn it around | Turn the thought around. A “turnaround" is a sentence expressing the opposite of what one believes. So, for instance, “He doesn’t understand me,” could become, “I don’t understand him,” or, “I don’t understand myself.” Let yourself ask, is the opposite as true as or truer than the original thought? Some turnarounds may not make any sense to you. Don’t force these.
~from Byron Katie's website, TheWork.com
Meet the Author
Byron Katie experienced what she calls "waking up to reality" in 1986, and since then she has introduced The Work to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. In addition to her public events, she has introduced The Work into business settings, universities, schools, churches, prisons, and hospitals. Her books include:
A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are
Who Would You Be Without Your Story?
“Our parents, our children, our spouses, and our friends will continue to press every button we have, until we realize what it is that we don't want to know about ourselves, yet. They will point us to our freedom every time.”
~Byron Katie, Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life
“When we stop opposing reality, action becomes simple, fluid, kind, and fearless.”
~Byron Katie
