Pathwork is a series of 258 lectures channeled by Eva Pierrakos from 1957 until her death in 1979. The entity who delivered these inspiring lectures (known only as the Guide) did not wish to reveal personal information, but rather asked those who heard and read the lectures to examine their validity and significance in their own reality.
In themselves, the lectures as spiritual teachings do not bring new content, although the intertwining and integration of psychological insights with practical guidance is effective and exceptionally helpful. The methods of deep self-examination proposed by the Guide—aimed at uncovering blockages, self-deceptions, errors in perception (the part of our personality we call the shadow), and hidden childhood wounds—have a depth and impact that align with modern times and can enormously assist in the gradual, step-by-step discovery of our true and beautiful essence and the divine core of our beings.
Many spiritual paths focus on ways to achieve the peace and tranquility of the timeless spiritual essence, but Pathwork emphasizes that without an honest and open look into those aspects of ourselves that stand as obstacles to reaching this essence, we are thrown back, again and again, into the shadows of the lower layer of our personality and ego. Pathwork integrates all aspects of our being—the part of our personality we call the mask, the lower self, and the Higher (or true) Self—allowing us to reclaim the positive life energy that lies behind distorted forms.
Furthermore, Pathwork remains focused on the present. We begin from where we are now, with all our daily difficulties and conflicts, which, after detailed examination, bring us lessons about what stands in the way of realizing what belongs to us by birthright—joy, happiness, true creative power, and peace. We are advised not to skip steps, not to turn our heads away from the darker areas within us, or those places that cause pain or shame. Yet, as we work on this path, we feel our capacity for self-acceptance, self-respect, truly justified hope, and connection with all that exists being restored.
An excerpt from one of the Lectures – #190 “The Importance of Experiencing All Feelings, Including Fear”, shows us precisely the way we can experience, and then safely transition over, the troublesome feelings we all have, and reach the positive and creative life energy that lies beneath these feelings:
By going through the gateway of feeling your weakness,
you will find your strength;
By going through the gateway of feeling your pain,
you will find your pleasure and joy;
By going through the gateway of feeling your fear,
you will find your security and safety;
By going through the gateway of feeling your loneliness,
you will find your capacity
for fulfillment, love, and companionship;
By going through the gateway of feeling your hate,
you will find your capacity to love;
By going through the gateway of feeling your hopelessness,
you will find true and justified hope;
By going through the gateway of accepting the shortcomings
of your childhood,
you will find your fulfillment in the present.
Therefore, we are encouraged to claim the COMPLETE energy of feelings that we may have blocked for years. And yet, we do not dwell on them with guilt or self-punishment. Instead, we see these feelings for what they are—temporary distortions that prevent the rays of the true sun from breaking through. We can begin this work by experiencing childhood fears and wounds that we have buried and suppressed for years, placing a ‘protective’ mask over these feelings and denying their existence, which was meant to be a defense against activating past pain. However, the Guide points out that these feelings and their energy are by no means dormant, but continue to recreate themselves again and again in the present—in our relationships, marriages, friendships, and between nations and religions.
We do not have to do this work alone (nor should we). In fact, it is recommended to conduct our work with a qualified Helper who has undergone rigorous, long-term training on this very path. A Helper can conduct private one-on-one sessions or facilitate group work with a small number of people who wish to walk this path together and follow its teachings. In this way, we can open ourselves to receive the support and love of others who, like us, are willing to lower their defense systems and truly be who they are. This is a beautiful and exciting, though also frightening experience, especially for those of us who are tired of living in a limited and restricted ‘normal’ everyday world of shallow social contacts and interests, with little or no true connection of human hearts.
The work of groups (as well as private sessions) is based on experiential processing and allows participants to experience the power and truth of these teachings through practical group work and/or independent work in sessions. Through working on this path, all levels of our being are examined and experienced—not only the childhood levels where we may have blocked energy, but also the mental levels where our beliefs about poverty, fear, victimhood, and helplessness have created fixed and rigid ‘images’ that manifest experiences in our outer life that are, in turn, dry, loveless, joyless, and impoverished.
Through true dedication to self-work, without dishonest excuses or cheap shortcuts, we experience the joy and exhilaration of truly creating in our lives what we yearn and long for, and in an atmosphere of mutuality that brings benefit to everyone we come into contact with. We learn to be truly responsible to ourselves without blaming and accusing others. And in this dedicated work, we can agree with the Guide’s words from lecture #212 –
“If you could really understand the value and significance of what each of you is individually doing, you would know a deep joy”
As we progress on the path of self-discovery and self-respect, we begin to feel our own guidance and the support of our own soul, which inspires and nurtures us as we learn to connect with it regularly.