Posted by: Janice Yasui

I write today still reeling from the aftermath of yet another gut-wrenching US presidential election, after yet another unhelpful doctor appointment, after coming home yet again to the unexpected, traumatic sound of yet another beautiful mature tree being cut down outside my condo window. Those trees used to offer me verdant solace despite my urban address, and they housed lively but gentle animal neighbors that—I fully realize in their absence—were a critical part of having of grounding and support in my life, and on the planet itself. And now it’s gone.

I’m not just having a bad day. It’s one of THOSE days. This comes with and creates its own context of existential anguish. Collectively, the planet feels like it is becoming unglued. Individually, I feel the emotional quicksand of depression taking me down—and that if I go down, I am truly in another reality of feeling, thought, emotion, and destiny that I will never return from. Maybe for you the quicksand is an anxiety or panic attack, whose very nature makes every second an eternal anguish. Or, maybe for you it is murderous rage with nowhere to go but whose screams eat you alive inside.

We all have some of THOSE days, I would say increasingly so for reasons social media can explain much better than me. On THESE days we all experience a test of character; actually, a test of our spirit. When everything else is up in flames, what is your backstop? You do have a backstop—what is it? We all have such a backstop or else we would not still be alive. My backstop is Pathwork.

It would take many more blog posts to truly explain how my study of the Pathwork over the past 20+ years has proven its worth as my spiritual, mental, emotional backstop. One of the valuable tools Pathwork has given me is the vocabulary, mental constructs, and permission to speak directly about evil. Evil—yes—it’s a thing. It’s a real thing. Here. Today. Now. It’s real, and in my experience of reality, no amount positive thinking is going to make it go away. (Spiritual bypassing, maybe first elucidated by the Pathwork Guide decades ago, is a topic for another day.) The Pathwork Guide’s unique voice is at once sophisticated and blunt, and when I hear it, I hear the ring of truth. It is no different when the Guide speaks about the topic of evil. Pathwork.org has a great index of popular topics which recommends corresponding lectures to read. Evil is one topic, and I encourage all of us to pick one and study it.

In my experience, you don’t have to be afraid of evil, darkness, and reading about it in the Pathwork materials. I cannot say this about all religious, spiritual, philosophical, literary, or poetic writings that popularly are said to offer help or comfort in times of darkness. Some writings are indeed archaic, confusing, condemnatory, fearful, and maybe even harmful when turned into half-truths that use spiritual truth for destructiveness. Even Jesus says some pretty scary things you wouldn’t want to read in a moment of confusion. But Pathwork—Pathwork—to me has done what no other religion or experience with spirituality has been able to do in this regard: Slap me squarely in the face with the reality of evil; give me blessed relief that it can be acknowledged and talked about; and at the same time uplift me to an inner state of personal agency, right here, in this moment now. With the Pathwork teachings, I am educated, not demoralized, afraid, or overwhelmed when the Guide “goes there.” With Pathwork teachings, I know how to discern what evil is, what is mine to do about it, and that I am supremely capable of doing something about it. I am educated about evil by a voice—the Pathwork Guide—who is not afraid of it. This makes me unafraid of it. Read (or reread again) a lecture and see what you think. It’s pretty heavy duty (but so are the times we live in), but a really good one is Pathwork Lecture #248, “Three Principles of the Forces of Evil.” I would bet those three principles–separation, materialism, and half-truths—come to life for you in fresh, immediate ways. Simply having the mental constructs (such as those three categories) and the vocabulary to identify what you’re seeing and feeling in the world outside, will give you grounding, confidence, energetic coherence, and power. Again: Try it.

Even if some of the Pathwork Guide’s language seems harsh, or if you’re new to it and the historically-religious or philosophical words seem foreign to you, I would expect that after a few minutes you still walk away with an energetic shift in your being. You will feel more truth about this topic in your gut, in your felt sense. Sometimes an experience of the truth doesn’t come predominantly in a cognitive way. We all know what it’s like to be around certain people who make us feel better by sheer presence; or if not better per se, then fortified, which is even more valuable. For me, the Pathwork Guide’s voice in the lectures is like that person who gives that energetic lift, that “frequency upgrade”, that comfort, that fortitude…or whatever it is that I need that moment to take my step forward.

It did that for me again today. Pathwork was my backstop.

There’s lots more to say, if you would like to see more posts like this. Reach out to Janice or Pathwork of California if you’d like to explore applying this or other Pathwork principles in your own life.