top of page
Writer's picturemgfreedomcoach

"They Should Wake Up" Doing "the Work" of Byron Katie

I am irritated with people who are not waking up to the obvious agenda.


This was the inquiry we took to The Freedom Collective Group Call, this week.


I was recently introduced to the Work and I don't think I'd be exaggerating by saying I have become a bit obsessed. I purchased and quickly read, Katie's book "Loving What Is" and have watched most of her videos on Youtube. The work blends beautifully with EFT and like tapping can be used for personal development, to enhance your practitioner work as well as in group settings.


What is "the Work"?


The Work is a method of self inquiry which shows you how to be a student of your mind. It has given me a way of slowing down my thinking so that I can observe my thoughts and uncover all the consequences of them. Katie calls our experience with inquiry, Earth School.




It is an excellent way to look at limiting beliefs and through inquiry identify, and then shift thoughts and perspectives that have been causing suffering. In short, it is a pretty simple tool to help you to stop arguing with reality and start Loving What Is!


Anyone can learn the Work through Katie’s free resources available at thework.com and see it demonstrated on YouTube. The essence of the Work is to take a thought and examine it through the lens of four simple questions and the turnarounds.

1) Is it true?

2) Can you absolutely know that it is true?

3) How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?

4) Who would you be without the thought?

It is common for people in the "freedom community" to think the thought "They should wake up" for me it was out of fear of what was coming for me and my children if more people didn't wake up. I have felt angry and betrayed by friends who I believed should have known better and shocked by so many masked, faceless people whose compliance struck in me mixed feelings of sadness, anger and fear. So we took this thought to our Freedom Collective Group call to put it up against inquiry.

They should wake up.

Sit still, close your eyes and imagine a situation where you had this thought with a friend or family member. Travel in your mind to the time and place this happened. Tapping is a great tool here to sooth your nervous system and help access your subconscious thoughts.

They should wake up! Is it true? You are looking for a yes or no answer. There is no right or wrong here, just inquiry. Your ego will want to offer up all kinds of supportive evidence to back up the beliefs or perspectives you have been carrying for a while. For me, in this situation, at this time, it's a Yes, it is true. If more people could see what I see, and stand up to it, this agenda will stop coming for me and my children. I notice I want them to wake up because I am scared. I inquire again, If this person wakes up, then the agenda will stop coming for me, Is this true? Can I absolutely know it is true?

No. This does not feel true. I have no way of knowing what will happen in the future.

How do I react with this person, in this situation, when I think the thought, They should wake up?

I stop listening well to what they are saying and I notice how I am being arrogant, thinking that I have all the knowledge, that I know things that they don't. I am busy thinking of ways that I could help them to see my truth, scanning my mind for the perfect piece of information that will help them "wake up". My chest tightens, my heart races, my jaw clenches. All the members of our call noticed that this is not a peaceful thought, we all experience a stress response in the body with this thought.

What images of past or future are you playing in your mind when you think the thought, They should wake up?

I remember that we used to be able to talk about this issue, that we shared in common, we raised our children together vax free and we used to talk and connect with like minds on this issue. It feels like a betrayal, like they are siding with the enemy. I see a future where people are so scared they are supporting the government in their efforts to punish and shame those who don't comply. I remember footage I have seen of health camps being built and I believe they are for the unvaxed.

Who would you be in this situation without the thought, they should wake up?

I close my eyes and start tapping again, I imagine how I would be in this situation with my friend, without this thought, She should wake up". Without this thought, I am happy, I am really listening to her words, I see her body language, I notice that, we are the same, she is also scared for her future. Without the thought I am here in the present moment, without all those images of past and future. I am open to all this situation has to offer and all I might take away from it. I am free to take in more and to give from a place of love, not fear.

But aren't these intense feelings important? Would I become complacent without the fear and anger driving me? Is it true?

No, It's not true. Without the thought, without the fear, I am free. Free to speak my truth with power and passion, without being judgemental or preachy. This is where I need to be so that I can hold space for others to feel safe enough to drop their own fears.

Turning It Around


For the ‘turnarounds,’ the trick is to find the opposites of the original statement. With each of the turnarounds, you just try them on to feel into how they might be true.

The turn arounds allow you to see how you've been projecting onto other people. Katie refers to it as ‘putting post-it notes’ on them. In this situation I look at my friend and my fears from past and future are plastered all over her with projections. "Ignorant" "uninformed" "dangerous" With inquiry, we free ourselves from our judgments by examining them for the meaning that we are hiding from ourselves.

I should wake up!


Is it true? Yes because the truth, the reality of the situation is that I should open my eyes and mind and see that everyone has their own journey and anothers journey is simply not my business. According to Katie There are 3 types of business . 1. Your Business. 2. Other People Business. 3. God's Business. (wind, rain, etc)

I should wake up from my dream of past and future and be here now with my friend. I should wake up and see what is really going on in this present moment. Drop my arrogance and take the post it notes off her because I am missing this moment, asleep in my dream of past and future. My self-righteousness and fear are preventing me from truly experiencing this moment, my friend may have some knowledge that hadn't even occurred to me while I am so busy in my mind, trying to wake her up.

“I am a lover of what is, not because I'm a spiritual person, but because it hurts when I argue with reality.”
Byron Katie

They shouldn't wake up!

Because they haven't. Here is the plain truth right in front of me, revealed by this simple turn around. My arguing with reality is the true cause of my suffering. What consequences might they face if they woke up right now on my schedule? If she can no-longer work, and or pay the rent, or lose the support of loved ones. This is not my business, my life, is my business.


The Work is a powerful tool for self-inquiry and pairs so well with EFT. It can help you to uncover what's behind the hidden beliefs that are keeping you stuck and holding you back.


As always, if you have any questions or want some support in doing this work, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.


Big Love


Mel









51 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page