Life, I have so many questions...
Keys, a collection of Jill Loree's favorite Pathwork Q&As, now in free audiobook
If you’re like me, life has given you a lot to think about. And you’ve got some questions. Now, the Pathwork Guide gives you a lot of answers in Keys: Answers to key questions asked of the Pathwork Guide.
This is a collection of my favorite Q&As, offering a clear and insightful focus on religion and spirituality. This new audiobook is made available with permission from the Pathwork Foundation.
Below are the questions; listen to answers in Keys on YouTube or on Phoenesse.
You can also read Keys online for free, or get Keys in ebook ($4.99) or paperback ($12.99) from Amazon
“I will answer your questions to the best of my ability, my dearest friends, and the answers may not always be on the level you expect. They may approach a different orientation, a new level, another angle, but that is then precisely what you need.
I ask all of you to tune deeply into yourselves, for every question and every answer being presented here can be an aid to all who are present, who can apply every single thing on some level, although the answers will be particularly designed to help the person where he is now.
Now, who would like to ask?”
– Pathwork® Guide, Q&A #237
Religion
The Meaning of Religion
What actually is religion?
So Many Religions
Why are there are so many different religious concepts on Earth?
________
How do the different main religions continue their activities in the spiritual world? Do they fight? And how far can they influence human beings?
Going to Church
Even if one has little interest in organized religion, one can still have a longing for the atmosphere that can exist in a church—a feeling of awe standing in front of something that is higher. Is the experience of church really a true thing?
________
The Catholic Church has managed to survive until the present day, while the gnostic religions, which are more in accord with the Pathwork teachings, have not survived. Why is this?
So this is the reason for the decline and virtual disappearance of gnostic religion?
Finding the Holy Ghost
What is the Holy Ghost and what should be our relationship to it?
Eastern Religions vs. Christianity
Why does Hindu philosophy not include the Fall of the Angels, as the Plan of Salvation does?
Is that perhaps the reason why the female aspect of God is recognized more there, and the male aspect of God more in the West, and that is why East and West ought to get together?
Religious Laws & Rituals
In general, what purpose does ritual serve?
________
In the traditional Scriptures of Judaism and Islam, the texts are specific regarding the consumption of fish, flesh, and fowl; it is commanded that “of their flesh shall we not eat.” But in the fifteenth verse of Matthew, Jesus said, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man, but that which cometh out of the mouth.” Christianity, in fact, has no ban against pork, but during Lent, dietary restrictions are observed by Christians. So are the dietary laws based on that which is unclean, or on that which is holy?
So then what is the meaning of Lent and the counting of the days?
________
What about customs such as circumcision?
________
Most religions of the world use the motion of genuflecting. Many of them also use the two palms together. There are also the patterns created by the whirling dervishes. Do these movements have some inherent meaning?
Is it possible that these body positions bring about new connections in the body? For instance, if a person bows and puts his head below his heart, lowering his ego, is that position significant in some way?
________
Could you please explain the meaning of the sacrament of Holy Communion? Is it a ritual or is it more?
Sabbath & Yom Kippur
Will you explain the meaning of keeping the Sabbath holy in the face of our present-day obligations?
________
This night is the eve of the Sabbath. It also happens to be the eve of Yom Kippur which is the Day of Atonement. On such a night, in ancient Nazareth, it is likely that Jesus, as a Jew, would have been in the synagogue, chanting solemn prayers with his congregation. Yom Kippur is also designated as the Sabbath of Sabbaths. The word Sabbath is loaded with meaning and it appears frequently in Scripture. Jesus referred to it when he said: “The Sabbath was made for man.” What did he mean? And also, what is the significance of ritual in pursuit of the path toward God?
Yes, it is quite clear. Incidentally, the word Sabbath actually means “rest,” and it also means “seven.” I wonder if you could tie the two together.
Sin & Evil
Can you provide a spiritual explanation of sin and evil?
________
Why is it that all spiritual teachings in the past speak of sin instead of sickness or neurosis?
________
Is evil a condition which results from an actual fall from grace? And what is its relationship to Lucifer in the Old and New Testaments?
True Religion
Could you explain what “true religion” is, as compared to the wrong attitude? Where does belief in God and his help come in?
But how can we go about it? This God-image is so embedded in us after so many decades of learning the false attitude. Wouldn’t prayer change too if we discarded this concept? Wouldn’t everything change?
What religion is farthest away from the truth?
One of the last words of Christ was, “Father, Thy will be done.” Taken as an example, this could have meant obedience, or it could have meant freedom. Which is it?
From what you say, it becomes clear that religion is a matter of each individual soul developing to its optimum point by way of search and self-realization. The churches have played a dominant role for many years, however, so it would seem that their function would eventually fall away. Is that correct?
________
Is a faith in God and love, without emotional maturity, possible?
Cults
[1979] Our world has recently been shocked by a mass suicide associated with a spiritual community led by Jim Jones in Jonestown, Guyana. Many of us have been examining our own feelings about this event, and many Workers have brought up their fears of being associated with our spiritual community in the light of this tragedy.
Listen to Keys on YouTube
Jesus Christ
Christ
I would like to ask whether the Christ spirit is an all-pervading spirit like God or an individual spirit?
Salvation
Here we are taught that salvation comes through work, through self-search, through effort and through the finding of images to be cast off. Today, a man who calls himself a “twice-born Christian” asked me whether I accepted Jesus as my personal savior, and that unless I did, I would not find salvation.
My question is: how are we to reconcile this Church-proclaimed doctrine of faith in salvation through another, with our work on the Path? And further, is this faith in a heavenly being who had become man sufficient for a mortal to share, through mysterious rites, in his divine life? Is this faith plus the sacraments sufficient to redeem us from the bonds of earthly guilt and earthly death and to awaken us to a new life which would mean eternal existence and blessedness?
There still is the one portion of my question which is unanswered, which has to do with whether or not a person can be saved through the medium of a Savior or through a person’s own efforts?
You said that when the obstructions are removed, faith follows. But I know people who have faith and still have a lot of obstructions.
The Cross
What is the meaning of the “way of the cross,” its principles and its course of actions? How is it comparable to the Eastern concept, the one that follows the Buddha?
Good Friday
Will you tell us the spiritual significance of Good Friday, please?
Listen to Pathwork Guide Lectures #19-22 about the greater significance of his life and death in the entire Plan of Salvation at the end of this section on Jesus Christ.
Jesus’ Travels
I understand the Bible does not account for Christ’s life between approximately the ages of 12 and 30. I have read that during his teens and early twenties, roughly, Christ went through training in secret orders. Then he conducted a worldwide ministry before returning to the Middle East to conduct the last period of his life mentioned in the Bible. Is this true and would you give more details?
The Virgin Mary
What is the role of the Virgin Mary from the spiritual point of view?
The Bodily Resurrection
Christian religions place a lot of emphasis on the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why is that?
Yes, but your statement as to the error of this thinking would lead one to conclude that the parts of the Gospel which describe the disciples’ arrival at the tomb as a story of promise are entirely false, and not a factual account.
Miracles
I would like to ask if you could explain the miracle of Therese von Neumann* who has the stigmata that bleed every week; she has not eaten for years.
Does it necessarily mean that such a person is spiritually very highly developed?
________
I read a story in a current magazine about miracles. This story said that a child broke a wooden Madonna and in kissing the upper half, tears started coming out of the eyes of the Madonna. This was repeated in the presence of different witnesses. Do you wish to comment on this?
Has it to do with the spirit of the child in question?
How then was it possible that Jesus could perform many miracles, many times?
Celebrating Christmas
What about Christmas, with the displays of light, the story of Christ, the Christmas trees and the Christmas carols?
Rebellious Christians & Jews
What is the inner reason for many Jewish people—even those who are otherwise quite open-minded and spiritually inclined—to be almost militantly against Jesus Christ? A similar reaction also exists in some Christians who strongly rebel against their early upbringing. What is the reason for this?
________
I have two questions. First, why do you place so much importance on the New Testament, when, as you have pointed out, it is so encrusted by time, faulty translation and outright manipulation. Why not let it be, instead of resurrecting it, and go on to the new clear and pertinent material that you have given us, which seems to me to be a genuine rewriting and expansion on the basic truths in the other?
I see my second question as an extension of the first. As a Jew, I have, because of my upbringing, a deep-seated prejudice that comes up at the mention of Jesus. I feel that to accept the Christian concept of Jesus as God and Savior – Messiah – would be a betrayal of my people and myself. Your three early lectures on the meaning of the Christ were very helpful to me in understanding the nature and function of the Christ consciousness in the epic of universal evolution and its special significance to us human beings.
But the actual existence and acceptance of Jesus Christ, Son of God, seems to me beside the point. I value and appreciate the message of love and it’s power that Jesus was supposed to have brought, but seem to hear you ask me to buy the whole story. I can see I need help here to find my way through my prejudices and understand your true meaning. One more thing: you mentioned that material pertaining to reincarnation was deleted from the Bible. Is there knowledge of such material?
Spreading the Word
In the Gospel according to St. Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus is described as giving this final injunction to his disciples before parting with them: “All authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
The early Christians faithfully followed these words, seeking to convey the Gospel of salvation through Christ to the entire world, even at the risk of their lives. Much of the Christian church, to this day, takes these words very seriously as defining its mission.
The norm in spiritual circles is to not preach to others, but to respect each individual’s beliefs. Was the early church’s task different from ours today?
Pathwork Lectures #19-22
From the Pathwork Q&A on Salvation: “I explained at length in what way the act of Jesus Christ constituted salvation for all the fallen beings, what his contribution was and how it opened the door and showed the way (Pathwork Guide Lectures #19-22). I do not have to repeat that now, for it is all on record and it is useless to take the available time for repetition. By rereading it, you will see that it was never implied or stated that the coming of Christ exempted the individual from personal work and effort. Quite the contrary is true.”
Following is an audio recording of these four important lectures.
Pathwork Guide Lecture #19: Jesus Christ
Pathwork Guide Lecture #20: God: The creation
Pathwork Guide Lecture #21: The Fall
Pathwork Guide Lecture #22: Salvation
Listen to Keys on YouTube
Reincarnation
The Reality of Reincarnation
People have claimed to have had communications from the other side saying that reincarnation takes place only in certain instances. Can you confirm this?
________
Is it possible for anyone following such a path to reach a stage of development in this lifetime so that you would be lifted out of the cycle of returning?
Are the seeds of our hindrances and our blocks made in childhood?
Making the Metaphysical Connection
The metaphysical bent within a person is God’s gift, because through it he or she has the opportunity to get closer to God, provided the quest is diligently pursued. Do the people who are chosen to have such a disposition earn it in an earlier incarnation or are they given this advantage as a test? And if they will not use the talent, will it not be given to them in the next incarnation?
Preparation for Incarnation
What happens to the spirits who do not belong to the Plan of Salvation and are being prepared for incarnation? Are they subjected to this separation with their consent, without their consent, or in what way are they prepared?
Remembering Past Lives
Can we remember our present identity in the next life and are we going to work on our old problems?
________
When we are reincarnated, we have no memory of our previous lives. When we get to the Spirit World, after this life, do we then have the memory of previous lives?
Male & Female Incarnations
The general teaching is that incarnations change from male incarnation to female and vice versa. Can you clarify this point?
The Reason for Races
Can you tell me if there is any spiritual significance or reason for the different races?
But is not the variety of different races and their trends part of the beauty of life?
________
I’m curious about the role or the mission of black people in this country today. Historically, this has been a very turbulent role, and it seems that there can be some answers to learn.
Timing & Location
What is the average time between incarnations?
Is it necessary, in the development of the soul, to appear and be reincarnated on more than one planet?
________
Will a person who may be attached to his country come back to the same country, either as a spirit or in a next incarnation?
Accelerating Development
I understand that when we are incarnated on Earth we have certain limitations in our spiritual development. Is it possible to burst this, to go farther than the limitations which are set for us?
________
At one time you told us that it was easier to work on this Path here on Earth than in the Spirit World. Yet we know that our loved ones are developing too. They too, are working for their self-realization, and are helped by our work on ourselves. Could you explain how this works?
________
Can you tell us why the influx of the new Christ consciousness energy has accelerated the process of development?
Origin of Talents
How does heredity relate to karma and the plan?
________
When artists have really reached a very high level of artistic expression, have they attained that because they have also attained a high level of spiritual development and awareness? Do these things go together?
Cloning
Scientists are now able to clone animals. What happens to the formation of a soul in the case of a mass-produced human species, where everyone would be exactly the same, in which thoughts and knowledge could come through a bodily process instead of through a mental process?
So when life is not produced in a human way but is produced in a scientific way, where the ingredients of the life organism is absolutely identical, is there a different soul for each of these beings?
Family Connections
Can you talk a little more about the spiritual meaning of the parent-child relationship?
Wasted Lifetimes
If there are so many incarnations, why is it that we should work so hard in a given one?
Reincarnation Within Same Lifespan
The concept of reincarnation in the same life is very moving. In such a process, is the person aware of it? Are there any physical signs? Does it occur in sleep or in a waking state?
Is it possible that fear of life is really a fear of dying and reincarnating within this life—the process of giving up the old and moving on to the new?
I’d like to know whether my current crisis is actually a rebirth for me at this point?
Animal Souls
Regarding the evolution of animals, is it right that the highest animal, such a nice gentle horse, becomes the lowest type of human being, such as a criminal?
What can an animal learn from having a disease?
________
Do animals killed for the purpose of being eaten go into the same sphere as a deceased pet?
What it is like for an animal to wake up after it has died? How is this with the group souls?
________
Do animals change from one incarnation to another? For instance, will a cat be a cat in all incarnations?
________
Do animals have karma?
________
Do animals have souls?
Mankind knows very little about the awareness of animals. So why is man considered higher on the evolutionary scale?
________
What role have pets such as dogs and cats have played in the spiritual development of people, and vice versa?
The Spirit World
God’s World
You say we should be in contact with the Spirit World of God, and that other spirits will harm us spiritually and even physically. But isn’t everything God’s world?
Fighting Dark Forces
In Lecture #15 Influence Between the Spiritual World and the Material World, you spoke about the many spirits who are around a human being, spirits of darkness and higher spirits. Is our calling for them mainly conscious?
________
When bad things happen in life, is that due to the presence of dark forces?
________
Let us imagine that all humanity, meaning each individual, would follow the line of least resistance and give in to the Lower Self, and nurse it instead of fighting it. What would happen from your point of view?
Lucifer & His Henchmen
Why was the name Lucifer, which means light-bringer, given for the satanic power? Where is its scriptural origin?
________
In Isaiah it is said that God created good and evil. Did God create the evil forces and the Luciferic powers too?
________
A friend of ours who is a follower of Rudolf Steiner’s teachings said that there are not only two “kingdoms,” heaven and earth, good and evil, but three. According to this concept the earth is ruled by a being that is not Lucifer or the devil, but Ahriman, who is the ruler of matter and who is supposed to be more dangerous than Lucifer. Is this true?
________
The souls in the lower spheres are supposed to suffer much pain. How is it then that Lucifer, who is the worst of all evil spirits, does not seem to suffer? Is this just?
Angels & Ghosts
Sometimes I become conscious of an entity near me. How can I tell if this is true or not?
________
Is it OK to contact spirits to ask them for help?
________
In what form do spirits who are still undeveloped see higher spirits?
Developing Spiritual Qualities
Does everyone have the same potential for the development of the qualities of reason, will and emotion?
________
What are bodhisattvas?
Contacting the Spirit World
What is the best way to get in contact with people in the Spirit World?
________
I would like to ask about restitution to loved ones in the Spirit World. Apart from what you told us we can do, can we dedicate certain actions to them, or how can we help them to understand that we have understood, that we want to make restitution?
________
We know that when we are asleep, often the Spirit World teaches us or communicates with us. Is there any way of remembering these communications? Is there a way of training oneself to be more open to receive them consciously?
________
It seems possible to use a Ouija board to train oneself to communicate with other entities. Would you say this is a good thing to do?
Spiritual Tests
Why is it that one feels abandoned by God, that one finds oneself without assistance from the higher spheres, just when one goes through the most difficult times?
Seers & Nostradamus
May I ask in this connection about Nostradamus who has prophesied some of these events? Isn’t that impossible to do, over 400 to 500 years?
So the prediction of Nostradamus for the end of this century does not have to come true?
So seers such as Nostradamus have insight into these records?
Guardian Angels
Would you please tell us more about guardian angels?
Are any of the guardians in between incarnations, or are they all out of the cycle of incarnations?
Spiritual Helpers
What is the place of the White Brotherhood in the evolution of consciousness throughout history, and their place in the future evolution of consciousness?
Dreams
If some of our dreams are sent to us by the Spirit World in order to teach us a lesson, why then are they so covered by symbolism?
________
Can you give us suggestions for interpreting dreams?
________
Sometimes when one has an unresolved problem and one goes to sleep relaxed, intending to have the problem resolved, one wakes up with the solution. Is it correct that then one’s unconscious mind has solved it?
Listen to Keys on YouTube
Death
Accidents
If you say to yourself “I’m going to live a very long life, because I’m going to take excellent care of myself and properly develop myself and feed myself well,”—you may do all of these things and still walk right out into the street and a car may strike you dead. So is there another factor involved here?
________
This is in connection with a sudden death, in an accident, of a very good friend at the age of forty. I understand that everything has its meaning and its purpose. But is there really no such thing as an accident?
But can this have been avoided?
Destiny of Birth & Death
Is it correct that birth, and time and form of death, are determined by an unchangeable destiny?
Assassination of President Kennedy
In connection with the assassination of President Kennedy, what was the meaning—psychologically and metaphysically—of this event?
________
So to what extent do we form our fate or to what extent is our span destined for us?
It seems that former President Kennedy had reached an impasse in his endeavors and that he perhaps accomplished more by his departure than he would have been able to do further in fighting with the forces that were opposed to him. Is that right?
If this is so, what brings about the agency that terminates the existing life span?
On the subject of Kennedy, I would like to ask a question I wanted to ask for a long time. How does a Roman Catholic reconcile the Roman Catholicism in the last review of his life? What does he do with the last judgment and so on—all the things he practiced here?
Atheists
What happens after death to a person who was an atheist?
Is it correct that atheists remained in darkness because they are separated from divine light?
When Children Die
What happens in a case like the death of many children who burned in a fire. When those little spirits come into the Spirit World, is a death like this not a tremendous shock?
________
What seems so painful regarding the death of a small child is that there are so many things left undone.
________
When a young person dies, such as in an automobile accident, it seems that this must be connected with a death wish. Would you explain this more? Also, what is the work to find the death wish in oneself?
Life After Death
Do people who have gone to the beyond still have feelings of love for their children or relatives?
Are spirits in the Spirit World still tied to their country and their names?
________
Regarding Lecture #112 Humanity’s Relationship to Time, how can one truly face death and accept the reality of after-death so as to live in the Now?
________
What would be the best emotional and spiritual approach to aid someone who is dying in meeting this challenge?
Abortion
What is the effect on the embryo when it is aborted, and on the soul or the spirit substance?
Euthanasia
Some people die suddenly and some die lingeringly. What is your attitude toward euthanasia?
Rules About Killing Animals
Many people believe it is wrong to kill anything that is alive. However, what do you do when there are vermin in the house?
Saving Lives
What comments do you have to make about the blanket attitude of doctors to save life. Aren’t there many human beings who have unresolved problems and they should continue their life, and then there are other people who have resolved them and yet they are kept alive?
Mass Killings
Doesn’t it appear as a strange coincidence when there should be the death of many individuals, like for instance in a concentration camp or when a large group is burned in a fire? Isn’t there some sort of wrong thinking or action there?
Capital Punishment
How does spiritual law correspond with human law in the case of a death sentence for a murderer?
War
In the case of war, is the act of killing by a soldier contrary to divine law?
Spiritual Death
What is spiritual death?
Listen to Keys on YouTube
[Editor’s note: The chapter in Keys on the Bible has been skipped for this audio recording. All of the same information is provided in Bible Me This: Unravelling the riddles of the Bible, which offers the Pathwork Guide’s wisdom on the Bible in Jill Loree’s words.]
Prayer & Meditation
Prayer vs. Meditation
What is the difference between prayer and meditation?
________
Another spirit once told me that it is good to have a very long prayer and meditation. After some years, this became very much a habit. Some time ago, when I asked you about it, you said that this may not be good because there is a rigidity and a habit in such prayer, and that we should try to unlearn what we did at that time. I was wondering why was it that we were told by a supposedly developed spirit to fall into this habit-pattern?
Stages of Prayer
Will you please elaborate on the meaning of prayer in the different stages?
How to Meditate
I’m confused about ways of meditating. I know you’ve spoken about reviewing your daily life (Lecture #17 The Call—Daily Review); I know there are people who keep their minds clear and just listen; I know there are other people who fix their mind on an idea or an object. Are these also effective ways of meditating?
________
Very often I receive this guidance that suggests to ask for inner guidance from the inner self. Just how do you go about that?
How to Pray
Could you give us some highlights of what should be part of every prayer, every day?
There are some theories that say that in order to achieve the discipline of daily prayer, one should set aside the same time every day. I think that this leads rather to the routine against which you warned us. Which is right?
________
Are the batteries of both willpower and courage recharged by prayer?
________
What about the problem of selfishness in prayer?
________
Is silent prayer, without uttering words, sufficient, or does formulation and verbalization in loud words make prayer more effective?
________
I noticed that some people pray by addressing God in the third person. In other words, they speak about God. They say, for instance, “I ask God…,” rather than speaking directly to God. Is there any significance in this? Does it make any difference?
________
May I ask why is it so difficult at times to start praying at all?
________
Can you please provide some guidance for how to get started?
The Lord’s Prayer
I would very much like to have an explanation of how the Lord’s Prayer fits in with our present meditations, as well as an actual explanation.
Praying for Others
To what extent can we expect to help heal our friends through meditation and prayer?
________
Is it possible, through prayer and meditating, to influence the subconscious of a loved one who is at a great distance from you?
Mantras
Do mantras, such as repetitious prayers, help in the development of your own soul, and especially the phrase “I am?” And in what way does it help?
Listen to Keys on YouTube
God
How to Find God
How should we think of God?
________
How does a person go about re-establishing an emotional experience about God?
________
Would you explain further about the state of being and how to achieve it?
________
You close all your sessions with, “Be in peace. Be in God.” My question is about God. Recently it has been in the public press that many in religion are beginning to question the meaning of God. Can you comment on that?
Listen to Keys on YouTube
About the Authors
EVA PIERRAKOS, Author
Eva was born in 1915 in Vienna, the daughter of the well-known Austrian novelist Jakob Wasserman. Driven by a private curiosity and a desire for deeper understanding of her world, Eva began to develop the gift of accessing an inner voice, at first through automatic writing and later by speaking in a trance state. In time, the inner voice took shape as the authoritative, insightful and loving persona of the Pathwork® Guide.
Eva came to the United States in 1939 and continued her work in New York, giving Guide sessions and an ongoing series of trance lectures. She was a beautiful, vibrantly alive woman with a keen intelligence who enjoyed life in all its aspects. She loved people and animals, and enjoyed food, skiing, swimming and dancing.
Eva Pierrakos died in 1979, leaving behind her the rich legacy of more than two hundred Guide lectures and thousands of students and followers of the teachings.
JILL LOREE, Arrangement
I actually gave a lot of thought to how I should refer to myself relative to this body of Question and Answers. As we know, the author herself, Eve Pierrakos, didn’t claim to be the author. The author of these answers is the Pathwork Guide.
So while I have created this way of organizing this material, it is not my material. This material belongs to the Pathwork Foundation, a non-profit organization charged with disseminating and caring for the Pathwork Guide’s words.
I completed my assembly of these Q&As—which involved reading them, sorting them by topic, and editing them lightly for easier reading—around Christmastime. At the time, I was listening to the many different arrangements of Christmas music offered by so many different artists. Which is when the word “arrangement” popped into my head.
I didn’t create the “song”, but I crafted it this way so that others could enjoy it. If you are interested in exploring what else I have crafted to make these teachings from the Pathwork Guide easier to access, please visit Phoenesse.
—Jill Loree
Pathwork Helper
Founder of Phoenesse
Read more about how Jill Loree created The Guide Speaks