"When I argue with reality I lose. But only 100% of the time."

~Byron Katie, Loving What Is~

The Work of Byron Katie is a means of freeing our minds from the limiting beliefs that cause stress and unhappiness. Followed long enough, The Work is a path to complete liberation. In the meantime, it can be very useful for helping us understand, live with, and learn from the seemingly senseless acts of violence and dis-ease we witness and participate in on a daily basis.

There are two main ways that I work with The Work. The first is the Inquiry Circle.

Inquiry Circles are groups that meet around the world to share The Work of Byron Katie with others. They are open to anyone, and are free of any philosophy, teachings, or pressure. Inquiry Circles are simply people interested in a happier life coming together to question our most commonly held limiting beliefs. No previous experience with The Work is needed, just your presence. There is no fee to attend and donations are appreciated. For more general information, visit http://www.thework.org/inquiry/index.html, Katie's website describing Inquiry Circles.

Upcoming Dates and Locations for Inquiry Circles
Location & Parking	Date	Time
Boulder Co-Op Commons, 19th and Pearl, Boulder, CO. Free street parking: north of Pearl on 19th (2hr) and 1 block north of and parallel to Pearl on Spruce (3hr)	Thursday, Feb. 10	2:30 to 4:00 pm
	Friday, Feb. 18	7:00 to 9:00 pm
	Tuesday, Feb. 22	noon to 1:30 pm

Given sufficient interest, I hope to have a regularly scheduled Inquiry Circle that meets weekly at the Commons. If you are sincerely interested in participating but cannot meet on any of these scheduled days/times, please email me and let me know what works better for you. I'd love to see a weekly Inquiry Circle meeting in Boulder!

The second way I work with The Work is through the Judge Your Neighbor Worksheet and facilitation.

Judge your neighbor.
Write it down.
Ask four questions.
Turn it around.

Many, if not most of us, have been taught that it is not good to judge - not good to judge ourselves, not good to judge others, not good to judge the world around us, etc. In fact, the key to enlightenment seems to be not judging anything. If we could actually live this way - free of judgements and limiting beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world - it would probably be wonderful. However, most of us can't do this with any degree of consistency and integrity and so, when we pretend we can we are living as hypocrites in denial.

The Work, instead of telling us we should live some way that most of us find impossible, meets us where we are. Not only does The Work allow us to admit that we do judge, The Work allows us to use our judgements as our key to liberation. Instead of calling our judgements bad (and, by guilt of association, calling ourselves bad) The Work invites us to be as judgemental, petty, and un-enlightened as possible - on paper. Finally, the ego is allowed free rein - on paper. We admit that we judge and we use our judgements, by writing them down and questioning them, to find truths about ourselves and the world we live in.

The four questions are:
Is it true?
Can I absolutely know it's true?
How do I react when I think that thought?
Who would I be without that thought?

After completing the four questions, we are then invited to turn the thought around. Turn it around to the self, the other, the opposite, and any other way that seems interesting and/or true for you. The Work is not about assigning blame. The Work is a school for self-knowledge, self-awareness.

The Work seems very simple, and indeed it is. To be most effective, it helps if you can bring an open mind, honesty, and a willingness to learn. Once we admit that we don't already know everything about everyone in our lives, then the real gifts of inquiry can be felt.

While The Work can be done alone - just you, your judgements (written down!), and the four questions - I have found it very helpful to have a compassionate and focused facilitator helping me through the inquiry process. The facilitator helps the client stay focused on the statements and questions at hand. It is also profoundly effective to have another human being witness the inquiry process. Being witnessed helps move The Work out of the realm of thought and into the realm of human relationships.

These "Judge Your Neighbor" sessions are usually conducted one-on-one. During our first session, I help you through the judge your neighbor worksheet answering questions about the process and about The Work. Then we go through the statements on your worksheet one at a time and ask the four questions then apply the turnarounds. This is your process. I am present as a compassionate witness and to help you stay focused. At no point in time am I telling you what you should do with the person or situation your working with. You have your own best answers. I help create an environment of openness, honesty, safety, and integrity from which your own best answers can emerge.

There is no set cost to do The Work with me. I will gladly accept donations of whatever amount and type feel good to you. Donations received will be used to help The Work continue. I was graced with a full scholarship when I attended the School for The Work. I am very grateful for this scholarship and will give any net income I receive from facilitating The Work to the scholarship fund so that others may have the same opportunity I enjoyed.

Interested in doing The Work? Want to learn more about it? Email me or call 610-762-1664 for more information and to set up an appointment. You can also visit Byron Katie's website, http://www.thework.org and download a Judge Your Neighbor Worksheet (requires Acrobat Reader).

Created on ... January 26, 2005