Moving toward the undefended self — What does this ask of us?
The Ottawa Pathwork community is offering a series of free lecture discussions focused on becoming our undefended selves — free from the burden of our masks and the need to constantly defend against anything that we deem fearful or that threatens our self-will or pride. Instead, we are invited to embrace our vulnerability — to see it not as weakness, but as strength, and as the key to satisfying our longing for unity and connection.
With this goal in mind, we’ll explore the following areas:
- The destructive nature of our defense mechanisms — our images, pseudosolutions, and Idealized Self-Image
- The steps to begin dismantling our defense system
- What being undefended looks like in our everyday lives
- How the courage to be vulnerable positively impacts all our relationships —including those with ourselves, our intimate partners, and God
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The realms of privacy and secrecy are separated by a fine line. Where is that line… And why should we care?
“If privacy and secrecy are being confused, either the need
for closeness or the need for privacy must be shortchanged.”
According to Lecture 252, privacy is “a legitimate need of the soul,” although it can go into distortion in certain cases. Secrecy, however, “in its real sense, is never positive.”
On the path toward the undefended self, we are repeatedly asked to drop our defences, risk exposure, and embrace vulnerability. Secrets would have us do exactly the opposite. They function as a defence, designed to shield us from judgment or hurt.
However, like all our other defensive strategies, secrets do not truly protect us from pain and loss. Instead, they erode our self-esteem, taint our relationships, foster separation, and promote lying and mistrust.
In Lecture 252, the Pathwork Guide promises that when we find the courage to stand in our truth and shed the armour of our secrets, we will discover “more love, more respect, more friendship, more help, more recognition of your real values — not to mention the relief of ridding yourself of an unbearable burden.”
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FACILITATORS
Janet Mullen and Natalie Morisset,
apprentice Pathwork Helpers with Pathwork Ottawa.
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Join us via Zoom on the first Tuesday of each month (except December, and March – second Tuesday), from 7 to 8:30 pm. You can find registration details below.
Tues. Oct. 7: 7 pm
Natalie Morisset
Lecture 100: Meeting the Pain of Destructive Patterns
Tues. Nov. 4: 7 pm
Janet Mullen
Lecture 191: Inner and Outer Experience
Tues. Jan. 6: 7 pm
Natalie Morisset & Janet Mullen
Lecture 155: Fear of Self; Giving and Receiving
Tues. Feb. 3: 7 pm
Madeline Dietrich
Lecture 26: Finding One’s Faults
Tues. Mar. 10: 7 pm
Jean Millar
Lecture 257: Aspects of the New Divine Influx: Communication, Group Consciousness, Exposure
Tues. Apr. 7: 7 pm
Janet & Natalie
Lecture 252: Privacy and Secrecy
Tues. May 5: 7 pm
Mary Gordon
Lecture 250: Inner Awareness of Grace
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We welcome you to join us as we work with these lectures to discover the wisdom and guidance they can provide — helping us begin to remove our armour and risk opening ourselves to life more fully.
For information about the Pathwork and for free download of lectures, visit www.pathwork.org.
For information about Pathwork Ottawa, visit www.pathworkottawa.ca.
Donations are welcome and contribute to the providing of bursaries for those in need to attend Pathwork Ottawa programs and events. Donations can be made by sending an e-transfer to the following email: info@pathworkottawa.ca.
For the Zoom information for this session, please email nmorisset@gmail.com indicating you wish to attend. The Zoom link will be emailed to you a week prior to the lecture, and again on the day of the lecture.