The Work
The Work is a shorthand phrase that refers to the essential work of Healing and Connection (really Reconnection, these days) that is necessitated as a consequence of a Toxic Socialization process that damages the Physical Unit and disconnects us from Highest Self.
Syncretic Terms
The Work >
The Great Work > Doctrine of the Three Times, Eschatology
Related Terms
Notes
The Work is the psychological, intellectual, and emotional process of merging the Bodily Ego with the Spiritual Ego.
The Work requires the sufficient satisfaction of the body's Seven Essential Needs.. Compare The Work to The Great Work. This is something noted by Swami Vivekananda in his book Karma Yoga where he says "Helping others physically, by removing their physical needs, is indeed great, but the help is great according as the need is greater and according as the help is far reaching. If a man's wants can be removed for an hour, it is helping him indeed; if his wants can be removed for a year, it will be more help to him; but if his wants can be removed for ever, it is surely the greatest help that can be given him."[1] This includes the satisfaction of our needs for alignment and connection. As Vivekananda says "Spiritual knowledge is the only thing that can destroy our miseries for ever; any other knowledge satisfies wants only for a time. It is only with the knowledge of the spirit that the faculty of want is annihilated for ever; so helping man spiritually is the highest help that can be given to him."[2]
It is important to note that the Work is not an operation that we conduct on our souls. That is, the Work is not an alchemical work of soul purification. Your "soul," your Highest Self, is already perfect and requires no moral, evolutionary, or spiritual development whatsoever. It is your physical unit that is the problem. Thus, the Work is the work of healing the Physical Unit so it can reConnect to its own Highest Self.
Additional Reading and Viewing
Video: What does it take to be healthy, happy, and whole
Footnotes
- ↑ Vivekananda, Swami. "The Secret of Work." Collected Works of Swami Vivekananda. Vol. 5. 9 vols. Advaita Ashrama, 2016. https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/SWAMI-VIVEKANANDA-COMPLETE-WORKS-Vol-1.pdf
- ↑ Vivekananda, Swami. "The Secret of Work." Collected Works of Swami Vivekananda. Vol. 5. 9 vols. Advaita Ashrama, 2016. https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/SWAMI-VIVEKANANDA-COMPLETE-WORKS-Vol-1.pdf
