Some people consider mother Work to be foundational. Katie often says start with "mother, father, sister, brother." It may be no mistake that mother is first on the list. After waking up she reportedly did extensive Work on her mother.
We all have stories about our mothers. Whether she died at your birth, is currently alive, or has died recently or long ago, a story remains about your mother.
The mother course is an opportunity to bring your stressful mother stories to the surface where you can begin to question them.
The course begins by using the 1-2-3 process available at thework.com.
We all write our complaints and share them with each other.
We get to see how "there are no new stressful thoughts, they're all recycled" as Katie says.
We may hear a complaint from a classmate that is similar to ours or one that was just out of reach, but upon hearing it we relate immediately. Emotions may arise.
This is an opportunity to give life to what may have remained unseen or swept aside for years and often decades. We may hear things from others that seem insignificant relative to our traumatic experience. And we may hear stories that startle or shock us. Regardless, we each bring our own story and each story runs our life in one way or another until we feel it is time to take it to inquiry and meet it with the clarity and understanding that The Work brings.
Some of us may have beliefs so deeply hidden we don't even know we're holding them. They may pop up during the course. The class sessions are a space of understanding and presence.
Some beliefs may hold a lot of shame around them. You're encouraged to go at your own pace and to take care of yourself. It may feel like the perfect time to share and it may feel too vulnerable to share. Your internal sense of safety will determine what feels okay to share and what doesn't. Nothing before its time. No one is asked to do any more than they are ready to do. This is your Work and what you bring to the class is what's right for you.
We only ask that you show up, and to the extent you are able, follow the simple directions of the curriculum. There is nothing complicated here. Essentially we write Worksheets and do inquiry within the container of the classroom and the support of each other.
Saying all this may make the course sound scary, and it may be for some of us. In my experience, many people are eager to get to the root of things — to discover what's between them and a loving connection with their mother and themselves.
Mother Course is the space for this and we welcome you to get what you came for while the opportunity is ripe.
The core content of the course is writing Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheets and investigating our thoughts, one at a time. There will be several ways of doing this including 1:1 facilitations, popcorn inquiry (one facilitator as everyone answers the questions), and breakout rooms during session. You'll be paired with a homework partner to exchange facilitations between class sessions.
There will be an online forum to share experiences, insights, and questions along the way and to post homework.
Our next course starts May 11th.
You're invited. Register here