There’s been an exciting craze of spirituality sweeping the planet as we’ve turned the corner into the new millennium. During this same time period, people have been reacting more and more negatively to the fanatics and the many foibles of organized religion. So we’ve taken our business across town—to workshops and meditation retreats, coffee shops and the latest spiritual teacher’s bestseller. In doing so, we have thrown out the baby with the bath water.

The Guide tells us that what’s behind all this activity is Christ consciousness, so it seems then that Jesus would be on board. It turns out that, more than that, he’s had a big hand in what’s been happening all along. He helped make it happen. But we’ve lost our way in having appreciation for his part in this story.

I can relate. I’ve lost my way a time or two. I began my young life as a Christian, going to a Lutheran church, singing in the choir.But by my mid-twenties, when I found myself sitting in my first AA meeting, I had veered off into a self-made belief system about a God-who-said-Go. Sure, there was a God. He created this place and then he said Go. We have been on our own ever since.

For the next decade, I sat absorbing a brand of spirituality that spoke to me deep in my soul. They said things in AA meetings like “there’s a God-shaped hole in my soul.” I could believe that. I felt hollow and nothingI had tried so far to fill it had made much of a dent.

And then along came a big spiritual shift. An opening. A really grand opening. The whole world of “spirituality” started unfolding for me and I began to consume books and tapes by current spiritual teachers: Carolyn Myss and Barbara Brennan were my first. Then the teachings from the Pathwork^® came along. I was lit up. On fire. Totally fascinated.

When a new passion consumes you like that, you want to bring everyone you know along with you on the ride. And so I shared what I was discovering with several friends and colleagues. I wasn’t much bothered by the fact that this wasn’t igniting them the way it was me. But I was stopped in my tracks when one friend asked, “So where does Jesus fit into all of this?” Dead in my tracks.

The best I could do was acknowledge that I had no idea. Not a clue. It was essentially forbidden to speak of Jesus in AA meetings, which was fine by me. But nothing in all the spiritual works I was reading was talking about Jesus either. So I had to let it go. I just didn’t know what else to do with that.

As the years would roll on, I found myself aligning more and more with the Guide’s teachings. (That’s the source of these teachings, which the Pathwork Foundation oversees). After five years of study, I signed up for four years of training to become a Helper—one who works with others to heal and grow spiritually by following wisdom from the Guide.

Re-reading this condensed cosmology story every year for several years fortified my sense that somehow Jesus needed to find a way into spiritual circles.

Of the roughly 250 lectures that were given by the Guide, there are just a handful dedicated primarily to the topic of Jesus. But they are there. Those just weren’t ones we spent much time studying. Trust me, there were plenty of others to work with and we dug deep.

But along the way I would, with some frequency, raise my voice among fellow Pathworkers and ask, “But what about Jesus?” I got blank stares and “good question” from others who were also open to knowing more about what the Guide taught about the life of Jesus. What I didn’t get was much of an answer.

One of my greatest openings came at Easter one year when along-time Pathworker made the suggestion to read the cosmology lectures. This run of lectures that tell the cosmology of how we came to be and the role Jesus Christ played in this. Someone else took a shot at shortening these down to a single 10-pager. It’s still long and a little windy. But holy moly, it packs a punch.

Re-reading this condensed cosmology story every year for several years fortified my sense that somehow Jesus needed to find a way into spiritual circles. Then, when I took a deep dive into the Pathwork Q&As, sorting them by topic and making them available on a website, I got an even more fleshed-out feeling for this whole thing—how it could all make sense and why we should care.

This book, then, is my attempt to share in one place most of the Guide’s teachings about how it all began, what happened along the way, and how Christ fits into this story. Prepare to greatly expand your thinking. Because whatever you’re thinking, it’s not what you’re thinking.

In my condensing and rewording, I hope I do these teachings justice as I endeavor to add the service of brevity. And if I can add a tiny bit of levity as we go along, why not. This path is, after all, all about lightness.

But you are always welcome to read the Guide’s words directly, as all of the teachings are available for free online:

www.pathwork.org | Read lectures and find links to other Pathwork websites around the world

www.theguidespeaks.com | Q&As answered by the Guide

I must warn you, however, that the Guide’s words are many and it can at times feel like you’re walking through tall grass. But if you persevere you will undoubtedly resonate with the truth of these timeless teachings and open up new avenues to explore on your spiritual path.

It is my hope that with this retelling you’ll feel edified, inspired and even more grateful—both for Jesus and what he has done and continues to do for us, and for the Guide, who has offered a version of this whole story that makes so much sense.

I add my personal gratitude to Eva Pierrakos, whom I never had the chance to meet. She is the one who dedicated her life to giving the Guide an instrument through which to speak, and in doing so, gave us such a precious gift.

–Jill Loree

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