10 Paying attention: The life-changing process of waking up
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10 Paying attention: The life-changing process of waking up
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About: Sorting out the parts of the self
If our lives aren’t currently in reasonably good working order, our ego is not yet ready to wake up.
This chapter breaks down what it actually means to “wake up,” moving beyond the idea into something more grounded and practical. At its core, waking up is about learning to notice what’s happening inside us—seeing the different parts of our psyche and gradually shifting which one is in charge.
The ego isn’t the problem; it’s the tool. But it has to learn how to listen to something deeper instead of trying to run everything on its own.
The chapter lays out a clear inner landscape—ego, Higher Self, Lower Self, and the defensive “mask”—and shows how much of our daily experience is shaped by patterns we don’t fully see.
Most of the work, it turns out, is about clearing out what blocks our connection to that deeper, steadier part of ourselves. And that’s not quick. It takes attention, honesty, and a willingness to face uncomfortable truths instead of bypassing them.
What sticks is the idea that growth isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about uncovering what’s already there. As we do that, life tends to feel less like a constant struggle and more like something we can actually move with.
Jill Loree is the founder of Phoenesse and a longtime student of the Pathwork teachings. She has studied the Pathwork Guide’s material since 1997 and completed four years of training to become a certified Pathwork Helper.
When she first encountered the Pathwork teachings, she described the experience as “walking through the doorway of an AA fourth step and finding the whole library.”
Through Phoenesse, Jill writes and teaches about personal transformation using the spiritual psychology found in the Pathwork lectures.
Her books present these teachings in clear, accessible language to help readers apply them in everyday life. Her work focuses on helping people move from the struggles of duality toward the peace of inner unity.
Raised in northern Wisconsin, Jill began her professional career in technical sales and marketing before discovering that her true calling lay in spiritual teaching and writing.
She lives in New York with her husband, Scott Wisler, who now works with her in sharing these teachings around the world.
