There is no contradiction or duality between surrendering and standing up for what’s right. They are both vital halves of one complete whole.
People on a spiritual path of self-knowing like to use the word “surrender”. Those of us who aren’t capable of surrendering aren’t going to have much luck finding the core of our being—our divine nature. We won’t be able to love or truly learn and grow. We’ll be stiff and defended and closed off…
One thing we need surrendering to is God’s will, because without that, we’re lost…And let’s be clear, truth and God are synonymous…What else needs surrendering to? For one, our own feelings…We also need to surrender to the people we love. We need to trust them and give them the benefit of the doubt…
Refusing to surrender has to do with lack of trust as well as suspicion and fear, and a general misunderstanding that we’ll be giving up our autonomy along with our ability to make decisions in the future. But our holding out creates a supercharged self-will that wears a person out. As a result, we run on empty…
Surrendering, on the other hand, is a movement of fullness. When we give over and let go, enrichment must follow; it’s a natural law…But it doesn’t work to just say “surrendering is the key.” If only it were that simple. For example, are we to surrender to someone who truly can’t be trusted?…
There is an indispensable need to have a discriminating mind that knows when to trust…Surrendering does not mean to give up our ability to make good choices. Rather, in surrendering, we may see that a change of course is appropriate…The rough terrain to navigate is the interim stage in which we’re not quite whole and therefore objective enough to fully let go into an inner yielding attitude without which it’s impossible to become more whole. So we must try…
There is, in fact, no contradiction between surrendering and standing up for what’s right. Neither is possible without the other; they are both vital halves of one complete whole…Oddly, it takes a tremendous amount of courage to believe in God’s truth and our power to carry it out into the world.
Jill Loree grew up in northern Wisconsin with parents who embraced their Norwegian, Swedish and German heritage. Foods like lutefisk, lefse and krumkaka were prepared every Christmas. And of course there was plenty of beer, bratwurst and cheese all year round.
She would go on to throw pizzas and bartend while attending college at the University of Wisconsin, and then moved into a career in technical sales and marketing. She would settle in Atlanta in 1989 and discover that the sweet spot of her career would be in marketing communications. A true Gemini, she has a degree in chemistry and a flair for writing.
One of Jill’s greatest passions in life has been her spiritual path. Raised in the Lutheran faith, she became a more deeply spiritual person in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) starting in 1989. In 1997, she was introduced to the wisdom of the Pathwork Guide, which she describes as “having walked through the doorway of a fourth step and found the whole library.”
In 2007, she completed four years of training to become a Pathwork Helper, and stepped fully into her Helpership in 2011. In addition to offering individual and group sessions, she has been a teacher in the Transformation Program offered by Mid-Atlantic Pathwork. She also led marketing activities for Sevenoaks Retreat Center in Madison, Virginia and served on their Board of Trustees.
In 2012, Jill completed four years of kabbalah training and became certified for hands-on healing using the energies embodied in the tree of life. She began dedicating her life to writing and teaching about personal self-development in 2014.
Today, Jill is the proud mom of two adult children, Charlie and Jackson, and is delighted to be married to Scott Wisler. She’s had more than one last name along the way and now happily uses her middle name as her last. It’s pronounced loh-REE. In 2022, Scott joined her full time in their mission to spread the teachings of the Pathwork Guide far and wide.
