Part Vb
Always Point North

In diagram #14, the inner circle represents any constant 'other'. For students in the Work, the circle represents the Work Itself; whereas, for people in life, the circle could be a religion, career, family, person, etc.

Each petal represents a different aspect of an event or of life, a friend, lover, co-worker, etc. Each petal also represents situations and/or opportunities, which befall us all everyday. The wise Work students will cross-reference their own experiences by asking, "What would the Work say about this?"

Another question one might ask is:

"What Work principle would best apply to this life situation?" The ability to cross reference oneself, with the various aspects/ideals of the Work, allows the wise Work student to see objectively where they stand along a vertical scale of meaning/being.

The unfortunate soul who remains identified with their life, experiences every day as a continuous billiards game. They are never ready for the unexpected. Life hits them with one surprise after another. As a result, sleeping humanity is forever careening into the next note of the prevailing octave they are trying to manage, imprisoned inside and under the laws of accident.

By creating a constant reference point, the wise student is then grounded in the Work while remaining in life. Ideally, their reference point is an example of ethical/moral perfection, which enables the student to see where his or her level of being stands in relationship to the Work's idea of perfection. Unfortunately, most people in life are too asleep, too beleaguered and too distracted to notice where they are psychologically, much less where they have been or where they are headed.

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