The Three Lines of Work

Every morning at any of our retreats, we walk to the field to face east after morning meditation to do our bows of gratitude, prayer, and intention called the Rukus. They start our day as reminders of the three lines of work in a spiritual practice. We show gratitude and respect for the inextricable aspects of deeper meaning behind all that we do.

Developing the three lines of work is essential for our spiritual nature to bear fruit for the greater good and not just for ourselves. They are:

• Work on Oneself
• Work for the Group
• Work for the Work

Perhaps most of us approach our spiritual development and self-transformation for the benefit of becoming better people; people who connect more and suffer less. It is desirable to want to improve our state of being and seek a better way of life in which we find freedom from our conditioned behavior and responses.

If we are called to this path, we seek means by which to become free from conditioning that keeps us in reaction and self-centeredness. Usually, there is a fair amount of suffering that incites a profound search for something more in this life. 

If we hear the call and begin the search, we have embarked on the first line of work; Work on Oneself.

For some, that is all there is and their work at some point loses deeper meaning and there is a reason. Our spiritual work is not just about us and our self-improvement. It is not just about healing trauma and being happy. It is not just about becoming free.

Spiritual work takes on deeper meaning when it is connected to all three lines of work. Our freedom serves something much greater.

With spiritual development and freedom, we experience empathy and something we call in the Fourth Way, external considering. We are able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes instead of taking everything so personally. We acquire breadth and non-attachment in order to see where others are and that we all belong.

From there, our relationships change. We no longer see others as fulfilling our needs. We see others for who they are and can create meaningful and transformative connections. This strengthens our work in groups and communities. Group spiritual work creates a refined energetic environment where we can experience accelerated transformation. This is the second line of work; Work for the Group.

If the group is developed in a balanced and proper way, then something is released into the atmosphere that can carry the living teaching. The teaching itself becomes a living thing from which people can draw a higher source of energy. This living energy is then fuel for a greater transformation of the planet itself and everything living in harmony on it. This is the third line of work; Work for the Work.

I am always looking for these three lines of work during the retreats and in our weekly study groups. As we near the end of our retreat season, I can reflect on different events and the individual interactions of folks at each retreat and see how the three lines of work were in activation. 

It all started with putting up the tepee in the Spring, where our small group really had to use ingenuity rather than strength to erect the lift pole with the entire tepee canvas wrapped around it. We had to see what we could actually do. We rolled the pole in on a cart from the field rather than carrying it on our shoulders, and we did the whole thing in a day. Years ago, this used to take a much larger and stronger group two to three days to do the same thing. This set the tone for our entire season.

Every retreat had an air of seriousness to it. Participants were dedicated seekers there to learn. Sound Camp was all about healing and collaboration. By the end, everyone had the chance to do a sound healing. Together we created a very healing energy in the tepee and left with something profound to carry home.

The Weeklong Retreat hosted many out-of-state participants; a testament to our growth as a school. We set out to forge a path from the “parking lot” toward the location of our future garden. We were twelve strong with two kids in tow and got much further that any of us could have imagined. We stayed collected and carried the energy of presence daily. By the last day, we had not only cleared an entire path through sometimes very thick brambles all the way to the garden plot, but also got the garden prepared with the compost we had made over the last four years. This was a milestone and this work will touch all future participants.

Our strong individual work was apparent in the Movements classes and our group work coalesced quickly. We were moving as an energetic entity faster than any retreat we have ever had.

The Women’s Alumni Retreat had an air of trust and vulnerability. That combination of people and all the retreats before them contributed to this. We were able to lock in quicker. The morning meditations seemed to continue on from the retreat three weeks before it. The land and every “space” felt more electric. We dove deep, experiencing unexpected levels of grief and acceptance.

Every morning at every retreat, we said the Rukus, bowing in reverence:

To the Creator, Giver and Sustainer of all Life, we give our most sincere gratitude.

To all of those in this Great Work, past, present and future, may we all come to liberation.

To all of life in this Great Universe, wherever it may be, may we come to live in peace and harmony together