Byron Katie Newsletter: January 2008

January 13, 2008
The Byron Katie Newsletter

Another year—is it true? Another Mental Cleanse.

I write you to invite your mind to The Work, knowing that peace can only come from your invitation to yourself. Peace and happiness are the same, and if that is your goal, The Work works.

Are you beginning to understand that it’s not reality that changes, it’s what you believe (not what you want to believe) that changes reality?

In-joy yourself, re-joice yourself, know yourself, happiness yourself through inquiry.

The Work is how; inside you releases the what. When you see the what, the enlightenment that the what shows you is all that is necessary for automatic change to take place, and it does.

In peace, as peace, as your own dear self,

kt (also known to me as you).

P.S. Tina has posted an offer on the 33CD set for the 2007-2008 Cleanse—available till January 25th. The Gift of Dyslexia DVD is also now available in the store.

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Announcing: Turnaround House

Opening in March 2008 in Ojai, California
Opening in April 2008 in San Francisco, California
Opening in July 2008 in Mallorca, Spain

Turnaround House is a 28-day residential program that confronts the ultimate addiction, the only addiction: the mind's addiction to the unquestioned stressful thoughts that cause all the suffering in our life.

Learn more >> www.thework.com/turnaroundhouse

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2007 - 2008 Mental Cleanse
Limited Time Offer (till January 25th)

Each year, for a limited time, the entire unedited Cleanse is made available on a 33 CD set, and this year it is also available on a preloaded 2 GB MP3 player as a special offer. The Cleanse set can be ordered for $235 only until January 25th. After that, this set will no longer be available for sale.

The Cleanse is a much-loved annual event, with The Work of Byron Katie as the only agenda on the program. For several days running, Katie facilitates one participant after another with the four questions and turnarounds that never fail to restore us to sanity. Meet each person as the beloved, as Katie does— the teacher who has a troublesome student; a mother who fears that her son will die in a car accident; the man who believes that his wife spends too much and that he has to work too hard to support her; a young man who believes that his parents gave his sister more support. Beyond these familiar stories (“There are no new stressful thoughts—they’re all recycled”) and all the roles we’ve all played or encountered, break through to the clear, open mind on the other side of inquiry.

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A Letter from Stever (School Graduate)

Hi Katie,

I wanted to share a brief update on post-Work.

I launched a podcast three weeks ago called The Get-It-Done Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More on iTunes. Much to my delight, it climbed through the charts quickly and became #1 worldwide in the business category, and #50 in all categories.

I was very excited.

Then all my friends and well-meaning colleagues began telling me I should "leverage" the placement. I should work harder. The opportunity might vanish at any moment. I began to rush. It got stressful planning and strategizing and Rush Rush Rushing.

Then I suddenly asked: "I need to do something to leverage this"—is that true?

Now I'm puzzling everyone around me. I check the ratings daily and calmly go about my business. With no effort, no leveraging, and no action, the podcast has continued to climb in the rankings and is now #21 worldwide.

"You must leverage opportunities. You have to work hard to achieve your goals. Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor. You have to work to take advantage of opportunity." Katie, is that true? Apparently not *big grin*!

Thank you for revolutionizing my life!

Love,
Stever

A Letter from Colleen

Dear Katie,

I am drawn to share my gratitude for The Work in my life, as my son was diagnosed with a brain tumor 6 months ago. He had a 9 hour surgery and the tumor was removed and was noncancerous. I filled paper after paper with all my fearful thoughts and questioned them with The Work. It was my saving grace, as I got to be there with my son with my heart wide open through the whole experience. I uncovered all my love for him, for life, there was only love left. I faced my greatest fear and I survived, The Work held my hand all the way through it. I am deeply moved and so grateful I have this friend called "The Work" in my life. When my son had the first MRI to show if there was a tumor, I did not panic or collapse, I asked the nurse if I could have a pen and paper and sat down to do The Work while he was getting his MRI. I cry with gratitude that The Work came to me immediately like a guardian angel visiting me when I most needed it.

So much love your way,
Colleen

A Letter from Anne

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the hotline. I have used it three times this week and feel that it has been more beneficial than 20 years of therapy. Wow, what a gift you all are providing!

I would like to share a success from my work on the hotline.

I work with a guy who is one of my best friends and we used to be lovers, but then I decided two years ago that I did not want a sexual relationship with him anymore and I have been celibate ever since. Every two weeks or so we go through this cycle where he feels particularly close to me and asks me if we can have sex. And I get so mad inside thinking, "He shouldn't be asking me for sex, he knows that I don't want sex. He should accept that we are just friends. And on top of this I feel guilty for letting him down." With these thoughts, I distance myself from him, snap at him, and then feel depressed inside that he doesn't respect my boundaries. Then, usually a day or two later, I muster up the courage to tell him it's hopeless, I am not going to have sex with him, etc. But the whole cycle takes alot of energy and I don't feel loving in the process.

But after doing The Work around this issue on the hotline, I realized that Bill should be asking me for sex. That I am not letting him down, I am letting me down when I act the way I do toward him, and I am the one not respecting my own boundaries. So the very next day he asked me the question. And I patiently looked at him and said, "I love you and no." And then I asked him if he would want to have sex with me if I didn't want to have sex with him, and he said, "No." And I asked him if I was letting him down by saying "No," and he said that I wasn't letting him down and that he had accepted two years ago that I wasn't going to have sex with him anymore, but it was just kind of a game for him. Then I laughed and told him he might want to go out and find someone who wanted to have sex with him and he chuckled and said, "Sounds good." And then I said I would even help him in the process.

This was after I had shared that I was going to a Workshop in KY this weekend. So at the very end he said, "Well, I am hoping that you will come back from the weekend, be fixed, and then let me have sex with you." And I looked at him with love and said, "Okay sweetie, but would it be okay if I came back and didn't want to have sex with you?" And he said, "Yes."

So this amazing dialogue occurred because I didn't react with anger and resentment. I just stayed in the present moment and was with the interaction.

There was no fear in me, there was no anger. Bill can keep asking me and I can keep loving him and myself in the process.

THIS IS SO HUGE AND SO NEW FOR ME. Before a couple of weeks ago, I would have felt justified in my reaction and had no way to access the love inside of me.

This is giving me myself back and helping me to find compassion and love where there has been depression, guilt and anger.

I feel excited and hopeful about life for the first time in decades. I will continue to keep using the hotline and now want to come to the School in April. This is changing my life and is the biggest and best gift I have ever been given.

Thank you, Byron Katie, and thank you to all the facilitators for giving their time and presence to this process.

Sincerely,
Anne

Video: The Gift of Dyslexia

view an excerpt online >>

The Gift of Dyslexia DVD is now available in the store.

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If it feels right to you, please share this email with your friends - kt

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