Light of Mani

Master Mani, what would you like to share on the subject of work?

For today’s focal point we bring to you a twelve pointed star — the star of what you would call your career or life’s work. The twelve may be divided into quarters, or four parts of three. In this we follow the twelve months of the year and the four seasons. Each season has a progression from beginning middle to end. And so four stages each with a distinct development.

The first stage represents your freedom of not knowing, your freedom of being ignorant. Quickly you receive feedback that in your ignorance you have made great mistakes. And so it is like you have eaten the fruit of knowledge from the forbidden tree and now you know you know nothing.

Now the 2nd phase is to feel fear, shame and guilt for your ignorance. I am unknowing and unworthy! And so you look around trying to find anything that will cure you from this unknowing. Any self help, religion, schools or learning that will rid you of this unwanted beast. Ah, and then you find it, the one perspective that will cure you.

The next stage, stage 3, is that now of knowing, but no understanding. One in this stage has no concept of understanding — they just know and have all the answers. And so wealth is obtained, material and social recognition gained for all of the worldly knowing this one has found. This stage is having everything, but understanding nothing. And slowly the revelation will dawn, in this life or the next, that in having everything something is still missing.

And so stage 4 begins, a very unpleasant stage. Even more unpleasant than any prior stage for it is so lonely having everything and understanding it not. And the real work begins, the work to understand everything. Once having an answer for everything and now unsure of even the most simple questions, we can begin to realize that this state of being and knowing nothing is the way. For we do not know and cannot know everything; we can only know that we are all united under god and that my actions and presence is always welcome. And that we simply must just be and flow with the experiences of life, much like a child or fool. But in full mastery.