Opus Day 1: Approach Your Work

[Barque]

Welcome to Opus, an online exploration of Thomas Moore’s new book, A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering what You were Born to Do. For forty weekdays, a daily Opus discussion will contain a passage from the book and a practice suggestion. We encourage you to share your responses to the quotation and the suggestion with Barque Forum members as replies to the discussion. We recommend that you to buy A Life at Work or borrow it from your local public library, however, you do not need a copy of the book to participate in this course. This first Opus discussion reviews the structure of the course and includes today's initial practice.

Daily Discussions: For 40 weekdays (Monday to Friday), on the Barque Forum, in the Opus category, a daily discussion will be posted, containing a passage from Thomas Moore’s A Life at Work.

Each discussion quote will be followed by a suggested work practice, based on the passage. Do something every day to deepen your work. Keeping a personal journal about your reflections and reactions to the daily offering may be helpful.

Replies: As a registered member of Barque, you are warmly invited to respond to the daily offering, sharing your responses with others. You may want to reply a few days after the initial posting when you’ve had a chance to think about what happened. This information is public and can be viewed by all Barque visitors. Check earlier Opus discussions for new replies.

The first step in the Opus course is to register as a free member of Barque. Only registered members can post replies. When you register, please share some of your interests by completing your Barque member profile.

Replies to the daily discussion topic are to be supportive and affirming, and based on one’s own experiences.

1. Log into your Barque account,
2. Select the Forum tab at the top,
3. Select the Opus category on the left side.
Opus course discussions will be displayed in reverse chronological order.

Please send Barque a message if you have any questions about this course.

We thank Mary Ann and Frederic Brussat at Spirituality and Practice for their Thomas Moore resources and for offering the course, Practicing Spirituality with Thomas Moore, earlier this year.

Opus Day 1

“Alchemy offers a model for finding your life work. It teaches that the search is not just about the product but also the process. It offers rich metaphors for the many changes you go through, the moods and emotions you experience, and the repeated failures and successes that are a natural part of the process. Most of all, alchemy takes the search out of the realm of the heroic, where you are desperate to succeed and despair when you fail, into a complex process where the search is a lifelong process.

Still the alchemist approached his work as though his life depended on it. He believed that the opus is the most important thing you do in life. Your work is equally important, too, not just as a means for making a living but as the medium through which you become a person.”

Today’s work: This preparation stage for adopting an approach to work considers intentions, tools and techniques. Please share why you are following this course, what interests you about this topic, and what you hope to learn or achieve. What items would a visitor find in your alchemical laboratory to assist this process?

Share your responses with Barque readers, by replying to this discussion.

[Ian]

For years I tried to find my life's focus through university study - science, cognitive science, then philosophy - I hoped to discover what I was best suited to and the people and subjects that inspired me. At the time it always seemed I was getting closer to learning what was right for me, yet none of these lived up to my dreams, and I quit them all in disappointment, feeling like a failure. Perhaps those years were wasted in chasing success rather than depth, or perhaps the mistake was in not persisting, or perhaps at university I was in flight from life. Of course, so much was gained: academic success, fun, friendships, and love, but not what I sought.

I'd love to see my life path in the complex way the quote suggests, but don't think I have the alchemy in my life that is needed - that is what I want to learn. My only alchemical item is my journal, which I spend time with daily on the train on the way to work, but how easily me and my writing are seduced by heroic goals in fiction and philosophy!

[Eileen]

Knowing what my life work is has been a life long quest. I've been a mother, teacher, social service worker, library clerk, and a few other things. This is the year that I have been out of work as my job as an adult education teacher was lost due to a reduced budget. So I find myself back to the drawing board at midlife. I have been reading A Life at Work since the Thomas Moore e-course at Spirituality and Practice, and I hope to ponder different ways of looking at work and finding my next path.

I also have a journal as a tool in this process as well as my intuition and past experiences. I have an idea that my calling includes helping people in some capacity. To that end, I am volunteering in a literacy center now, which is definitely a part of my life's work even though it is not for pay.

[Jonathan Arnold]

I am interested in this course because I find that all of my TM readings need to be digested slowly. I can't read more than a page at a time anyway and I welcome the opporunity to process together with the group.

I have a lot of trouble balancing the needs of my job, family and personal needs. I am the founder and director of local community nonprofit. We started a few years ago and the we are growing in many ways. I struggle with this job in many ways.

I appreciate the idea of not taking my work out of the realm of the heroic. The mission of my nonprofit is to reach out to adolescents at risk. This type of work brings with it its seeming crises. I often beat up on myself because I do not have the stamina that I perceive neccessary for the success of my job. I can't stay up until midnight working and I need boundaries and yet things always desperately need to get done.

I look forward to learning more to find myself in my work instead of getting lost in the adminstrative work. I look forward to working on enjoying the beauty in what I have created and the work that I do.

I keep a journal very sporadically and it mostly does not connect to my work. My wife always begs me to write down the stories that happen that are meaningful to me.

Jonathan

[Dr. Robert Klass]

Dear Ian & Other Interested Parties, I am very glad that we are doing this! From what I can tell, we all are on some kind of life journey, and at least part of it is unpredictable. Back in 1967, I was just out of the University of California, and I had a pretty blonde girlfriend, a brand-new Mustang convertible and I was walking the canyons of San Francisco working for the Xerox Corporation. Even then, I knew I was faking it, that the people at Xerox would realize that I was a totally unmotivated fraud, but I quit before they figured it out, and they seemed genuinely sorry to see me go. I suppose I could look at that part of my life as a failure, but THANK GOD I didn't spend my life doing that.

It's funny, but I don't ever remember being a seeker of enlightenment or much of anything else; it seems to me that I was pretty much a blank page. I'd like to believe that I was the kind of guy who wanted to do the right thing...assuming I could figure out what the right thing was...and I was hoping that doing the right thing wouldn't leave me broke, hungry, lonely or sleeping at the local bus station. I'm happy to report that things have worked out pretty well for me, but, now that I'm 64, I have also found that life is always going to be filled with challenges. After this many years into my life's journey, I have come to the conclusion that our life's work and our purpose for being alive is to put love into the world. Quite obviously, I didn't originate this concept; Jesus gets most of the credit for having said the words "Love thy neighbor," but that idea was probably around long before he came on the scene, and he's certainly not that last one to suggest its importance. I find that I need to do this to make my life work. Aloha, Bob

[Ann]

Bob,

I like what you say here. I've also thought this, that not being afraid to love or be loved is what it all comes down to. Finding one's way to doing this is endlessly challenging...so maybe we'll have something more to say in the coming weeks, eh? :)

Ann

[Dr. Robert Klass]

Ann
It's nice to hear from you. When I saw your comment about not being afraid to love or be loved, I had a realization. I realized that I care a great deal about putting love into the world, and I feel like I have to watch myself at all times to make sure that my motives for doing things are pure. (This assumes that I'm conscious enough to be telling myself the truth.) I also realized that I don't think much about whether people love me or not. I just kind of assume that if I am a good person, at least some people will love me, and it seems to have worked out that way. If you've been married for 25 years, and your husband is your best friend, congratulations! In November, my wife and I will be celebrating our 34th anniversary! My God, where does the time go?

I think that we all have an opportunity to learn certain lessons in life, and some folks learn them and some folks don't. As I look at some of the mean-spirited things I've done, I can't say that I'm a fast learner, but over time, certain things seem to have sunk into my hard head. I'm looking forward to participating in this course; it feels like we're all a bunch of pretty nice people.

P.S. I see that you are interested in things like alternative lifestyles. If you feel like discussing this, I'd be interested in your experiences. I'm very interested in things like communal lifestyles, utopian movements, intentional communities, etc. Aloha, Bob

[Ann]

Bob,

Notice that I also say "not being afraid" to love or be loved. Fear drives us more than any other emotion, I believe, just because it is almost impossible to tolerate. From our birth our behavior is shaped by trying to avoid fear.

It was a big aha moment in my life to realize just how much I want to love others, (Much like you say) That it is at the heart of my happiness. I am talking of love in all its broadest meanings. As far as allowing people to love me, I guess I mean not being afraid to let people see who I am under my social facade, to trust others with the more tender, painful parts of being me, to accept comfort and care from others--I'm a caretaker, much easier to offer than to accept. :)

As far as alternative lifestyles, I haven't been exposed to the idea of communal, utopian communities much. Our explorations have been mostly between my husband and myself, looking for ways to keep joy and passion between us after so many years. I would be willing to share this but this perhaps isn't the right forum...

Take care,
Ann

[Ann]

Hi Julie,

I like your posts a lot, thanks for sharing. I wanted to acknowledge your post about your kids. Three teens (holy cow!) and all struggling with autism. Finding space for your own growth and explorations can't be easy, but it is as valid as anything else you do. Not that you need me to validate that! :)

I also get bored easily, I've always seen this as a personality fault, but I've started looking at the other side of this, the side of me that gets so excited to learn new things, jump into a new project or a new experience. If I have something novel or a new enthusiasm or something to look forward to I'm pretty content.

Ann

[Dr. Robert Klass]

Ann, It may be that this is not the right forum to share about alternative lifestyles, etc., although I tend to think that the whole idea of utopian ideals fits in the work of Thomas Moore, and it certainly has been an ongoing theme since the founding of the United States. It happens to be an interest of mine...along with a lot of other things...I can't say that I am an expert on anything, but I am an enthusiastic student of many areas of study.
As somebody who grew up in the 1950's and came of age during the 1960's, I witnessed a lot of hippie-types and other people from all walks of life who were interested in and participated in non-traditional lifestyles. Back about 1970, I lived in a communal-living situation outside of Eugene, Oregon with a bunch of people who jokingly referred to themselves as "drug-crazed hippies." It was a lot of fun, but this group, along with almost all of the others, didn't last for very long because there wasn't much to keep it together once the going got tough. I know of only about 3 communities from the 60's that are still in existance, (The Farm in Tennessee, Twin Oaks in Louisa, Virginia and a group in California called Lafayette Morehouse). If anybody knows of other groups that have been around for that long, I'd be interested in hearing about them. Aloha, Bob

[kay graham]

I have done so many different things in my life. art teacher, farmer,caterer, now a bookstore owner. I think I'm trying to look for the thread through all of it. The only constant has been my journal and the feeling it has all been about creating beauty and joy for myself and others. I am 65 now and the joy of finding TM books has been one of the best in my life.I discovered The Reenchantment of Everyday Life 6 years ago . Recently when asked to sum up my life in 6 words I said " It keeps getting better and better." I don't mean it is without problems ,i mean my outlook i so different.

[Ann]

Meeting new people and sharing thoughts creates something new as we do it. I'm hoping people will be free to share not only their best philosophical insights but also their human struggles and emotions. Goodness knows I'm full of them!

Ann

[Ann]

I am especially interested in this course because I will love seeing other's stories slowly laid out day by day (or as we all have time.) What I hope to achieve is furthering my understanding of my own life's work and what it has meant to me. I've stuck with a job for 25 years that I've often professed to hate, that has brought me to my knees over and over. However, it is also equally true that it is my vocation in life, that it has profoundly shaped the best of who I am today. I seldom talk about my work because I can't really express how impossibly hard and yet important it is to me. I'll work at trying to sort myself out a bit in the coming weeks.

Ann