Dear Friends,
We hope this letter finds you well.
We are writing to inform you that there are things about the Odyssey Study Group (OSG) that you may not be aware of, but you would want to know, as they speak to the validity and legitimacy of some of the group's practices and teachings.
We hope that your first hand experiences of us while we were in the group will enable you to trust us and be open to the possibility that the information we wish to share can be useful to you. In fact you may find that speaking to us will confirm some of the doubts and questions you have personally experienced from time to time about the continued usefulness of this group to your development.
Over the past several weeks we have taken a good hard look at our lives, including how we spend our time, who we trust and look to for guidance, how we make decisions, why we made some of the decisions we have over the past five years, and what is best for our evolution. As part of this process we completed, among other things, the activities described in the five-week aim below and asked ourselves some difficult questions such as:
- Why is it that I feel the need to ask for direction and advice from Robert and other teachers before making major decisions about my own life? Do I feel more or less empowered now compared to when I started with the group to make these types of decisions on my own?
- Am I spending enough time with my family, friends and loved ones outside of OSG's influence? Why is it that I can only answer "yes" to this question during periods when I have structured this time into my 5-week aim? How do I prioritize what is most important to me in a given moment in my life? Did I really choose this process for myself or did I evolve into it without ever fully evaluating it?
- Why is it that parallels are being increasingly drawn between the third story of the three storied house (religion/aspiration) and the school/the Work? Do I really believe that OSG should be the highest organizing principle in my life, as opposed to my own religion/aspirations?
- Why is it that there are so many more rules that I am aware of now compared to when I first started? At what point did I agree to follow these additional rules? What other rules will I be expected to follow in the future? Who are these rules serving? Is following these rules essential for my continued development?
- If OSG were to disappear tomorrow (which it may, as often mentioned by teachers), would I feel lost? What is my backup plan for pursuing self-development and following my wishes for myself, my family and my creator?
Through exploration of these (and other) questions, and completion of the aim (below) we learned some very surprising (and somewhat disturbing) things about ourselves and our relationship to OSG. We feel it is our responsibility to share these insights with you as we truly care about you and want you to have access to pertinent information that will help you make informed decisions about what's best for you.
Don't underestimate the wisdom within you. Only you know what is best for you, and only with full information (and God's grace) can you make this assessment. To request a private meeting with one or both of us, contact [email protected]. Be assured that our discussions, including the fact that you contacted us at all, will be kept completely confidential.
We hope you will contact us soon and/or review the information about "Theater of All Possibilities" by conducting a web search using "the work sharon gans" as keywords in Google (www.google.com) and selecting the link titled "The Work" a "Fourth Way School".
Warmest regards,
K and A
