Is the goal of the Great Work for you to (after you have done proper shadow/psychological work and have a sufficient understanding of Natural Law) become a public figure and teach the world? To become “someone" important, who can be looked up on google as a prolific content-creator?

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Even if you do this, you can never measure up to and will always be a lesser version of Mark Passio, who is the only person in the history of the world that has aggregated information in the best way (according to Mark Passio).

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And there is truth to that... however we don't have access to ALL occulted works created since the beginning of the human species; many great works are inaccessible, too obscure, no longer published, or destroyed to ever know how true this is.

 

But we can say that the way in which Passio has put pre-existing information together (Hermetic, philosophical, psychological, conspiratorial) has been brilliant and the ground-breaking zeitgeist of our age. At the same time, is it right of him to be constantly telling his followers that they are not living up to the Great Work unless they become like him and attempt to do as he does and has done?

 

At this point, it is important to properly define what the Great Work is...

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The Great Work is an ancient (and timeless) Hermetic idea that goes exceptionally beyond Passio's conception. It is properly defined as the evolutionary journey (and cycle) of the Individual from base matter (least conscious) to the Infinite All (Highest Consciousness). This is achieved through reincarnation and embodying many types of being in many planes of existence through evolutionary Principles/Laws.

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(In this way, I would consider The Kybalion superior to Passio's work because it hashes out the relationship between the Absolute and the relative and goes deeply into Origin (the Infinite All) and the Greater Design of manifest/relative realities. This understanding is a philosophical prerequisite for obtaining a holistic perspective of the world.)

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Passio defines the Great Work as becoming a public Natural Law teacher following his example, and he adds the important caveat that this should be after we have changed ourselves enough through shadow work to understand Natural Law information. But there are still problems with this...

 

The first problem is that Passio makes it seem as if his unique purpose is everyone's purpose (who of course understands the material). He believes that if we were all doing as he does, the world would be a changed place and slavery solved.

 

But if sovereignty is the answer, how can you activate your own sovereignty if you are following a leader and doing the work someone else has done or has requested of you?

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Everyone has a unique purpose and not every Hermetic student (Neophyte/Initiate/Adept) is meant to be a public presenter or content-creator. Some are and some may feel inspired to repeat the Natural Law seminar, which is great if it is driven from within. Mark's work played a role in awakening my own purpose to content-create and I'll always be grateful for him. He has significantly helped change the lives of many people and that is a wonderful thing!

 

But there are as many individual purposes as there are people and this diversity is, in final analysis, complementary and should be nourished instead of trying to create one template for what the Great Work is.

 

Fostering judgment against non-content creators or non-public figures is a poison for the community and reductionistic in its perception of value.

 

To say that everyone's end goal and singular purpose is to be this one thing, to be like Mark Passio falls into collectivist thinking that ultimately supports a social hierarchy that defines what the Great Work means. And that is exactly what the One Great Work Network is, making it a potential cul-de-sac for individuals who take Passio's word as gospel. For others aware of these issues, it may not be a problem.

 

Now, what Mark did with the Natural Law Seminar in 2013 was phenomenal! While the information is “nothing new,” being eternal wisdom, they way he delivered it was new, fresh, inspiring, truly original, and incredibly helpful to make a shift in consciousness. I remember listening to it over a dozen times to fully understand it, feeling that all my previous studies and inner transformations led up to it. Having finally found the Philosopher's Gold, I was blissed out for months after.

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Mark Passio was an anomaly who made a difference and captured the spirit of our age... But we can't live in the past. Others can never repeat what Passio did, nor can Passio repeat that same revolutionary event. And there is no need to, the information is out... it is accessible and available now having been revealed and unveiled. The apocalypse already occurred and as much as we want to ride that moment forever and wish that it made more of an impact, we have to move on and accept the dark collective fate ahead of us.

 

While there have been highlights and some new ideas since, Mark has generally been regurgitating and rehashing the same work as he even admits. From the audience perspective, nothing has changed about his consciousness as he clings to a static and rigid role with the same tone, expression, style, and content where you can almost predict what he is going to say next. When we have become predictable and static, we have stopped growing.

 

On his podcasts rants, he has continued to yell, criticize, and embarrass his audience for not doing enough... for not becoming public figures... for not being as great as he is... using his past accomplishments as a leverage on power, making them feel ashamed at how little they've done in comparison.

 

He plays the paternal (saturnian) coach saying what ever he needs to, to get people's butts in gear to create his army of teachers. As much as he denies being a cult leader, this is the type of abuse and manipulation that cult leaders put on their followers to recruit them. Even if the actions one is manipulating another to do are seemingly good, the ends don't justify the means.

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Sharing Natural Law content because of external pressure (fear, shame, guilt, inadequacy, insecurity, etc.) is not aligned to Natural Law. If someone is putting pressure on you to do something or be someone with their narrow definition of spirituality then you will not be motivated for the right reasons. You cannot be sovereign if you pursue what others want you to pursue. Consciousness isn't just about action, but thought and feeling—and getting that aligned too (not just to objective reality, but one's True Identity—and regarding that latter part: no one can tell you what that is).

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If we are not living in alignment with Natural Law, but putting out NL content, then what's the point? Holistic living is the goal, not content-creation from a contradictory consciousness.

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People who need Mark to give them motivation to become “someone” have not really discovered their own sovereignty and internal power and may be seeking approval from a leader and often a father figure. This fosters an unhealthy co-dependent dynamic.

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Finding our unique purpose happens at different times and differently for each person connected to the Principle of Rhythm... for it to happen right, it must come from Love and Freedom, the expansion of consciousness (also a Principle, as all Seven are involved).

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Being inspired to do to something driven with purpose comes from within and cannot be forced into existence; it's spontaneous and organic. I recall searching for my purpose for many years, but I had to do enough inner work to find it and the vision came to me when least expected. My purpose even changed in a matter of years (from art to writing) and I feel as if I could sustain this purpose for the rest of my life—that's how much the light burns bright in my heart. It's a beautiful experience to feel you have something special to offer the world that only you have discovered for yourself... and to nurture that. But what is not beautiful is being shamed into taking an action that isn't genuine even if it is emulating a person of great works.

 

The Great Work is about discovering the Self, and once we conceive of it as one particular mission, we fail to see how it is connected to discovering what we are uniquely meant to do here.

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For someone to do great works in the world and make an impact, it has to come from original inspiration of one's True Self... it has to be YOUR SPECIFIC CALLING and YOUR SPECIFIC VOICE... the integration of your life experience and knowledge from an eclectic array of sources.

 

This will look different for everyone. The path of sovereignty is about becoming more of an INDIVIDUAL, not less. We shouldn't want others to be like ourselves, but to be the fulfillment of themselves.

 

To turn the Great Work into a mechanical thing, a technical endeavor, a format of instructions, a chore that people “should” do (as dictated by a leader) removes the living intelligence and spontaneous desire that should be involved in our actions and creations directed by our Selves. There are near infinite ways to be engaged in the Great Work and many have nothing to do with the public sphere. There are many types of right-actions to be taken that should align with the individual's soul personality.

 

Passio leaves this out because he is focused on one agenda and one way of doing things—his way. And he will distort spiritual ideas to serve this. His approach is fine, as long as it is properly contextualized in a larger correct framework. But gatekeeping needs to be called out as some individuals will really suffer from this.

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Being on his network is fine, as long as you can critically assess the spiritual errors he may be propagating that could cage your potential. I write this for those who may be confused on the matter and maybe help those who aren't to articulate the situation better.

 

Being holistic means being balanced in all aspects of life, which has a unique expression for each individual in which the Great Work is part of.

 

However, this exclusive focus on content-creation encourages workaholism (and using work as an addictive drug), hustle culture, social climbing, narcissism (using work to feed the ego), identifying with your work, reducing the value of people to their accomplishments, linking approval to “followers,” linking power to views/likes, reducing consciousness to action, spending too much time on harmful electronics, etc.

 

The focus on a network encourages social hierarchies, competition (comparing people's work), a materialist conception of spirituality (as being what you tangibly produce), reward/punishment systems (social credit points and awards from Mark Passio), etc. All of these are traps for further evolution when one steps into the cage Passio has designed (probably unconsciously).

 

We are meant to digest and incorporate Natural Law information into our lives, but it will be expressed at different times and different ways. Limiting the Great Work to a materialistic, agenda-driven conception and/or as tangible products on on-line platforms removes the infinite multi-dimensionality in how spiritual evolution actually unfolds beyond our perceptions, conceptions, and even creations... and much beyond the digital world itself.

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A second problem with this narrow definition of the Great Work is that Passio's material is only a beginner's guide to the Occult and Alchemy that provides a basic conceptual structure requiring further education and refinement from other sources and inner work. Self-Knowledge cannot be taught, but is equally necessary.

 

His formula gives the impression that at a beginner's level of understanding, one should now turn all of their attention to enlightening/teaching the world. But the truth is that there is so much more individual growth needed to really be considered holistic and at an Initiate level—which is not the end of growth either.

 

People who get caught up in content-creation and its ego payoffs can easily conflate the growth of their platform or body of work with the growth of consciousness when they can be diametrically opposed. The public persona can be a trap. Public figures often remain the same their entire lives (having crystallized their social hierarchy and following), while private individuals may go through intense transformations free from the restriction of these things. Ultimately, the content-creator matters MORE than his content... and he shouldn't even identify himself as content-creator for that is not the True Self.

 

Personally, I have done more work on my consciousness when NOT content-creating but through contemplation and reflection. And that work is the gold, not the content I create. Even Initiates and Adepts have more inner work to do after going all the way, since there are levels to “going all the way.” This reflects the vast nature of cyclic, upward spiraling transformative movements of evolution. If we are still in this body then we are not yet a Master.

 

By ONLY focusing on action, Mark's Great Work formula leaves out the necessary continual refinement of thoughts and feelings (the causal factors for action) and the more subtle aspects of inner work that just keeps going. We should be talking about mind and spirit, as much as we are action. By holding one type of action as the Great Work, we make it easier for individuals to bypass the alchemy of thought and feeling and obfuscate seeing action in a more holistic/multidimensional way.

 

I've experienced four major transformations in my life, and my last was many years after learning about Natural Law. Intellectual understanding is vastly superficial to understanding its application in consciousness (both yours and others). Philosophical understanding of ideas isn't equivalent to psychological understanding of consciousness and how it plays out in real-time and real events. There are levels and layers of evolutionary refinement, as there is always shadow and ego to refine. If we aren't constantly engaged in that work, then how can be considered to be doing the Great Work? (And you'll never be given social credits for that type of work.)

 

Some people who are focused on content-creation or making a name for themselves, should really be focused on gaining more knowledge, as the ego likes to believe it knows more than it does. Several people in Passio's network have proclaimed themselves, to me personally, to be moral relativists. This doesn't seem  to matter, because as long as it serves his network, even misinformation is considered good.

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And this is the trouble with the utilitarian approach that says do whatever it takes to get this information to the greatest number of people, even if that means putting moral relativists on the network. But you cannot approach spirituality with utilitarianism. Helping relativists see the flaws of their worldview IS the Great Work, not having them join a Great Work Network so that they believe they understand when they don't!

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Seeing the value of each person as dependent to their contribution to the network fails to see the developing person as the substance of value and their work in consciousness! Do we care more about what a person does than their actual development?

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Another problem with Passio's Great Work definition is that it implies that it is only through his work that individuals can develop holistic consciousness and become spiritually awake. Yeah, believing that would put a lot of pressure on you, but it isn't exactly true. While his work is helpful and we can share it and draw from it, other people can and have arrived at these eternal truths through different paths all throughout history.

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While Passio's work describes the integrated meta-structure of truths a holistic person will naturally understand, many people arrive at this understanding in their own way, even if they do not linearly organize data in the fashion he does... There are people who understand Hermetic philosophy better than Passio and have never heard of him.

 

We should not confuse the map (Natural Law education) with the territory (holistic consciousness).

 

Ultimately, spiritual information will always exist because it is part of existence.  Even when every artifact of spiritual knowledge is destroyed, people will have access to it directly as this is the magical design of the cosmos; “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” People receive the information when they have developed to the point of readiness, because this is the whole purpose of the universe: EVOLUTION.

 

Natural Law operates outside of us. Souls have been evolving out of this plane since its existence. We are not the only types of Natural Law messengers as Nature herself is a Messenger and there are many kinds of messengers beyond what we know. Most light occultists work behind the scenes.

 

Thus, we must strive to see the Great Work outside ourselves and outside of what we create as the intelligent evolutionary forces behind the cosmos that act in seemingly mystical and mysterious ways, bringing the precise tailored lessons and events to individuals for their interior growth. Becoming conscious of this begets a glorious feeling as we start to understand the "Higher."

 

Part of evolution is relinquishing the grandiose significance we ascribe to ourselves and our work. That would be hard for someone like Passio to do, who has done significant work, but that would be the next phase of his development that would grant him a higher expression of freedom. It's okay to be proud of what you've achieved, but we must restrain ourselves from turning that into pride (an accessory of the ego)..

 

There is a saying, “when you do something bad, don't forget it... but when you do something good, forget it.” This references the wisdom of being always aware of your errors/faults/vices, while not identifying with your virtues/strengths or the good, which causes blindness, arrogance, vanity, and ego attachments. Humility is one of the highest virtues that we should cultivate even to the end of our Eternal Return. There is no accomplishment that we could do that is greater than the All Itself!

 

 

My fundamental point is that generating Great Work material is not the whole of what the Great Work is and I think that needs to be said; some see it but some don't but suspect something isn't quite right... and its that second group that I am targeting.

 

Mark's Passio's definition of the Great Work leaves out the evolution and ascension of the individual in a larger infinite scheme. The definition is reduced to joining his Network and social hierarchy, where you can receive his accolades and validation that you are in fact doing the Great Work. He has set the highest standard for what the Great Work is... when the All should always be at the Apex.

 

 

To obfuscate the larger picture of evolution is to distort basic Hermetic teachings and even though this is done under the guise of good deeds, we have to understand, again, that the ends don't justify the means.

 

 

 

Mark sees this as a “numbers game,” taking a utilitarian approach, where the end goal is to get as many people as possible awakened to this information, as the one and only solution to the world's problem of human slavery. This will make sense to people who don't understand levels of consciousness.

 

But Initiates and Adepts all throughout the ages have never attempted to change the masses... and for good reasons. People entertain this idea often due to political collectivism/globalism, the new age “save the world” mind-virus, and the tools of the digital age.

 

Before the internet, it was difficult and rare for the majority of people to have a large audience to connect with. By using technology, we can influence greater numbers, but this doesn't mean we should live and die on the digital altar. While it is good to share info on digital platforms and people who have a strong calling for that should pursue it, is not the ultimate arena of our spiritual work.

 

While the internet has become a useful tool, we must admit that it was crafted by dark forces for technological slavery and we will ultimately have to abandon it. In the meantime we can use their tools for good causes, but we shouldn't act as if a corrupted and controlled digital reality is the end all be all location for the Great Work.

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Our physical bodies were meant to interact with only a few individuals at a time and to personally know less than 100 people. While the internet has extended our capabilities for connection, we must be vigilant of its dark side, as not only was this technology created from bad intentions and without alignment to natural laws, but it represents an artificial reality with many false constructs; this is problematic when taken as real.

 

The more digital we go, the more elusive and reductionistic reality becomes... the more we project and assume... the more we superficially judge others... the more we indulge in fantasy... the less we see people as people and more as numbers and things. The many dimensions of the human-being collapse. And so it is no coincidence that digital totalitarianism emerges in tandem with this.

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The private sphere is where the rubber meets the road in application of Philosophy, contrary to our virtual sphere of influence where we are lost, mesmerized, and hidden by contrived images.

 

Teaching our children the principles of morality is an even deeper aspect of the Great Work; for it is one thing to put static information together and another to interact with a developing person as to intimately guide them in a holistic and balanced way with living intelligence. But sadly, much of the Truth community has chosen to not have kids, supporting the eugenics doctrine. In turn, their work becomes their children which will never compare.

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Even if Natural Law material went viral, it would for the wrong reasons—because the level of consciousness of the vast majority cannot even comprehend it. Would we expect children who don't understand addition/subtraction to grasp calculus? If we just put more calculus in the world, would that help??

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But when it comes to spiritual understanding, its different than math, because there are so many things you can't teach another person that they have to discover on their own for themselves.

 

To believe that you can get the sleeping masses to a level of Hermetic wisdom simply by putting out information is to not even understand mass consciousness or how consciousness evolves.

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When Mark realized that he would never be able to achieve mass awakening, he turned his energy to facilitate a NL teachers group so that these teachers could change the masses and this extends the incredible pressure he puts on himself to his followers that is unhealthy. It still supports a deluded notion. If we believe that mavens (those with social power and influence) are all that is needed to change others then we feed into the false paradigm/value of social power and influence itself!

 

Mark is focused on increasing the quantity of voices and playing numbers (of NL teachers) upon numbers (the masses); but this utilitarian belief that we beat the numbers game by having numbers isn't necessarily true in regards to a subject matter that turns utilitarianism on its head.

 

Collectivists are all about numbers—as more power can be asserted that way, but occult and esoteric development is about the least number—down to the Individual, the deconstruction of social power, and about that which is less shared by humanity; transcending collective consciousness.

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The masses seek numbers and social movements to measure the validity of ideas because they are prone to group-think and consensus fallacies, believing the narrative of the majority rules. And these tendencies prevent consciousness of sovereignty.

 

Hence, their first step into sovereignty is prioritizing truth over the social domain as to pursue the path less taken. Until the individual wants to relinquish all his group-identifications and the belief that truth is a collective narrative, he cannot even start the journey. We cannot use the ways of the masses as a means to propel them into higher truths without a distortion of those truths.

 

Ultimately, singular works that stand alone have a greater impact than regurgitated works... and they shine from one individual to another. Singular voices make an impact more than collectives and social movements. Mark Passio's work shines brighter alone than mixed with others on a network.

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People aren't awakening not because there isn't more Natural Law information out there. It's because they aren't seeking it and are apathetic to its existence. People have to have an inner search for truth that is so deep and intense they will find it... as it will be granted by the cosmos in some form or other.

 

For this information to make a difference in a person's life, they must have already done a decent amount of research and inner work (ego/shadow) and they must be unsatisfied with the relativist doctrine.

 

There are VERY FEW people who are ready for this material and to think that the majority is ready and can be changed and that there is going to be a great awakening of Natural Law is a naive and ignorant perspective that fails to understand the dynamics of self-transformation and all of its psychological roadblocks. Initiates are truly the anomalies of the matrix and it's been that way for a long time.

 

Of course, we want everyone to develop holistic intelligence and higher consciousness... but that goes much beyond simply understanding the basics of Natural Law information. The more you understand what holistic/higher consciousness entails and how difficult it is to attain (which is why it is called "the narrow archway" and why teachers say “many are called, few are chosen”) the more realistic you can be. Each individual has to develop on their own by their free will agency and overcome their own self-ignorance (i.e. karmic patterns and interior matrices). Everyone will attain higher consciousness—but you cannot dictate when. And in our current state of fear and turmoil, this growth will even be harder to obtain as growth is predicated on Love.

 

Realizing that we have no control over the global situation is difficult, but this must be faced, for delusion is much worse than reality.

 

At the end of the day, Hermeticism is for the few and not the many. It is not ideal, but that's just how it is, relative to the aggregate consciousness and vibration of this plane and its inhabitants. This will be seen by anyone who has objectively witnessed and assessed mass consciousness without being clouded by desire. It's not an elitist statement, but a fact. The wise are not here to make fools wise but to become wiser... and help the few who want to become wise.

 

 

While Natural Law information debunks new age nonsense, still many have the new age spirit feeling global change is possible by our efforts. But changing the masses should never be the goal because YOU CAN ONLY FAIL in this endeavor. From this failure there will be great disappointment, crisis, sadness, and anger. You will feel drained, victimized, and conquered. Ultimately, this is not about a war to win, but a war to transcend. We cannot win the battle of evil in an evil world that must by Law manifest evil consequences, but we can evolve through it and see our personal lesson in it.

 

Making mass awakening the end goal of evolution and the Great Work will have negative consequences for the individuals who believe this to be true, which is why a deeper and vaster spiritual understanding is required to overcome this and the defeat it will bring.

 

Right now it is understandable why there is a great need for collective change as we are in such chaotic and dark times. The truth is that things have always been chaotic and dark for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, we are just in a different phase of the imperial cycle where it's aggravated and more on the surface. There is so much evil in so many people (both elites and the masses, conscious and unconscious) and all consequences have to play out. Too many things have been set in motion that it would defy the laws of physics to think we could revert back.

 

We have to master our emotional states and come from love and not fear and desperation amidst living in a dreadful dystopian reality. We must prioritize our growth and resolving our psychological issues, including the issues with our childhood/family, as we cannot afford to be a psychological mess during these rough times... so getting our inner house in order is of paramount significance. And for some, pursuing content-creation may be a distraction from this.

 

Becoming more aligned to reality means having realistic expectations and not conflating desire with the actual condition of things. There is no magic wand waving that will suddenly shift the tide... We cannot become a world of higher consciousness over night and probably not even in a thousand years. False hope will destroy us, but getting very real can strengthen us and help us make the right choices to at least navigate a situation that is not dismal for ourselves and our families and friends.

 

That is all we can do. Help those who want it and attempt to overcome tyrannical obstacles with knowledge so that we don't follow along with the masses. But holding onto the hope of mass salvation just feeds the collectivist ideology that got us here. While the dark occultists want to control the collective, light occultists know that they shouldn't.

 

Eventually the Great Work will be most important in our personal lives as we deal with the fall of civilization and rebuild through sustainable avenues. By understanding that our level of consciousness will be a factor in how things end up for us, the evolution of our consciousness becomes a primary focus. But for most people that will be last on the list of importance as they will be driven by fear and action (rather than love and consciousness). The harder things become, the more people will cave into their psychological issues, addictions, and ideological crutches. But we must do things opposite to them and see our hardships as inextricably linked to the development of our character.

 

 

The ancient Hermeticists were clear that martyrdom is not the path of enlightenment. There is no merit in sacrificing your own health and growth for the concept of the collective in an artificial reality.

 

There are aspects of the Jesus Christ story that shouldn't be emulated and becoming the savior to provide collective salvation is not how reality works or how people evolve. Each individual finds salvation at different parts of their reincarnational journey based on their agency, will, and desire. We shouldn't see this as a collective affair, and we should value the Individual above our collectivist ideas.

 

The universe did not design you to be responsible for everyone's knowledge of Natural Law or to carry the heavy burden of collective ignorance. Yes, we do have moral responsibility, but that can be taken too far due to our inflated ideas surrounding digital/artificial realities. We need to balance this responsibility with our personal lives and our individual journey.

 

While becoming a morally good person involves helping others grow in their consciousness in a multitude of ways, that is not the sole reason you are here. No one is here to save the world, and that may be the final new age nonsense that we leave behind, freeing us from grandiosity and unnecessary burdens.

 

The collective fate of this planet is not our individual fate or end, even though there are temporal karmic intersections. Ultimately, the real end we are moving towards is the ascension of our consciousness beyond this plane of lower consciousness to be free from this dimension of limitation and suffering... but we cannot dictate when that is as Laws will determine.

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In the meantime, to help balance our feelings of helplessness towards current events, we must accept and embrace that there is karma and purpose behind us being here at this time... as the necessary conditions for the development of our particular soul. Natural Law is always in operation and there is divine meaning behind it All.