Now if your knowledge of the Work, such as it is, remains only laid up in your memory like the unused talent, you will never understand it. Indeed, you will never really know what on earth it is all about. You will hear again and again phrases such as Self-Remembering, internal considering, identifying, self-observation, and be really quite bewildered by the whole thing. It will become so much jargon to you.

It is quite easy to see when a person only has knowledge but not understanding of this Work. If you understand something you can speak of it in different ways; if it is merely knowledge you will speak of it from memory.

When you begin to see the truth of this Work for yourself, without the help of others, you begin to have your own source of work in yourself. It grows on you.

"Have you yet seen in your Being that which prevents you from further understanding the Work?" What have we all understood as being the center of gravity of this question? What Work-idea is brought in here? The Work-idea is that one's understanding depends on the quality and level of one's Being.

Now as regards the often-asked question: "Can you give me examples of what personal aim means?" On the side of knowledge, personal aim means to become familiar with the ideas of the Work. On the side of Being, personal aim means to observe yourself in the light of the knowledge of the Work and apply it to yourself. Personal work on your own Being begins when you notice something that the Work tells you about in yourself.

At this time of the year the idea of Goodwill is mentioned on Christmas Cards, in religious services, in hymns, and so on. In the Gospels the message from the Angels at the Birth of Christ is said to be: "Peace on earth and goodwill towards men." A strange message if you think.