Greetings All –
TODAY MARKS AN IMPORTANT TURNING POINT in your preparation.
Today marks the completion of the first stage of your preparation and the
beginning of a new stage. Review the past week in one long practice period and
then take time to think how far you have come and how far you need to go.
Recognize your growing power and strength. Think of your outer life and
recognize how much needs to be accomplished there, both on your own behalf and
for the well-being of others. Recognize how little you know and how much is
available to you. Do not let any self-doubt dissuade you in your undertaking,
for you need only participate to receive the greatest gift that life can give.
REVIEW THE PAST WEEK AND THINK NOW of what has
transpired in your preparation thus far. Observe the development that has
occurred within you these past few months—the growing sense of presence, the growing
sense of inner certainty, the growing sense of inner power. Allow for the fact
that your outer life has begun to open. Certain things that were fixed before
have now been loosened so that they may be rearranged on your behalf. Allow
your outer life to be rearranged, now that you are not seeking to dominate it
for your personal protection. As a greater certainty arises within you, outer circumstances
must be rearranged on your own behalf. Thus, you become a source of change and
not the recipient of it only.
RECOGNIZE HOW FAR YOU HAVE COME, but keep in mind
that you are a beginning student of Knowledge. Allow this to be your starting point
so that you may assume little and receive a great deal. From this great point
of reference, you will be able to see beyond the prejudice and the condemnation
of humanity. You will be able to see beyond a personal viewpoint and have a
vision of the world that the world is desperate to receive.
PRACTICE 182: One long practice period.
From the Journal:
12:04
A.M. Friday, Jan 14, 2000
… I
don’t have time to stump for regions work – it is a theory to push the reality.
Virginia can demonstrate – I can seek to articulate, I will participate in relationships
for mutual evolution. The stones in the tumbler polishing each other. Optimism must
be the primary emotion? (Is optimism an emotion?) – Opto – big Mist = Fog a
person in a big fog – my 1974 or so definition for Steve …
So -
S2K is training me in a way that the ACIM exercises did not. That might have
been a goal – but I didn’t get it.
I
seem to be getting S2K – but, still there are surprises. I don’t know what my
ultimate role is _ only see that in the rearview mirror.
Step
180 is amazing. It is nearly half way. Reading the Steps ahead often as I have,
there is no real preparation for the power of some of these ideas. It is a home
study correspondence course – beyond the norm.
“You
are learning now to discover your greatness and your domination over the world.
You are in relationship with the world. Let relationship become healthy and
meaningful. Let the world’s contribution be given to you. Let your contribution
be given to the world.”
More
to come …
1:10
A.M. Why am, I still awake? Over stimulated when I came home and have remained
so. Is there a spiritual reason?
Let’s
check.
7:42
A.M. S2K – “Today I receive the (true) love of Knowledge.” This is God’s love,
Holy Spirit love which I receive. My mind is busy with my work. In this light
meditation I came up with ESA – economic statistical areas for the MSA national
coverage. The metro/Mega Metro of OMB would be an overlay. …
After
meditation – ESA – I shifted to the idea of regions ESR – Economic Statistical regions. State
Statistical Regions – SSR =’s COGs> or
SESR – State Economic Statistical Regions. In VA they match original PDs – over
time regions can combine – they are multi-county data Legos/modules.
11:10
p.m. The week ends with me further behind. My work needs a “workectomy” taking
a radical cut for simplicity.
I
can no longer pay attention to the whole world. I never really succeeded – so trim
back. Focus, but its more than focus,
more than leanness. I’m about half way through S2K.
Less,
less, less – learning continues – areas of interest diminish – regions work the
focus – that structure. Reduce email inputs – invest and let it go. Stock
market up today again. Wait for a bounce?
12:02
A.M. Saturday, January 15, 2000
Lives/life
– temporary. Abortion – lives stopped. Is all life sacred – not all – it is
temp.
Wow, that day was all over the landscape, even as I
begin to feel the Steps affecting my thinking about my life and my work. I am
at the beginning of understanding how regions work, a process that will take
many years. This was part of my work then, and remains that today, though the
language to which I’ve evolved is different.
In the middle of that, the drawing is an attempt to
relate stillness, the still point idea - something under discussion today, and
the nature of linkage with the Christ consciousness. “Where two are gathered in
my name there am I also.”
You may or may not be trying to work out your own
occupational issues, but in the modern world, that pretty much defines who we
are. That often leads to disappointment and a search for meaning which brings
one around to spirituality, though generally not that in which we might have
been brought up. We already know that didn’t work, even if it might have had a
few good ideas.
Young people are about solving the problems of the
world – what contribution can I make? It does turn out to be quite
difficult/really impossible to solve all the problems. That is one of the
lessons Steps provides. Since old is 106, there’s a great amount of time left to
do that, no matter how many times you’ve been around the sun. Let us continue.
NNC
P.S. At Step 180, we are well into the year of
Steps, so if you’ve found this and find some appeal in this or other Steps, you
should really go to the beginning
blog post. From here you learn about Steps to Knowledge and can begin it on
the day that makes sense for you and progress as needed.
Often
it takes 18 months to get through the Steps once. If you are
like me, you keep up with the pace of one-a-day Steps. It really makes
no
difference how fast you do it, only that you begin, persist and repeat.
The posts on this blog provide a trail that may let you have a virtual
companion if you choose to work alone. There are other Steps students
blogging their experience and you might find a person more like you as a
companion, or use a number of Steps journeys. These are options
available.
