Greetings All –
KNOWLEDGE IS WITH YOU and when you are with
Knowledge, you will not be afraid. In time, fear will become more and more
external to your true experience as you learn to abide with Knowledge. The
value of today’s idea must be recognized in light of the fact that your mind is
engaged with fear habitually to such a great extent that it seems to make the
reclamation of Knowledge and the application of Knowledge very difficult for
you. This appears difficult only because your mind has been so habitually engaged
with fear in the past. Habits can be broken. New habits of thinking and
behavior can be instilled and strengthened. It is merely the result of applying
your mind. It is the result of practice.
TODAY PRACTICE ABIDING WITH KNOWLEDGE, which will
undo all the habits that have cast themselves against you and the world. Being in
life is practice and is always a form of service. Today practice the truth and
serve the truth, and in this all errors are weakened. Their foundation is removed, and in its place you will
begin to learn a new way of being in the world, a new way of engaging yourself
with the world, and you will have a greater structure for applying your mental and
physical faculties.
UPON THE HOUR ABIDE WITH KNOWLEDGE. Dispel fear and
remind yourself that Knowledge is with you. Remind yourself that your Teachers
are with you. Remind yourself that students everywhere who are involved in the reclamation of Knowledge are with you. In this, the world will become small and
you will become great. In your deeper practices, allow yourself the freedom of
experiencing Knowledge. Enter the great depth and stillness of the mind, as it
immerses itself into the presence of love.
PRACTICE 226: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly
practice.
This Step elicited much thought and quite a bit was
recorded in the journal. That was a choice then. From the Journal:
February
26, 2000
9
a.m. Step 225 - "Today I will be serious and light hearted all at
once." The long practice is to apply/engage the mind. I choose to write
this one out - and meditate in Practice 2 - S2K is bringing me some of the self-discipline
I've lacked - a focus here which demands focus elsewhere in my life. While I've
always been concerned with serious things, S2K is providing a focus. Being
serious isolates one from others - I've always done that to some degree, not by
choice.
9:59
a.m. Remaining in the body, staying on earth - in order to be among the
community of humanity
10:25
a.m. Certainly a curious time. I draw strength from my Spiritual and Variously Incarnate
Family who I sense, but do not totally know, and our common service to Knowledge.
Manifestation has gotten ahead of spirit - ignorance has stolen the fire of
creation and until the separation/distance/gap is filled - there will be pain.
→ Regional Community
Leadership Awards -
Geographic Geographic
Service X Information
System System
4:20
p.m. At Little Bear - on the east side - facing the hollow - shielded from
being seen from the trail. I came to meditate - Practice #2. The day has flowed
okay - accomplished a little at the office. Set up an e-groups list for the
River. Would like to set up more if it works out.
Step
225 - At the wall - in the woods - it is very easy to be both serious and
lighthearted. Looking at the rocks -
everyone
a perfect whole sculpture. Once piece of some thing bigger - now broken into
smaller wholes. Perfect then, perfect now. The stones layered to be the wall.
The
stones of the forest floor - sculpted by the elements, vegetation/movement of
the earth - I am guided in my life. How I became overcommitted to my PDC I
don't understand - except - that I was there.
Personnel
at the office is really getting weirder. My sense of meaning, direction,
purpose is enhanced by the GC perspective. Is GC fantasy - I think not.
5:15
p.m. #2 Done 30 minutes. I will be serious about strengthening my conscious
connection to Knowledge. Throughout my life there has been subconscious
connection that has grown more and more conscious over the years. I've
experienced many levels of connecting, including the full Holy Instants. I've experienced
extended periods of Grace – and now have a greater and greater conscious
network of family and teachers. All my relations. I choose to be serious – but
I do not wish to appear harsh or driven – monomaniacal – Capt. Ahab. The
expectations of others at work and in life is difficult to deal with. I'm
trying to be lighthearted there.
The
GC paradigm is Knowledge = light; Ignorance = dark
→ The world says
ignorance is bliss.
→ Knowledge demand's
responsibility and that’s the last thing people want. They want special
treatment, special relationships.
For
this attempted meditation, as the book suggests – I reviewed my life – and its
seriousness – the way in which I carried the problems of the world, my world –
has Mrs. Suettinger observed. [age 16]
Ignorance
creates trauma and blinds knowledge. Denial spirits = ignorance. Without allies
to wake one up – are we denial spirits?
Manifestation
is high risk – keeping soul intact is a challenge. What is next? The journey in
this place of doing. To connect to "Being w/o question" is important.
That is faith which brings grace - and then there are works - regions work.
Amen & Amen
T-om Su-ne
11:59
p.m. Back from Vacation Gala – one Rotary night out. It was fun – and I learned
from Ed Duncan about the Fred. Co. campaign against the PDC – so – Lauren will
do the RP annual report – I’ll assist not. This frees me from hours of work.
Lauren it is all yours.
Besides all of this, which speaks for itself at
this time, there were notes on the Steps page.
There is reference to the prior day’s comment about
“dull boy” and appearing to others as being in own world.
Most students I’ve meet have a sense of being
different in the world. In Steps and the other books, one can learn how to deal
with this in a self-understanding way.
NNC
P.S. At Step 226, we are into Part Two 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 and then progress as needed. You can
use the posts on this blog as a companion if it helps. They will remain in
order in the archives - one per Step.
Often it takes 18 months to get through the Steps
once. For this blog, the pace is one-a-day, but it really makes no difference
how fast you do it, only that you begin, persist and repeat. Posts here provide
a trail that may let you have a virtual companion when and if you want one. One
may have to study alone, as I did in the beginning. 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 such Steps journeys. There are options as well
through the Free School of the New Message.
