Greetings All –
WE SHALL BEGIN YOUR TWO-WEEK REVIEW WITH THIS INVOCATION:
“I AM SENT INTO THE WORLD TO SERVE MY SPIRITUAL FAMILY which serves this world
and all worlds in the physical universe. I am part of a Greater Force for good,
and I am a beginning student of Knowledge. I am grateful for the gift that has
been given, which I am now beginning to comprehend. In complete faithfulness
and devotion, I will continue my practice today so that I may appreciate the
value of my own life.”
FOLLOWING THIS INVOCATION BEGIN YOUR LONG REVIEW.
Begin with the first lesson of the two-week period, review the instructions and
your practice, and then proceed on day by day. When you have completed your
Review, once again repeat the invocation for today and then spend several
minutes in silence. In this period of stillness begin to feel the power of what
you are undertaking. The power of Knowledge and the grace that it bestows upon
the world is what you will be learning to receive and to express in the days
and weeks to come.
PRACTICE 238: One long practice period.
When I first did this exercise at age 52, it made
sense that this was the beginning in terms of comprehending “the meaning of
my life." Today, at age
67, I have a sense of meaning, direction and purpose, but am open to change as
required.
In Step 237, what stood out for me, was in
paragraph three: “When you leave this world, if you are successful in
cultivating Knowledge and in allowing it to give all of its gifts into the
world, you will then be able to become one of the Teachers of those who remain
behind. In this way, you will fulfill your learning in the world by
contributing all that you have acquired in the world to others. In this, your
gift is fulfilled and theirs is furthered.”
When a student of ACIM, I had the goal to become a Teacher
of God. As I’ve noted before, the emphasis on the world as an illusion was
difficult to understand, so I kept looking for a more complete teaching. I
needed “illusion management,” a way to live in this temporary world. Greater
Community Spirituality provided the way forward, and extended my perception of
Life itself.That our objective/successful outcome means being: "able to become one of the Teachers of those who remain
behind," was then, and remains, affirming/confirming.
From the Journal:
8:05
a.m. Thursday, March 9, 2000 – In my practices I go in and out of stillness –
processing work – and seeing images/Fantasy?
I
sense the undercurrent of Knowledge and desire to work with it. As I seek to
relate to it more, I wonder about the connections others have? I seek to
refrain from judgment.
The
text with today's lesson sets out the goal. If one learns here, then they can
advance as a teacher.
The Creator
has granted me existence. I did not create myself – though I've an opportunity
to manifest.
7:55
p.m. Things keep going faster. I don't think Knowledge is pushing that hard.
Let us continue.
NNC
P.S. At Step 238, 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.
