Greetings All –
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE, you can only judge
what you think you are. Your thoughts about yourself are largely based upon
your expectations and disappointments. It is very difficult to observe yourself
from within your personal mind, for your personal mind is made up of your
personal thoughts, which are not born of Knowledge. To view yourself with
Knowledge, you must be in relationship with Knowledge. This will lead you to
experience yourself in an entirely new way. This experience must be repeated
and expressed over and over again, in many, many situations. Then, you will begin
to get a real sense and experience of who you are. This sense and experience will not be born of condemnation and
unforgiveness, for only your idea of yourself can be disappointed. Life will
disappoint you in this way, for life can only fulfill you according to your
true nature and True Self. To realize this means you have realized the value and
meaning of life and your inclusion in it. This requires discernment. This
requires Wisdom. This requires a step-by-step preparation. This requires
patience and tolerance. This requires that you learn to use your experience for
good not for ill.
THEREFORE, YOUR CONDEMNATION OF YOURSELF IS
UNFOUNDED. It is based merely on assumptions. Remember this upon the hour and consider
it in light of all the events this day, which will teach you the meaning of
today’s lesson. In your two longer practice periods, once again engage your mind actively in attempting to comprehend
the meaning of today’s lesson.
AS YOU PENETRATE YOUR OWN SELF-JUDGMENT, realize it
is born of your fear and based upon assumption. If you realize you don’t know who
you are and you are completely confused about this, then you will place
yourself in a position to become a true student of Knowledge. You will put yourself in a position to
learn all things rather than attempting to defend your assumptions. This
represents your studenthood. Your function in life now is to be a student of Knowledge.
Use your mind purposefully today. Use
your mind objectively. Use your mind to realize what you do not know and all that
you need to know. Use your mind to appreciate and to utilize the steps that are
being given to you now for you to reclaim Knowledge in the world.
PRACTICE 262: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly
practice.
From the Journal:
(Still behind) keep on.
NNC
P.S. At Step 263, 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.