Greetings All –
ONCE AGAIN REVIEW THE PAST TWO WEEKS of your
training, reading each lesson and reviewing each day of practice. Once again
develop your ability to be objective. Once again recognize the overall movement
of your life—the slow but very important and substantive changes that are
occurring within your values, within your engagements with others, within your
activities and, most importantly, within your entire sense of yourself.
KEEP IN MIND THAT IMPORTANT CHANGE is gradual and
often goes unnoticed until its results become evident. Realize that minor or insignificant
change often involves great emotional upheavals where people think that
something tremendous has just happened. The greater change is deeper and
changes everything. Small, incremental change affects your point of view
immediately, but its overall effect is not that lasting. The only exception to
this is when your Teachers intervene into your personal sphere to demonstrate
their presence or to deliver a message of potency that you absolutely require
at that moment. These interventions are rare but can occur on occasion when it
is required for your own behalf.
THEREFORE, VIEW THE OVERALL MOVEMENT OF YOUR LIFE. View
your life unfolding. This is preparing you for the future, for this program is
preparing you for the future. Everything that is taught here you must utilize
and reinforce, and you must practice both within the scope of this preparation
and far beyond it as well. In your longer practice period today, become a wise
observer of your own development. Recognize where your practice needs to be strengthened.
Realize that this emanates from your Knowledge. Follow this to the very best of
your ability as we now approach the final lessons in this stage of Steps to
Knowledge.
PRACTICE 350: One long practice period.
Everything is in the journal:
12:50
a.m. Friday, June 30, 2000 – The Blue Man Group. An
Alien Experience?
Confused
– I work so hard, then have nothing at home for my other work.
Step
349 – "I am happy that I can finally serve the truth." If anything
were different in my life, I might not be at this point in Steps. My soul goal
has always been the truth, for truth is what sets one free.
6:58
a.m. Serving the truth makes me happy. Being in the work pain relationship of
the present dampens that. It is not new… I don't expect it to change soon –
though I will get my lessons, do my work, and serve truth.
7:21
a.m. Where are "we" headed – my Spiritual Family and I? Unseen one teachers
– Stillness. I'm ready & willing to get more help. Let me Know – send me a
message – tell me what I need to do.
→ Life exists by
simple cooperation
→ cooperation ='s
2 or more
→ regional ='s 2
or more
→ direct
competition only exists if there's the same goal for both sides (All sides)
→ competition is
indirect if goals are different
→ co-existence –
symbiotic relationships are possible.
→ attack
strengthens that which is attacked. In the short term there is
repression/subversion/going underground. Total loss of a culture is possible.
→ An environment
which supports, allows, tolerates diversity – will become rich in variation and
creativity. In the natural environment, life itself is constantly extending
itself.
Cultural
environments – have the same drive, though the balance of power caused by
indirect competition, the desire to dominate, to be right – while others are
wrong – is critical. Win – win – win – win – is a challenge.
I
believe this view has merit. It probably isn't new, but neither is it widely
held. Community, it is assumed, is inside out, but it is as much, outside in.
It is Greater – but without the bigger picture vision, internal competition
limits.
Government
should be a promoter of and investor in education. Educated people are harder
to manage – managers just want people who follow directions – not people who
think. Many people want to be told what to do – with limited thinking
responsibilities.
8:50
p.m. Practice #1 – late in the day. I serve the Creator – which is the truth –
the stillness. My meaning, purpose, direction – is the truth.
11:30
p.m. Pizza & ice cream – Friday night over indulgence. Going from
stillness/truth to fat Earth.
Today
was quite good in terms of dealing with people. ---
At
noon – Rotary – I spoke to two architects.--- After the meeting we started
talking about community, regions, scale, etc. They were an interested audience
and asked if I'd published anything – I said not yet – I'd pieces written – but
nothing – need that focus, discipline… Planners won’t be the audience…
>
Meaning, purpose, direction – since there is truth – absolute – the Stillness –
my meaning, purpose, direction is that – my truth.
NNC
P.S. At Step 350, we are 15 Steps from the end –
Step 365. This is not the place to begin this Practice. If you’ve some interest
due to this or other Steps, you should go to the beginning blog post. From here you will learn about Steps to Knowledge
and can begin it on the day that makes sense; 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 post 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.
