Greetings All –
AFFIRM THIS UPON THE HOUR, and in your two
meditation practices enter your periods of silence with great reverence and
devotion. These are your times of worship. You are truly going to church
now—not from obligation, not from fear or anxiety and not from a sense of duty
to an unloving God, but out of a sense of great joy and out of a desire to give
yourself to that which gives itself to you. Be a true student of Knowledge.
Remember all that has been told to you thus far and utilize it every hour.
Engage with practice meaningfully, both internally and externally. Strengthen
this day. Give this day to Knowledge as Knowledge gives this day to you so that
you may learn about the presence of Knowledge in your life.
KNOWLEDGE IS GOD’S GIFT TO YOU, for Knowledge is
God’s extension to you. Thus, Knowledge will be God to you but will speak of
greatness beyond itself, for Knowledge is here to enable you to be in
relationship meaningfully with yourself, with others and with life. Through
this you will be able to reclaim relationships and thus move towards your True
Home in God.
PRACTICE 352: Two 30-minute practice periods.
Hourly practice.
We are in the final Steps. The journal tells the
story of this day:
9
a.m. Sunday, July 2, 2000 – in order that I promote the regional intelligence I
see required, I need a simpler life to achieve that focus. It is not region
alone, but the built environment within that geography and its relation to the
larger bioregion, watershed and air shed. Most look from the inside out. An outside
in balance is required – the Eagle/Hawk/Angel view of things.
The
neighborhood is where people live. The region is where they roam. A person's
region may be the globe if they have the notion and resources.
[next portion with 350 Journal 07-01-2000]
10:15
a.m. Seeing my leather turtle – a totem animal. The foundation of the world in
some mythologies, – turtles all the
way down.
The
turtle is symbolic of foundation building – and that is what I'm promoting with
regions – the foundation – the bounds. Geo-data is a foundation – data
reflecting relationships which, when known, can be the basis for other
beneficial relationships.
My
work is foundation building. Making visible the options; when boundaries are
mature, long-standing, and enforced by law – the networking across them takes
greater investment.
12:25
p.m. Practice #1 Step 351 – Final lessons – Round 1 – "I serve a greater
purpose, which I am now beginning to experience."
12:32
p.m. I am a true student of Knowledge today.
→ Bottoms up
regional community – a new way in the world. Given transportation &
communication, people move about the planet – create their region.
Your
backyard can be regional in scope.
1:17
p.m. Practice #1 complete. It is Sunday. In Stillness I've completed worship. I
could go to the park, I've so many trees here – I don't need to do so – Still
that green immersion is important. The truth is everywhere, so I don't need to
be in a special place to get it – though ease is a factor –
The
world rolls by – I don't need to go out.
How
shall I spend this time? There are many things I'd like to read – there are
many things I need to do.
I'm
thankful to be aware of S2K and a student; a true student, a student of truth.
The world teaches its truth and then ignores it when convenient. I've learned
to do that too. Others only obey the laws they want, and enforced all the laws
on others –
-----------
What
I need is a path to present my perspective to a wider audience. The traditional
audience is too boundary focused on one hand, and not willing to entertain
standard regions.
The
man who saw regions – a starving artist, a poet of geography. This morning I
dreamed of Kandinsky.
Mentor
thyself. I've had teachers and friends, but no mentor. This is why S2K is so
valuable. The steps are more real than ACIM. That ended in aquestion mark – but
neither is it the total solution.
I am
still learning how to be in the world. A child does it – even then as a child,
I wasn't that comfortable.
3:40
p.m. Wherever I look, I see the unfoldment of Knowledge in the work of others. “How
to be safe in an unsafe world" applies knowledge. Its precepts fit S2K. Is
it indolence, stillness or sugar fatigue from ice cream/plus the heat that
keeps me in the chain on my porch?
→ At 4 – 5 I want
to complete my essay. The future belongs to regions.
4:11
p.m. Home alone. Me in the house – just as I was ages 14 – 18 – @ 2827 Forest
Ave. Now my concerns more elevated, but still a paralysis. The published work
of others is researched and footnoted – documented and scholarly. I'm a
practitioner with a few phrases. What value do I have? I'm not inherently tough.
Great thoughts (or fantasies) flow in these pages – yet at the screen –
nothing. Am I not ready? All of this makes my life seem deluded.
People
want me to write, but I've forgotten how to write for publication.
I am
not at the level of development that I need to be.
My
life this minute is like a movie where the old man gives up and the idea to
save the world is filled up, never to be found again.
What
I know is intuitive and anecdotal. It needs to be proven with research.
Bill
Dodge’s book looked at regions themselves and not state networks of regions.
Practice
#2 I am open – I need more effective guidance – for what I am to do.
5:50
p.m. At Patience. A slow walk today. To review and meditate?
Much being processed; there is a lot to process. A
good use of technology may be found, if your mind can stay up and not be distracted.
Let us continue.
NNC
P.S. At Step 352, we are in the final lessons,13
Steps from the end. Though interesting, 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.
