Greetings All –
EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER SAID and everything you
have ever done has been an attempt to express your Self. Your dilemma in the
past is that you have attempted to express a self that is not your Self. This
temporary self, this personal self, has been used as a substitute for your True
Self, though it is only meant to be an intermediary between your True Self and
the world. Because it has been used as a substitute, its own inherent confusion
and lack of foundation have disabled your communication and expression. Therefore,
you have not found the source of your expression or the best vehicle for your expression.
THAT YOUR TRUE SELF WISHES TO EXPRESS ITSELF is
evident in all of your past activities if you will understand them objectively.
Everything you have ever said to anyone contains a seed of true expression.
Everything you have ever done or attempted to demonstrate contains the seed of
true demonstration and expression. You need only purify your expression to have
it be complete and truly representative of your nature and, therefore, truly
satisfying to you.
BECAUSE YOU ARE HERE TO EXPRESS YOUR SELF, you must
also learn how to express your Self, how your true expressions will affect others
and how this effect can be utilized appropriately, for your well-being and their
well-being as well. Here you learn what you wish to express and how to express
it. And you also learn to realize its impact upon the world. This requires the
cultivation of Knowledge within you, the cultivation of your personal abilities
and the transformation of your personal self from being a substitute for
Knowledge to being an intermediary for Knowledge. As an intermediary, your
personal self must be developed and activated properly. Here it serves a
Greater Self within you, as your Greater Self serves the Great Self of the
Universe. Here everything finds its rightful place and its uniform expression.
REMIND YOURSELF UPON THE HOUR that you wish to
express your Self and in your deeper meditation experiences, where you come in stillness
and devotion, allow your True Self to express itself to you. Beyond words and
beyond actions, your True Self will express itself and you will know its
expression. You will know that you wish to receive its expression and to extend
its expression into the world. The world is the place where you have come to
express your Self because the world is the place where you wish to be at home.
PRACTICE 357: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly
practice.
Yesterday: Step
356 - I will find my Self today.
Beginning with the journal:
8:45 a.m. July 7, 2000 – I will find my Self today. It's about time to
do so.
At work – on L.O.
– the ideas of systems analysis and "wholes" – systems is a method of
modeling the workings of the world. Ideally it would explain discrete wholes
within the world. Systems can't explain the mystery – the spark that starts it
all.
Since natural – bio-logic systems have so much more experience at
survival and growth than technological systems, it is wise to consider how they
work and include these lessons in the design of tech.
11:20 p.m. Have I found myself today? Only 40 minutes left
At this point in the journal I went to drawing. This mind map attempted to put together the concepts provided and do so in a spatial/mapping way. A way to consider this is as one's location or Spiritual Position:
Your map may be different - go ahead and produce it.
The last detail is an attempt to relate my self and the “True” or “Greater Self.” As said before, drawing is a way to out-picture relationships. It is a way to think visually. The journal entries are doing this. It ends with this:
The last detail is an attempt to relate my self and the “True” or “Greater Self.” As said before, drawing is a way to out-picture relationships. It is a way to think visually. The journal entries are doing this. It ends with this:
The Steps page is thought
provoking:
I’ve ended it with the question:
“Why does Knowledge have to be reclaimed in the world?”
Our brains are now is now
packed with many moving parts. What should we do? Let it cook and wait to see what thoughts emerge. Let us
continue.
NNC
P.S. At Step 357, we are in the final lessons, eight
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.
