Greetings All –
Step 152 - I will not
follow fear within the world. (MP3) [Open in Drive or copy to
your Drive – Download folder or play from Drive – Step PDF also.]
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| “I will not follow fear within the world.” Step - 152 |
HUMANITY IS GOVERNED BY WAVES OF FEAR that draw
people here and there, waves of fear that dominate their actions, their thinking,
their conclusions, their beliefs and their assumptions. Do not follow the waves
of fear that move across the world. Instead, remain steadfast and still in
Knowledge. Allow yourself to observe the world from this point of stillness and
certainty. Do not be swayed by the waves of fear. In this way, you will be able
to contribute to the world and not be its victim only. You are here to give,
not to judge, and in stillness you are without judgment upon the world.
Recognize, then, the waves of fear, but do not let them touch you, for in
Knowledge they cannot touch you because Knowledge is beyond all fear.
REPEAT YOUR IDEA FOR THE DAY UPON THE HOUR, and
consider it in light of all that you experience today. In your two longer
practice periods, apply your mind actively in attempting to understand today’s lesson.
Again, this is a form of mental application. We shall not practice stillness
and mental silence today but mental application so that you may learn to think
constructively. For when your mind is not still, it should be thinking
constructively. It should be investigating. Do not rely upon early conclusions.
Do not rely upon self-comforting ideas. Allow yourself to be vulnerable today,
for you are only vulnerable to Knowledge. Yet, Knowledge will shield you from
all things of harm within this world and will provide a comfort and a stability
that the world can never change. Learn of this today so that you may be a source
of Knowledge within the world so that your Source may express itself through
you.
PRACTICE 152: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly
practice.
Note: “You
are here to give, not to judge, and in stillness you are without judgment upon
the world. Recognize, then, the waves of fear, but do not let them touch you,
for in Knowledge they cannot touch you because Knowledge is beyond all fear.”
The
fort pictured is of modern origin. It is on the Army Heritage Trail at the U.S.
Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It does represent
some of the fear in the world; people may have such mental defenses.
From
the journal:
Dec
15, 1999
6:30
a.m. I will not use fear to support my judgments.
S2K
practice – to actively consider this. This, it says will have me learn about
wisdom and ignorance. In spite of ACIM and my learning of ego/fear – in
practice I am not w/o it. I get attacked, my life is attacked, and I’m fearful.
My relationships are stressed. People, the kids make mistakes and are slow to
learn. Fear confuses me and robs energy. I often do not know how to act and
feel isolated. …
What
is the world and where do I fit? I am not alone in spirit, yet I am alone in
this body. Can I become: have I been self-aware enough to know/feel/sense/experience
my connection.
Sense yes. I observe the world. I have built a
role for myself within it. Sometime I’m satisfied, but often not. Relationships
are getting more challenging and easier all at once – we judge not.
What
must I do to feel at home in the world? Simply accept the world, release
judgments of yourself. It is an amusement park – you’ve signed up for a ride –
for the experience.
Who
or what conspires to give the experience?
- I
truly seek to Know God
- be
still and KNOW –
8:17
a.m. I know S2K is for me to learn to have happiness on earth so that I might
move my soul to a level where there is no fatigue.
6:45
p.m. This day has been productive. The MIF meeting went well. The personnel
committee met and authorized me to move forward with part time help to get us
caught up. COG and ICPRB folks were very helpful. I can continue “personnel”
recovery – but it has been two years plus of hell! Lesson burned.
6:55
p.m. Practice #2 “I will not use fear to support my judgments.”
It’s
good that this exercise call for active thought. When the Personnel Committee
met unexpectedly today – my first reaction was fear – that they were going to
fire me or otherwise make my life more miserable - … When called in I was
surprised that they authorized me to get part time help and move to a finance
officer position. I said thank you.
My
judgment was that the personnel group was not working in my best interest – and
fear – past experience/pain seemed to feed that.
I
read GCW-I on happiness – rather finished it this a.m. – the
base line sense being sought is happiness in the world – acceptance of pain –
is that not denial?
I
judge myself – and fear that I’m right. I resist being judgmental of others –
Lloyd for example, but fear that Sarah will ultimately be hurt. If I accept
hurt as normal/do I support/tolerate abuse? Am I fearful to take action because
I may be attacked?
I’m
feeling judgmental to Sarah’s counselor Sue ---- Who started Sarah off on her
birth-mother search, creating havoc for M.E. & Sarah – ultimately leading
to the current disappointment. I would like to see this lead to success and
self –supporting growth in Sarah. I hold back. Am I foolish?
I
trust in process that leads to discernment. That is what planning/facilitating
has taught me.
Since
ACIM I’ve worked on discernment rather than judgment. Thus this Step is not
totally new territory.
The
Step says: “… only from a place of self-love can you offer correction to
yourself and to others.”
I
understand the importance of self-love, but am not there totally. I may judge
myself – I do judge myself as having failed. How can I self-change better?
A wordy day. Of course it was a thinking exercise,
but much was going on. Your life is probably as complicated, but with other
characters. In reading this entry I was quite amazed to find this particular
question: “What must I do to feel at home in the world?” Much later
I’ll explain why. If you’ve had that question too, then do stick with the Steps
through Step 365.
NNC
Journal second time x2
Step 151. This is for those who have completed
Steps once. Doing Steps with only the texts, messages and your life experience,
including what you may have studied and practiced is your journey. I’m showing
Step comments after the Step, so as not to influence you in advance. It is a
wilderness trek to be left to your own wits, but then you can also listen more
closely for guides, angels and teachers, always first saying: “I surround and
protect myself with the Love and the Grace of God.” Thankfully, I was taught
this practice in 1989.
P.S. 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.
