Greetings All –
Today I will learn to learn. Step – 150 (MP3) [Open in Drive or copy to your Drive – Download folder or play from
Drive – Step PDF also.]
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| Today I will learn to learn. Step - 150 |
THEREFORE,
TODAY YOU LEARN TO LEARN. This places you as a beginning student of Knowledge,
which gives you all rights and all encouragement to learn everything that is
necessary, without presumption, without conceit, without denial and without
falsity of any kind. As you learn to learn, you will realize the mechanism of
learning. This will give you Wisdom and compassion in your dealings with
people. You cannot teach people from idealism, for then you place upon them the
burden of your own expectations. You require of them what even life cannot
provide. But the certainty of your experience and your Knowledge, which you will
give to others, will be sound, and they will be able to receive it and utilize
it in their own way. Then, you will not place any personal demands upon them in
their learning, but will allow Knowledge within you to give to Knowledge in
them. You will then be a witness to the instruction and to the learning as
well.
THEREFORE,
TODAY BEAR WITNESS TO YOUR OWN LEARNING and learn to learn. Upon the hour,
remind yourself that you are learning to learn. In your two meditation
practices, allow yourself to enter stillness and peace. Observe yourself as you
move forward and as you hold yourself back. Exert your will on your own behalf
compassionately and firmly, and judge not your advancement because you are not
in a position to judge, because you are learning to learn.
PRACTICE
150: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly practice.
Picture: I have always enjoyed the library. It was a place where
independent learning could be pursued, as opposed to what was being taught in
school. In the library I could explore ideas and follow thoughts were they led
me.
The notion of
"learning to learn" was something I’d been exposed to in my planning
career. I’d heard a lecture by Donald M. Michael in the 1980’s at a World
Future Society event, relating the perspective of his 1973 book: “On Learning
to Plan – and Planning to Learn: The Social Psychology of Changing Toward
Future-Responsive Societal Learning.” This was a man ahead of his time.
When visiting London in
2009, the British Library was a place I went to see and thus have a picture for
this Step. The average tourist may not visit local libraries for anything other
than Internet access, which is of course important, but my intent was to be in
the presence of this collection of the work of human civilization.
It is an evolutionary
process still. Using the cumulative knowledge for wisdom in the world is what
Steps to Knowledge is teaching so we might have Greater Community Wisdom. The
work necessary is not precisely known, as this is an evolving reality. It is up
to us to understand problems, consider methods of acting and then put the ideas
into practice, cooperatively in communities. Simple, but not easy.
Plan B - If the MP3 doesn’t work, here’s the link
to the folder: New Message - Student Spoken Steps Recordings -
Steps to Knowledge - Working file
If this is your first time seeing one of the “Steps to Knowledge”,
then welcome. There are 365 Steps, daily spiritual practices if one seeks to
complete them in a year, but that is not necessary. They can be used by people
of any religious tradition or no religious tradition. They will help one to
become mindful in the world.
The Step today is from the book: Steps to Knowledge: The Book of Inner Knowing. The practices were
brought to the world through Marshall Vian Summers, The Messenger for The New
Message From God. Important background for the Steps is in: “Greater Community Spirituality” and the “Wisdom Books - I and II”.
Hard copies are available from the New Knowledge Library Store. The
Society for the New Message from God also has a Free Book Project. If you need
the books now, PDF files can be found here: http://goo.gl/RJuuGP
Keeping a journal is recommended. If you have a Steps book,
write your reactions and comments, highlight or underline points that strike
you, and date the note. In this way, your Steps book can be a partial journal.
Using the PDF, you can print out pages as you need them, or use
the software to maintain a digital copy where you can enter notes and highlight
text that stands out.
Other modern methods of keeping a journal include having a
document on your PC or phone to keep notes. You could send yourself an email or
use the voice recorder function. It is important to capture insights and
reactions because it is by this means that you can understand change. Sometimes
it may just be a word or short phrase, an image or a scene.
To end this post I again offer the blessing: "May the presence
of the Teachers be with you." In the invocative language of Knowledge this
blessing is: "Nasi Novare Coram" (pronounced NAH-see no-VAHR-ay
co-RAHM)
The short form of Nasi Novare Coram used by students is NNC.
The short form of Nasi Novare Coram used by students is NNC.
NNC
P.S. 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 linked below 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.
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 anyone 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.
