10/14/16

Enemies are only friends who have not learned to join. Step 288 - Steps to Knowledge: The Book of Inner Knowing ~ Spiritual Practices


Greetings All –

Enemies are only friends who have not learned to join. Step 288 (MP3) [Open in Drive or copy to your Drive – Download folder or play from Drive – Step PDF also.]
Enemies are only friends who have not learned to join. Step 288
THERE ARE NO TRUE ENEMIES IN LIFE, for all war and conflict are born of confusion. This you must understand. A life without Knowledge can only be confused and must create its own inner guidance system, which is merely the ideas and beliefs with which it identifies itself. Thus, individuals have their own individual purpose and self-identity. These evaluations clash with those of other individuals, and thus one to one, group to group, nation to nation and world to world, war is generated and waged.

IN KNOWLEDGE THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE, for in Knowledge all are your friends. You recognize each person to be at whatever stage of development he or she is currently engaged. You may become involved with some of them, and with some of them you may not. Some of them may be able to receive your contribution directly, while others will need to receive it indirectly. But they are all your friends. There is no opposition in Knowledge, for there is only one Knowledge in the universe. It expresses itself through each individual. As each individual becomes more purified as a vehicle for Knowledge, as each individual becomes a greater recipient of Knowledge and as each individual follows Knowledge and becomes responsible to Knowledge, then the opportunity for him or her to be in conflict will diminish and eventually will disappear.

RECOGNIZE, THEN, THAT ALL WAR AND CONFLICT simply express a lack of capacity for those involved to join. When individuals join, they recognize a common need, which becomes their primary need. This must be born of Knowledge and not idealism if it is to be actualized. It must be born of Knowledge and not mere philosophy if it is to lead to true action and true involvement. Thus, you become a peacemaker and a peacekeeper in the world as you follow as a student of Knowledge. The stronger Knowledge is within you, the weaker will be your fear and ambivalence. In this way, war within you will be ended, and your life will be a demonstration that war is unnecessary.

DEDICATE YOURSELF TODAY TO ENDING WAR within the world by ending war within yourself so that you may be a peacemaker and a peacekeeper. Upon the hour remind yourself of today’s lesson and apply it to the world that you see around you. Apply it to all of the conflicts in the world of which you are aware. Try to understand its complete relevancy to these conflicts. This will require that you see these conflicts from a different point of view in order to realize the full impact and meaning of today’s idea. It is this point of view that you must cultivate, for you must learn to see as Knowledge sees, to think as Knowledge thinks and to act as Knowledge acts. All this you will most certainly accomplish as you follow Knowledge each day.

IN YOUR DEEPER PRACTICE PERIODS return to stillness and silence so that you may strengthen your ability to cultivate and prepare yourself to be an emissary of Knowledge in the world. This is your responsibility today. This will permeate all of your other activities and give them value and meaning, for today you are a student of Knowledge.

PRACTICE 288: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly practice.



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 Spiritualityand 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.

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 above 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.