Step Forty

Step 40. Today I Will Feel The Power Of God.

God’s power is so complete and so inclusive that it infuses everything. Only those minds that are separated and lost in valuing their own thoughts can possibly be separated from the great benevolence of God. Those who have responded to God become God’s Messengers in time so that they may bestow the gifts of Grace upon those who remain behind in confusion. All the seeming powers of your world—the forces of nature, the inevitability of your death, the ever present threat of illness, loss and destruction and all appearances of conflict—are all temporary movements in the great stillness of God. It is this great stillness that calls you to return to the peace and full enjoyment of God, but you must prepare.

Today you prepare in your two 30-minute practice periods. In silent meditation, attempt to feel the power of God. You do not need to conjure up magical images, for this power is something that you can feel, for it is everywhere. No matter what your circumstances or condition, whether favorable for your development or not, today you can feel the power of God.

Practice 40: Two 30-minute practice periods.

Here you will find the entire book free for download http://stepstoknowledge.com/

Here you will find pointers for getting started if this is your first encounter with this practice: Taking the Steps to Knowledge.

December 17, 2012 Round One: I am tentatively beginning to feel this power, and without conjuring up magical images. It is not anything that can be described in words, it can only be felt and experienced.

August 10, 2014 Round Two: Each of these last few steps leads on from the previous. I said in the previous Step that the power of God is experienced in relationship.

This quote from Wisdom from the Greater Community, Vol. 2, Chapter 31. Concentration, was brought to my attention as I did this Step:

“You will not go any further than the weakest relationship that you cherish.”

This gives me food for thought. 

"Only those minds that are separated and lost in valuing their own thoughts can possibly be separated from the great benevolence of God."

Today I was lost in valuing my own thoughts and so felt separated from the great benevolence of God. Today I am ambivalent and wondering why I am sharing this practice.

However, I take comfort in the last sentence of this Step.

"No matter what your circumstances or condition, whether favorable for your development or not, today you can feel the power of God."

Maybe I should be holding myself back. Although I do not feel Knowledge is holding me back. I can always feel the power of God if I still my mind and allow it to sidestep all confusion and doubt.

P.S. It is interesting that I am revisiting this Step today on February 9, 2017, the day my husband and I went to the registry office in Moscow and officially sealed our bond twenty-four years ago in 1993. I remember choosing the Romeo and Juliet picture for this Step because I was reflecting on my relationship with my husband the day I did it for the second time. I often think of our relationship as my weak link, but is it? (“You will not go any further than the weakest relationship that you cherish.”) We are still together against all odds, through thick and thin. This is still my food for thought today.

P.P.S. Two years later, on February 16, 2019, I can truly say that my relationship with my husband is not my weak link. We have a relationship of higher purpose. We are together to accomplish something and we are currently moving toward that goal.

P.P.P.S. Another year has passed. It is February 9, 2020. And what I said last year holds ever truer today.

July 27, 2018 Round Three: Just to continue the thread of thought brought up in the last round, I now see my relationship with my husband as a relationship of destiny. I feel the power of God in our relationship. It is not my weakest link. It is my strongest. My husband may not be on the same spiritual page as me, but he makes me stronger. We do wonderful things together, we are building a strong foundation for the future. We are in harmony and balance, despite our differences. We are a force to be reckoned with!

Again today I am to feel the power of God in stillness. All the seeming powers of my world are only temporary movements in the great stillness of God. This is how I see my situation - it doesn’t matter what Volodya says or does, it has no real meaning or significance, it is a temporary ripple in the great stillness of God - it comes and goes, it is inconsequential. What really matters is that the power of God is with me and I can feel it. And I keep it to myself, for it will dissipate and be abused if I talk about it. It remains as a potent force within me and I take quiet joy in it. As I respond, I will later be able to bestow the gifts of Grace on others.

First 30-min practice - in the greenhouse, but I only practiced for 15 mins. I went back inside to turn off the gas and did 15 more minutes sitting in the front room. It was quiet, no noise from the neighbors and the cats were eating. I did not see any images or lights of any import behind my eyelids, but I felt my mind expanding and felt the power of God. God is still, God is imperturbable, but God is all-powerful. I have power, I am steady and strong. I am not afraid. I am in control.

Second 30-min practice - out in the garden, lying in the sun near the birch tree, the afternoon sun sprinkling through the leaves, warm and peaceful - 16.02-16.32. Only I was disturbed. Sasha called out to warn me of Volodya’s approach. It was unnecessary, he couldn’t see me, but my concentration waned and I came out of Stillness at 25 mins. I reminded myself of the power of God throughout the day and felt it, so I feel I have sufficiently practiced this Step.