Step Thirty-Five

Step 35. Review

This review will give you an opportunity to learn something of The Greater Community Way of Knowledge. In two 30-minute practice periods, review your prior week’s instructions and experiences in practice. Do this with as little judgment as possible. Merely look and see what was instructed, what you did and what the result was. This objective review will give you the greatest access to insight and understanding with a minimum of pain and self-abuse. You are learning now to become objective about your life without repressing the content of your emotions. Instead of attempting to destroy one aspect of yourself, you are simply attempting to cultivate another.

Therefore, in your review, use this as a guidepost: “I will look, but I will not judge.” In this way, you will be able to recognize things. Remember how much easier it may be for you to have insight about another’s life and how little you may have about your own. Greater objectivity is possible with others because you are not attempting to use their life for any specific purpose and the extent to which you are, the less able you will be to understand them, their nature, their development or their destiny. Therefore, the less you attempt to use your life, the more you will be able to understand it, appreciate it and work with its intrinsic mechanism for your greater advancement.

Practice 35: 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 12, 2012 Round One: This idea that

“the less you attempt to use your life, the more you will be able to understand it, appreciate it and work with its intrinsic mechanism for your greater advancement” is beginning to strike home to me, and all in all it is amazing how the Steps are beginning to live in me, take up residence if you will, on a daily basis, and merge into an overall greater awareness about myself and life in general. And insights come uncalled for, or when I am not specifically thinking about or practicing the Steps.

For instance, the affirmation "I want to see a different world" "I wish to see a world I have never seen before" from Step 31 suddenly opened up yesterday as I was doing something else and became so clear and understandable. Like a flash of insight that I want to hold on to.

And so it is as I move on through the Steps, I realize that what has gone before remains with me, embedding itself in the core of my being, even without me being consciously aware of it, to erupt in moments of inspiration and insight when I can truly say that the truth is with me, I can feel it!

August 5, 2014 Round Two: This review has shown me that I am opening the door into a Greater Reality. I felt that the opportunity to learn something of the Greater Community Way of Knowledge mentioned at the beginning of the review was a call to see my world emerging into the Greater Community, so this is the different world I am being asked to see.

However, this review also calls for looking at my own life, not using my life for a specific purpose, but being as objective and impartial as possible. Impartiality is actually something I wish to cultivate, it is something I have considered before, have pondered upon. It is not indifference, it is making a conscious choice to step back emotionally from situations, both with respect to myself and with respect to others. It is cultivating the ability not to be drawn into dramas, be they my own or those of others. I can maintain a loving distance, empathize but not sympathize, show compassion but not be emotionally sapped. I think that to look but not judge requires cultivating impartiality.

July 22, 2018 Round Three: First 30-min practice - sitting in kitchen 4.15 - 4.45 am.

Step 29. I will observe myself today.

Hourlies - did them all day. Main feeling - all is in harmony with myself and my life - feeling content, accomplished, easy, relaxed, in awe of the blessings of my life, enjoying Volodya’s absence, doing a lot in the garden, harvesting and processing cucumbers. I feel I am constantly self-checking. I allow my inner guidance to influence - this is learning in the Greater Community Way of Knowledge.

Step 30. Today I will observe my world.

Hourlies - did all day. Emphasis on non-judgment, just observing. It is hard not to put my own slant on the world, but if I proceed from the inner guidance I see a world struggling to survive.

Step 31. I wish to see a world I have never seen before.

I do wish to see the world as it really is, not the way I think it is, but I can only go from own experience. My desire represents my desire for Knowledge, for Knowledge comes from God and God is all Knowledge in the Universe - this I understand. I need to get past my emotions and operate from a higher vantage point, so I see the real situation without putting my own judgment on it.

Step 32. The Truth is with me. I can feel it.

Two 30-min contemplation practices using breathing to take me deeper. I felt this. I get this. Feeling the Truth is something I am familiar with.

Step 33. I have a mission in my life to fulfill.

Maybe my mission is just to demonstrate my life - my life, which is different from most people’s, demonstrate a life with Knowledge. I wish I could spark Knowledge in Volodya, but I feel he is too dense. But that is being judgmental, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. My mission involves the reclamation of Knowledge, but I am not to draw conclusions. It involves the proper engagement with others to bring about specific results in the world. As I reclaim Knowledge, its beneficence will shine on me and through me. I need to keep this uppermost in my mind, smile more, show how content I am, show how important silence is. I will put my finger on my lips to hush Volodya when he is being too intrusive and loud at inappropriate times.

Step 34. I am a beginning student of Knowledge.

Despite my accomplishments, intuition, self-honesty and mental capabilities, I am still a beginning student of Knowledge, so I am always aware I have more to learn. The light of Truth is shining upon me. First stillness practice. Stillness continues to be difficult for me, so I am still a beginning student.

I feel I have assimilated these Steps. The second 30-min practice was accomplished while writing in this journal.