Step Thirty-Two



Step 32. The Truth Is With Me. I Can Feel It.

The truth is with you. You can feel it, and it can shine into your mind and into your emotions if you allow it to. Today continue your preparation in developing the desire for truth and the capability to experience truth.

In your two longer practice periods, each of a 30-minute duration, sit quietly with your eyes closed, breathing deeply and regularly, attempting to feel the truth beyond the constant restlessness of your mind. Use your breath to take you deeper, for your breathing will always take you beyond your thoughts if you adhere yourself to it conscientiously. Let nothing distract or dissuade you. If something permeates your mind and you have difficulty releasing it, tell yourself that you will look at it a little later, but that right now you are taking a small vacation from your mind. Practice feeling the truth. Do not think the truth. Practice feeling the truth.

Practice 32:
 
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 8, 2012 Round One: Now I understand the previous step more clearly. It is as I felt it was. And it is true that I can feel the truth and that it shines into my mind and into my emotions when I allow it to. For me, this is absolute.

I had this revelation and want to share, and I think it pertains to this Step.

It suddenly became clear to me – the whole “we are all one” thing. I accepted it before as a nice theory that I could believe and nod my head to, but I did not really understand it in the depths of my mind or being. And now, by jove, I think I've got it! Of course!

There is one universal spirit that is God, and it enters every new body that is born to have a human experience and multiply its knowledge. So the body is entirely secondary and it does not really matter what its physical appearance, talents, gifts, and attributes are, because the spirit is one. So we are not separate, we are the same spirit having different experiences in different bodies and thus gradually adding to our universal knowledge as part of the entire spirit that is called God. And we all return to that state of spirit after our physical body dies. This removes all need for envy, hatred, jealousy, unkindness or anything else negative relating to other people, because we all come from the same source and every experience is valuable. It is hard to put into words and perhaps I am not expressing it well, but I feel this is the truth that is shining into my mind today.

August 1, 2014 Round Two: The first time I did this Step, I was blessed with a revelation about the oneness of all.

This time no particular insights came. This time during the practice periods, I just felt an abiding certainty that all is well just as it. Now, with the advantage of having done Steps once before, I feel that this step is preparing me for entering into stillness. Today’s practice of using my breath to take me deeper, penetrating beyond my mind, not allowing myself to be distracted by extraneous thoughts that fight for attention on the surface, but trying to empty my mind is paving the way to the practices to come.

I wrote in my notes the first time about how I have difficulty with breathing practices. I have not cultivated the patience and concentration to really use my breath to take me to a deeper place.

I have to confess that I still have not cultivated that ability today. But I am able to reach a deeper place by visualization. A place where the light of truth does truly shine in. A place where I feel the truth, where I am open to insights, and experience my connection with more than myself, with my True Self, where all things can be known if I am able to acknowledge them.

Nothing compares to the feeling I have when the truth shines into my mind and into my emotions.

July 19, 2018 Round Three: I am to sit for 30 minutes with my eyes closed and feel the truth with the help of my breathing. I am to allow my breathing to take me beyond my thoughts and emotions to feel the truth shining in. I sat in the greenhouse. Masha was purring on my lap, but did not distract me. This is the perfect place to sit and meditate. It is enclosed, safe and protected from the elements. It is like the shell of protection I surround myself with before I begin meditating. I feel the Presence here, it is filled with the Presence. I entered this space of the Presence more deeply and felt expansion in my head, my mind opening up. I had no insights about the truth. I saw pictures of our plot and house. I saw my friends. I have three female and two male NM friends. I have three female translation companions, but they are not in the same category as my friends. I thought something about these people as I felt the truth, but now it escapes me. I did not think anything about Volodya. Will I feel comfortable doing my meditation practices in the greenhouse when he returns? I will certainly try. My phone died to I could not keep track of the time. I came out of Stillness after 20 minutes and felt it was enough. It was 5.40 in the morning.

I felt a Truth during the day was when I was trimming back the cucumber plants. It was the first time I had done this, but I felt as though I knew what to do. It was familiar, I had done it in another life. My ancient memory is awakening.








I tried to do the second practice several times during the day when I lay down to rest. The lying position is not so conducive to practice anymore. It is hard to feel the energy. I was most successful at bedtime, but again I was only able to retain the concentration for twenty minutes. I kept the thought “The Truth is with me. I can feel it” uppermost in my mind throughout the day. So I feel as though I have done this Step justice this time around.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Step Three Hundred and Seventeen

Step Three Hundred and Twelve

Step Three Hundred and Fifteen