Step Eighty-Nine

Emotions

Step 89. My Emotions Cannot Dissuade My Knowledge.

Emotions draw you like the strong winds. They pull you from place to place. Perhaps in time you will be able to understand their mechanism more thoroughly. Our practice today is to emphasize that they do not control Knowledge. Knowledge does not need to destroy your emotions. It only wishes to contribute to them. In time, you will come to understand a great deal more about your emotions, and you will realize that your emotions may serve a greater purpose, as may your mind and your body. All things that have been a source of pain, discomfort and disassociation, when brought into service to one power—which is the One Power—will then become vehicles of expression serving a greater purpose. Even anger serves a greater purpose here, for it shows you that you have violated Knowledge. Though your anger may not be directed towards another, it is simply a sign that something has gone wrong and that correction has to be made. You will understand the source of grief, and you will understand the source of all emotions in time.

Practice upon the hour and at the beginning of your two longer meditation periods, repeat today’s idea and then enter into stillness. Today learn to value that which is certain and to understand that which is uncertain, to recognize that which is cause and that which obstructs cause but which may in time serve cause itself.

Practice 89: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly practice.

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.

March 9, 2013 Round One: Steps are taking me deeper and deeper into closer communion with my True Self. This invitation to take a closer look at my emotions and be aware of how they can serve me is very timely for me and very powerful. And what I understand from this Step is that my emotions can only serve me if I am aware of how destructive they can be and adjust them accordingly.

There is one particular issue in my life that I always overreact to, allowing my emotions to kick in before I have time to take sober stock of what is going on. This issue came up again yesterday as I was practicing this Step, and I was able to rein in my emotions and stop them from running riot, nip them in the bud, so to speak, allowing my thinking to take a more rational course and see what was certain, as opposed to reacting to what was uncertain. This is another very profound Step that I realize I have not fully understood, but am confident I will understand with time if I keep practicing.

What I see at the moment is that I should not berate myself for my emotions—strong destructive emotions, that is—but be aware of them and allow this awareness to gently steer me in a new constructive direction.

October 11, 2014 Round Two: Today, I am gentler with myself about my emotions. I understand they serve me in ways I may still not be aware of. I understand that my emotions give me access to the spiritual realm. I need my emotions and should allow them free rein. I need to go with them, feel them, and see where they take me. I can harness them and hold their frequency in order to feel what they are teaching me in the depth and core of my being. I can use my emotions constructively, not judge them as good or bad, but merely recognize them for what they are and use them to my benefit.

I am prone to outbursts of emotion, particularly with Sasha (my husband). He is good at pushing my emotional buttons. I used to chastise myself for having an emotional outburst, for not being able to control myself, but now I am seeing that I am probably doing myself a favor by allowing myself to express my emotions. Emotions are teachers if I am aware enough to understand what they are teaching me.

I understand today from this Step that Knowledge and emotions can be allies. Knowledge serves emotions and emotions can be served by Knowledge.

Instead of berating myself for my emotions, I can learn to trust that they are pointing me in the right direction, bringing me closer to Knowledge by showing me what I need to correct and adjust.

Dear Rainmaker quoted another gem from the New Message teachings just now on the Free School Forum that speaks directly to this Step, as I see it.

Here you learn to become a good teacher for yourself, a trusted friend instead of a constant critic—a demanding, irritable, harsh, judgmental critic.  

The critic within you .... is eventually replaced by an abiding counselor, as you learn to remind yourself of the important things—patience, perseverance, openness, acceptance and the return to Knowledge.  

All the things that a wise counselor or teacher would tell you as you proceed .... you learn to tell yourself.

September 24, 2018 Round Three: I like what I wrote the second time, it makes perfect sense. I understand today that emotions are flimsy, fleeting, although they speak to some deeper cause within me, they are triggered by something deep-seated that still needs to be dealt with. They seem to overtake me at the time, but they are temporary and inconstant, they may point to a cause, show me the root of things so that I can work with them and eradicate the cause if it serves no purpose. My emotions only serve me to point me to Knowledge.

First meditation - 4.54-5.24 - outside toilet. I did the Entering Divine Love’s Embrace meditation, went to all seven spheres, spiralling down through the heart, there and back, entering and returning. I wrapped my heart in healing light. There may be some trouble with my heart. It feels tight and I have some discomfort when I do my body-shaking exercise.

I am feeling a bit off this morning. I am self-sufficient and don’t need others, no one apart from Sasha. I am withdrawing from the New Message. I have found what I wanted. I don’t want to be part of the community any longer.

I did not turn on my phone today. That felt good.