Step One Hundred and Seventy-Nine

Painting on the wall in Krakow, Poland

Step 179. Today I Will Thank The World For Teaching Me What Is True.

The world in its grandeur and in its folly teaches you what to value and to recognize what is true. Contrast must be evident in learning for you to make these distinctions. To distinguish what is true from what is false and what is meaningful from what is meaningless, you must have contrast in learning. You must taste the meaningless to find out its true nature and content, and you must taste the meaningful to find out its true nature and content. The world continuously provides you the opportunity to do both.

At this time your need is to taste the true increasingly, and that is why we emphasize this in your daily practice now. You have already indulged yourself in the false so sufficiently that it has dominated your mind and attention. Now we feed you the true, but you must also learn to benefit from what the false has given you. Then you will need to investigate the false no more. The false has already presented itself to you. Now you are learning to recognize its presentation and to utilize what benefit it can offer you. The only benefit the false can offer you is to learn to recognize its lack of substance so that you may desire to know what is true and have greater capacity to receive it.

Thus, thank the world today for supporting you, for its grandeur and for its folly, for its moments of inspiration and for its great display of illusion. The world you see so far is largely comprised of the fantasy of individuals, but there is a greater world for you to see, a world that is actually there, a world that will arouse in you Knowledge, appreciation and true self-application as well. For it is your purpose to serve the evolution of this world, as it is the world’s purpose to serve your evolution.

In your two longer practice periods today, investigate this idea actively with your mind. Apply your mind to understanding how the world has supported you. Think very carefully about this. This is not a superficial investigation. It is an investigation that you must conduct with necessity and with seriousness, for it will determine your experience in life, both in the present and in the future.

Upon the hour, remember our statement for today and keep it in mind when you view the world. Do not let this day be wasted upon you. This day is a day of recognition, a day of gratitude and a day of Wisdom.

Practice 179: 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.

July 30, 2013 Round One: This is so true. I recognize the great wisdom in being able to contrast and compare, I understand how difficult it is to appreciate and value the good if I haven’t experienced the bad, but also how difficult it is to distinguish between what is true and what is false.

I have this constant and overwhelming desire to know the truth, to be shown the truth, to recognize the truth when it is presented to me, to overcome any doubt about what is true and what is false. This is not easy, because gut feelings can sometimes prove false, or they are difficult to recognize when the chips are down. More often than not, you just have to be patient, stay aware and cognizant of signs and pointers that come from the deeper mind, from Knowledge, and trust that all shall be revealed in its own good time.

I have an inherent trust in the fact that the Truth will surface, but it takes practice to recognize it for what it is. There is much trial and error to go through and it takes effort and awareness on my part to steer a steady course through the rapids. I pray that I will be able to recognize the Truth when it is revealed to me.

January 26, 2015 Round Two: When there is so much false being reported in the world today about Russia, my vision remains clear. I continue to adhere to the truth I feel within, a truth that has been with me ever since I first came to Russia (then the Soviet Union) in 1981. I knew then that the picture being painted of Russia in the West was not the truth. That knowing remains with me today.

“Thus, thank the world today for supporting you, for its grandeur and for its folly, for its moments of inspiration and for its great display of illusion. The world you see so far is largely comprised of the fantasy of individuals, but there is a greater world for you to see, a world that is actually there, a world that will arouse in you Knowledge, appreciation and true self-application as well.”

How these words speak to me today. There is so much illusion and fantasy in the world, people just do not know the extent to which the wool is being pulled over their eyes. I wish to always step forth in the world with my eyes fully open, ever cognizant of the deeper truth within me. I may have my doubts, but that is not going to stop me!

December 27, 2018 Round Three: I am to distinguish the false from the true, the meaningless from the meaningful, see the truth through the falsity, see the lack of substance in the false. I see this when I listen to the news - I see all the false we are shown, I know this is true and I feel the truth behind it all - I feel what I know. It is another day of investigation, I am to engage my mind actively in discerning the true from the false. I can do this without sitting still for 30 minutes. I am doing this now on a regular basis. It is part of my being.