Step Two Hundred and Ninety-One

Shcheleiki, Leningrad Oblast, Russia (where error against me showed me a new way)

Step 291. I Am Grateful To My Brothers And My Sisters Who Err Against Me.

Be grateful to those who demonstrate the need for Knowledge. Be grateful to those who teach you that it is hopeless to engage in any pursuit in the world without Knowledge. Be grateful to those who save you time by demonstrating the results of things you are contemplating for yourself even now. Be grateful to those who show you your own great need in the world. Be grateful to those who demonstrate what you must give to the world. Be grateful to all those who seem to err against you, for they will show you what is necessary in your life, and they will remind you that Knowledge is your one true purpose, your one true goal and your one true expression.

In this, all who err against you become your friends, for even in their misery they serve you and will call upon you to serve them. Here all folly, error, confusion, ambivalence, conflict and war in the world can lead you to the conviction of Knowledge. In this way, the world serves you, supports you and prepares you to serve it in its great need. Here you become a recipient of the world’s accomplishments and are given a reminder of the world’s errors. In this way, your love and compassion for the world will be engendered.

Today remind yourself upon the hour of this message and attempt to realize its meaning in the context of all of your activities so that everything that happens today will demonstrate the meaning of today’s idea. In your deeper practice periods, actively engage your mind in attempting to penetrate today’s idea. Recall every person who you think has erred against you. See how that person has served you and will continue to serve you as a reminder. This can save you great amounts of time and energy by bringing you closer to Knowledge, by increasing your resolve for Knowledge and by reminding you that there is no alternative to Knowledge. In your longer practice periods think of every person who you feel has erred against you and realize their tremendous service to you from this point of view.

Allow this day to be a day of forgiveness and a day of acceptance where you recognize and extend your gratitude to those who have erred against you. Life is conspiring to bring you to Knowledge. As you enter Knowledge, you will realize the great service that life is rendering unto you, both from its accomplishments and from its failures. Be a recipient of this gift, for in love and gratitude you will turn to the world and wish to contribute that which is the greatest of all contributions. Here you will give Knowledge in gratitude and in service to the world which has served you.

Practice 291: 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 28, 2014 Round One: As I practiced this Step, my first inclination was to think that I am hard pressed to find people I feel have erred against me. I have erred against others, but if I can say that others have erred against me, it is only because I have allowed them to, perhaps not consciously, not deliberately, unwittingly, but nonetheless, I permitted it and only have myself to blame. Then I recalled an incident that happened in the summer of 2012 (in a village called Shcheleiki on Lake Onega in the north of Russia) when I met people I thought were my friends, people I thought had my best interests at heart, people I thought were kind and generous, further along the spiritual path than me, showing me the way. This proved wrong though, I was mistaken and suffered accordingly, my spiritual development was dealt a severe blow, I was cowed and mortified. The upshot, however, was that I found the New Message from God and the Steps to Knowledge.

I thought initially that I wanted to follow the path of these friends, but I was soon to see the folly of that.

"Be grateful to those who save you time by demonstrating the results of things you are contemplating for yourself even now. Be grateful to those who show you your own great need in the world."

So these words spoke to me loud and clear as I practiced this Step. What I realize now is that these people were showing me my own great need, they were saving me time by showing me where not to go, they actually provided me with a shortcut to Knowledge.

"In this, all who err against you become your friends, for even in their misery they serve you and will call upon you to serve them.'

Yes, I see the wisdom of this. I have this urge to share the New Message with them.

May 28, 2015 Round Two: I have not shared the New Message with the people I mentioned in Round One. I no longer feel the prompting to do so. Is this a failure on my part? Maybe. My excuse is that I have no reliable way of getting in touch with them. My original thought was to send them the Allies Briefings in Russian by snail mail, but with no guarantee they would actually receive them. Maybe I will still do this. The other excuse is that there is very little of the New Message in Russian so far and these people do not have the Internet, so links are of little use. Plus they already have their own path, a path they believe is true and right, so be it.

During the first deep meditation practice, I again came to the conclusion that there are very few people, if any, who have erred against me. This is not part of my experience in life. Even people who could possibly, even remotely, fall into this category are not to blame. I did my part in encouraging their vices, and they knew no better. Some people are just at a place where they are ignorant about what is acceptable and decorous. This is not their fault, they are simply without Knowledge, they still have the mountain to climb, they have not made it far enough in their ascent to see a clearer picture.

Day 3 of Steps Vigil 2015 hosted by Christopher. He has good diction and reads beautifully - he did very good justice to Carolyn's testimonial. The message for me today was "keep showing up." This rings a bell (AA's "keep coming back").

April 26, 2019 Round Three: I get this Step and am grateful to all those who have erred against me, showing me the great need for Knowledge, pointing to the true path for me, away from hatred, envy, conflict and war. I am steady in my conviction of my true path in life, I am headed in the right direction.

It has been warm and sunny the past few days. I am out walking, swimming, sunbathing, digging in the garden, preparing seeds for planting. I am enjoying my peace and quiet, reprieve from work and hear a message from Knowledge, my Teachers, to enjoy it while I can, for all is well and proceeding according to the Great Plan.