Я Без Знания – Хорошая Исходная Точка

Я без Знания – хорошая исходная точка

Я без Знания

Шаг 1. На данный момент я без Знания.

Каждый этап развития должен иметь свою точку отсчёта. Ты должен начать с той точки, где ты находишься, а не с той, с которой ты бы хотел начать. Ты начинаешь понимать, что ты без Знания. Но это совсем не означает, что Знание не с тобой. Это просто означает, что ты без него. Знание ждёт твоего участия. Знание ждёт момента, чтобы отдать себя тебе. Поэтому, ты сейчас начинаешь подготовку, которая позволит тебе вступить во взаимосвязь со Знанием – высшим аспектом разума, который ты принес с собой из твоего Древнего дома.

Сегодня, три раза в день по 10 минут, задумайся о том, что такое Знание. Но, не просто применяя свои идеи и прошлое понимание, а размышляя над тем, чем Знание является на самом деле.

Практика 1: три практических занятия по 10 минут каждое.

Разъяснительное замечание–перевод Шагов к Знанию на русский язык находится на начальной стадии. Тот перевод, который вы тут читайте, является первой попыткой передавать смысл Шагов на русском языке.

For English Version click here.

Я без Знания, но вот у меня есть книга с названием «Шаги к Знанию: Книга внутреннего познания». Что делает человек, когда находит такую книгу? Я думаю, что это зависит от внутреннего отклика. Ёкнуло ли сердце в узнавании, или нет? Если нет, то человек скорее всего отложит книгу. А если, наоборот, вспыхнула искра узнавания, – человек откроет книгу и приступит к изучению.

Мне отрадно сообщить, что когда я нашла «Шаги к Знанию» к концу октября 2012, я испытывала ту самую искру узнавания.

Теперь хочу перемотать пленку назад и начинать пересказ своего опыта прохождения этих “Шагов”, начиная с первого. В это же время, в октября 2012 г., я сидела на берегу Можайского водохранилища в Московской области и смотрела как поплавок подскакивает на поверхности воды, тем временем размышляя о том, что такое Знание.

Mozhaisk Reservoir, Moscow Region, Russia

Я без Знания – хорошая исходная точка

Шаг 1 гласит, что я без Знания сейчас. Ну чтож, пожалуй, соглашусь, ведь мне очень близки слова «я ничего не знаю». Если я ничего не знаю, то это значит, что я могу, с определённой доли сознания, заполнить эту пустоту знанием. Так что, я начинаю с ничего, с того места, где нахожусь на самом деле, и двигаюсь вперед, к тому месту, где хочу быть, то есть, туда, в то место, где Знание пребывает.

Я без Знания сейчас, потому что на данный момент, мой разум не в состоянии постичь и понять суть Знания. Но дальше этот Шаг меня воодушевляет словами: «Но это совсем не означает, что Знание не с тобой. Это просто означает, что ты без него. Знание ждёт твоего участия. Знание ждёт момента, чтобы отдать себя тебе. Поэтому, ты сейчас начинаешь подготовку, которая позволит тебе вступить во взаимосвязь со Знанием». Это меня воодушевляет потому, что подразумевает, что со временем, с приложением усилий и с решимостью, я найду путь к Знанию и смогу вступить во взаимосвязь с него.

Я испытываю ещё больше вдохновение, когда читаю, что Знание является «высшим аспектом разума, который ты принесла с собой из твоего Древнего Дома». Я готова принять тот факт, что я еще не добралась до этого разума. Я готова принять тот факт, что я «забыла» про него, и что мне предстоит его восстановить. И это требует усилия.

Так что, сидя в ожидании поклёвки рыбы, я дошла до понимания того, что Знание – это прикосновение к глубокой Истине, это прикосновение к себе истинному.

Я без Знания – хорошая исходная точка

Второй раунд: 25 июня 2014 г.

Я без Знания, но начинаю ощущать его присутствии в моей жизни.

Что такое Знание?

Мои мысли по этому поводу: Знание – это более глубокий ум от моего Источника, это – Высшая сила. Оно постоянное и вечное, оно существовало до меня, и будет существовать после меня. Знание существует с начала времен. Оно – вселенный разум заложен в каждом человеке Творцом всей жизни. Знание тихое и неподвижное большинство время, но оно всезнающее и дает «подсказки», когда необходимо. Мое дело их ловить и действовать соответственно.

Знание – это тайна, которой трудно достичь поверхностным умом, но если добраться до него, то оно является верным компасом по жизни.

Знание – это двигающая сила Вселенной. Если послушать его подсказки, то всё восстановится в жизни, всё становится на свои места, и гармонизируется. Оно содержит тайну всей жизни и в этом мире и вне его.

Таков мой опыт сегодня.

Найдите полный текст “Шагов к Знанию” на русском языке тут.

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

An Antidote For Discouragement

Sopranos At Dinner. An antidote for discouragementI believe the ancient Israelite psalmist Asaph did the world a great favor by confessing his unhappiness and bewilderment with the prosperity of the wicked in his day. It wasn’t merely that he envied their prosperity, but something much worse. He was discouraged from being good and doing good by the success of the arrogant. He was troubled that God would permit such a discouragement to take place. In Psalm 73, Asaph wrote:

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
and have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted,
and every morning brings new punishments.
If I had spoken out like that,
I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this,
it troubled me deeply. (Psalm 73:13-16, New International Version)

An antidote for discouragement

When I read about the seven deadly sins, I discovered that there were two varieties of the sin of sloth. One variety of sloth is the laziness or indolence commonly associated with sloth. Another variety is the sloth of discouragement, the unwillingness to do good because of the belief that justice cannot or will not triumph.

I am pleased to share an antidote for discouragement from the New Message from God. This antidote is found in Step 245 of Steps to Knowledge. Step 245 teaches “When others fail, I am reminded of the need for Knowledge.”

I consider the word “fail” in this context to mean “fail to do the right thing, fail to demonstrate good character, fail to act consistently with one’s true self.” In this context, Knowledge is used to signify the great mystery of a person’s life, the greater aspect of mind that we have brought with us from our Ancient Home.

The very first sentence of the step seems to say to me “and by ‘the need for Knowledge,’ we mean ‘your need for Knowledge.'” As I pondered this step further, the step seemed to say to me “and by ‘your need for Knowledge,’ we mean ‘your need to practice, your need to follow the practices (stillness, inner listening, mental investigation, etc.) of Steps to Knowledge.'” It is as if this step is discouraging from looking at those who fail and saying “There for the grace of God go I.” It is as if this step is encouraging me to look at those who fail and say “There for the lack of my practice go I.” An antidote for discouragement over those who fail is to be found in the practice studio, in making the effort to become a better person.

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

Step 1. I Am Without Knowledge Now – Photoquoting

In the time between my first post on photoquoting and now, I have received particular encouragement to make photoquotes a bigger part of Ascending Knowledge. This is the first post of a photoquote thread.

I am without Knowledge now

There are two base camps for Mount Everest. One base camp is in Nepal. This base camp is in Tibet. Nick Isenberg took this picture.

Even though I have been engaged with Steps to Knowledge for a little while, I am construing Step 1 to mean, “compared to where I’m going to be if and when I get to Step 365, I am without Knowledge now.”

I hope that other students of Steps to Knowledge will consider this thread as an opportunity to share their own photoquotes.

Alisa writes:

This infinite staircase was designed by New Zealand artist David McCracken. It stems from the seashore in Bondi, Australia and rises up into the heavens above. Depending on the atmosphere and weather conditions, the stairway appears to reach beyond the clouds into the celestial realms overhead. It is also known as “Diminish and Ascend.”

As I prepare to embark on the ascent known as Steps to Knowledge, I am without Knowledge now. I hope to accrue it as I ascend. 

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

Photoquoting – An Emerging Practice

The word photoquote has not yet appeared either in formal English dictionaries, or slang dictionaries like urbandictionary.com, but I believe it will in the not-too-distant future. I consider the noun form of photoquote to mean “the arrangement of a quotation in an image illustrating the quotation.” Just as the word “quote” is both a noun and a verb, the word photoquote is both a noun and a verb. As a verb, photoquoting could be used either intransitively (“I should do some photoquoting for my presentation on Thursday”) or transitively (“I just photoquoted Step 1 of Steps to Knowledge.”)

Photoquoting – an emerging practice

Some of my fellow students of Steps to Knowledge have been photoquoting the steps, among other teachings of the New Message from God. This photoquote recently came across my path.

Step 9 Starchild. PhotoquotingI’ve seen a number of New Message photoquotes. But for reasons I don’t understand, this one sparked a desire in me to give this photoquoting thing a try.

I have made photoquotes of the first five steps so far. I have created a page where people can look at them. There was not very much technical skill involved. I used Microsoft Paint, the graphic tool equivalent of stone knives and bear skins. It is my hope that other students will share their photoquotes of the steps in the not-too-distant future. It seems to be a useful exercise for me to put together what I see in my mind’s eye when I think of a particular step, with the step itself. Got that? It seems to be a useful exercise for me to share my photoquoting of the steps.

Words like “clouding” and “photoquoting” describe how the New Message from God community is using technology to tell its story.

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

Knowledge Is With Me – Again

Knowledge is with me - Sculpture in Oro Valley Library, Tucson, Arizona

Step 58 of Steps to Knowledge, “Knowledge is with me,” is the first step in Steps to Knowledge to repeat a portion of a Step.  In Step 1, “I am without Knowledge now,” we are told,

“You start here in the understanding that you are without Knowledge. That is not to say that Knowledge is not with you. It is simply to say that you are not with Knowledge.”

Step 2, “Knowledge is with me.  Where am I?” is the step that Step 58 is partially repeating.  We are told Knowledge is in a part of the mind we have not yet learned to access.

In the big Step 49 review, the phrase “Knowledge is with you” is used as a sort of benediction upon the efforts of the student:

“You have come this far. Congratulations! You have passed the first test. Be encouraged now to proceed, for Knowledge is with you.”

Knowledge is with me

And here we are now at Step 58.  The previous step was Step 57, “Freedom is with me,” and therefore I get the idea that part of the point of the Step is building a connection between freedom and Knowledge.

Step 58 is the first step since Step 31 “I wish to see a world I have never seen before,” where the only practice is a brief, hourly practice.  Another part of the point of Step 58 is to teach the idea that I can practice just about anywhere.

What kind of bridge has been built so far, between where I normally live and where Knowledge abides, in the time between Step 2 and Step 58?  I don’t recall having any remarkable experiences of Knowledge during this time.  I had a happy feeling of demonstrating to myself a certain degree of seriousness as a student.  I had a happy feeling that I was following the directions to the best of my ability.

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

Я без Знания – Хорошая Исходная Точка

без Знания, Можайское водохранилище, Московская область, Россия

Шаг 1. На данный момент я без Знания.

На любом этапе развития должна быть точка отсчёта. Тебе нужно начать с того места, где ты находишься, а не c того, где ты хочешь быть. Тебе следует начать с понимания того, что ты не обладаешь Знанием. Однако, это вовсе не означает, что Знание не с тобой. Это просто означает, что ты не с ним. Знание ожидает от тебя действия, оно ждёт, когда ты сделаешь первый шаг. Поэтому, сейчас, ты начинаешь подготовку, которая поможет тебе вступить во взаимосвязь со Знанием – высшим аспектом разума, принесённым тобой из твоего Древнего Дома.

Сегодня, три раза в день по 10 минут задумайся над тем, что такое Знание. Однако постарайся не применять свои установившиеся идей и прошлое понимание, но поразмышляй над тем, чем Знание является на самом деле.

 Практика 1: два практических занятия по 10 минут каждое.

Разьяснтельное замечание–перевод Шагов к Знанию на русский язык находится на начальной стадии. Тот перевод, который вы тут читайте, является первой попыткой передавать смысл Шагов на русском языке.

For English Version click here.

Я без Знания, но вот у меня есть книга с названием «Шаги к Знанию: Книга внутреннего познания». Что делает человек, когда находит такую книгу? Я думаю, что это зависит от внутреннего отклика. Ёкнуло ли сердце в узнавании, или нет? Если нет, то человек скорее всего отложит книгу. А если, наоборот, вспыхнула искра узнавания, – человек откроет книгу и приступит к изучению.

Мне отрадно сообщить, что когда я нашла «Шаги к Знанию» к концу октября 2012, я испытывала ту искру узнавания.

Теперь хочу перемотать пленку назад и начинать пересказ своего опыта прохождения этих “Шагов”, начиная с первого. В это же время, год назад, я сидела на берегу Можайского водохранилища в Московской области и смотрела как поплавок подскакивает на поверхности воды, тем временем размышляя о том, что такое Знание.

Поплавок, Можайское водохранилище, Московская область, Россия

Шаг 1 гласит, что я без Знания сейчас. Ну чтож, пожалуй, соглашусь, ведь мне очень близки слова «я ничего не знаю». Если я ничего не знаю, то это значит, что я могу, с определённой доли сознания, заполнить эту пустоту знанием. Так что, я начинаю с ничего, с того места, где нахожусь на самом деле, и двигаюсь вперед, к тому месту, где хочу быть, то есть, туда, в то место, где Знание пребывает.

Я без Знания сейчас, потому что на данный момент, мой разум не в состоянии постичь и понять суть Знания. Но дальше этот Шаг меня воодушевляет словами: «Однако, это вовсе не означает, что Знание не с тобой.  Это просто означает, что ты не с ним. Знание ожидает от тебя действия, оно ждёт, когда ты сделаешь первый шаг. Поэтому, сейчас, ты начинаешь подготовку, которая поможет тебе вступить во взаимосвязь со Знанием». Это меня воодушевляет потому, что подразумевает, что со временем, с приложением усилий и с решимостью, я найду путь к Знанию и смогу вступить во взаимосвязь с него.

Я испытываю ещё большеe вдохновение, когда читаю, что Знание является «высшим аспектом разума, принесённым тобой из твоего Древнего Дома». Я готова принять тот факт, что я еще не добралась до этого разума. Я готова принять тот факт, что я «забыла» про него, и что мне предстоит его восстановить. И это требует усилия.

Так что, сидя в ожидании поклёвки рыбы, я дошла до понимания того, что Знание – это прикосновение к глубокой Истине, это прикосновение к себе истинному.

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

I Know Nothing–A Good Place to Start

A Good Place to Start, Mozhaisk Reservoir, Moscow Region, Russia

I may know nothing, but I have a book called Steps to Knowledge: The Book of Inner Knowing. When a person finds such a book, what does she do? I think it all depends on the inner response. Is it one of recognition, or it is not? If there is no recognition, the book will be put aside. If, on the other hand, a spark of recognition lights up, the book will be opened and studied.

I am happy to report that when I found Steps to Knowledge toward the end of October 2012, I experienced that spark of recognition.

Now I would like to wind back and relate my Steps practice beginning from Step 1. This time last year I was sitting on the shores of Mozhaisk Reservoir near Moscow, Russia watching a float bobbing on the surface of the water and thinking about what Knowledge is.

Float On Mozhaisk Reservoir, Russia, Nothing DoingStep 1 says I am without Knowledge now. This I am willing to accept for I am very partial to the adage “I know nothing.” If I know nothing, I am able, with a certain amount of awareness, to go on and fill that void with knowing. So I start from nothing, which is where I am at the moment, and go forward to where I want to be, which is a place where knowing blooms.

I am without Knowledge now because my mind in its current state cannot fathom what Knowledge might be. But the Step goes on encouragingly, “That is not to say that Knowledge is not with you. … Knowledge is waiting for you to proceed.” I find this encouraging because it implies that Knowledge is something I can access given time, effort, and perseverance. So I am willing to proceed.

I am even more encouraged when I read that Knowledge is the greater aspect of mind that I have brought with me from my Ancient Home. I am willing to accept that this part of my mind is not readily accessible at my beck and call. I am willing to accept I have “forgotten” it exists and that I need to reclaim it. And that takes work.

So my written response to this Step as I sat waiting for the fish to bite was, Knowledge is remembering who I am, remembering my True Self.

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

What Am I Being With? Why Am I Being With It?

I took a brief vacation from blogging about Steps to Knowledge after the lengthy Step 49 review of the first 48 steps.  But I am now refreshed and ready to resume the ascent.  Step 50 is “Today I will be with Knowledge.”  What have we been told about Knowledge so far?  We have been told, among other things…

  • I brought Knowledge with me from my Ancient Home. (Step 1)
  • Knowledge is something I greatly need (Step 7)
  • Knowledge is my True Self, a self that is not apart from life (Step 10)
  • Knowledge must be distinguished from my thoughts (Step 15)
  • The Teachers of God assist my discovery of Knowledge (Step 23)
  • My life up to now is a demonstration of life without Knowledge (Step 28)
  • Reclaiming Knowledge is part of my mission in life (Step 33)
  • There is a particular pathway to Knowledge which works for me (Step 38)
  • Reaching Knowledge, like everything else, is a group effort (Step 45)
  • Knowledge works in the limited context of my individuality (Step 46)

After all the amazing things that have been said about Knowledge, to say that I can be with Knowledge is another amazing thing.  Can that really be so?  There seems to be some awareness that I would wonder things like this, as the step instructs “Do not argue with yourself about the reality of your pursuit, for that is wasteful and meaningless.”

I still struggled with the idea of practicing feeling something when I did this step.  It helped when they said “relax and be present.”  I could do that.

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

I May Need A Cup Of Coffee (Or Two) For This Step

Step 49 of Steps to Knowledge, like the other Steps evenly divisible by 7, is a review.  But it is a review of the all of the Steps done so far.  Steps 1 through 6 will therefore be reviewed three times, as they were reviewed in Step 7, Step 14, and Step 49. All the other steps will be reviewed twice, as they were reviewed in their own review step, and in Step 49.

This step contains the first instance of the word “Congratulations” in Steps to Knowledge.  I don’t consider this a word of idle flattery. I say anyone who has arrived at this point has demonstrated some openness of mind and some resolve.

The current plan is to write a series of posts, sharing what I wrote when I did the Step 49 Review, seven posts at a time, and adding any additional comment if needed.

Step 1 – I am without Knowledge now – “Nothing particularly controversial, although I have no idea what they mean by ‘Ancient Home.’  Maybe the Mormons were right all along.  As I have gone along, Knowledge has gotten bigger, greater, wiser.”  The Mormons speak of a premortal existence, and their missionaries show a picture of a beautiful parklike place when they speak of it.

Step 2 – Knowledge is with me.  Where am I? – “Where am I? ‘Flopping about on the surface of my mind, imagining that’s all there is.’  I want Knowledge to make me non-autistic, but Knowledge seems to have other plans.”  I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, a mild form of autism, in 2006.

Step 3 – What do I really know? – “I seem to recall thinking there were some things I knew at the time, but now I’m not so sure if I know anything.”

Step 4 – I want what I think I know – “I think I know that the world needs a hero, and that I want to be one.”  On further review, maybe heroic ambitions are part of the problem.

Step 5 – I believe what I want to believe – “I recall thinking when I did this step ‘I believe what I want to believe in order to survive, reproduce, have power, have pleasure, and avoid responsibility.’ I am screwed, humanity is screwed, living in a world of delusion.”

Step 6 – I have a true foundation in the world – “Steps bounce back and forth between confessions of the current state of bewilderment, and the alternative good news.  Telling me that I haven’t come to the world empty-handed was/is a great consolation, as I have been a problem for the past 30 years.”  Ok, ok, that’s definitely overdramatizing things. I’ve had many happy moments, but I’ve also had many issues and disappointments.  Some of them might have been because my unknown-at-the-time autistic tendencies, and some of them might have been because of prosaic poor choices.

Step 7 – Review – “Whatever I think Knowledge is, that ain’t it.  Furthermore, what I think I know is part of the problem.  I feel the way I think, I think the way I believe, and any correspondence between what I believe and what is so is purely coincidental.”

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

Be Still And Know

When a student of Steps to Knowledge gets to step 8, she might be thinking “Ok, I get the point.  Knowledge is a big deal.  They’ve called it a Big Deal by speaking of it in three distinct Uncommonly Capitalized terms in two of the seven steps I’ve taken already (Step 1 and Step 2).  They said the point of the first six steps was to hammer home the ideas that Knowledge is something different than what I think or want or believe, and that it is something of which I am in need.  Fine.  What do I do to get it?”

To me, it’s as if step 8, “I will be still today,” answers that question “Glad you asked, friend, glad you asked!”  There are various techniques in the world for stilling the wanderings of the mind, for rescuing the lambkins of one’s thoughts, lost in the wilderness of restlessness.  One of them is introduced in this step.

Some people say “Thus-and-such technique of attaining stillness is surely the greatest technique ever devised!”  Others say “On the contrary, this alternative technique of stilling one’s mind I am using must surely become the technique used by all mankind!”  Kabir says “Don’t get hung up on any particular technique, but instead focus on one’s motivation.”

O, FRIEND!  hope for him whilst you live, know whilst you live, understand whilst you live, for in life deliverance abides.
If your bonds be not broken whilst living, what hope of deliverance in death?
It is but an empty dream, that the soul shall have union with Him because it has passed from the body;
If He is found now, He is found then
If not, we do but go to dwell in the City of Death.
If you have union now, you shall have it hereafter.
Bathe in the truth, know the true Guru, have faith in the true Name!
Kabir says “It is the Spirit of the quest which helps; I am the slave of this Spirit of the quest.”

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.