Consider That In Your Calculations

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Douglas

In the financial world, the phrase “priced in” is frequently used as a transitive verb. Here is an example:

A client of mine who has also been bearish [expecting stock prices to decline] kept asking me if all of the bad news was already priced in as the market recovered somewhat over the past few weeks.

In this example, “priced in” means “included in the price,” or “taken into consideration when setting the price of something.”

Consider that in your calculations

Steps to Knowledge could be thought of as the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God. It consists of 365 steps, each building on the previous steps. I am engaging with Steps to Knowledge for the second time. I recently studied Step 70, which is a review of Steps 50 through 69. As I reviewed my practice of Step 60, “I will not judge the world today,” I read these words:

“Without your judgments, Knowledge can indicate what you must do and what you must understand. Knowledge represents a greater judgment, but it is a judgment that is very different from your own, for it is not born of fear. It does not possess anger. It is always meant to serve and to nourish. It is just, in that it gives true recognition to every person’s current state without belittling their meaning or their destiny.”

As I read these words, I saw something in my mind’s eye. I saw Knowledge, the great mystery of my life, my True Self, the love of God, “pricing in” things beyond my perception when it prompts me to do something. It is as if Knowledge were pricing in a person’s current state of development when encouraging me to engage with someone. It is as if Knowledge were pricing in the lessons a person was learning, the relationships a person was reclaiming, when restraining me from engaging with a particular person.

There is a similar idea in the New Message revelation “God’s Ancient Covenant with Humanity”

Here [engagement with the deeper conscience in the individual] you cannot make absolute beliefs because Knowledge may ask one person to do one thing and tell another person not to do that. You cannot say, “My belief is the Will of God.” Because the Will of God is manifesting itself in countless ways, working through individuals from the inside out, how can you predict what is absolutely correct for everyone? You cannot. It is dishonest. It is foolish. And it ends up being destructive to the lives of people.

The Knowledge I am questing for isn’t a static rule, but a dynamic intelligence. Consider that in your calculations.

* * *

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.

How Shall I Prepare To Serve A Troubled World?

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Douglas

It seems to help to write Amazon reviews of the various texts of the New Message from God. It also seems to help to share those reviews here, with a little graphic embellishment. For example, here is my review of The Great Waves of Change. Between then and now, I completed the first time through the 365 steps of Steps to Knowledge. But I didn’t write a review right away. I wasn’t trying not to, it was just one of those things I didn’t get around to doing until now. Here is my Amazon review of Steps to Knowledge, with some additional commentary [in brackets].

How shall I prepare to serve a troubled world? This might help. A lot

I was one of the first students of Steps to Knowledge, receiving a copy shortly after it was received in May-June of 1989. Having studied A Course in Miracles (ACIM) in 1987, it was easy for me to think “Oh, this is like that” as Steps to Knowledge has 365 Steps, just as the Workbook for Students in ACIM has 365 lessons. Steps to Knowledge is therefore a book one practices, following the practice instructions, as opposed to a book one only reads.

[I have written a number of posts comparing and contrasting Steps to Knowledge with A Course in Miracles.]

Crystal Cave, Chihuahua, Mexico. How shall I prepare to serve a troubled world?

What is this “Knowledge” toward which we are taking steps? It is described as the great mystery of your life (Step 10). It is described as your true self, a self that is not apart from life. It is described as the love of God (Step 24).

[Step 10 “What is Knowledge?” offers a description, but Knowledge is observed from some angle in every step of Steps to Knowledge. While Step 24, “I am worthy of God’s love” doesn’t explicitly describe Knowledge as being the love of God, I am inferring that from Step 10 and the text of Step 24.]

What kind of attitude does a person need to successfully study Steps to Knowledge? A beginner’s mind, and a hunger to fulfill the purpose for which you came to the world. The language is relatively prosaic, and the readability level is roughly that of a high school freshman.

[On further review, a couple of other things are also required. Steps to Knowledge requires a student to be able to receive assistance from sources they hadn’t previously considered. Steps to Knowledge teaches that it takes a certain self-esteem to approach the great mystery of one’s life. I wrote this post on the readability level of Steps to Knowledge using various metrics.]

What kind of effect will practicing Steps to Knowledge have on a person? It will not necessarily make you rich or famous, but it might take the cravings for wealth and fame out of you. It will not get you the sexual encounter of your dreams, but it will prepare you to find the people you came into the world to find and bless. It will not necessarily put you into a position of influence, but it will definitely make you stronger, more focused, less ambivalent on the inside. Chances are good that Steps to Knowledge will suck a lot of the poison of judgment, blame and self-condemnation out of your soul. Chances are good that Steps to Knowledge will assist you in putting the events of your life in an empowering context. Chances are good that Steps to Knowledge will provide resources for serving a troubled world, while maintaining your own well-being.

[How shall I prepare to serve a troubled world? I’d like to think I’m doing so right now.]

* * *

What Am I Trying To Prove?

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Douglas

Step 91 of Steps to Knowledge is a review of the steps from Step 85 “I find happiness in small things today” to Step 90 “Today I will make no assumptions.”

What am I trying to prove?

During this series of steps, I noticed that Step 88, “My Higher Self is not an individual” is the only step in Steps to Knowledge which uses the phrase “Higher Self.” The Step 91 Review also contains a word which appears only once in Steps to Knowledge. That word is “showmanship.”

“Learn how to learn. Learn about the process of learning. Do not use learning as a form of showmanship. Do not use learning to try to prove your worth to yourself. You cannot prove your worth. It is beyond your efforts to prove it. Your worth will demonstrate itself when you allow it, which you are now learning to do.”

What am I trying to prove? In earlier steps, students have been challenged to develop listening without preference and seeing without preference. Can I learn without preference? Can I learn without enlisting my learning as a foot soldier in my quest for your appreciation? I surmise that the rebuke of showmanship is giving an indirect reminder of the conversation about worth started in Step 24, “I am worthy of God’s love.”

Here is the word cloud for steps 85 through 90:

On further review, I believe there are better uses of my time than separating out the words in the word cloud so that they can be remixed the way I like.

What am I trying to prove? Who am I trying to prove it to? Can I justify your love? Should I justify your love? Would it be progress to just abandon the whole enterprise?

* * *

Восприятие великой любви

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Alisa

Фото от Ольги Фроловой

For English version click here.

Восприятие великой любви – это не то, чем обыкновенный человек занимается каждый день. Однако, Шаги к Знанию побуждают тех, кто ими занимается, именно к тому роду восприятия. Например, кроме восприятия великой любви, их побуждают к тому, чтобы воспринимать то, что они чувствуют и осознают, испытывать великие взаимоотношения и воспринимать великую истину жизни.

В Шаге 24, я имела представление, что великая истина жизни заключается в принятии того факта, что я достойна любви Бога. Шаг 25 «Я – Одно Целое с Великой Истиной Жизни» начинается с вопросом: «Что такое великая истина жизни»? Я это понимаю как некое резюме. Я поведу итоги предыдущего шага, до того как я иду дальше.

В Шаге 25, я должна почувствовать великое взаимоотношение, которое является плодами великой истины. Как я понимаю, это великое взаимоотношение является моим взаимоотношением с Богом моего понимания. Для меня это взаимоотношение и есть чистая любовь, поэтому как я могу не быть достойна её, когда она представляет собой мою истинную суть.

В своих записях к этому Шагу я написала: Всё интуитивно становится ясным по мере того, как я шагаю дальше. Сомнения и скептицизм уже не кажутся существенными. Они могут появляться время от времени, но они почти тут же исчезают, оставляя за собой ощущение уверенности, что я двигаюсь в нужное направление. Это очень импонирует.

Этот Шаг гласит, что я нахожусь в великом взаимоотношении с жизнью, что оно выражается через великую любовь, которую я воспринимаю. А как это осуществлять? Как оно выглядит? Что это всё значит? Что я должна чувствовать и что делать? Очень озадачивает!

Восприятие великой любви

А тут я вспоминаю ещё один текст Нового Послания, который называется «Великая Любовь». Именно этот текст подтолкнул меня к тому, чтобы дальше изучать Новое Послание.

Это чтение дает мне понять, что тут я сталкиваюсь с чем-то вне моего обыкновенного восприятия, с чем-то более глубоким и таинственным. Я могу только доверять тому, что по мере того, как продвигаюсь, всё становится явным.

Есть Великая Любовь, любовь, которую Бог поместил внутри вас, внутри каждого человека. Эта любовь ждет, когда её обнаружат, ждет когда её начнут выражать и ощущать.

<…> Но вы родились с более глубоким умом, умом Знания. Этот ум не думает таким же способом, как думает твой интеллект. Он видит и знает. <…> Это более глубокий ум называется Знанием в “Новом Послании”, потому что он связан с восприятием прямого познания, взаимосвязи, истинного осознания и настоящих взаимоотношений.

Восприятие великой любви с этой позиции будет осуществляться естественным образом по мере того, как я иду дальше по тому направлению, куда Шаги к Знанию меня ведут.

* * *

Experiencing A Great Love

Posted on April 2, 2014 by Alisa

Photo by Olga Frolova taken on Bali

Experiencing a great love may not be something that most people find themselves engaged in on any given day. However, people practicing Steps to Knowledge are encouraged to do a lot of experiencing. For instance, in addition to experiencing a great love, they are encouraged to experience what they feel and know, experience great relationships, experience the greatest truth of life.

In Step 24, I had the insight that the greatest truth of life was accepting that I was worthy of God’s love. Step 25. I Am At One With The Greatest Truth of Life begins with a question: “What is the greatest truth of life?” I take this to mean that Steps are gently nudging me to recall what I experienced in the previous step so that I can elaborate on it in this one.

In Step 25, I am to experience a great relationship which is the product of a great truth. I understand this great relationship to be my relationship with the God of my understanding. This relationship is one of pure love and how can I not be worthy of it if it represents my true essence?

My notes for this Step say: “Things are intuitively becoming clearer as I move from one Step to the next. Doubt and skepticism do not seem real any more, they may surface now and again, but then they disappear like a puff of smoke, leaving a sense of deeper knowing that I am moving in the right direction. I am truly feeling this experience of the Greater Truth of Life and opening myself up to receive it more and more. It is very empowering.”

However, this Step is more than about just recognizing what the greatest truth of life might be, it is about experiencing the relationship I have with it. The Step tells me that I hold a great relationship with life. I hold a great relationship with my Teachers who are within me. And I am preparing to take this relationship out into the world, but first I must experience its source. I must receive before I can give. To share a great love honestly I must be experiencing it.

But what does experiencing a great love mean? What does it mean to hold a great relationship with life? What do these things look like on any given day in any given life? Baffling indeed!

Experiencing a great love

I am recalling at this point another teaching of the New Message from God called The Great Love. This is the first New Message text I ever read and it prompted me to explore the New Message further.

This text provides me with some inkling, some understanding that I am dealing with deeper concepts here, something that goes beyond my customary experience and knowing. I can only trust that as I proceed things will become apparent:

There is a greater love. There is the Great Love, the love that God has placed within you, within every person, waiting to be discovered, waiting to be expressed and experienced.

… you were born with a deeper mind, the mind of Knowledge. This mind does not think like your intellect thinks. It sees and it knows …. This deeper mind is called Knowledge in the New Message because it is related to the experience of direct knowing, the experience of affinity, the experience of true recognition and the experience of true relationship.

I understand from this that experiencing a great love is something that will unfold naturally as I proceed with my practice of Steps to Knowledge.

* * *

Великая истина жизни

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Alisa

Фото от Нового Послания от Бога

For English version click here.

Великая истина жизни

Шаги к Знанию не склонены к самообольщению, хотя они придают внутреннюю и жизнеутверждающую силу. Шаг 24. Я достойна любви Бога как раз один из Шагов, который смело подталкивает на то, чтобы отбрасывать унижающее мнение о себе, а также чувства недостоинства, и познавать великую истину жизни—то, что я на самом деле достойна любви Бога, и более того, я и есть любовь Бога. Это и есть великая истина жизни.

После того, как я не чувствовала себя достойной любви и поддержку своих учителей, когда занималась Шагом 23, я почувствовала облегчение во время занятия Шагом 24, поскольку я приобрела совсем новый взгляд на понятие «достоинство».

В своих записях я написала: «Я смеюсь с облегчением, ведь настолько потрясающее и вдруг стало ясным. Чувства недостоинства исходят от эго, когда я смотрю на мир с сугубо личной позиции, когда я смотрю на себя как на личность, а не как часть целого. Когда я оцениваю всё в категориях, что хорошо и что плохо, тогда я чувствую себя недостойной. А совсем не в этом дело! Речь не идет о себе как личность, а о том, какой вклад я вложу, мое участие в целом. Осознав это, всё встало на свои места, всё стало понятно. Конечно я достойна! Как и может быть иначе?»

В Шаге гласит: «Как ты можешь быть недостойной любви Бога, когда она и является сутью своей”.

Это и есть великая истина жизни.

Я понимаю, что это понятие трудно дается, трудно его сформулировать внятном образом, особенно исходя от поверхностного ума, ума эго, ума жестких рамок, от ума, которое не принимает идею о том, что простой смертный может находиться на одном уровне с Богом. Однако, с самого начала, человек занимающий Шагами к Знанию понимает, что не следует полагаться на предположениях и старых стереотипах, а начинать с чистого листа (Шаг 3. Что Я Знаю На Самом Деле?)

И в Шаге дальше выясняется:

Ты достоин не твоих достижений в мире. Ты достоин того, кем ты и есть, откуда пришел, и куда уйдешь.

Это представляет понятие в совсем ином свете.

Это и есть великая истина жизни.

* * *

The Greatest Truth Of Life

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Alisa

Photo from the New Message from God

The greatest truth of life

Steps to Knowledge cannot be called an exercise in self-flattery, but they do have something empowering and life-affirming about them. Step 24. I Am Worthy of God’s Love is one of the Steps that audaciously encourages me to cast aside any denigrating opinion I may have of myself, as well as any feelings of unworthiness, to embrace the greatest truth of life—the fact that I am indeed worthy of God’s love. And more than that, I really am God’s love. This is the greatest truth of life.

After feeling unworthy of the love and support of my Teachers in Step 23. I found myself laughing in relief in Step 24 when I gained a whole new insight into the concept of worthiness.

My notes say: “I am laughing in a releasing way, because it is really so incredible and suddenly so clear. Feelings of unworthiness come from the ego. When I operate from my individuality and separation, when I put a value on everything, assess things as good or bad, then I feel unworthy. But that is not what it is all about. It is not about me, it is about my part in the whole. Having realized this, it all makes sense, and of course I am worthy! How could it be otherwise?”

How can you be unworthy of God’s love if that is what you are? the Step asks.

This is the greatest truth of life.

Now I will agree that this concept may be difficult to hold onto and formulate in a coherent way, particularly from the surface mind, the mind of the ego, a mind used to operating from rigid templates, a mind that rejects the idea of putting an ordinary mortal anywhere near the same level as God. However, a student of Steps to Knowledge becomes aware very early on that it is best not to have assumptions, but instead start from a clean slate (Step 3. What Do I Really Know?).

And the Step goes on to clarify.

You are worthy not for what you have done in the world. You are worthy for who you are, where you have come from and where you are going.

This puts the entire matter in a very different light.

This is the greatest truth of life.

* * *

Judgment Departs, Love Remains

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Douglas

Once upon a time, I heard a Christian preacher make the following argument: 1) Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 John 5:1, NIV), 2) God is love (1 John 4:8, NIV), 3) Love is patient, kind, and numerous other desirable qualities (1 Corinthians 13), 4) Therefore, it is consistent for a Christian to affirm or confess that they possess the desirable qualities of 1 Corinthians 13, since they are born of the source of those qualities.

Steps to Knowledge expands upon statement 1). We were told back in Step 24, “I am worthy of God’s love,” that at the very core of ourselves, we are God’s love:

“You are indeed worthy of God’s love. In fact, you really are God’s love. Without pretense of any kind, at the very core of yourself, this is your True Self. It is not the Self you yet experience, and until you do experience it, do not pretend that this is your experience. But hold in true awareness that this is your Self. You are a person, but you are greater than a person. How can you be unworthy of God’s love if that is what you are?”

It’s not just people who believe certain things that are born of God; people are born of God. It takes some effort to reclaim one’s birthright.

Judgment departs, love remains

Step 61, “Love gives of itself through me,” follows from Step 60, “I will not judge the world today,” in my opinion. The point is not to make an explicit effort to be loving, but to open to love’s expressing itself. The Step didn’t say this, but I got the idea that love could express itself more freely in the absence of judgment.

As I pondered this Step, I saw a picture in my mind’s eye. In this picture, the pronouns in the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear were replaced with the word “Love,” and the word “fear” was replaced with the word “judgment.” It made the last three lines like this.

Love will permit judgment to pass over love and through love
And when judgment has gone past, love will turn the inner eye to see judgment’s path
Where the judgment has gone there will be nothing…Only love will remain.

Judgment departs, love remains. Try it on and see how it feels.

* * *

Can I Take A Step Into A Larger World?

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Douglas

This is the fourth post in a series of seven posts regarding my experience of Step 49 of Steps to Knowledge. In this step, I am directed to review my practice and experience of the first 48 steps. I am sharing what I wrote when I did this step, and adding commentary when needed.

Step 22 – I am surrounded by the Teachers of God – “This step presents the Teachers as critters who have just been a little ways further down the road I’m on. I commented further on this step in this book” I finally got around to writing about my experience of the steps when I did them, when I did step 22.

Step 23 – I am loved, surrounded and supported by the Teachers of God – “I remember finding this Step as unusual (see commentary)” This is the commentary I wrote at the time: “One thing I find noteworthy about this step is that it I one of the rare (so far) occasions in Steps where something good is said about the student in his current state. The feeling for me is a feeling of connectedness, a feeling someone wants me to hit the jackpot, to find the great treasure, to win the brass ring. I have this thought that, generally speaking, the Teachers don’t do flattery.”

Step 24 – I am worthy of God’s love – “I recall having a nervousness about this step. What great efforts will I have to make to repair my errors? I didn’t have an answer for that. I still don’t” The step said “Your worthiness in the sight of God is unchanged. There is only great effort to repair your errors so that you may experience your True Self so that it may be rendered into the world.” At this point, slowly backing away from suffering over my errors is a good first step.

Step 25 – I am at one with the greatest truth of life – “I was nervous that the Step said my Teachers are within me. See above regarding feeling things.” Steps 22 and 23 went to great lengths to say that the Teachers of God weren’t just mental constructs or helpful metaphors, but actual individuals. And now they say they are within me?!? I’ve already written about my issues regarding practicing feeling things here and here.

Step 26 – My errors give birth to my Knowledge – “This step made me have a great deal of respect for the authors. I wanted to make the pain of my errors disappear, but not learn from them. They killed off many bad ideas (or incomplete ideas) in one paragraph.” If I can learn from my errors, I have a good chance of not committing them again. They killed off the ideas that error non-exists, that error is pure service, and error could be justified.

Step 27 – I have a wisdom which I wish to discover – “I remember the same thing about this step as Step 17.” On further review, this Step took what was in Step 17 and elaborated on it, so this is hardly surprising.

Step 28 – Review – “I don’t think I’ve had any miracles yet. I remember being nervous if I had done the Steps as hard, as much as I shoulda.” The prayer in Step 28 says “I accept the miracles of my life as a demonstration of the presence of Knowledge…” The word miracle is used exactly twice in Steps to Knowledge. A miracle is a demonstration of the presence of the great mystery of one’s life.

* * *

Why Do I Need Teachers? Let Me Count The Ways

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Douglas

The idea of the Teachers of God was introduced in Step 22 of Steps to Knowledge, and elaborated on in Steps 23, 24, 25, 28 and 36. They are being mentioned again in Step 47, but as part of larger discussion about the nature of learning. I quote from the Step:
“You have been prepared through relationships for everything that you have learned, whether it be a practical skill or a deeper insight.”

The way I see this, when anyone has the thought, “Hmm…maybe I should learn more about this particular subject,” if it is traced back far enough, it is another way of saying “Perhaps if I learned more about this particular subject, I could contribute something more to a certain relationship than I am currently contributing.” The very thought that I should care goes back to relationships.

Even in the area of practical skills, people have things they don’t know that they don’t know about themselves, and they have things they don’t know that they don’t know about the thing about which they want to learn something. I consider it a miracle that learning takes place as often as it does.

People will vigorously protest that they know how to learn. But the same people will also vigorously protest that they know how to eat. I willingly grant that people know how to put things in their mouths, chew them and swallow them. But how many of these people have health issues because they’re eating too much of this and not enough of that? And why are they eating too much of this and not enough of that? Some people’s learning is more profitable than other people’s learning, just like some people’s eating is more healthy than other people’s eating.

* * *

Mystery of Ascension

A great mystery / Is my true self that I bring / From my ancient home

Tag Archives: Step 24

Consider That In Your Calculations

Consider that in your calculations

How Shall I Prepare To Serve A Troubled World?

How shall I prepare to serve a troubled world? This might help. A lot

What Am I Trying To Prove?

What am I trying to prove?

Восприятие великой любви

Восприятие великой любви

Experiencing A Great Love

Experiencing a great love

Великая истина жизни

Великая истина жизни

The Greatest Truth Of Life

The greatest truth of life

Judgment Departs, Love Remains

Judgment departs, love remains

Can I Take A Step Into A Larger World?

Why Do I Need Teachers? Let Me Count The Ways