Why Should It Need All The Love I Can Give?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoCPuhhE6dw
The song “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from the movie “The Sound of Music”

I have tried on more than one occasion, to give a definition of the word “know” as used by Steps to Knowledge. Steps to Knowledge is the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God.

If you don’t act, you don’t know

Wang-yang-ming (1472-1529) Chinese philosopher, official, educationist, calligraphist and general 

Many people say that knowing something is the experience of something being self-evident. On the other hand, many people have experiences of things being self-evident, but are unmoved to take action. I consider this to be to be unworthy of the word “knowing.” Chinese philosopher Wang-yang-ming (1472-1529) wrote “There is no knowledge which does not lead to action. If one knows but does not act, then one does not really know.”

What is worthy of my life and fortune?

Why should it need all the love I can give?
The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, painted by John Trumbull 1826

Say what you will about the signers of the Declaration of Independence. They mutually pledged to the support of the Declaration “their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.” History records that they acted on that pledge, and lived with the consequences. I say that for all his flaws, Thomas Jefferson knew something. Thomas Jefferson knew “All men are created equal.”

Why should it need all the love I can give?

Why should it need all the love I can give?
Patricia Neway and Mary Martin in the 1959 Broadway production of “The Sound of Music”

Climb Ev’ry Mountain” was written in 1959 by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It appeared at the end of the first act of the Broadway musical “The Sound of Music.” The musical is based on the real-life story of Maria von Trapp. The song is sung by the Mother Abbess of a convent, to Maria, who is conflicted between her spiritual aspirations and her feelings for Captain Georg von Trapp. Here are some of the lyrics:

Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
‘Til you find your dream!

A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Every day of your life
For as long as you live!

I have offered a description of knowing as “an experience of something being self-evident which inspires consistent action.” I have suggested that knowing might be “to hold something to be self-evident, and to contribute to the support of that something one’s life, one’s fortune, and one’s sacred honor.” I now write words I have never written before. I consider that to know something means “to experience something as self-evident, and needing all the love I can give.”

How can such a thing even be? If something is self-evident, how can it possibly need all the love I can give? And yet, I say it was Thomas Jefferson’s experience that even though the idea “All men are created equal” was self-evident to him, it needed all the love he could give. Things that are self-evident to me might be gobbledygook to others.

Someone is reading this and asking “Well, Douglas, by the description you have provided, what do you know?” Do I dare to say I know anything? There might be a couple of things. Autistic people can be contributors to humanity. There is a New Message from God in the world.

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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 3. What do I really know? – Photoquoting

The German painter Anton von Werner (1843-1915) painted this painting “Luther at the Diet of Worms” in 1877. The occasion being portrayed is Martin Luther’s response to the Diet of Worms on April 18, 1521. A diet is a deliberative assembly of the Holy Roman Empire, and Worms is a city in western Germany. While there were a number of different Diets of Worms, the most famous one is this one.

What do I really know?

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was accused of 41 counts of heresy over his writings. These writings addressed a number of theological and church government issues. It is believed that On the Freedom of a Christian is one of those writings.

Luther’s response was 1) Some of his writings were well received even by his enemies, 2) if he failed to rebuke the abuses he observed, he would be a complicit accomplice in them, 3) he admitted a certain undue harshness of tone in his writings (such as calling Pope Leo X the antichrist in 1520), but only agreed to recant in response to proof of his error from Scripture.

Martin Luther’s response to his request to recant was as follows: “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason — I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other — my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.”

I consider Martin Luther to be a human being, even as we are. What do I really know? On that day in 1521, Martin Luther really knew something. And that knowing reverberates and echoes to this day. 493 years later, the Lutheran World Federation has 144 member church bodies (denominations) in 79 countries, representing 72 million Lutherans. That knowing reverberates and echoes to this day.

Alisa writes:

“I really know nothing,” is what I decided when I did this Step. I put this in clearer perspective in my Step 3 post “What Do I Really Know” when I stated that I don’t know anything for sure.

Imagine my delight when I came across a quote by Vincent Van Gogh, who said, “For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”
Vincent Van Gogh

So I chose his famous painting “The Starry Night” for my Step 3 photo quote.

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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.

Великая истина жизни

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.

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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.

The Greatest Truth Of Life

Greatest Truth of Life

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.

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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.

Что Я Знаю На Самом Деле?

что я знаю на самом деле

Шаг 3. Что я знаю на самом деле?

Сегодня, спроси себя о том, что же ты знаешь на самом деле и распознай то, что ты знаешь от того, что ты думаешь, на что ты надеешься или хочешь для себя и своего мира, от того, чего ты боишься и во что ты веришь, чем ты дорожишь и что ты ценишь. Задавая себе этот вопрос, исследуй различие между тем, что ты знаешь на самом деле от подобных выводов, приложив все усилия на текущем уровне своего понимания, и спроси себя, «Что я знаю на самом деле»? Тебе нужно продолжительно исследовать любые ответы, которые ты получишь, задавая этот вопрос, чтобы обнаружить, являются ли они твоими собственными убеждениями и верованиями или же убеждениями и верованиями других людей или возможно даже всего человечества в целом.

Сегодня, 3 раза по 10 минут, задайся этим вопросом и поразмышляй над своими ответами очень серьёзно и над значением самого вопроса, «Что я знаю на самом деле?»

Практика 3: три 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.

See English Version here.

Когда я впервые взялась за этим Шагом, мне хотелось выкрикнуть «я ничего не знаю!» И это действительно так. Я ничего не знаю наверняка. Вот тут и кроется суть вопроса. Что я знаю наверняка? Ровно ничего!

На каком-то инстинктивном уровне, где-то в глубине души я знаю, что “Шаги к Знанию” верные, что “Шаги к Знанию” исходят из чистого и естественного источника, что “Шаги к Знанию” являются учением, по которому я хочу следовать, что прохождение по “Шагам к Знанию” приносит качественные изменения в себе и в моей жизни. Но могу ли я сказать, что я это всё знаю наверняка? И что на самом деле подразумевается под словом «наверняка»?

В сегоднящнем мире, понятие «наверняка» требует твердого фундамента под собой, оно требует подтверждения фактами и цифрами, оно требует эмпирического доказательства, оно требует того, что видно глазами, слышно ушами, что можно трогать, щупать, пробовать на вкус, что-нибудь убедительным и реальным.

Ничего из того, что я могу условно сказать, что знаю наверняка имеет под ним такую твердую почву. Так что, пожалуй, соглашусь с тем, что я ничего не знаю, ничего существенного, ничего наверняка. И я этим радуюсь потому, что это значит, что я не полагаюсь на свои убеждения или верования, или, боже упаси, на убеждения и верования других людей или даже человечества в целом.

В глубине души, в тихих заводах сердца, я на самом деле знаю кое-что иное, какую-то более глубокую истину, которая принадлежит только мне, то что я называю гнозисом—знание обретенное через свой собственный опыт, а не из того, что мне сказали или что я прочитала. Гнозис – это сознательное, экспериментальное знание, а не просто интеллектуальное знание, вера или теория.

При более пристальном рассмотрении, я обнаружила что то, что я знаю на самом деле уходит в глубь времен, выходит вне пределов самого себя, в какую-то непостижимую Тайну. Это то, что я  всегда знала, но забыла, поэтому у меня возникают сомнения.

Но тут я услышала с уст одного человека: «никогда не сомневайся в том, что ты всегда знала».

Вооружаясь этим, я продолжаю свой путь.

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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 Do I Really Know?

What do I really know?

When I first approached Step 3. What Do I Really Know?, I wanted to shout out “I know nothing!” And really I don’t. I don’t know anything for sure. Aha! So that’s the bottom line. What can I say I really know for sure? Nothing!

I know at some deep gut level, at the level of the soul (how poetic that sounds!), that Steps to Knowledge is true, that Steps to Knowledge come from a pure, unadulterated source, that Steps to Knowledge is a teaching I find worth pursuing, that practicing Steps to Knowledge is changing my life in a qualitative way. But can I say I know this for sure? And what do I actually mean by “for sure?”

The way the world works today, “for sure” needs some substantial base under it, it needs to have some facts and figures backing it, it needs some empirical evidence to prove it, something that can be seen with the eyes, heard with the ears, touched, tweaked and tasted, something solid and real.

None of what I might tentatively say I know for sure has any of this. So I concede that I know nothing, nothing of substance, nothing for sure. I am happy with this since it means I am not basing what I know on beliefs or assumptions or, heaven forbid, on the beliefs and assumptions of other people or even of humanity at large.

In the marrow of my bones, in the backwaters of my soul, I really know something else, some deeper truth that is only mine, what I will describe as gnosis—personal knowledge that is experienced rather than intellectual knowledge based on scientific facts.

Upon even closer examination, I discover that what I really know goes far back into the depths of time, it goes beyond me into some unfathomable Mystery, it is something I have always known, but forgotten, so tend to doubt.

I am told though to “never doubt what you have always known.”

I take this with me as I go on.

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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.

I Know Nothing Now

When I began Steps to Knowledge in October 2012, I thought I already knew something, I thought I was starting from a place of accumulated knowledge based on past experiences, on lessons learned, on a certain treasure-trove of facts and figures I had accrued over my life. However, I quickly learned that the Knowledge it refers to in Steps has nothing to do with what I thought knowledge was up to this point in my life. So if I were to ask the same question as Sally Brown, which I did when I reached Step 3. What Do I Really Know?, the only answer I could truthfully give is “I know nothing now.”

This is by way of a first post as I test the waters as a guest blogger at Ascending Knowledge. I have to admit feeling a certain amount of honor at being invited to post here, while also feeling a certain amount of trepidation: Am I up to the task? Will I meet the expectations? Will I be able to share in a coherent way? But nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say, which is precisely the way I feel about taking this mysterious journey called Steps to Knowledge.

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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 Is The Power Of God In The World?

Does God micromanage the world?  Or does he merely set the ground rules and let nature take its course?  What do you think of when you think of the power of God?  Moses parting the Red Sea?  The walls of Jericho falling flat before Joshua?  The miracles of Jesus, with the resurrection being the exclamation point?

Step 39 of Steps to Knowledge (“The power of God is with me”) opens up another angle as to the power of God in the world.  It says “The power of God is with you.  It is within your Knowledge.”  At first, I found this less than satisfactory.  What’s the connection between experiencing things as self-evident, and healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers, casting out devils?  As I pondered this further, I considered the idea that the power of God in the world is the conviction of the person who knows something.  Joan of Arc knew something.  The founders of America knew something.  And what they knew has had a lasting impact.

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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.

Better Yet, There Is A Way To Knowledge For Me

Step 38 of Steps to Knowledge “God knows the way to Knowledge” inspired a similar response in me to the one inspired by step 37 “There is a way to Knowledge.” God had darn well better know the way to Knowledge!  But step 38 added something in which I took comfort; the idea that other people had found and taken a successful way to Knowledge for them.

The Kabir poem “Music” gives the idea that there are people who undertake certain sets of practices because someone else did in some time and some place, and were successful. Are they engaging in something that is necessary, but not sufficient, or is the whole enterprise doomed from the beginning because they are imitating someone else instead of exploring the mystery of their own life?

Someone reading this just thought “Well, what about atheists?  Are they just out of luck with this Knowledge thing?”  Atheists can experience things as self-evident, in a way that inspires consistent action.

Thinking about step 38 encourages me to think that one inner meaning of step 37 is “There is a way to Knowledge for me.”  Thinking about step 38 encourages me to think that one inner meaning of step 38 is “God knows the way to Knowledge for me (and He’s not hiding it from me, either.)”

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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.