What Is This Knowledge Like?

What is this Knowledge like?

The New Message uses the word Knowledge in an unconventional sense. It is something much more powerful than information. It is fearless and determined for me to fulfill my purpose, my mission for coming to the world. I can ignore it, I can hide from it, I can bury myself in hobbies, but I can’t extinguish it. But what if I seek it? What if I take the Steps to Knowledge? What if I prepare by practicing awareness, discernment, attentiveness and discretion?

What is this Knowledge like?

There is a certain experience that I feel if I’m not supposed to do something, even if it seems like a good thing at the time. Steps to Knowledge describes it this way:

“Only concern that your Knowledge is being violated will emanate from Knowledge, and then only to indicate that you need to reassess your actions and ideas. Knowledge has a
self-correcting principle. That is why it is your Inner Guidance. If you are going against your Knowledge, you will be ill at ease with yourself, and this will give rise to anxiety. Much of the fear that you experience moment to moment is simply a matter of your own creation, your own negative imagination. But, then, there is fear that is born of the violation of Knowledge. This is more a discomfort than a fear, for it rarely carries with it any kind of imagery at all, though ideas can come into your mind as a form of warning should you be attempting a behavior or a line of thinking that is dangerous or destructive.” (Volume 3, Steps to Knowledge, Step 128, “My Teachers are with me. I need not fear.”)

So sometimes I feel restraint. And if I follow that restraint, the inner ickyness goes away. But other times I feel a prompt. A feeling that something must be done. Not only that, but that something must be done by me. Furthermore, a feeling that something must be done by me by a certain time. It may not be on my personal radar at all. The New Message calls this “the fire of Knowledge.” And in the same way, if I respond to the burning of the fire of Knowledge within me, there is a certain satisfaction, a feeling that when the time comes again, I will respond.

“You cannot be comfortable with comfort alone. You cannot be self-assured with all the trappings of security. You cannot be satisfied with little things because the Fire is there. It is mysterious. You cannot conceptualize it. You cannot use it for your own intentions. You cannot use it to gain wealth or privilege or to win over others. The Fire has its own purpose. It has greater plans for your life.” (Volume 1, The Power of Knowledge, The Spiritual Fire, Verse 6)

But how does one distinguish these prompts and restraints from all the other thoughts? Sometime I doubt. Sometimes I am uncertain. Fortunately, there are certain “signatures.” I experience Knowledge as being relatively terse. “Do this.” “Don’t do that.” “Go here.” “Don’t go there.” “Acquire this.” “Get rid of that.” I consider Knowledge to not talk about the why and the how of something. My mind was made to serve Knowledge, to figure out how to fulfill the prompts of Knowledge. Knowledge lasts much longer than an emotion. One way to distinguish is to internally say “I am absolutely going to do thus-and-such, no matter what” and see what sort of feeling that inner resolve produces. There is usually an inner happiness or an inner discomfort.

Does a restraint or a prompt come every day? It does not. What do I do in the meantime. Practice and prepare. Strengthen my position. Build and balance the Four Pillars of health, relationships, work / providership and spiritual development. I practice to grow strong and competent.

I pray that the power of Knowledge may move through me, and through others, and not be discounted in the face of danger, doubt, uncertainty, difficulty or despair.

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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 If I Cried Out To Come To This World?

What if I cried out to come to this world?
“If only I could be in this play, I would touch the hearts of the audience!”

The American humorist Dave Barry made this observation as one of the things he learned in 50 years of living.

There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age 11.

This may be true in Dave Barry’s world, but it is not true in mine. As a student of the New Message from God, a birthday is so much more than a biological event.

What if I cried out to come to this world?

What if I cried out to come to this world?
Step 65 of Steps to Knowledge, the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God

A person’s birthday is the beginning of efforts toward purpose. Some traditions teach that people are correcting distortions from previous lives. But the New Message from God frames it as the beginning of progressively greater efforts towards a purpose.

Steps to Knowledge, Step 33. I have a mission in my life to fulfill.
Step 33 of Steps to Knowledge

Step 33 of Steps to Knowledge teaches “You have a mission in life to fulfill, a mission that was given you before you came here, a mission that you will review once you have left. It involves the reclamation of Knowledge and the proper engagement with others to bring about specific results in the world.” Therefore, a birthday is a day of contemplating that mission given me before I came here. I do not claim to have recalled that mission. I claim to be preparing to recall that mission.

I mentioned once that I participated in a number of theatrical productions in an earlier season in life. I have this picture in my mind’s eye. The work of preparation for bringing someone to this world could be a little bit like a theatrical audition. Usually a call is made for an audition in a place where actors gather. It is a director’s nightmare for the time of the audition to arrive and no actors show up. But usually some actors show up for various reasons. The actors read from the script, they sing and dance. The director is not only looking for competence, but an inner correspondence. A connection between the role and the actor.

Sometimes there is an abundance of actors, and callback auditions are held to decide between multiple worthy candidates. But at each stage in the process, an actor had to choose to show up. The actor who was cast in a particular role had to choose to show up, possibly multiple times.

What if I cried out to come to this world? To serve its evolution and destiny?

What if I cried out to come to this world? It’s as if they told me there was an opportunity for me to come to this world. To meet certain people and give certain gifts. And meeting these people and giving these gifts would satisfy the deepest longing within me. I can think of times when I have knocked on certain doors in life, figuratively speaking. As I knocked, something within me was crying out, “Oh, if only this door would open to me. If this door opens to me, I promise I will make the most of it.” One of my fellow New Message students expressed this by saying “I have to make an adamant declaration.” I don’t know if this is true or not, but it seems to put me in a position of wanting to be more attentive. That might be important.

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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.

How Shall I Pray For A Student Of Knowledge?

How shall I pray for a student of Knowledge?

As I studied Steps to Knowledge, the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God, it first seemed like a relatively solitary practice. There were some people I would correspond with, but the steps were mostly speaking to my life story.

How shall I pray for a student of Knowledge?

As I progressed, the importance of my interactions with other students became clearer. Steps spoke of how every accomplishment is a group effort. The mission I came to the world to accomplish requires the development of others. A hope began to emerge for the success of my fellow students.

How shall I pray for a student of Knowledge? Step 121, “Today I am free to give,” and Step 122, “I give without loss today,” encouraged me to give strength of character and strength of faculty of mind. Something like this emerged:

“I give my fellow students contentment with following the Steps as given. I give them building and balancing the four pillars of their lives [relationships, work, health and spirituality]. I give them trust in their deepest inclinations.

I didn’t notice this the first time I studied Steps to Knowledge, but in the second time through, I noticed this paragraph of Step 342, “I am a student of Knowledge today,” as a prayer for students of Knowledge. It seems to work to pray it for one’s self, or to pray it for someone else.

Today you are a student of Knowledge. You are following your preparation step by step. You are learning to be unburdened of your own judgment and anxiety. You are learning to be confirmed by the presence of Knowledge within you and by the presence of love within your life. You are learning to honor yourself and learning to appreciate your world. You are learning to recognize your responsibility and learning to recognize the world’s need for this responsibility to be carried forth. You are learning to be still within and meaningfully engaged without. You are learning to receive. You are learning to give. You are learning to recognize that your life is being redeemed.

How shall I pray for a student of Knowledge? This is my prayer for you.

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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 Fragrance Of Knowledge?

What is the fragrance of KnowledgeThe New Message from God goes to great lengths to say people have a purpose for being in the world. The New Message from God tells me I have a mission in my life to fulfill. The New Message from God tells you you have come to work in the world. The New Message from God tells us there is a role for us to play in the world. All these ideas imply accomplishing specific tasks, meeting certain people, giving certain gifts.

What is the fragrance of Knowledge?

And yet, part of this mission, part of this work, part of this role seems to be cultivating a certain way of being. Steps to Knowledge is the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God. Step 353 of its 365 steps is “My True Home is in God.” The following step is “I must experience my True Home while I am in the world.” Here is a bit from that step.

“In your true home you are happy, you are included, you are complete, you are in relationship, you are a complete participant, you are essential and you are meaningful.”

I imagine that the Garden of Eden must have been something like this. I imagine that the life of the Prodigal Son, in the house of his generous, patient father, was something like this. I imagine that it is part of my role, my work, my mission to demonstrate these qualities. Being happy. Showing my inclusion in life. Not having to do or have anything to feel better about myself. Knowing and being known. Not waiting any longer for the world to begin. Doing what is necessary. Knowing I am necessary. I am told that if I approach Knowledge, the part of me that never left God, I will demonstrate these qualities.

What is the fragrance of Knowledge? I become happier just by thinking about it. I’m working on it.

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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 Have A Small But Necessary Part

horseshoe-nail I have a small but necessary partI freely admit that when I first started studying Steps to Knowledge, it did not occur to me what would be asked of me. It told me I have a mission in my life to fulfill. It told me I have come to work in the world. It told me that the world is emerging into the Greater Community of Worlds and that is why I have come. It told me that the world is facing the greatest threshold it has ever faced. It told me I have a small but necessary part in this transition.

I have a small but necessary part

I am sharing this with you because I wish to share something else I wrote to Marshall Vian Summers as part of my participation in the 2016 Messenger’s Vigil of the New Message from God. I wrote:

“The New Message teaching that rings and sings inside me these days is the part in ‘The Global Emergency’ which says ‘It is a race that must be run.’ On my weaker days, I despair that I will make my contribution. I despair that humanity will avoid the great and precipitous decline it faces. And yet, I must do my small but necessary part. I must take the next step in Steps to Knowledge. I must do something to build up the weak pillar. I must follow the next inclination, the next prompt or restraint of Knowledge. I must poke the next hole and plant the next seed.”

I have a small but necessary part. “The Global Emergency” is a revelation which was received in October of 2015. I have written a number of posts on the revelation “The Race to Save Human Civilization,” which was received in 2009. The Global Emergency elaborates on that teaching in this paragraph:

“It is a race to save human civilization. It is a race that must be run. It is the calling for human cooperation and unity to face a reality never seen here on the Earth before in the time of human civilization.”

I have a small but necessary part. I have come to the world to meet certain people. Am I ready for them? Are they ready for me? I don’t know. Abraham Lincoln said “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.” I seek to follow in his footsteps. I have come to the world to give certain gifts. Will I succeed in giving them? I don’t know. I have a lot of work in front of me to be the strong contributor the world needs. There must be many strong contributors in the world now, or humanity faces a great and precipitous decline. “Pillars” is a reference to the four pillars that support a person’s life, (health, relationships, work/providership, spiritual development). Steps to Knowledge teaches on more than one occasion about trusting one’s deepest inclinations. Planting the next seed is sharing the New Message from God.

I have a small but necessary part. In the greater scheme of things, I consider myself to be about as important as a horseshoe nail. And yet,

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

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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 Am Doing A Great Work And Cannot Come Down

I am doing a great work and cannot come downThe Old Testament book of Nehemiah describes the story of the rebuilding of the walls and gates of Jerusalem some time around 445 BC. The book of Nehemiah mentions that this project faced opposition from the surrounding peoples, Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs and Philistines. Chapter 6 describes a failed ploy of the opposition.

I am doing a great work and cannot come down

“Now when it was reported to Sanballat, Tobiah, to Geshem the Arab and to the rest of our enemies that I had rebuilt the wall, and that no breach remained in it, although at that time I had not set up the doors in the gates, then Sanballat and Geshem sent a message to me, saying, ‘Come, let us meet together at Chephirim in the plain of Ono.’ But they were planning to harm me. So I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’ They sent messages to me four times in this manner, and I answered them in the same way.” (Nehemiah 6:1-4, New American Standard Bible)

The bit that is ringing and singing in my soul is the reply of Nehemiah, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down.” It is what I aspire to say about my life to anyone who wants to engage me in trivial pursuits. I don’t claim to have accomplished anything particularly important in the greater scheme of things. I claim to be a slave of the spirit of the quest for doing what is necessary, what is essential.

Step 33, “I have a mission in my life to fulfill” of Steps to Knowledge tells me I was given a mission before I came to this world, and I will review that mission when I leave. The speech I plan to give at that review is the “I was doing a great work and could not come down” speech. I plan to spend the rest of my life rehearsing that speech.

I am doing a great work and cannot come down. And even when I’m not, I want to be.

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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.

How Long Do I Have To Rehearse?

Nativity Scene, The Promise, Glen Rose, Texas, USA  How long do I have to rehearse?In the 1980’s, I participated in over a dozen different dramatic productions with three different theatre companies, including almost 100 performances of the passion play “The Promise” in Glen Rose, Texas, pictured above. During that time, something in my experience shifted regarding auditions. Before the shift, I believed that the audition was where the casting director decided whether or not I would be in the show. After the shift, I believed that the audition was where I decided whether or not I would be in the show, and having a lot of fun at the audition was my way of deciding that I would be in the show. I realize this sounds a little pompous, but I’m not claiming I didn’t have to do the work of preparation. I’m just saying that this attitude allowed me to approach an audition from a position of greater strength on the inside.

How long do I have to rehearse?

I’m telling you this to tell you that Steps to Knowledge has a certain cleverness which allows it to speak to the conditions of many different people. The cleverness is in using multiple words with similar meanings to describe a particular idea. For example, a seed was sown in Step 33 “I have a mission in my life to fulfill.” It was watered a little later in Step 65, “I have come to work in the world.” It is now being watered again in Step 92, “There is a role for me to play in the world.”

I confess to you that when I studied Step 33, my reaction to the word “mission” contained a certain ambivalence. People whose lives are organized around their mission are sometimes called fanatics or obsessives or just plain nuts. As someone who has successfully sabotaged multiple jobs, I approached the word “work” in Step 65 with a soggy, dampened enthusiasm. But a role for me to play in the world? I screamed “Makeup! Gimme the script–please sing that chorus once more!” on the inside. Maybe on the outside, too.

I believe I am playing my role in the world, while in rehearsal for greater participation. There is a role for me to play in the world. How long do I have to rehearse? A gentle whisper says “Not very long.”

 

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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.

Моя миссия нарисуется как распускающийся папоротник

распускающийся папоротник

For English version click here.

Моя миссия нарисуется как распускающийся папоротник.

В Шаге 33 (Шаги к Знанию)  “У меня есть предназначение в жизни, которое я должен выполнить”, говорится о том, что я получила свою миссию до рождения и узнаю, выполнила я её или нет, после смерти. Когда я впервые услышала об этом, я огорчалась. Как же так? Я хотела знать сейчас какова моя миссия, зачем мучиться-то?

В моих записях я написала:

«Очень интересно, ведь, естественно, я хочу знать сейчас же какова моя миссия. Очень как-то несправедливо, что  выясняется, выполнила ли я свою миссию или нет, только после смерти.

«Но теперь, после того, как я начала проходить Шаги, мое мнение изменилось. Теперь я не тороплюсь, я готова ждать развития событий, уверена в том, что по мере того, как я восстановлю Знание внутри себя, оно поведет меня в нужное направление. И если я уже сейчас не занимаюсь тем, что должна заниматься в этой жизни, то скоро станет ясным и я буду знать куда идти, что делать».

Моя миссия нарисуется как распускающийся папоротник

Значит, когда я дошла до этого шага, я уже успокоилась и решила что, ничего страшного в том, что я не знаю какова моя миссия, я уже живу в уверенности о том, что всё со временем выяснится. Моя миссия нарисуется как распускающийся папоротник.

распускающийся папоротник

Как-то неожиданно пришло в голову сравнение моей миссии с «распускающемся папоротником». Я сделала этот снимок на той недели, когда 9 мая ездила на природу отдыхать. Я заметила это растение пока гуляла по лесу и сплылось в память детское вспоминание. В детстве я обожала книги английской писательницы Энид Блайтон, особенно её сказки про волшебный лес, где она мастерски описывает природу. Её описание распускающегося папоротника особенно привлекло мое внимание. Может, я не так красиво снимала, как в рисунке выше, но фото для меня значимое. Я тогда в детстве знала, хотя неведомо, свою миссию, будучи ребёнком, наслаждаясь книгами Энида Блайтона и обращая особое внимание на распускающийся папоротник. А теперь этот образ возвращается.

Шаги к Знанию искусно рассматривают состояние дел в широком контексте. Они ловко уменьшают эго, чтобы оно вместилось в более разумных рамках.

Акцент перемешается от меня на более общую картину. Речь не о том, какая у меня есть важная и блистательная миссия, а о том, как Знание просвечивается через меня и делает свой вклад в мир. А это может проявляться в самом обыкновенном и маленьком деле. Моя миссия нарисуется как распускающийся папоротник. Она не будет сногсшибательной, но она будет очень достойной и полезной.

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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.

My Mission Is Like An Unfurling Fern


unfurling fern frond

My mission is waiting to manifest, like an unfurling fern.

Step 33 “I Have A Mission in My Life to Fulfill,” tells me that my mission was given to me before I came here and will be reviewed once I have left. There was a time when I wished this were not so. There was a time when I wished I could remember what my mission was now so that I would not be speculating and wondering about what it was I was supposed to fulfill.

My notes for this Step say:

“This is all very intriguing, because of course I want to know what my mission is right now, at least that is how I felt when I first embarked on Steps to Knowledge. I thought it was a bit of bummer to have to wait until the end of my life to know whether I had accomplished my mission or not.

“Now, however, even though not that much time has passed since I began Steps, I feel a new contentment and willingness to just take life as it comes, confident that as I reclaim Knowledge, I will be led in the right direction. And if I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing already, it will soon become clear and I will know what I need to do.

“I know that if I have not already met the people I am supposed to engage with, this will happen in due time too—I will have this engagement. I have absolutely no doubts. And I want to be ready and awake and receptive, clear in the knowledge that this is what is meant for me. No conclusions, I will just wait and see.”

My mission is like an unfurling fern

I had obviously calmed down a bit by the time I reached this Step and decided it was quite alright to be in the dark about my mission, to wait and see what came to light as I continued my journey. Just like the unfurling fern.

unfurling fern fronds

I am delighted to have found this “unfurling fern” analogy for my mission. I took this photo just last week on a trip out into the Russian countryside during the long weekend of the May 9 Victory Day celebrations. I took it because the ferns reminded me of my favorite childhood storyteller, Enid Blyton, and her descriptions of enchanted woods. It may not be quite as pleasing to the eye as gapowell’s rendition above, but it holds significance for me. I knew my mission, although unconsciously, as a child who so enjoyed Enid Blyton’s books and took special note of unfurling ferns. And now the image of the unfurling fern returns to me.

As it turns out, I have shared on Step 33 in this space before and wrote of my contentment and willingness to take life as it comes, without turning this mission thing into a big deal. This seems like a sane strategy.

Steps to Knowledge are very good about putting things in better perspective. They are very good about reducing the ego down to a more manageable size.

Step 33 says:

It is not so important at this moment that you evaluate your current life to see if it reflects this greater purpose, for you are now involved in the reclamation of Knowledge. As your Knowledge becomes stronger, it will shine its beneficence upon you and through you. Your activities will then be adjusted as is necessary.

The emphasis is shifted from me to the larger picture. It is not so much about me fulfilling some mighty and magnificent mission, as the Knowledge I am reclaiming shining through me and making a difference in the world. And this could manifest in the most mundane and simplest way. My mission is like an unfurling fern. It may not be anything earth-shattering, but it will be the best thing I have ever done.

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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.

Glory Be To God For Small Things

Glory be to God for small things. I find happiness in small things today.The poet Gerald Manley Hopkins wrote “Glory be to God for dappled things.” As someone with freckles, I consider myself included in his song of praise. As I contemplate Step 85 of Steps to Knowledge “I find happiness in small things today,” I say “Glory be to God for small things.”

Glory be to God for small things

The word happiness is mentioned more times in this Step than in all the previous 84 Steps put together. Even though happiness hasn’t been addressed to a great extent by Steps to Knowledge so far, happiness is a result of some of the things Steps has been stressing. Things like being still, as taught by Step 8 “Today I will be still.” Things like observing more and judging less, as taught by Step 29 “I will observe myself today to learn of Knowledge.” Things like engaging with my mission in life, as taught by Step 33 “I have a mission in my life to fulfill.” Things like unwinding my emotional investment in my judgments, as taught by Step 55 “I will accept the world as it is.”

The Step said that small things can carry great messages if you are attentive to them. I don’t remember receiving any particular great messages from small things when I did this Step. I do recall slowly backing away from judging small things as insignificant or unimportant because they are small.

On further review, perhaps my individuality, my body and personality, is a small thing. Even though my individuality is to express life itself (Step 12). it will be gone after a while. Therefore, as I contemplate Step 85, as I contemplate finding happiness in small things, I rephrase myself, and say “Glory be to God for small things. Like me.”

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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.