x2 Step 209 - I will not be cruel with myself today. – Journal – Step 208

Today: Step 209 - I will not be cruel with myself today. (MP3)

I will not be cruel with myself today. Step 209

DO NOT BE CRUEL TO YOURSELF by attempting to wear your crown of thorns, which represents your system of beliefs and assumptions. Do not project upon yourself the weight of blame and unforgiveness. Do not attempt to force your mind to exemplify those qualities that you hold dear, for they will arise naturally from Knowledge.

INSTEAD, ENTER INTO STILLNESS in your two deeper practice periods, realizing once again that all things you most highly value will be naturally exemplified through Knowledge. All those things you find abhorrent will naturally fade away. A mind thus liberated can bestow the greatest possible gift upon the world.

CONSIDER THIS, THEN, UPON THE HOUR as you attempt to apply today’s idea to all you see, hear and do. Do not be cruel with yourself today, for there is no justification for this. Allow yourself to be blessed so that you may bless the world. Allow yourself to bless the world so that you yourself may be blessed.

PRACTICE 209: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly practice.

From the journal:  Step 208 - All things I truly value will be expressed from Knowledge.

March 15, 2001

7:12 a.m. Step 208 – All things I truly value will be expressed from Knowledge.

S2K →The outward expression of a mind serving K are: love, patience, devotion, tolerance, forgiveness, true accomplishment, courage and faith.

T – I have some measure of each of these. Patience has taken the greatest focus for most of my life it seems. I don't know if I've much/any "true accomplishment". I've lacked courage on occasion and come to faith. I’ve confused love and tolerance. Devotion? I've been devoted to work, kids and my search for God/Spirit/meaning. The latter has brought me to this teaching and a greater awareness of my teachers. For this alignment I am grateful – more at home in the world. It is heresy I supposed to question spirit here – but it remains the case of trust, but verify – simply because alien influence can creep in and imitate/try to do so/spiritual experience.

Faith is its own reward, because it brings peace and contentment. What faith is "in" is the question.

The "values" increase naturally and w/o a need for discipline according to S2K.

Self – discipline, they say, is needed to

reorient your focus –

reorient your service –

reorient your devotion –

This reorientation is well underway in my life, it had been emerging and since I began S2K – is becoming more focused.

– focus – regional intelligence, local planet, humanity as a single race, cooperation/education

– service – RI – looking for real information, products, tools, other partners in unity

– devotion – I've worked w/o praise and recognition before. PDC attack... freed me from my own failures with their own failures. My devotion is to the search for tools that can help to empower humanity.

– learning to learn is a challenge, having teachers – themselves students – is possible, though the hardest part. Life is the master – enter here→expect to be challenged

– of all the things on the list, I do not know what "true accomplishment" is. That is an evaluation/judgment yet to come – after the fact

12:20 a.m. March 16, 2001 Friday – A year ago I became unburdened… The PDC meeting went well. River rec was a success… Ed … wanted Winchester to join. The Commission passed a resolution of support. I'm taking today off to prepare for the Regional Summit. I made reservations to go to Texas April 28 – 30 –

Practice #2 – Reorient focus, devotion, service.

Since beginning S2K/GCW – my focus moved from RC/to RI – and circumstances put me more in contact with the process as planner – primarily water issues – so I would feel and see the events of the world – see regional community emerge.

Devotion – that is a new thought. Beyond my kids, and my work, I didn't think much of it. Work betrayed my devotion there – and therefore the world had little meaning – I never thought of devotion to God – I'm not a monk or priest. I'm interested in knowing – but not inclined to poverty.

I have to expand devotion – to a greater family – I'm accepting that.

The service reorientation makes more sense – though the specter of poverty looms. RI – focus & service seems to go together.

Steps raise many questions for us. Let us continue.

  

NNC

Note: If you’ve some interest due to this or other Steps, you should go to the beginning blog post. From here you will learn about Steps to Knowledge and can begin it on the day that makes sense; then progress as needed. You can use the posts on this blog as a companion if it helps. They will remain in order in the archives - one post per Step.

Often it takes 18 months to get through the Steps once. For this blog, the pace is one-a-day, but it really makes no difference how fast you do it, only that you begin, persist and repeat. Posts here provide a trail that may let you have a virtual companion when and if you want one. One may have to study alone, as I did in the beginning. There are other Steps students blogging their experience and you might find a person more like you as a companion, or use a number of such Steps journeys. There are options as well through the Free School of the New Message.