[Unknown Member]

Step 61. Today I will be discreet.

I must keep what is going on inside me to myself today, and if asked how I feel about something, say that I am not ready to talk about that just now, while being aware of my thoughts and feelings, while being aware of what I am experiencing inside.

I am not often in situations where I am asked to share my opinion so that I can practice discretion. But I believe I am often not discreet enough, so this is a good lesson to be with today.

Today when I stepped outside in the predawn everything glistened – the stars above and the grass below. Later I was greeted by a rosy dawn.

[Unknown Member]

Step 62. The Greater Community is in the world. I must be attentive.

This Step asks me to be attentive today and listen beyond the range of my sight and my hearing. I am to ask myself, “How can I discern the presence of Greater Community forces in the world?” But I must be patient in finding the answer.

I have not heard any words, seen any signs, or been shown something today. But I will be patient. It is not something that happens instantaneously.

I am translating the revelation “Protecting Yourself from the Intervention” at the moment. There I read:

The New Message provides a greater preparation. It is not something you can learn by basically a few simple concepts or recommendations. It is not something you can learn in a weekend, for you are preparing yourself to confront the realities of the Greater Community.

So I continue to take the Steps, continue to prepare and trust that what I need to know will be revealed in due time.

My world today again abounds in sun and frost.

[Unknown Member]

Step 63. Review

Again I am probing the depths of my attentiveness. This past week of Steps has made it blatantly clear that I do not have the opportunity to practice attentiveness very much. I can certainly practice being attentive to myself and what I tell myself, but I have very little occasion to be attentive to others or to the world. I live a very sheltered life and am not “out in the world” very much. So my focus is on myself and what goes on in my mind. And I fall short here. I do not always draw the right conclusions and often give myself false answers. There is much room for growth in this area.

I did have an epiphany about relationships though. I realized that it is not so important to be spiritually on the same page as the person I am here to do something with, as it is to share the same values. Spiritual journeys are personal. Each person has their own contribution to make to the advancement of the whole and it should be kept private. Remember how we are told that the wise remain hidden. And I feel this applies to close relationships as well. I do not need to share what is going on inside to feel harmony and a sense of wellbeing in a close relationship. For me, the most important thing is that we are facing in the same direction.

[Unknown Member]

Step 64. The world is emerging into the Greater Community. I can know this.

I can only know this if I listen for Knowledge. And that is easier said than done.

I am to ask “Can I know about the Greater Community?” But again I am not to give myself answers,I am to ask the question and listen. There are many answers, but the right answers only come from Knowledge. How am I to know what is the right answer? I am to be committed to asking the question and being open to know. This requires humility and patience.

[Unknown Member]

Step 65. I surround and protect myself with the love and the grace of God.

This is something I do every day now and will continue to do the rest of my life. I feel the presence of the Unseen Ones and my Teachers like a roof over my head, protecting me from the adverse forces that abound in the world. This is a given for me and it has never let me down. i can even say I felt this protection before I consciously began practicing this. This Presence has been close to me all my life.

[Unknown Member]

Step 66. My freedom is my gift to others.

This is an important Step. I appreciate the insight it gives into taking responsibility for what I know about myself and my progress as I take the Steps to Knowledge, on the one hand, and remaining humble, on the other. Since this is not something I am doing for my own personal enhancement, but for the benefit of others too, I must recognize and honor the gift I have to share with the world. But this does not give me aggrandized feelings about myself, because it is not something I have construed for myself, it is the legitimate result of my practice. I gain freedom by reclaiming Knowledge not only for myself, but for others as well. And I take responsibility for this.

Here you go beyond your preferences, your wishes and your feelings in the moment and exercise a greater authority over your time and your circumstances. You do this for yourself and for others. And though you proceed with humility, you have this recognition. It is a responsibility. It is a responsibility that the Wise everywhere must assume, sooner or later. It is what gives them their commitment and their power.

I claim my own freedom and recognize it as a gift to be shared with others.

[Unknown Member]

Step 67. My freedom is awaiting me.

Freedom is a hard nut to crack in the context it is presented in Steps to Knowledge and the New Message as a whole. I need to be free to move with Knowledge, but freedom is also restraining. I need to be aware of what I am not really free to do.

I understand this Step to consist of two parts: 1) my freedom to unite with who I am and why I am here and 2) freedom of the world as it emerges into the Greater Community.

Allies of Humanity Book Four talks about freedom in greater depth and it also talks about the uniting quality of freedom.

Briefing Three: Freedom in the Universe opens with:

Now we will give you a perspective on what freedom looks like once it is established. To be free, a world has to have a united government. It may have representatives from different groups and regions of a world, but it must be a united government. It cannot be a patchwork of warring tribes or even great nations, for that will only invite intervention and manipulation

This Briefing goes on to say:

To be a united force, there must be an understanding of the great need that requires this freedom and a willingness to participate and even to sacrifice certain personal freedoms for its sake.

I understand this great need for freedom and the need to unite the warring influences within myself, just as the world needs to unite its warring tribes and nations, so that I can be a strong united force in the world.

For the freedom of the world to be established, it desparately needs men and women of Knowledge to demonstrate this and speak for this. I must have enough internal freedom to be able to move with Knowledge, wherever it may take me, which paradoxically means being able to give up a certain amount of personal freedom, i.e. give up pursuing personal preferences and indulging in personal wishes for the benefit of the whole. Only Knowledge can show me what I need to do here.

[Unknown Member]

Step 68. The world needs freedom.

This Step gives the true definition of freedom.

Freedom here means the freedom to experience and to express Knowledge. This is a very simple definition, but very helpful.

Therefore, the man or woman of Knowledge looks for the evidence of Knowledge and wishes to express the reality of Knowledge regardless of the specific circumstances in the world. Knowledge is what they are looking for.

This is brilliant. This is something I understand. This Steps makes it clear what freedom is and what freedom is not. Freedom is not having the right to do and say anything you want, without being accountable, without taking responsibility. Freedom, on the contrary, means the opposite – it means being accountable for what you say and do and taking responsibility for the consequences.

If the world can come to this understanding of freedom it will retain its sovereinty in the Greater Community.

Richard Hawley You Don’t Miss Your Water (Till Your River Runs Dry)

[Unknown Member]

Step 69. I will not take my freedom for granted.

This Step says:

…if it is genuine, freedom brings with it a responsibility, a commitment to give, an accountability to others and a dedication to service. Freedom without these things is not freedom. It is avoidance.

When I read this, I wonder if this is not what I am doing – exercising avoidance. I have never been a joiner and now I am wondering what motivates this? Is it because I don’t want to take responsibility, do not want to be accountable to others and dedicated to service? But then I ask myself, can I not do these things without joining? Or am I just construing things to suit my own preferences and desires? This is a conundrum.

I recall a Step in the foundation Steps:

Step 167. With Knowledge I am free in the world. With Knowledge you are free in the world. You are free to join. You are free to leave. You are free to make agreements. You are free to complete and change agreements. You are free to surrender yourself. You are free to extricate yourself. In Knowledge you are free.

I take solace in this and take it to mean that as long as I am with Knowledge I will be prompted to do what is right for me.

I have been listening to Marshall’s songs. Some of the melodies and guitar work remind me of my favorite singer today. There is something of the same quality that takes me beyond this world.

Richard Hawley Doors

[Unknown Member]

Step 70. Review.

This is a good time of year for reflection and turning in. I am far away from the bustle and clamor that seem to accompany this season of the year in many places around the world. I rejoice in this quiet time, the deep silence, the gray cocoon I nestle in.

The emphasis during this past week of Steps has been on freedom and what it really means. I am looking for the evidence of Knowledge in every circumstance I encounter. Knowledge is either being expressed or it is not. It is that simple.

This Step tells me I must become deeper, more serious and more focused in my intent, for I am heading for a real destination now. Yes, this is it, and words to not really do justice to the realization that is dawning on me.

So I will keep quiet and just say that this review has opened up a new level of awareness in me.

[Unknown Member]

Step 71. Let me be aware of the mental environment in which I live.

The question to ask yourself is, “Is this the right place for me to be?” If it is the right place, then you must begin to learn about where you are. How does it feel? What are the characteristics? What are the prevailing notions, ideas or sentiments that exist there? What do they motivate in you? Do they encourage you? Do they discourage you? Do they make you feel stronger? Do they make you feel weaker? Do they dissipate your energy or do they charge your energy?

The village I am living in is the right place for me to be. I have felt comfortable here ever since I first came to this place in 2015. It felt good, it felt safe, it felt right for me. In the intervening time, I have never lost this conviction, in fact I have become even more confident that this is the place I have been searching for all my life. It charges my energy, makes me strong, encourages me. The prevailing notions are about surviving off the grid, living off the land, enjoying the natural beauty of the environment, being self-sufficient, leaving a small carbon imprint, easy-going friendly relations. I have found my home in the world in a metal environment that is wholesome and benign.

When I go out into the world, I want to be more consciously aware of the mental environments I find myself in, to be able to compare and contrast. I have always been aware of feeling more comfortable in some places than in others. Now I want to make that awareness speak to me in the here and now, not just realize it in hindsight.

Richard Hawley Not Lonely

[Unknown Member]

Step 72. I am influenced by the mental environments around me.

I am not always consciously aware of the mental environments around me. That is, I am aware at some level, for there are definitely places I shy away from and feel uncomfortable in, but I don’t usually pay attention to how I feel in the moment or ask myself how I am feeling in a particular place. I usually come to some awareness afterwards. I just know that I hate crowds, don’t enjoy travelling on the underground and just feel uncomfortable in general in places where there are a lot of people.

I feel comfortable far from the madding crowd. I am aware that the mental environment I am in where I live is nourishing and supportive. I feel at home.

I wish to hone my awareness of the mental environment and pay attention to my response to different places. I understand the power of the mental environment and its ability to influence me. I take this seriously and am not careless in where I place myself. I realize how important it is to respond to the cues that are given.

I don’t have much opportunity to practice feeling the influence of different mental environments these days, but I intend to be aware of my response when different situations do arise.

[Unknown Member]

Step 73. The mental environment of the world is changing.

It is changing, but what is the source? Is it changing because extraterrestrial forces are in the world? Or is it changing due to the sheer number of people now inhabiting the Earth? The mental environment is clogged, saturated with an overload of errant thoughts coming from so many people. Life is much more complicated now, especially in the cities, so the mental environment is heavy and ponderous.

The Earth will soon undergo another global cleansing. It is time to clear the mental environment and start anew, make a fresh start. I have always known that this will happen sooner or later.

Richard Hawley Cheap Spanish Whine

[Unknown Member]

Step 74. I seek to be a force for good in the world.

I can be a force for good in the world, I can keep the light of Knowledge alive in the world. I can keep the freedom to experience and express Knowledge alive in the world. I can be a force for good even though my life is filled with mundane activities and simple endeavors. This is not my personal power, it is the power that abides with me because I have created a place for it and am a willing participant with it. It is my ability united with the power of Knowledge that will make this possible.

I take these words deep within and allow them to integrate with my being.

[Unknown Member]

Step 75. I will not be deterred by others’ opinions.

Anyone who has broken new ground in any avenue of life, in any endeavor, has had to deal with criticism from others, disbelief and ambivalence. This throws you back upon yourself, for it is your authority here that must be exercised to a greater degree than you had thought before.

I have come to this realization and am taking it in my stride. In the past, I have allowed myself to be crushed by criticism and been filled with self-doubt. I have taken that roller coaster ride that plummets me into the depths of despair and self-criticism to then climb slowly back to a place of self-trust.

I understand that people who criticize have their own “issues” and criticism and condemnation of others is a way for them to express a concern, anxiety or need they may be dealing with. This being their response shows that they are not with Knowledge and can only be shown compassion. My response is to forgive them for “they know not what they do.”

I feel so much stronger in Knowledge now, so I can stand my ground, but quietly and discreetly. I do not challenge criticism, I merely take note and continue on my way. There is no time to get hooked up in other people’s negative opinions. I return to myself and the Knowledge within me.

[Unknown Member]

Step 76. I am here to serve the world.

I am here to serve the world, but I am not to think I know what this means or how it will be carried out.

I often feel grateful that I did not find Steps to Knowledge until later in my life and can only look back now to see that I have been following a path of destiny all my life. Even though I did not see clearly in the past, I did not make a lot of mistakes I now regret. I did not waste a lot of time, energy and resources in fruitless, meaningless pursuits, my life has always had purpose, meaning and direction. Knowledge has been with me, even though I have not been with Knowledge.

Now I see clearly and I am consciously aware of Knowledge moving me in my life, but I still do not know what particular service I am to perform. I am happy to let this be and just continue, as I have all my life, doing what my heart prompts me to do. This fills me with peace and a sense of wellbeing.

[Unknown Member]

Step 77. Review

Reviews are a good time to take stock and gain a clearer vantage point on where I am today.

I am happy with where I am and what I am doing. The outcome is not clear and my service to the world is not clear, but I am confident that I am on the right path, heading in the right direction.

It is okay not to know.

The main thing is to feel that warm glow inside that tells me everything is fine, everything is fine just as it is.

I have come a long way to reach this point, and now I am reaping the benefits of this journey. I can only feel excitement in anticipation of what is still to come.

I resonate with the words of this song.

Richard Hawley Further

[Unknown Member]

Step 78. My strength is called for in the world.

Your strength is called for in the world, most assuredly. But do you have this strength? Do you have the wisdom? Are you ready? Can you respond? Can you deliver what you came here to deliver? Can you recognize those people who are essential for you to know and to associate with? And can you look past those who are not essential for you to know even though you may feel great affection for them?

I feel I do have the strength it talks about in this Step. Finally. The wisdom? Not sure. I am ready, I can respond, I can deliver what I came here to deliver. I recognize the people who are essential for me to know and associate with and look past those who are not. I am gaining the self-confidence I need to function in this world. It has taken a while, but truly I am getting there.

I wish to be strong in every situation I encounter. I do not want to lose contact with myself and feel separated and adrift from my True Self. My True Self is strong, focused, and in tune. It knows what to do in every circumstance. I wish to be aware of myself in every situation and function from my True Self.

Richard Hawley The Nights Are Cold

[Unknown Member]

Step 79. I have a mission in my life to fulfill.

I am told that it is most certainly true that I have a mission in my life to fulfill, but I am not to define it. I can only prepare. As I prepare, I will receive. I must have the determination and the focus. I do. But do I have a mission? Probably, but I am not bothered if I don’t. Having a mission is not the be-all and end-all of my life. I don’t need a mission to feel happy with my life, to feel satisfied and fulfilled, to feel it has meaning, purpose and direction. Maybe I have already fulfilled my mission.

[Unknown Member]

Step 80. I have a gift that I share with others.

In previous rounds of doing this Step, I have focussed on the people I am engaged with in my efforts to translate the New Message into Russian. Here the emphasis on relationship comes into sharp focus, for this is certainly not something I could do alone. I love being part of a team with two amazing girls who enhance and replenish this joint effort. We work together like a well-oiled machine to produce a more polished work of art.

Today, however, my attention is drawn to my relationship with my husband, and I clearly see how we are a team and each have part of the gift to offer. We too work in tandem like a well-oiled machine.

This Step says:

Your contribution comes through relationship. You have part of the gift. They have part of the gift. You give together. It is your relationship that gives and makes the giving possible. This serves as a perfect antidote to all personal ambition and self-glorification.

This rings clear and true.

The Step goes on to say:

Find the others that have the other part of your gift and become mature with them. Bring into these relationships all that you have learned and allow others to teach you more. This will generate real humility.

I found him and have become mature with him, bringing into our relationship what I have learned and allowing him to teach me more. This was hard at first, because I resisted his teaching, I was too arrogant, thinking I knew it all, knew better. Happily, I learned to tame this arrogance and allow him to teach me. I realized my own follies and that there is great merit in working together and each bringing our own part of the gift to the table. This is manifesting in my life today. It is beautiful to feel such harmony in relationship and work quietly side-by-side to manifest something greater than either of us could do on our own.

The light will always shine through.

[Unknown Member]

Step 81. I will not be afraid of conflict today.

There is no conflict in my personal life today. When there has been conflict in the past, I have faced it and dealt with it. I am not afraid of conflict. I even want to go so far as to say that conflict is not part of my experience.

I awoke today to a beautiful frost-covered world and a full moon. The world is sparkling and white like the frosting on a cake. And today is my birthday 🙂

I want to share some beautiful songs by another Steps student with an ethereal voice and music from beyond this world.

[Unknown Member]

Step 82. Great joy is with me today.

This is always a perfect step for me. Each time I do this Step, I zone in on this sentence:

It is more a joy that a miracle is happening in your life, and you are bearing witness to it.

and say, “Yes!”

This sentence also draws me:

Look at this study in Greater Community Spirituality and be thankful that you have it, for you could be lost without it. Be grateful that you can live today, that you have your health, and that you have the opportunity to give to someone else.

This fits so perfectly with the chapter “Serving Others” from Wisdom II, which Marshall released for free viewing on the Internet the other day. There is says:

Those who have an association with the Greater Community, who are drawn and called by the Greater Community, and whose nature reflects the Greater Community, must study The Greater Community Way of Knowledge. This Teaching is especially for them. These people will not find their way anywhere else.

This teaching emphasizes that in order to serve, I must be willing to be served, and I must understand the true meaning of this.

If you are to serve others, then you must be served, and you must learn what being served really means, both in its practical and obvious aspects and in its mysterious aspects as well. You must be served, and you must accept the service that is yours to accept. Then you will learn what service you must give, who it is meant for and how it can be expressed. Then you will be able to understand as well the difficulty that people have in receiving the true answer to their request for help, rejuvenation and fulfillment.

There is great mystery in this teaching and I cannot say I understand it, but I get an inkling…

That is why we say if you wish to serve others, you must learn to be served. This is learning to receive. This is learning to accept. This is learning to discern. It is not blindly opening yourself to what is offered. It is learning to work with what is offered. If you do this, you will be able to discern your own nature. You will be able to recognize your motives. And you will be able to proceed in your preparation, becoming stronger, wiser and more mature.

This is edifying.

[Unknown Member]

Step 83. Let peace be with me today.

This is another wonderful and affirming Step. When I attend to what I know and follow what I know, I receive inner confirmation. I look with gratitude upon my life, for it is moving. Power is in my life and Grace abides with me as I learn to abide with it. I am moving into a new life, a new awareness and understanding. Yes, I am!

This Step also says that as I advance as a student of Knowledge, my problems will be more and more circumstantial and not personal in nature. I can vouch for this and say that it is manifesting in my life. There is very little today that causes me any personal problem. Things are being resolved and I am witnessing the miracle of Knowledge working in my life.

There is peace in confiming that your relationship with Knowledge is being honored and furthered. There is peace in knowing that resolution is coming in conflicts and relationships around you.

[Unknown Member]

Step 84. Review

Learning the skills that we have given you in this preparation will make you strong and effective. Therefore, continue onward in your study of STEPS TO KNOWLEDGE. That is why we call it the CONTINUATION TRAINING. It has no end though at some point you will reach a place where you will not need to engage in it any further. Yet there is much work to be done, and you know that you have not fully learned those things that have been asked of you and shown to you in these many weeks of study.

Therefore, you have our blessings to continue, for you are at the beginning of a great endeavor. Those who continue will advance. And those who advance will understand not only their accomplishment but the means of preparation itself. They will be the ones in a position to help others prepare and to bring the gift of preparation into whatever service they may render to others in the future. For there will be others who will want to know why and how these people have achieved such a state of equanimity in their life, such a state of strength, balance and self-determination. How can it be that they are so free from so many things that paralyze other people? How can it be they accomplish so much and be so dedicated? How can it be that their gift is so great that they can keep giving it without it being exhausted? People will ask about these things and wonder. And you then can be in a position to help them, for you have made the journey. You know how many steps it requires. You know the patience, the determination and the self-trust that had to be established along the way. And you know the dangers and the pitfalls. Yet you will know the promise and the gift that such a preparation can give to those who can continue onward. Let us continue.

Nasi Novare Coram

I feel I have integrated this preparation and the gifts it provides into my life. I shall continue…

[Douglas_St._Paul]

I wouldn’t mind there being a Continuation Training Study Group with a discussion on each step, but perhaps this will do for now. I get what Alio shared about being trained to continue, and I happily embrace this training. I’m hearing this Rumi poem:

Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again , come , come.

[Unknown Member]

@douglasst-paul Hi Douglas, I created a post for each Step last year when I was doing another round of the Continuation Training. You are welcome to add your thoughts and experience to what I shared.

[Unknown Member]

On further exploration, I see that this may be tricky, since all the posts are clumped together and you have to plough through them to find the Step you want to share on. For instance, I began sharing on each Step in succession on July 22, 2019, but you have to find that post first (it is post 47 of 142), then you can click on the three horizontal dots at the right-hand side to reply. I understand that what you are wishing for is a separate post with the text of each Step as in the core 365 Steps.

[Unknown Member]

Ongoing practice and development hit’s me between the eyes sometimes with. “Oh my God, this is really BIG and very real.  I am being swept off of my feet”.

It is requiring more and more of me to release unnecessary involvements and attractions…. like surfing,  to be able to keep balanced on and moving just under the curl of the wave, keeping focus in the immediate, avoiding distraction, working toward and praying for the the unconscious second nature reflexes that will keep me from crashing into the turbulent undercurrents abounding in the world.