The Importance of your Spiritual Development | Open Floor

Our practice together is building a group mind in the mental environment, small at present, but growing. We do not yet understand the influence that this creates when we practice on the hour, for example. That’s synchronized everywhere all over the world, everyone who’s practicing on the hour creates a powerful effect in the mental environment. I don’t think we can fully understand how that works, not while we’re living here.

But I just want to emphasize the importance of considering when you practice, ask yourself, “Why am I practicing? Why am I practicing?” Steps actually answers this question back between Step 9 and 10, I’ll read that to you now. “Why am I doing this anyway?”

Very good question!  Why are you doing this anyway? Why are you asking such questions? Why do you seek for greater things? Why are you exerting the effort? These questions are inevitable. We anticipate them. Why are you doing this? You are doing this because it is essential. If you wish to live anything greater than a purely superficial and unstable life, you must penetrate deeper and not be confident based only on weak assumptions and hopeful expectations. There is a greater gift awaiting you, but you must prepare yourself mentally, emotionally and physically. Without Knowledge, you are unaware of your purpose. You are unaware of your origin and your destiny, and you will pass through this life as if it were a troubled dream and no more.”

Think about practice as your gift to those who sent you, who somehow enabled you to find this preparation—no small thing given the influences of the world. Do this for those whom you will serve in the future, even those you’re serving now. This is the spirit of the practice and Steps talks about this in many places. These practices will show you where you are strong and where you are weak. Be open to this. It’s entirely honest. It is revealing to you what you must change within yourself, what you must release, and what you must cultivate and develop, and how to use things that have hurt you in the past for a beneficial purpose now, your own inclinations, even your natural design. Do this for others, that’s service. Those who sent you, those who aided you in finding this place and those you will serve in the future who are hoping that you are successful. Do this for them and your practice will become stronger and deeper and more sure.

I have another Step I’d like to read to you. This is part of the group that was read tonight: “I gain strength from all who practice with me,” Step 212.  [reads]

You do gain strength from all who practice with you, for every mind that attempts to engage itself with Knowledge strengthens all other minds in doing so as well. In this, you cast your influence upon the world. In this, all others who seek to serve a true purpose cast their influence upon you. This counteracts the ignorant forces of the world. This counteracts the destructive forces in the world. This casts its influence on all minds to begin to awaken.

Receive faith from today’s idea, then, for faith it will give you as you realize that your own application is so greatly supplemented by the application of others. This will transcend any sense of inadequacy that you may have. This will help you overcome any sense of ambivalence regarding true preparation, for all other minds that are engaged in the reclamation of Knowledge are available to assist you here and now.

Thus, greatness is with you, the greatness of Knowledge and the greatness of all those who seek to reclaim Knowledge. With them you share a true purpose, for your true purpose is to keep Knowledge alive in the world.

[MVS repeats:] Your true purpose is to keep Knowledge alive in the world.

From Knowledge all things of good, whether they be of a spiritual or material nature, are bestowed upon these races for whom they are intended.”

MVS: Nasi Novare Coram.

Audience: Nasi Novare Coram.

The more we practice together the stronger we become. Everyone’s important in this effort. Everyone makes a difference. Everyone comes to the same pool to drink, the well of Knowledge.

So, I’m available to answer, or attempt to answer, any questions you might have about practice particularly if they’re specific. So I will open this space up for you if you’d like to ask me any questions regarding this subject.

Yes…

Student: Marshall, if you find yourself…thank you. What do you do if you find yourself avoiding your practice? Knowing you need to do it, having the time to do it, but being in a state of resistance to either yourself or to it? What would you say to that?

MVS: So, the question is, what do you do if you find yourself avoiding practice? I would ask myself why am I avoiding practice and see what happens on the inside, and see if what I hear feels authentic to me or not.

In my experience, I’ve avoided practice. It’s sometimes at the threshold of something really important happening; it was a natural anxiety and anticipation there. Other times I was just too lazy to show up. So it could be for many different reasons. And it’s okay to avoid practice and see how that feels to you. I’ve never been a real supporter of “every day has to be a practice.” I think there are natural rhythms to our participation in Steps to Knowledge. Practicing most days is good but it doesn’t have to be every day. You don’t want to build resistance to doing this. You don’t want this to become a harness or a yoke upon you. And also practicing Steps because you’re afraid of what might happen if you don’t practice Steps means there’s some fear driving you that you might need to face. Someday you won’t need Steps to Knowledge–now you do.

Student: Hi, Marshall.

MVS: Hi there.

Student: I want to ask how do you avoid falling asleep during meditation?

MVS: Oh, how do you avoid falling asleep?

Student: Yeah.

MVS: I generally don’t avoid that. I think if – if you really fall asleep you probably need to sleep more than anything. And sometimes you can enter states where you’re not sure you’re asleep. You’re just in some deep state, that is you can’t really account for it, you went somewhere and came back, which is not really sleep.

You may be so tired that every time you practice you fall asleep, but that’s a problem about your life on the outside, not the inside, that you’re out of balance. So sleeping’s okay as long as it’s not continuous or all the time because then you’re out of balance and you have a problem.

I use the practice that Steps to Knowledge recommends, the “Na Rahn” practice. And I believe it was in the Encampment last year that I led everyone in that practice. I don’t know if people have continued to do that or not, but I find it very effective. And how I practice it is, I inhale on “Na” and exhale on “Rahn.” But when I exhale, I relax. I just keep relaxing. And that will put you in the elevator going down if you stay with it.  And you know it’s interesting, you really, you can’t really think about other things (chuckles) when you’re doing this. It’s enough to stay with “Na Rahn” and keep relaxing. And it begins, you begin to dip beneath the surface to a certain extent. It’s very simple but you have to stay with it. And of course, you go away and you’ll be captivated because you’re so captivated anyway. You just bring yourself back and you keep going, there’s no blame, no judgment.

Contemplation practices–I write everything, which I find extremely useful for the Reviews. In fact, I write down all about every practice doing Steps for the Reviews. In other words, what are you gonna review? You have nothing to review. Okay, anything else…

Student: Hi, Marshall.

MVS: Hi there.  

Student: So, God lets everything be as it is, allow everything to be as it is. And know the contents of your mind and then control your mind. Can you give any direction or further insight to how to approach what seems like maybe two different ways of, of being with your mind?

MVS: Oh well, first of all, you’re not God. So you’re not in the position to let everything be as it is in all matters because you’re here to do things and to affect things and change things. So …

The New Message says God is just aware that we’re out of communication. God is not suffering over our separated state. We’re just out of communication. But your mind is, it has to become your servant and your assistant and not your master. So that’s a big change in a relationship. And Know–,  your mind is here to serve Knowledge, ultimately. So it’s a very gradual process to do that.

When I was here last I read a, a verse from The Pure Religion. And it talked about you’re given a lot of steps to give you time to sort things out. Yeah. And you need that time. But whether you use it effectively or not is another question. Sorting things out means you want to find out what is useful, what is not useful, what must be changed, what must be eliminated, what must be altered. This is your job. Otherwise, you’re not fit; you’re unable to respond to Knowledge. And while you’re doing that work, you’re also building a receptive place within yourself for Knowledge to communicate with you and for you to experience the Presence.

Some people say, “Well, I just don’t experience Knowledge.” And what that makes me think of is that well, that means that’s because you’re not doing the things you already know to do, so why would a Knowledge give you more things to do? So in that sense, it’s very important to know what you know you need to do that you’re not doing. So you get up-to-date with Knowledge. So that’s a very common problem.

So The New Message and Steps talks about the analogy of you being captain of your ship; and your crew are your thoughts and your emotions or your inclinations and habits of mind, things like this. And you have to manage this crew or it’s chaotic. And the ship is unable to sail and you’re not going anywhere. So that’s part of your task is to know the content of your mind, take the authority compassionately but strongly to direct your mind and create a place for Knowledge within yourself. This work all happens way before knowing your higher purpose, knowing where you’re ultimately meant to be—all these big end-point kinds of things that people are impatiently seeking. You have to build a foundation for that.

Will (from AV station): Questions have come in (MVS: Okay) so far from Oklahoma, Virginia, (MVS: Wow) South Korea and Finland.

MVS: Wow.

[Student] in Virginia asks:

Are we to openly share The New Message and Steps with everyone we encounter? Or do we practice discernment in this regard?”

MVS: I practice discernment in this regard, otherwise it’s a wasted effort. But I do share Steps to Knowledge pretty broadly with people who are demonstrating a real need or seem to be reaching for something, rather than a mere curiosity.

Any other questions?

Will: [Student] in Oklahoma asks:

Can the practice of stillness be just as effective in any position: lying down, sitting, standing, walking?”

MVS: Uh, I recommend sitting up. But I practice stillness actively out in the world, so I, I practice in all kinds of situations; because I feel that stillness is something you need to be able to activate at any time given a need, which means you switch off your mind, you become fully present to what is happening around you: who you’re dealing with, what the circumstance is; or if you’re having experience, to be able to be fully present to that.

Some people practice laying down, so maybe that works for them. I’ve never found that to be effective for myself. But to be able to call upon stillness and activate it in the moment is highly important—highly important. Ultimately that’s what your practice is meant to give you. But you need to control your–have pretty good authority over your mind to do that, like overriding its tendencies, when needed.

One of my practices, one of my observances, is to always know where my mind is going. It’s a pretty daunting task, but, you get better at it. And I think of the hourly practices are a time to come back to your experience, to regain a sense of where you are and what’s going on around you. So you work towards goals like this and often you can’t do it. But you do get better.

Everything that’s important that you’ll ever do is a product of some pretty remarkable preparation, whether that be in your work in the world or that be of a higher order. What I had to do to get ready to receive Steps to Knowledge was pretty daunting. I believe 77 Steps–that was the longest day receiving Steps I think. And I, as we were going through, you know, your recitation of those Steps, I was recalling how totally exhausted I became in that where I just, “I can’t go on,” but it kept going and it kept going. And I was just barely hanging in there to allow this to happen. And I was glad when it stopped.

To get ready to receive Steps to Knowledge, I had to give up all my former work and students. I met Patricia. Reed was on the way. I had to leave where I had lived my whole life; moved to, all the way across the country to a little house on a community golf course and wait for—I don’t know—eight or nine months. I also had to engage in a practice, in a process called “One Days,” where I had to be in that state with the Teachers for basically an entire day—for at least six to eight hours—so that I had the stamina to be able to receive Steps to Knowledge and the books that would follow, many of which were also real marathon experiences.

Darlene, do you remember how many days it took me to receive GCS [Greater Community Spirituality]? Reed says four days to receive that book, not all in a row. Four days. Living the Way [Living the Way of Knowledge]? Anyway, whole books received in days. But that didn’t just happen. I had to train for that. I had to completely reconstruct my life. I left where I’d grown up and I was never gonna live there again. I didn’t know where I was gonna live next. My life was wide open. I was wide open. But I was in training. So I appreciate it when people really put in the effort and utilize the tools that are provided.

The other powerful thing about Steps to Knowledge was, I even understood when it began the receptive, the reception of it, that I would have to be responsible for it for the rest of my life, and that my life would have to be committed to it. This wasn’t just a book I received and then I’d go and do something else. Oh no. Oh no. We had to learn all about making books and being publishers and everything. So it was monumental in that sense, also.

And it is monumental. You could do Steps a hundred times and you find things you never saw before because you’re ready to see them. You’re sensitized to them. You can see them while you sort things out, while you get straight with yourself about what you’re doing, where you’ve been and where you need to go, why you practice. It’s very elegant. And it has the power of Heaven in it.

When you read these Steps and you consider them to be God’s word to you, then your practice takes on a whole different dimension. So I’ll leave you with that. Good.

I have another Step to read. This is part of the group that was read tonight. Oh, I already read that. No, it’s [Step] 340 I wanted to read to you. This is “My practice is my contribution to the world.”

You are beginning student of Knowledge. As a beginning student, you engage yourself completely with your practice. Do not imagine for yourself a great role as a savior or redeemer in the world, for this will only discourage you because you are not yet prepared to carry forth things of greatness. Your duty is to follow the steps as they are given. This is the requirement. In time, greatness will grow within your experience and you’ll experience greatness within the world. Yet as we have so often indicated in our preparation thus far, the greatness you will experience will express itself in simple and mundane things. Therefore, do not imagine grandiose ideas of yourself as a savior. Do not see yourself being crucified in the world for these images are born of ignorance and you do not comprehend their true meaning.

Follow each step, for each will require your complete attention and engagement…Your practice is your gift of the world. From your practice all gifts that you will give in the future will be able to be given the confidence, with love and with certainty.”

If you stop taking the Steps, you do not get up the mountain. Whether you have good days of practice or poor days of practice, it is the Steps that matter.