A number of years ago I read and enjoyed ‘The Celestine Prophecy’.  One of the things I liked about the story was that it introduced me to this idea of messages and what one was supposed to do with them.  If you receive a message, your job is to embrace it, process it, and perhaps act on it.  If you feel drawn to communicate a message to someone else, your job is to find a way to get the message into their brain.  The contention was that you’re either in listening mode or transmitting mode.  For some reason, this whole idea really appealed to me.  I’m sure it was because I was ready to hear it.  I felt as if some kind of internal radar got activated, and is still activated to this day. 

Knowing these messages are out there, just waiting to be dealt with in some way, I found very exciting.  So, every day since then I’ve tried to be alert for any messages…occasionally words, but often feelings, sounds, smells, sensations.  It occurs to me now that perhaps this was my first taste of Knowledge, packaged in a form that was metaphysically palatable for me.  And if I wasn’t receiving Knowledge, per se, it was at least getting me into the habit of listening for messages.  Listening requires stillness, a skill/habit that Steps emphasizes.  Simple, I know. 

I'm about a third of the way through ‘Steps to Knowledge’ and am trying to foster some sensitivity within myself so that I can muster an awareness of the transformation process that I’m hoping will occur.  I’ve read a number of Marshall’s books over the years and was finally motivated to tackle the Steps again after a long, 10-year, hiatus.

I think I’m sort of far enough along to the point where I look forward to what the next lesson will be.  At the beginning, it was more about disciplining myself to get up early to do the morning lesson, getting into a regimen of stillness and study.  Now I’m in the regimen.  I have a habit pattern I follow and it’s not terribly difficult to stick with.  Like the preliminary instructions say, you just need to follow the route outlined and stay on the path.

The curious-like-a-cat side of me keeps hoping I will see some indication that Knowledge is peeking through.  It’s undoubtedly too early for that but one side effect I’ve noticed, especially within the last 20 lessons or so, is that occasionally a specific lesson is very pertinent to issues that arise during that particular day.  In other words, I study the lesson and a situation comes up during the day (usually at work) that the lesson is addressing.  Almost as if my day is being subtly restructured to be embraced and benefited by the lesson of that day.  It’s cool when it happens, I thank the powers that be for their gift, and continue with the process.  A little more motivated, knowing that I’m being watched on some level.  It’s a nice feeling being helped from the other side.