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.