Pitfalls along the Way
“Take care not to be defeated by that which you are here to serve.”--Patricia Summers[1]
"For those who are beginning to respond and to take the journey to Knowledge and the Steps to Knowledge, certain hazards will become apparent to them that are not apparent to others. Certain influences out in the world, and even more subtle influences in the mental environment, will begin to impinge upon them. And it is important that they become aware of these things."[2]
"You cannot incite the greater powers on your own until you come into service to the Greater Powers beyond yourself.
This is a common mistake that many people make. A very consequential error it is and can lead to dangerous pursuits, leading a person to become ever more unstable and disassociated from the world around them.
Knowledge here must become your guide increasingly as to what can be approached and what must be avoided; what is a fruitful pursuit and what is a dangerous one; what forces in the mental environment are beneficial and what will undermine your confidence, and even what forces that can take control of your mind.
There are hazards here, as there are hazards in all aspects of life and in all endeavors. You cannot have a foolish or childish approach to these greater things without putting yourself in jeopardy and making many false claims and assumptions."[3]
Seeking to validate past understanding
"In the world, you always build upon what you have learned in the past, adding new things as you go along. As you advance, you become more selective in what you learn because you want to validate what you have learned already. Thus, the intent of education, which is to learn something new, to experience something new and to be able to do something new, becomes lost because increasingly you will attempt to validate the past. Here you will become more fearful and anxious about the future, less willing to see things as they really are and less open to new ideas, new experiences and new capabilities. Here the mind closes down upon itself. It often does this with the belief that it is open and accessible when in fact it has become such a filtering mechanism that very little new information can come to it, either from within or from without."[4]
Disengaged speculation
"To advance, you cannot stay at the bottom of the mountain and fantasize how it will be and imagine yourself going up and being at the top."[4]
Ambition
"People have so often set ultimate goals for their spiritual growth and have attempted to live by them. Very presumptuous and damaging this is, for failure is inevitable. It is not in God’s Plan that you should fail by overshooting your true goals in life."[5]
Presumption
"Be careful not to let that which is unknown within you undermine that which you are sent here to serve."--Marshall Vian Summers[1]
"It is truly dangerous when people think they know and they do not know. This leads to many mistakes and many tragedies as well. Do not think you know. You either know or you do not know, and if you know, your Knowledge is pervasive. If what you know is real, others will resonate with Knowledge with you, and you will not have to persuade them." [6]
Proselytizing
"Many people want to go out and share everything they learn as soon as they learn it. The problem is that they have not really learned it, and so they cannot demonstrate it. If you want to inspire others, if you want to show them something that has really been effective in your life, then you yourself must demonstrate it. This demonstration is far more powerful and effective than any words that you could say or any illustrations that you could create."[7]
Indolence or preference
"Seek to do what is easy, comfortable and familiar and you will stay right where you are, bound to the past and bound to all the deceptions that have plagued you in the past, unable to proceed, unable to advance, unable to learn and unable to accomplish what you came here to accomplish."[4]
Self-deception
"There are many mistakes along the way, and this unwillingness to backtrack is one of them. That is why the New Message teaches you how to review your life and emphasizes this so you can see in your own experience, in your own history, where your life went off track, and what motivated you to make unwise decisions.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Campfire Chat, November 28, 2020 (registration required)
- ↑ Harmful Influences (May 13, 2011)
- ↑ Higher Powers (April 26, 2011)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 10: How do you prepare?
- ↑ Wisdom from the Greater Community, Book 1, Chapter 1: The Greater Religion
- ↑ Living The Way of Knowledge, Chapter 7: Your Relationship with Your Spiritual Family
- ↑ Greater Community Spirituality, Chapter 8: Who is Wisdom meant for?
- ↑ Ending Violence Within (September 4, 2008)
See also
Further study
- Greater Community Spirituality, Chap. 14: What Must Be Avoided?
- Harmful Influences (May 13, 2011)