The Steward

The Steward has the capacity to control practically all of the ‘I’s. It can be there at the moment that things begin to happen. For the steward to be effective, it must act with the support of the intellectual part of the emotional center. It is able to put our inner world in order based on the division that the Deputy Steward made of useful, harmful and indifferent manifestations.

The Steward makes the household ready for the master or real “I” and must step back when real “I” is present. In certain situations, it is intended to fail, as true control is reserved for real “I”. It can only be developed through a certain intensity of inner work.

Over time we accumulate a collection of Work I’s, each appropriate to a given internal situation. These are short reminders that help us focus and do the work in the moment. They are always expressed internally in an even, gentle tone of voice. They can be reminders of new attitudes that we have developed, or even just short one syllable commands.

“Remember yourself.” “Try not to express negativity.” “Be present now.” “Look” “Hear” These work ‘I’s become a kind of toolbox that the steward can draw from in any moment. You may have seen Buddhist images with many arms and various tools or symbols in each arm. This is the same idea. The steward is able to generate work ‘I’s every three seconds, at each breath, when necessary.

David Tuttle

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Image: Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil, Bartolome Bermejo