June 16 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 6 Spiritual Willingness Alcoholics Anonymous Today's AA daily reflection: "spiritual, open and all inclusive…" In the moment of now? Is this spiritual? What have I come to believe? I've come to believe that when I can live in the moment, where all my senses work now is the spiritual connection. As nature intended where feelings fit with the reality of now… Every moment is spiritual even when I am not present in that moment for whatever reason…
However did I come to a fellowship where it is okay to work out how to live life as close to nature and "the grand design of the universe." The grand design, survival, constant evolution and replication. Even in the last few thousand years we can map our own development, spiritual, emotional and physical. Each individual on track and subject to happenstance and choices, working together we can grow and flourish, isolated more likely to perish sooner rather than later…
Emotional and spiritual in the most obvious way it works just for me: where my feelings work in the moment of now, my mood has an impact on how I think and the actions I take. Working with others and sharing works better than anything I might concoct on my own in isolation. And that whatever definition of God anyone has, God works in the moment of now through people and the collective experiences and wisdom being learned…
The AA daily reflection for today begins with, "open-mindedness…" And by the time I got to fellowship, the excoriating pain of addiction and closed down in all natural senses and connections to the moment of now meant death was preferable. From not wanting to wake up ever again, to being open and included and part of life again is the spiritual journey. With the help of others, continually learning how to love and be loved back and simply useful, improves my prospects today…
Whatever you come to believe with regard to God, spiritual and any religious beliefs you may have, it is always worthwhile to keep investigating rather than have contempt. Just because we don't believe something now, or we do believe now, or we have to change our minds because of new evidence, personal evidence or evidence from our world as it is, we need to be open to everything. Seven billion people on the planet and not one of us has the answer to everything…
AA Daily Reflections ~ "OPEN-MINDEDNESS... We have found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the realm of spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive, never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 7
Open-mindedness to concepts of a Higher Power can open doors to the spirit. Often I find the human spirit in various dogmas and faiths. I can be spiritual in the sharing of myself. The sharing of self joins me to the human race and brings me closer to God, as I understand Him."
DonInLondon 2005-2011
A beautiful dawn from indigo to powder blue skies, from the brash of city night clattering’s to a brief silence and then the rumblings as millions add to a new thrum... Another day above ground. A rare night terror rolls away and cold sweat abates as daylight warms the earth. How am I feeling? Gratitude for my life today...
Emotional and Spiritual versus Intellect and Thinking in Fellowship! The internal battle of feelings and thinking is over as we put the 12 steps into practice, peace and serenity is possible contingent on the day we ask...
Open mindedness... our aim is to live to principles of open, honest and willing, utilising 12 steps in living life. Extremes of fear, brave facing and ego in the past closed down our courage, faith and confidence to seek new ways of living. Each day, step by step, life changes and balance becomes possible...
Ego, a brave face and fear... Covering up in recovery, when life is difficult is a natural response to "immediate" danger in front of us. A caution to pause and find safe ground, safe harbour. As we recover our wits, make sense, share the experience, courage, faith and confidence can be restored today...
June 16 2007
Hinde Street - DonInLondon ‘Day In the Life’
I have no clue why, I slept late this morning. As per usual insomnia seems to be my closest friend at night. And I listen to the radio or TV, as things stop circling in my head and my brain starts to shut down. I seem prone to want to do more, I am uneasy and feel the need to be active and yet feel the frustrations of having a body which does not quite do what it used to do.
Cycling
I never thought I would after the beginning of last year. Everything hurt and everything seemed to suggest life was going to be harder. I was prepared. The last few years have been about acceptance of what is and what we may achieve, and the incapacities were coming home to roost. Seems like some physiotherapy led me back to the bike. With feet like mine, smiles they are ok just now, the amount of walking was greatly restricted. Improvements have been made with some pain relief, but it goes just so far.
And I was chatting tonight with a friend, who like me is finding a bike is a good way to extend previous boundaries and get about. Waiting for buses, waiting for the tube, well, it plays havoc.
Pedestrian Crossings
Good news all the crossings round here have dimples in the concrete for Blind people to find the edge of the crossing. Bad news these dimples cause excruciating pain when caught on nerves which are not too good in my feet. Its swings and roundabouts, for some it saves them walking into the road, for others it makes us hop off them quick smart to avoid more pain. Same goes for tubes and tunnels, as renovations are done to assist some with one sense lacking, others find the heightened senses hurts like blazes. Such is life
Today I have been trying to adjust my websites so they load faster and are more interesting. For people in recovery and better ways to get to news and things which may be of interest…
By Lunch I felt distinctly in need of company and realised I had missed local lunch meetings roundabouts, so headed off to Hinde St.
Hinde Street ‘AA Central’
Indeed Hinde Street is probably the AA central London meeting place for us in the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. When I was in early recovery in the fellowship, Hinde Street had more meetings a day than anywhere else. And in those Halcyon days of raggedness and recovery which felt like a drip by drip Chinese water torture, I spent a good part of my time at meetings there.
Early Recovery into being a recovering Alcoholic
We decide sooner hopefully that addiction is not something we are recovered from, we are in a balance between sobriety and the next mishap if ever we feel we can have just one more for the road. The road is long and sometimes we can be deluded into thinking another go might not hurt us.
More often we hit a crisis or something which pushes back to taking another drink. So it’s always just for today for me and my fellows in AA. Just a day of not drinking. An if ever we fall off the wagon, we know we will have to go back, or come back to AA.
AA Central is a good venue, central London and full of men and women who have thrown in the towel with drink, or at least some have and many of us went there still shivering with every tremor drink can offer when we have become an addict/alcoholic.
So Today
By lunch I felt lonely and not myself. It’s typical for me, and company keeps me safe.
Arriving a few minutes late, it was good to see the person doing the “chair” is a familiar friendly face. It’s good to be there and I listen with growing interest and feel I belong. Belonging somewhere always was a problem for me, and less now as AA is a very big fellowship. I am smiling saying this we come from every hue and background and we all seem to understand each other.
And it was good to share my feelings of lost and in need of fellowship, I am in the right place this lunchtime. And I know I’ll see my friend most likely over the week end and have a few words to say thanks. We all do chairs in AA. It’s part of what we do, expressing our concerns and fears, and good moments too!
So with time to make my way back home and very slowly by now. Feet permitting and just with grit in mind as pain can just get too much. I took photos and made the effort. As I seem to be determined to enjoy through gritted teeth sometimes and capture images to share. It’s my art I guess, just as it may be, some good photo’s amongst so many which may have no appeal at all.
It’s the endeavour though which keeps me going.
Tonight
After soaking very sore feet, I got on the bike and went to another meeting. A chair by another person I know just fleetingly. I have known them years in different venues than AA. The good is to be there to hear another’s truth.
Truth
We know in AA truth is probably as good as the day is long, and then something else will amend and change what we see and know. Truth does set us free and we know our inner voice can detect when we have lost the plot, and time to call a friend deed and just be kind and share our stuff. And hear another bolt from the blue, to add to truth and not to bluff our way along.
Feelings and denials
We feel and then we deny so much as we can when our feelings and the truth can be quite different as we are part of life and human doings. We learn over and over we need take care and listen to all we perceive and make sure our ears are open and hear everything and not just what we may be inclined to find agreeable.
So overall, and back home now, it’s time for me to put my mind in gear and say some words on the you tube site. Not sure what I may relate, something similar to these words I may, or hit another tangent. I never know…
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AA Official Online Site: Daily Reflections
AA Official Online Site: Big Book And Twelve And Twelve
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Step 6 "Spiritual Willingness" Reading Video Link:
wrongs. Chapter 6, Into Action, Big Book From: Page 72 Thru: Page 75, the bottom of the page. 12 And 12 Step 5."
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June ~ Video Reading Chapter Six Into Action Link:
I do not speak for Alcoholics Anonymous I speak for myself. Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of unique and authentic people who speak for themselves where they will to share experience, strength and hope about recovery on a daily basis. Anonymity affords sanctuary to find how to live sober and be open, honest and willing to learn life day by day. For me "truth," "love" and "wisdom" offer the best spiritual experience by living reality today. Into the fabric of recovery from alcoholism are woven the Twelve Steps and the Traditions: steps to be open, honest and willing to learn, traditions to live unity, service and recovery.
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Spiritual principles ~ Forgiveness Acceptance Surrender Faith Open-mindedness Honesty Willingness Moral-inventory Amends Humility Persistence Spiritual-growth Service
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