June 3 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 6 Spiritual Willingness Alcoholics Anonymous Today's AA daily reflection: "we emphasised willingness as being indispensable…" I really enjoy daily reflections from our fellowship literature which starts today with "on a wing and a prayer." Having been completely unwilling to let go trying to solve everything on my own, it was a complete surprise that serenity came with letting go self-will and asking for help and direction on a daily basis…
We all have to find our way in life, and having been encouraged to stand on my own two feet, I did even when it was obvious that more help would be needed. I would work every hour to complete any endeavour to prove my worth. I did not see it as being perfect or trying to be perfect, and I wasn't looking for praise particularly, I just did not want to fall short and I guess feared being found out as not good enough… Not so today, life is always interdependent, a happy cog with other cogs today…
Today Sunday, June 3, 2012 is diamond jubilee weekend here in London and the United Kingdom. The air is thick and dark clouds threaten rain all day… I was chatting to a market trader yesterday selling jubilee fruit with gusto. She said "there ain't no bunting round here!" And then she said, "what matters most is people get together and celebrate the event, it's about community" there was no bunting, and that doesn't matter. It is all about community and pulling together on any given day…
Always there will be people knock and undermine for whatever reason. And I've had my share over the years, and my reaction was getting their first before they do, to show the cracks and concerns in whatever I was doing. It did keep me honest, at the same time it was quite self-defeating. Speak before they do, fear of being found out, putting on a brave face and ego… Not so these days, I make mistakes and keep on learning like anybody else, I have enough courage, faith and confidence to keep on going and getting a reality check as I do, this means I make progress and not perfect. It also means when I'm going the wrong way with, people, places and things, a word in my ear from a higher power can help me change direction any time, any place and anywhere…
Spiritual willingness? What on earth is that? I get it these days, it means for me in any given moment I am willing to listen, to let go and ask the help. And where does the help come from? Stopping long enough to pause and reflect and access my brain, and I do it this way, "how am I feeling?" "Why?" "What can I do?" And it only takes a few moments to understand my mood, thinking and where my actions may take me… Mood and feeling impacts on my thinking and then my actions. Mood fearful, think fearful and act fearful. Mood calm, thinking and responsive, actions fitting what needs to be done. Knowing my mood in the moment of now, how I am thinking about life and being willing to change anything and everything to fit the situation, working with what works as it works with life… Practice not perfect today…
Addiction and recovery! And learning how to live life all over again is daunting and confounding. I could not do it on my own and I was unwilling to follow one single person in recovery. One person, one recovery. One hundred people, one hundred recoveries…
Each human being with five senses, plus common sense and intuition which starts to work again as we find sobriety and growing clarity. Where I live, with over seven hundred meetings a week: an abundance of experience strength and hope, from one day sober to decades sober. If I had followed one or two people and tried to mimic their outlook and their recovery I don't feel I would have got my common sense and intuition back on track.
I needed to hear every voice in the meetings, listen hard and hear what was working generally for everyone. And everyone has their life story to share. What works for one person may seem incredible to another person, I would not wish to undermine their outlook or their life. At the same time I would not follow others, I would take with care what works and is working to keep people in reality and able to cope with life. Then I make a choice of what is right for me and try it out, and if my common sense and intuition comprehend how to live sober and live a full life then I am grateful for every life story I hear in the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. What works for one person, most likely suits that person and probably is inappropriate for me in my life.
The emotional and spiritual fellowship, learning where our feelings work as best they can in the moment of now and really understanding that is what keeps me sober. A bridge back to life in general, any fellowship or recovery process which does this and gives me freedom to choose is worthy of my attention. Restored to sanity on a daily basis, the rest of life including what I come to believe and develop day by day is what it is all about.
Each individual is free hopefully once they have their common sense and intuition processes working to make decisions day-to-day and explore the meaning of life for them. As to religion and a belief in God, this remains a personal understanding, with over 7 billion people on the planet, there will be 7 billion experiences, spiritual and emotional today, each as profound as each person experiences…
AA Daily Reflections ~ "ON A WING AND A PRAYER... . . . . we then look at Step Six. We have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 76
Steps Four and Five were difficult, but worthwhile. Now I was stuck on Step Six and, in despair, I picked up the Big Book and read this passage. I was outside, praying for willingness, when I raised my eyes and saw a huge bird rising in the sky. I watched it suddenly give itself up to the powerful air currents of the mountains. Swept, along, swooping and soaring, the bird did things seemingly impossible for mortal birds to do. It was an inspiring example of a fellow creature “letting go” to a power greater than itself. I realized that the bird “took back his will” and tried to fly with less trust, on its power alone, it would spoil its apparent free flight. That insight granted me the willingness to pray the Seventh Step prayer. It’s not easy to know God’s will in each circumstance. I must search out and be ready for the currents, and that’s where prayer and meditation help! Because I am, of myself, nothing, I ask God to grant me the knowledge of His will and the power and courage to carry it out — today."
DonInLondon 2005-2011
Wing and a prayer.. We are all of nature, learning and developing emotional attributes. We find "balance" in all matters offers freedom of choices in this one day. Stuck in extremes we may cope a while. Open and willing to change, we cope less and live more freely moment to moment...
Steps...Sixes and Sevens... Morning reflections start with our inner voice on waking. We can be at "sixes", tired from a restless night, angry, resentful at noises and yesterday’s dismays, and then as we come round, acceptance and "sevens," courage and faith... Sixes and sevens, always a balance today
Step 6 is a step of preparation and reflection. I have been preparing for a significant change in my life and now I need to make sure that I am ready. I need to make sure in my own heart and mind that I am truly willing for God to remove these defects of character that have enabled my addictive behaviours. It might mean letting go of other things in my life in order to allow God to do the work that needs to be done. I need to determine if I am truly ready.
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AA Official Site Daily Reflections
AA Official Online Site: Big Book And Twelve And Twelve
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Step 6. "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character"
At this point, it would be a good idea to look again at our sharing in step five, where we define character and list a number of our defects. Completing step 5, we have compiled a list of the character defects. Step six is concerned with our spiritual willingness to have these defects of character removed, contingent on each day we meditate and pray in good conscience, and or to God as we understand for ourselves. Seven billion humans, seven billion outlooks and definitions about God every day... yours is as good as it gets today...
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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
Twelve 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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