October 9 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 10 The Now Inventory Alcoholics Anonymous Today's Daily Reflections: "the spiritual axiom: a step six or a step seven approach to the same event!" A person lets me down, an organisation lets me down or my bicycle brakes and lets me down… With a step six frame of mind, fear and anger and resentment will lead me into negativity and torment. With the step seven frame of mind, courage to change, faith in the next right thing being possible and confidence to solve the "let down situation" and where it came from, means I do not go back into the madness and insanity of step two, blaming the world and creating problems for myself and others…
Video For Today:
If we look at ourselves, when it comes to the spiritual axiom, it really does depend on knowing how we feel about things right now and how we can cope with what is going on in our lives. When we live in fear and anger and resentment, put on a brave face and shout the odds and complain about others, it is actually probably covering up the fact that nobody is listening or we feel that nobody is listening and we feel unheard. Ego comes in to fill the vacuum where there is no confidence, ego plays hard to shame and guilt other people when we are emotionally stuck in unhelpful feelings. On the other hand if we let go, ask ourselves how can we move into the solution, can we do it alone or do we need the help of other people to collaborate and support and can we listen to their advice…
The serenity prayer and the spiritual axiom: whatever the problem, do I make the problem the focus and other people to blame? Do I highlight the problem and ask for help? Same problem two different approaches and that is the spiritual axiom as I understand it. I can get on my soap box and shout at the world and probably get no response, or I can find help and look to solutions which keep the train on the tracks today and instigate incremental changes in my own attitudes and my own behaviour. As I improve my own situation with courage, faith and confidence I am likely to influence more effectively if others are having a good day. At the same time, what others think of me is none of my business…
My spiritual axiom today: I need my insulin. A step six approach by me would confound, belittle and undermine and cause havoc emotionally to others and just because I know how to do this makes me feel awful about past conduct. A step seven approach which is what I will do, phone and ask the chemist how things are, and if need be called the GP practice and ask how I may resolve the prescription issue. In other words engage each agency with a can do attitude and let them problem solve on my behalf rather than coerce them into unwilling behaviour. How it works? A patient, patient asking for help, rather than an angry patient creating emotional upset for others. This is step six and step seven and step ten in action to the good of everyone and not just me… And the result is no return to step two, and more able to live step twelve…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
Opinion and belief is often confused with truth. Just because we believe and have an opinion, it may feel true for us, does not mean it is true for them, whoever them/they may be. For example, Einstein’s theory about his relatives is no longer law; the Neutrinos have repealed it…
What is the spiritual angle to the way we live? If we can agree that spiritual is simply “the ability to cope with reality” and in fellowship keep sober, then we are okay. If we make it more, it helps less, if we impose our view and belief, it does not work, I prefer to work with what works today…
"It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us." an obvious truth
DonInLondon 2005-2010
October 9 2010 ~ often we are reminded of times past, and to the damage we endured in different parts of our life. A part of the acid test in sobriety is finding forgiveness for unspeakable acts of emotional cruelty to us and by us. Forgive, and learn or we repeat mistakes without realising. The steps, always about changing how we feel and live today...
October 9 2010 ~ It is a spiritual axiom [axiom: an established rule or principle or a self-evident truth]... Spiritual, our ability to cope with reality is always changing. Some days we are very able to deal with reality and other days, woes may pour down on us. Difficult days disturb us, how we feel and think, “Acceptance” is making best choices today...
Love not retribution... “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” A nursery rhyme: and most often a nursery crime in the making for many growing up in a difficult world. Learning how to endure insult and injury, and followed by the classic “I did not mean it.”
Usually when we react to emotional pain and we all learn how in our growing up in so many ways it is hard to resolve what response may be right as we live these moments. Some face torments head on, some resolve that words never hurt, some cover up and in the end we find a way to feel less pain and get on with life. There is no right or wrong response to words? I feel the words these days and the intent behind them. And I recall it all starts with a brave face, some better and some worse. Bullying and degrading behaviour is often sown into the fabric of life. And then ritualised bullying occurs all through our society and civilisation. Justifiable intimidation of individuals and nations happens every day as one set of beliefs hacks another set of beliefs into submission.
We may not be able to change the world, the outlook of another human being, and certainly not what has happened. We can change ourselves, our outlook and the way we respond to life today. We can find our own spiritual compass, our own values in living and make choices in our outlook and living.
Fortune can smile on anyone, any day and same applies in reverse. In recovery life we become more aware of what happens in this world and our part in all matters. How we choose to live, our outlook is open for change.
Simply put, humans with an open honest and willing attitude can change. It takes time to change, to learn to love rather than hate, to forgive most of all.
Forgiving is not for the feint hearted, forgiving is living with truth every day, that we can learn to live differently and to a spiritual path which is simply “truth, love and wisdom.” We may have been brutalised in the past, we may have broken all the rules of good conduct and whatever the moral codes we were taught. Once we know the difference in recovery and we know the path we have a chance to make good our living on a daily basis.
With truth, love and wisdom, our next right action is more likely to be peace and serenity. With hate, prejudice and retribution, our next justifiable action is more likely to be war and chaos. As an individual the choice of our next action will always define us. Step ten and a conscience help us make better choices and progress today.
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AA Daily Reflections ~ "A SPIRITUAL AXIOM October 9 It is a spiritual axiom [axiom: an established rule or principle or a self-evident truth] that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us. 12 & 12
I never truly understood the Tenth Step’s spiritual axiom until I had the following experience. I was sitting in my bedroom, reading into the wee hours, when suddenly I heard my dogs barking in the back yard. My neighbour’s frown on this kind of disturbance so, with mixed feelings of anger and shame, as well as fear of my neighbour’s disapproval; I immediately called in my dogs. Several weeks later the exact situation repeated itself but this time, because I was feeling more at peace with myself, I was able to accept the situation-dogs will bark-and I calmly called in the dogs. Both incidents taught me that when a person experiences nearly identical events and reacts two different ways, then it is not the event that is of prime importance, but the person’s spiritual condition. Feelings come from inside, not from outward circumstances. When my spiritual condition is positive, I react positively."
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October 9 2007
DonInLondon - ‘Day In the Life’ How it works
“Is Anonymity a Spiritual Imperative?
No - Truth is a Spiritual Imperative
Anonymity provides and safe environment to find truth and then develop our spiritual connection to life today, and just for today. The truth will out eventually or be lost as so many remain without. Anonymity has its rightful place in recovery.”
How Life Works?
It has been a bit of a trial over recent days. Good conscience need be a good guide to how we live and behave. Trust in our inner compass is always going to challenge behaviour and our overall intent in how we behave and make life work.
Human Condition
The human condition is to learn and learn more, to make life work as it may. As we find our path in living, we need make mistakes, make new beginnings and new ways to make a life work.
And in my case my human condition had a pretty difficult start. A prime reason for understanding how I am where I am today, has been through understanding history, understanding human nature and human nurture. And of course trying to make sense of the way I turned out, so I may make best use of me and my outlook.
Nature and Nurture
We seem to come into this world with capacity to live and do what we may. In species terms, humans are moving at a great pace as our lives and living speeds up, the balance of nature and nurture make modern life as challenging for any species on our planet. We humans are always up against new knowledge, new understandings and new approaches to modern life.
Living beyond our natural boundaries, we get opportunity to live and develop further and understand more. And this does not mean we are always right or live to our principles and values. Principles, the things we have in our conscience, the wisdom of the world we take on board all impact on how we live.
The Gift of Life
Seems like we have a gift, that affords good and less good to downright awful experiences. The balance of this gift is questionable depending on time place and survival. In my case the tinge of nature towards a chemical imbalance in my brain, gave me a less than optimistic outlook, or was that nurture? I don’t know for sure. All I know is we adapt to our environment or we fall out with it and perish or move to new living somehow somewhere.
Gift of sober Living
A part of the gift of sober living is to understand the nature of how anyone can become an addict and fall into the clutches of a life threatening condition. For me it was alcohol and work in the main, a strive to perfectionism from early days to obsession in later life, obsession and fuelled with addictions I burned out somewhere along the way and became a fearful and very broken individual. Sobriety and fellowship put me back together? Or I pout myself back together with the help of fellowship and sobriety? A two way call I feel these days. We need support to make life work. I suspect the gift of powerlessness helped me, and then I got choice back all over again.
Times Present
In present times the gift of sobriety, that emotional and spiritual condition
We are so often trying our very best to make good is always hampered by us humans who often live in ignorance of what we have and what we may do to find wellbeing on a daily basis.
Times Past - Alcoholism
A disease of the feeble minded? Or a disease anyone can end up having as we humans have the free will to try anything or everything. We are often caught out by our iron will, useless in the big picture of development of humans as self will is a prison which welcomes those who achieve greatness and those who have lost their ability to achieve anything. We are all cast from nearly the same mould, not surprising addicts come from every walk of life and creed and background. We are merely human after all.
Are alcoholics better for sobriety or better off dead from ignorance? I have wondered about that for a long time. And the truth of anyone caught in alcoholic ignorance is in danger of dying sooner rather than later.
Choices
Humans make choices, some good some bad. Some choices are dangerous and yet we try our luck, our hand, hoping the benefits of some risks offer better life experiences. As drugs and alcohol offer a panacea for the tormented mind, they eventually torment us much more than living an ordinary, extraordinary life.
Fear and Ignorance
Fear and ignorance keeps us secretive and most often sick.
AA slogan - “We are as sick as our secrets!”
Indeed we are. Yet…
Anonymous
Pragmatic in our fellowship we know that anonymity helps anyone suffering from alcoholism a safe place to discover a way back to ordinary living. We need a place to keep ourselves safe and share our experience strength and hope.
Anonymity on any level can help most people find a place to discover a way through the maze of addiction. Addiction keeps us silent far too long until we are often overwhelmed and die because we don’t seek help until its often too late.
Anonymity
Is sanctuary for most people to find a place to discover how to be sober and make a way back to living as best can be achieved with what we have and our capacities to make life work.
Stigma and Prejudice
So anonymity has a place in the recovery process as we are still living with stigma and prejudice in most societies. And the stigma and prejudice we alcoholics have about ourselves can make us very wary about anyone who talks recovery outside the fellowship of AA.
Quite right!
These days many will have prejudice towards those with addiction issues, and live ruined by addiction.
Choices
Anyone in an anonymous fellowship needs safety to make a sober start back to living. As we get well and what we do to maintain our recovery, often anonymity can make certain a life is restored without any damage to reputation or suffering from others prejudice.
Some of us choose to talk about recovery
Recovery
For me, recovery has transformed my living and made me able to see where my life became bedevilled by alcohol and in sharing my understanding of how recovery works on a daily basis has been something I have shared openly about for many years.
Spiritual Foundations to Living
Secrets keep us sick is often mentioned, and it is true. Yet we in anonymous have a lot of safety because of the anonymity all anonymous fellowships try maintain.
Truth is Spiritual - Pure and Simple
Pure and simple truth, the elixir of spiritual development. The truth we find in living, the meaning of now. The mind, the body and single breath of now, experienced without filters, without denials and without the burden of denial is the absolute spiritual connection we have to this earth, this world.
Truth
As anyone with an open outlook, not guarded, and open to the truth of life can attest, simple truth liberates as much as it can make a person feel the very opposite of spiritual. Truth hurts, until we understand that truth is our most precious commodity almost lost as we squander our time and effort on futile attempts to bury truth which makes us feel less than we might wish.
Confident truth
If we are confident people we understand truth and its attraction. If we are less than confident our ego may divert us into less truth as we see our reality today. The ego makes for unhappy recollections as we become more comfortable with our simple truth of living.
Anonymity
I do believe anonymity has its place just now and most likely for many generations to come as people keep learning about truth and ‘human being’
Is Anonymity a Spiritual Imperative?
No - Truth is a Spiritual Imperative
Anonymity provides and safe environment to find truth and then develop this spiritual connection to life today, and just for today. The truth will out eventually or be lost as so many remain without, and still I believe anonymity has its rightful place in recovery.
October 9th 2006 [all about last year]
Feelings and Thinking - At war with Myself
Well I must be a glutton for punishment, I have been to three meetings today! And this is really over the top. I have been enjoying them though so why not? The first this morning in the heart of Chelsea, then to the Old Curiosity Shop, not far from where I am living. And then back to where I was this morning, and all were different with different people I know and am getting to know better. Worst of it is they get to know me too, so it’s better for me, and worse, for then there is no hiding place. Smiles here, what a change in me! The last couple of days have really been up and down with mood but that’s life I am determining a day at a time.
With so many things going round in my noodle, it is easy to become sullen and want to shut out the world for a while. The news in the Independent about Alistair Campbell was interesting and illuminating to me. About time high profile people made their views known about dual diagnosis and mental health. Glad he had the balls to make it public. It helps people understand, but prejudice runs deep for many, including us when we feel better in recovery. Denial is all part of our mental health issue and a desire to be normal, as far as anyone is normal these days, well we know as alcoholics, it ain’t so. We just understand ourselves enough to deal with our health issue. And me? I understand depression more and type 1 diabetes more, merely a day at a time. There are no books around which dole out experience and experience is all that counts in these realms of endeavour. And a real nuisance as reality can afford us another bout of what ails us so easily if we are not taking notice of how we are daily.
OH Well, anyway tonight after three trips out on the bike and good talking and listening, there was plenty to learn and as usual plenty which applies to others and their paths and not to my path. We hear suggestions and like all advice that is free, some of it does not apply to all of us.
One persons path may take them along, and their way works for them. As we learn our path in recovery we learn tolerance for those new, and those still suffering major delusions, me included from time to time about what may be right and what may be completely unhelpful in recovery. We just learn what works for us. This diverse and anarchic fellowship really does suit me the more I am involved. Long may it be so, a day at a time!
My blood sugar is all over the shop as exercise is taking its toll. My neuropathy is playing up, my knees are knick knacked and my back is complaining. My head is light and my ears are ringing with Tinnitus. Apart from that? Progress and not perfection. Today lots learned and limits reached. I am going to pay a price for this trial I can tell. Worth it though, trying is a need or would any endeavour ever be tried? It was worth it!
Feelings come First!
Feelings, we are all about them, we have them first and then we apply our thinking to them. We think it’s the other way round! Feelings first, thinking makes sense of them, or we deny them and make our way to hell. Better we get to know all our feelings and then think about them. Just takes everyone a lifetime to sort out this one, and then we expire. Now what use is that?
[I am glad your situation is ok just now. A drink in hand is as maybe, none of us are saints and stopping abruptly can be very dangerous, as far as I know these days it’s not recommended to stop cold, but you may need seek advice about that ..
In truth it’s just as it may be for now. I know the hard truth was already there for me even though I kept hoping I could change and make things right without help. I was a functioning drinker as many might have observed (and as you know as well the drink is the last thing we think about when we are in high pressure environments, it’s almost a given we drink hard and work harder)and I did a lot of good in the City whilst I was there and worked behind the scenes with many notables. Maybe drink was my solution to getting others stuff out of my head. And also I felt I had every right to utilise drink, after all everyone did. It caught me out, I had a nervous breakdown after knowing too much and getting unpleasant and real threats about whistleblowing. And my view was very mixed up as 99% valued my work and 1% did not. The 1% who did not appreciate were the ones who saw me as an enemy in the end. And then I went drinking after a couple of years after an anxiety state which lasted as long. Most important is decide what you feel is right for you and what is the next right thing to do.
I have to share that the girl of my dreams is happy elsewhere and I know that is much to do with me and drinking. that is a long story though, so not here..
there is no moral judgment to make here, there is just what will improve your life and of those around you, so you can feel the love of living and the love of yourself and your family as you make each day work.
when we recognise our values want us to be a particular way, and our behaviour is undermining everything we hold close and love, we need a safe place to find some answers and then some practical ways forward.
There is no simple solution. there are many ways to move forward. First is to look to protect those you love most. Then decide on where to find support and help. Keep your own counsel and be sure who you can trust to share. Don't be paranoid, but choose wisely who can help you make decisions.
Keep safe and be sure of your situation, try not to solve this issue on your own. Drink keeps us isolated too often, so just be very gentle with yourself, hug your wife and realise you are just dealing with an issue which can make or break you. Less likely with help and support. There are many to help you, good luck for now,
best wishes don ]
Just For Today And Every Day, Cherish Always...
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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 10 "Although all inventories are alike in principle, the time factor does distinguish one from another. There's the spot-check inventory, taken at any time of the day, whenever we find ourselves getting tangled up. There's the one we take at day's end, when we review the happenings of the hours just past. Here we cast up a balance sheet, crediting ourselves with things well done, and chalking up debits where due. Then there are those occasions when alone, or in the company of our sponsor or spiritual adviser, we make a careful review of our progress since the last time. Many A.A.'s go in for annual or semi-annual house-cleanings. Many of us also like the experience of an occasional retreat from the outside world where we can quiet down for an undisturbed day or so of self-overhaul and meditation.”
October 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 10 The Now Inventory
Alcoholics Anonymous | Step Ten Reading Video Link:
October 2012 | Video Reading How It Works:
October 2012 | Video Reading Into Action :
October 2012 | Playlist All About Step Ten :
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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