November 25 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 11 Daily Meditation Alcoholics Anonymous Today's Daily Reflections: "a powerful tradition… Anonymity." Anonymity provides sanctuary for anyone anywhere, a fellowship which thrives on the emotional and spiritual well-being of its fellows. Anonymity: where we start to find out the truth of who we are on a daily basis. Emotional and spiritual: understanding our feelings, how they impact on our thinking and actions, and always in the moment of now. As we let go our history, we are freeing ourselves and those around us from the bondage of self… As individuals: open, honest and willing. As a fellowship: working in unity, service and recovery one day at a time…
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Attraction not promotion! What you see is what you get, WYSIWYG, on any given day, in meetings, groups and as individuals, AA is simply what you see and perceive in that moment. Sometimes the fellowship appears unruly, disorganised and the fellows seem completely at odds with each other until we sit down and have a group conscience and work out how to be sober and keep on track with our primary purpose, and how to share the message and how to be sober one day at a time. Promotion is always a difficult issue, unless we understand what we mean by promotion. Promotion would be an ideology, would suggest that people could be fixed, and finally recovered. And the evidence is that we remain sober, contingent on our spiritual condition. Our spiritual condition is simply being able to cope with reality in the moment of now, utilising the principles and suggestions of the fellowship. We don't promote a fix, AA: what you see is what you get, WYSIWYG one day at a time…
I would like to describe AA as a broad church, but I can't. It is not a church, although many fellows are religious and have strong opinions and beliefs. And equally there are many fellows who do not align themselves with any particular religion, and at the same time have strong opinions and beliefs about life and spiritual. A fellowship where everyone shares their truth, the experience, strength and hope on a daily basis, either one-to-one or as a general share to many is key to sobriety. We don't pretend to be well; we learn how to be well one day at a time. We don't make guarantees and we don't try and fix each other. The emotional and spiritual journey continues one day at a time. And our choices in life become more clear and personal, we keep on learning to take a lead in sobriety and be ourselves. And for me as an individual, by the end of each day, I know a little bit more about who I am and am becoming have as life continues and reality and clarity improves…
A wonderful meeting yesterday, with people I have become close to, and at the same time we can hold opposing views, have different beliefs and opinions and come to the conclusion, we are all in the right place in that meeting. And many of the people I love are quite happy with their understanding of anonymity being the spiritual foundation of the fellowship of AA. And I'm very happy with their conclusion and what works for them. I do believe anonymity provides sanctuary and a place of safety to develop our emotional and spiritual outlook. Sanctuary, which in my case, helps me find the truth of living one day at a time. And truth is my spiritual foundation, never ever standing still, or set in stone. I keep learning the truth one day at a time, from everyone around me, and contingent on my spiritual condition, open honest and willing to learn the truth as it unfolds in the moment of now… I have no control over truth, truth is truth and we will get there eventually if we are fortunate and able to see the truth and power of now…
So what is the difference in me since recovery started quite a few years ago? Considering the huge change which happens between step six and step seven: if we allow ourselves to make it into recovery. Step six: represents the old life, all about me and my wants. And when I say, "wants," wants for me are beyond my needs. Wanting security, wanting love and wanting life my way. That was step six life, self-obsession and ego. And a huge change as we try out step seven: all about courage to change, faith in doing the next right thing, and developing confidence by being open, honest and willing… Needs met, wanting not forgotten maybe, absolutely not wanting it my way, and then living in a more enlightened way, with unity service and recovery supporting my new outlook every day!
The steps: life principles and a new life one day at a time. After the serenity prayer is said in meetings where I go, many people and I too add on, "it works if you work it, so work it, because you're worth it." All the steps require work by each of us for them to take shape in our lives and living. We become more self-aware, the can do and cannot do, we understand our emotions in the moment and can cope with reality. And when we cannot cope and our feelings are out of balance. We can ask for help at any time. Each person has the answer within them to most of what life offers and the life challenges. Fellowship provides backup, experience, strength and hope on a daily basis. Whenever we need help, help will come, if we ask and keep on asking one day at a time…
"God is truth, God is love and God works through people," is where I have got to, when it comes to understanding a higher power. Truth, love and wisdom of everyone being shared in the moment of now. This is my learning, and many people started the learning process far sooner than I did, and have their own opinions and beliefs. I honour and cherish everyone around me, their opinions and beliefs, that is their truth, and I'm very happy it is so, and the journey continues for everyone and we keep on learning how life works. I will always be learning about the truth, how to love and how to be loved back, and through experience, wisdom and understanding develops. With a clear head, and step seven in mind, I will keep on changing one way or another as life shapes and offers new experiences, trudging this happy road of destiny…
DonInLondon 2005-2011
There are no rules laws or regulations in fellowship, we cannot violate traditions or the steps, but we can violate each other’s understanding of a tradition or a step. Being respectful of each other and our opinions, a desire to be sober today, life is more likely to work to the good, and less to conflict? The freedom is to live truth not opinion, to share experience, strength and hope, not fiction. Spiritual living is living the truth as it is right now today…
The fellowship public relations policy: is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio and films. Attraction, what you see in fellowship is what you get as a daily experience. Promotion implies we can fix people, we cannot fix a person, a person desires sobriety today and keeps sober today with freedom to choose.
November 25 2010 ~ Truth, love and wisdom has become my spiritual base after many years of being in a wilderness of material wants and desires. Living to truth, not my interpretation of what it ought to be, learning to love and be loved without expectation keeps me right sized. Wisdom learned in doing and from others today...
November 25 2010 ~ Anonymity feels right when we know there is prejudice. We need time to find recovery. At the same time anonymity can be the roughest form of self-harm, a denial of who we are becoming today. Truth need be my compass, or I run the risk of fear of being found out, a brave face to cover up. I feel right sized today...
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AA Daily Reflections ~ "A POWERFUL TRADITION" In the years before the publication of the book “Alcoholics Anonymous,” we had no name. . .by a narrow majority the verdict was for naming our book “The Way Out.” . . .One of our early lone members. . . found exactly twelve books already titled “The Way Out.”. . . So “Alcoholics Anonymous” became first choice. That’s how we got a name for our book of experience, a name for our movement and, as we are now beginning to see, a tradition of the greatest spiritual import. “A.A. TRADITION: HOW IT DEVELOPED.” pp. 35-36
Beginning with Bill’s momentous decision in Akron to make a telephone call rather than a visit to the hotel bar, how often has a Higher Power made itself felt at crucial moments in our history! The eventual importance that the principle of anonymity would acquire was but dimly perceived, if at all, in those early days. There seems to have been an element of chance even in the choice of a name for our Fellowship. God is no stranger to anonymity and often appears in human affairs in the guises of “luck”, “chance,” or “coincidence.” If anonymity, somewhat fortuitously, became the spiritual basis for all of our Traditions, perhaps God was acting anonymously on our behalf."
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November 25th 2004 Think Big
Rise above little things. Be a big thinker. You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, dream big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, image big, love big, live big. Carry that list and you'll start feeling big. Be a believer and you'll be an achiever
Big is right size thinking, big is as big as it is. Sometimes we feel less than we are, we feel that the importance of me is smaller than others. This estimate of our bigness is directly related to our feelings of self-worth. Everyone is big in their own way. Some have bigness thrust upon them, that is bigness to lead and to show by example. Never forget that your bigness is the equal of any others. Because someone can fly, means they have wings, we all have wings, its just that we don't see them always, when others do!
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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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“The method of prayer & meditation. We often hear it said in meetings that the speaker "hits his knees every morning." Not being brought up Catholic or Muslim, we envisioned that slapping of the knees might be spiritually significant in A.A. When we discovered that the act of prayer was being referred to, we asked why A.A. tells us to get on our knees to pray. We were informed that A.A. makes no such suggestion. In fact, reference to praying on the knees, in the original draft of Step 7, was explicitly removed to prevent the misconception that such a practice was suggested. Moreover, to be on one’s knees as a prior condition to prayer will prevent prayer at many opportunities during the day. If you or your sponsor think that you should be on your knees for correct prayer, then by all means do so. It might just be the best way to pray. For the content of prayer, see Step 11b that follows.” BB Bunch
November 2012 | AA 12 Steps In Action | Step 10 The Now Inventory
Alcoholics Anonymous | Step Eleven Reading Video Link:
November 2012 | Video Reading How It Works:
November 2012 | Video Reading Into Action :
November 2012 | Playlist All About Step Eleven:
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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