On Awakening AA…11th step in the Big Book The following three meditations are taken directly from page 86-87 in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. They are simple, yet rich with spiritual brilliance. Spiritual work is always saturated with simplicity. It’s our intellectual minds that interrupt this very uncomplicated process. The main idea behind these … Read More
Understanding Powerlessness…where to start? What is powerlessness…just what does this mean? In contemporary culture, the concept is the opposite of success, prosperity, and mental health. However, within the 12-step framework is the concept properly understood? The Straw Man – Fallacious Reasoning Often when something is argued against, the opposition merely creates a straw man, which … Read More
“Continued To Take Personal Inventory And When We Were Wrong Promptly Admitted It.”-Step 10 AA You made it through the meat and potatoes. The first nine steps have left you well-fed and plump. Emotional indigestion notwithstanding, I’d argue you’re in a much better position than you were when you launched this newly discovered spiritual pilgrimage. … Read More
“Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” -AA Step 9 You’re likely either terrified at this prospect or thrilled. If you’re anything like me, you’re both simultaneously. Yup, that’s me – driving 100 miles per hour with the emergency break up. Indeed, I need a … Read More
“Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.”– Step 8 AA Choice Theory William Glasser, the renegade behaviorism-is-for-chumps psychiatrist, had some radical concepts that I believe can aid us in uncovering precisely the purpose of AA’s Step Eight and why it’s a necessary ingredient to … Read More
“We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”Step 6 AA As may be evident from the prior five steps, the entirety of the AA’s Twelve Step program is about uncovering, discovering, and discarding what no longer works in our lives. If you have been honest regarding the fourth and fifth step, … Read More