All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go <br /><br /><br />and holding on.

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.

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restless mind is an impure mind; an impure mind is a restless mind. If we could keep the mind clean, it will find its calmness. ?Cleanliness is next to Godliness.? Why? Because only a clean mind can be calm, and only a calm mind can reveal true happiness.

restless mind is an impure mind; an impure mind is a restless mind. If we could keep the mind clean, it will find its calmness. ?Cleanliness is next to Godliness.? Why? Because only a clean mind can be calm, and only a calm mind can reveal true happiness.

restless mind is an impure mind; an impure mind is a restless mind. If we could keep the mind clean, it will find its calmness. ?Cleanliness is next to Godliness.? Why? Because only a clean mind can be calm, and only a calm mind can reveal true happiness.

restless mind is an impure mind; an impure mind is a restless mind. If we could keep the mind clean, it will find its calmness. ?Cleanlines...

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<br />The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. <br />To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, <br />expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.

The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be wi...

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"Everything you need you already have. You are complete right now, you are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on the way to someplace else."

"Everything you need you already have. You are complete right now, you are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on the way to someplace else."

"Everything you need you already have. You are complete right now, you are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on the way to someplace else."

"Everything you need you already have. You are complete right now, you are a whole, total person, not an apprentice person on the way t...

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"Who you really are is enough."

"Who you really are is enough."

"Who you really are is enough."

"Who you really are is enough."

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"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

"Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

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The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working.

The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. <br />To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, <br />expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.

The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working.

The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be wi...

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"Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are."

"Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are."

"Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at some higher place. Start right where you are."

"Wherever you are is always the right place. There is never a need to fix anything, to hitch up the bootstraps of the soul and start at...

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The endless tears and fear of separation

As I lay in bed,<br /><br /><br />Tossing and turning about,<br /><br />You slept soundly next to me.<br /><br /><br /><br />Listening to your rhythmic breathing,<br /><br />I turned over and hugged you close to me,<br /><br />And my tears began to fall.<br /><br /><br /><br />Afraid that you would be awakened,<br /><br />I quickly turned my back to you,<br /><br />Trying my very best to quiet my sobs.<br /><br /><br /><br />An aching feeling griped my heart,<br /><br />And the ache continued to squeeze my heart,<br /><br />Making me wanting to cry out loud.<br /><br /><br /><br />Days without you seem unbearable,<br /><br />And even now I struggle to chase away these sad thoughts,<br /><br />That torment my mind and grieve my heart. <br /><br /><br /><br />I try not to recall memories of our first departure,<br /><br />The endless tears and fear of separation,<br /><br />And I wonder if I can withstand another heart-wrenching episode. <br /><br /><br /><br />I worry if you will be alright on your own,<br /><br />During the days when I am not by your side,<br /><br />After we have created so many memories together.<br /><br /><br /><br />When I imagined you with that lost boy look, <br /><br />That conveyed your loneliness and longing for me,<br /><br />I pray that our love will make you strong in the days ahead.<br /><br /><br /><br />I am hardly confident that I can hold myself together,<br /><br />When I have to leave you for the second time,<br /><br />And return to where I came from with a weeping heart.<br /><br /><br /><br />How I wish I could say out loud to you,<br /><br />I don't want to leave and please make me stay,<br /><br />So that we can build a new life together.<br /><br /><br /><br />But reality came down hard on me, <br /><br />We don't have the means to start a new life now, <br /><br />Till you can make it on your own to come get me. <br /><br /><br /><br />Your faraway presence will keep me company,<br /><br />As I hold dear to the magical moments we have shared, <br /><br />And strive to keep our our love burning in my heart. <br /><br /><br /><br />Things happened for a reason,<br /><br />And I had gone through much to be with you,<br /><br />If we are meant to be together we will be. <br /><br /><br /><br />Our separation will be a test of our love,<br /><br />Whether it will withstand the challenge of distance and time,<br /><br />And grow into something stronger and more enduring.<br /><br /><br /><br />Farewell my love,<br /><br />May you smile whenever you think of me,<br /><br />And may we be embraced in each other's arms once again.

The endless tears and fear of separation

As I lay in bed, Tossing and turning about, You slept soundly next to me. Listening to your rhythmic breathing, I turned over and hugged you...

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Confidence

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Confidence

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If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Travel_problem.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Travel problem" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="350" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/Travel_problem.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div> <div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.</span>

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.

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All misfortune is but a stepping stone to fortune.

All misfortune is but a stepping stone to fortune.

All misfortune is but a stepping stone to fortune.

All misfortune is but a stepping stone to fortune.

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A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.

A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.

A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.

A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation.

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life was about to begin - real life

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

life was about to begin - real life

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something...

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man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy." He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found the box was empty.He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside it?"The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said,"Oh, Daddy, it is not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy."The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.<br /><br /><blockquote>It is told that the man kept that gold box by his bed for years and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.</blockquote><br /><br /><br />In a very real sense, each of us as humans have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, friends, family and God. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he ...

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We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. <br /><br /><br />Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. <br /><br />It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. <br /><br />We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? <br /><br />Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. <br /><br />Your playing small does not serve the world. <br /><br />There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. <br /><br />We are all meant to shine, as children do. <br /><br />We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. <br /><br />It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. <br /><br />And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.<br /><br />As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness t...

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credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly

The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at the best, know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. <br /><br /><br />-- Theodore Roosevelt

credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly

The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and sp...

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Meeting

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Meeting

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To Lady of the Rainbow and Gerhard Way

The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be willing to change our belief system, let the past slip away, expand our sense of now, and dissolve the fear in our minds.

To Lady of the Rainbow and Gerhard Way

The world we see that seems so insane is the result of a belief system that is not working. To perceive the world differently, we must be wi...

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i wrote this for my husband when he reached his first year of sobority in alcoholics annonyomous and narcotics annonyomous

I knew you could do it i knew you would not stray; <br /><br />I waited and i prayed that you would reach this day.<br /><br />You've changed your life completely you've become a different man; <br /><br />You never said i can't do that you only said i can.<br /><br />You made us all so proud the kids now have their DAD; <br /><br />Look only to the future and forgive all the bad.<br /><br />You are so honest, so loyal and so true; <br /><br />You always put your heart in everything you do.<br /><br />Your kids now look up to you and admire who you are; <br /><br />The road you had to travel must have seemed so far.<br /><br />You never looked back you were determined to succeed; <br /><br />You are no more a follower you now are in the lead.<br /><br />You are now the DAD your kids want you to be; <br /><br />You set a great example for everyone to see.<br /><br />You are my inspiration and when i look into your eyes; <br /><br />I know I'll always love you until the day i dye.

i wrote this for my husband when he reached his first year of sobority in alcoholics annonyomous and narcotics annonyomous

I knew you could do it i knew you would not stray; I waited and i prayed that you would reach this day. You've changed your life complet...

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Compassionate Alcoholics

Compassion<br /><br />is never lacking an an alcoholic.<br /><br />It is his sensitivity to pain, <br /><br />his willingness to take on the burdens<br /><br />of others, consciously or unconsciously, <br /><br />which causes some to choose booze<br /><br />to tune out their pain.<br /><br /><br /><br />But in the long run, alcohol causes more<br /><br />pain.

Compassionate Alcoholics

Compassion is never lacking an an alcoholic. It is his sensitivity to pain, his willingness to take on the burdens of others, consciously or...

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The Alcoholics Curse

Drinking all day of the week of the year<br /><br />Is an alky's terrible curse you should fear<br /><br />Then there's the week when they're not feeling well<br /><br />They can't properly eat and their ankles will swell.<br /><br /><br /><br />They can't remember a time they were free <br /><br />From their yearning for Vodka or sweet G n'T<br /><br />When they'd baulk at the mess that's under the bridge<br /><br />Or the dread when there's no beer left in the fridge.<br /><br /><br /><br />If you live with one then the curse is yours too<br /><br />You might wish that you'd left the warm nest and just flew<br /><br />Some will put up with it, Loyalty is strong<br /><br />Or just leave them to it say goodbye and be gone.<br /><br /><br /><br />Alcoholism is a terrible fate<br /><br />It's an illness we know so before it's too late<br /><br />Please be careful with the dirty booze<br /><br />Because you have everything you love and own to lose.

The Alcoholics Curse

Drinking all day of the week of the year Is an alky's terrible curse you should fear Then there's the week when they're not feel...

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The Road Not Taken

<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Two_Paths_Diverged_in_a_wood.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Two Paths Diverged in a wood" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="263" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/73/Two_Paths_Diverged_in_a_wood.JPG/350px-Two_Paths_Diverged_in_a_wood.JPG" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div> Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,<br /> <br /> And sorry I could not travel both<br /> <br /> And be one traveler, long I stood<br /> <br /> And looked down one as far as I could<br /> <br /> To where it bent in the undergrowth;<br /> <br /> Then took the other, as just as fair,<br /> <br /> And having perhaps the better claim<br /> <br /> Because it was grassy and wanted wear,<br /> <br /> Though as for that the passing there<br /> <br /> Had worn them really about the same,<br /> <br /> And both that morning equally lay<br /> <br /> In leaves no step had trodden black.<br /> <br /> Oh, I marked the first for another day!<br /> <br /> Yet knowing how way leads on to way<br /> <br /> I doubted if I should ever come back.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I shall be telling this with a sigh<br /> <br /> Somewhere ages and ages hence:<br /> <br /> Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,<br /> <br /> <span style="color: red;">I took the one less traveled by,</span><br /> <span style="color: red;"><br /></span> <span style="color: red;">And that has made all the difference.</span>

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far ...

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Good in all

Good in all,<br />In the satisfaction and aplomb of animals,<br />In the annual return of the seasons,<br />In the hilarity of youth;<br />In the strength and flush of manhood,<br />In the grandeur and exquisiteness of old age,<br />In the superb vistas of Death.<br /> <br />Wonderful to depart!<br />Wonderful to be here!<br />The heart, to jet the all-alike and innocent blood,<br />To breathe the air, how delicious!<br />To speak! to walk! to seize something by the hand!<br />To prepare for sleep, for bed?to look on my rose-coloured flesh,<br />To be conscious of my body, so amorous, so large.<br />To be this incredible God I am,<br />To have gone forth among other Gods?those men and women I love.

Good in all

Good in all, In the satisfaction and aplomb of animals, In the annual return of the seasons, In the hilarity of youth; In the strength and f...

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Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reinhold_niebuhr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="Reinhold Niebuhr" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="428" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f4/Reinhold_niebuhr.jpg/350px-Reinhold_niebuhr.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Reinhold Niebuhr (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Reinhold_niebuhr.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />God grant<br /><br /> me the serenity<br />to accept the things I cannot change;<br />courage to change the things I can;<br />and wisdom to know the difference.<br /><br />Living one day at a time;<br />Enjoying one moment at a time;<br />Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;<br />Taking, as He did, this sinful world<br />as it is, not as I would have it;<br />Trusting that He will make all things right<br />if I surrender to His Will;<br />That I may be reasonably happy in this life<br />and supremely happy with Him<br />Forever in the next.<br />Amen.</span><blockquote> <blockquote> <span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"><i>--Reinhold Niebuhr</i></span></blockquote> </blockquote>

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace

Reinhold Niebuhr (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the thing...

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If there be a God let him show himself

Although he didn't believe in God, although he believed only in the power of his own mind, he found himself begging God for help. "If there be a God let him show himself" he cried. The response was amazing. "Suddenly my room blazed with an indescribably white light. I was seized with an ecstasy beyond description. Every joy I had known was pale by comparison," he wrote later. "Then, seen in the mind's eye, there was a mountain. I stood upon its summit where a great wind blew. A wind, not of air but of spirit. In great, clear strength it blew right through me. Then came the blazing thought, 'you are a free man.' "

If there be a God let him show himself

Although he didn't believe in God, although he believed only in the power of his own mind, he found himself begging God for help. "...

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I am at peace in the midst of this divine-order day.

Whether I find myself in a busy home or a thriving workplace, my environment may seem chaotic at times. If I feel stress building within me, I know my perspective needs adjusting. I take a deep breath and quiet my thoughts. As I become centered, I am able to see my experiences differently. I look at my life and the world around me with fresh eyes.<br /><br />I see divine order at work in the system of life and activity that is flourishing around me. And I am divinely equipped to do what is mine to do. I have the time, talent and resources I need to contribute in meaningful ways. I am centered and calm, peaceful and poised, in the midst of this divine-order day”.

I am at peace in the midst of this divine-order day.

Whether I find myself in a busy home or a thriving workplace, my environment may seem chaotic at times. If I feel stress building within me,...

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Down at the very bottom of the social scale of AA society are the pariahs, the untouchables, and the outcasts

Down at the very bottom of the social scale of AA society are the pariahs, the untouchables, and the outcasts, all known by one excoriating epithet-relatives. I am a relative. I know my place. I am not complaining. But I hope no one minds if I venture the plaintive confession that there are times, oh, many, many, times when I wish I had been an alcoholic. By that I mean that I wish I were an AA. The reason is that I consider the AA people the most charming in the world. <br />Such is my considered opinion. As a journalist it has been my fortune to meet many of the people who are considered charming. I number among my friends stars, and lesser lights of stage and cinema; writers are my daily diet. I know the ladies and gentleman of both political parties; I have been entertained in the White House. I have broken bread with kings and ministers and ambassadors and I say after that catalog, which could be extended, that I would prefer an evening with my AA friends to any person or group of persons I have indicated. <br />I ask myself why I consider so charming these alcoholic caterpillars who have found their butterfly wings in Alcoholics Anonymous. There are more reasons than one, but I can name a few. <br />They are imaginative, and that helps to make them alcoholics. Some of them drank to flog their ambition on to greater efforts. Others guzzled only to black out unendurable demons that rose in their imagination. But when they have found their restoration, their imagination is responsive to new incantations, and their talk abounds with color and light, and that makes them charming companions too.

Down at the very bottom of the social scale of AA society are the pariahs, the untouchables, and the outcasts

Down at the very bottom of the social scale of AA society are the pariahs, the untouchables, and the outcasts, all known by one excoriating ...

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It makes you know that God, Himself, is really charming, because the AA people reflect His mercy and His forgiveness.

The AA people are what they are, and they were what they were, because they are sensitive, imaginative, possessed of a sense of humor and awareness of universal truth. They are sensitive, which means they are hurt easily, and that helped them to become alcoholics. But when they have found their restoration, they are still as sensitive as ever; responsive to beauty and to truth and eager about the intangible glories of this life. That makes them charming companions. <br /><br /><br />They are possessed with a sense of humor. Even in their cups they have been known to say damnable funny things. Often it was being forced to take seriously the little and mean things of life that make them seek escape in a bottle. But when they have found restoration, their sense of humor finds a blessed freedom, and they are able to reach a godlike state where they can laugh at themselves, the very height of self conquest. Go to the meetings and listen to the laughter. At what are they laughing? At ghoulish memories over which weaker souls would cringe in useless remorse. And that makes them wonderful people to be with by candlelight. <br /><br />And they are possessed of a sense of universal truth. That is often a new thing in their hearts. The fact that this at-one-meant with God's universe had never been awakened in them is sometimes the reason why they drank. The fact that it was at last awakened is almost always the reason why they were restored to the good and simple ways of life. Stand with them when the meeting is over, and listen while they say the "Our Father." They have found a power greater than themselves which they diligently serve. And that gives them a charm that never was elsewhere on land or sea. It makes you know that God, Himself, is really charming, because the AA people reflect His mercy and His forgiveness.

It makes you know that God, Himself, is really charming, because the AA people reflect His mercy and His forgiveness.

The AA people are what they are, and they were what they were, because they are sensitive, imaginative, possessed of a sense of humor and aw...

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Want to Change the World? Own Up to Your Fear

<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MKGandhi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948), political and ..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="424" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/MKGandhi.jpg/350px-MKGandhi.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;">It's essential that anyone committed to a path of enlightened partnership is also committed to his or her own emotional healing and purification. If not, unconscious fears will start running the show.</span><div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;">The tipping point for successful co-creation is the ability to maintain a state of caring and affinity, especially during difficult times or upsets. What could undermine your ability to do this? The answer is clear. It is fear. Fear of being hurt, again. Fear of being used. Fear of being judged. Fear of losing. Fear of being misunderstood. Fear of being wrong. Fear of losing respect. The fear can be so big that it clouds your good judgment.f you want to stay on a path of cooperation, collaboration and co-creation you have to find the courage to stand up to your own inner demons. </span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;">If you don’t, the chances you will have the “intestinal fortitude” to stand up to the big demons in the outer world are pretty slim. Making the world a better place is especially challenging for the half-learned because there is usually such a wide gap between their ideals and the reality of their life. It is important for those who step on the path to be committed to fully learning to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. </span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div> <div> <span style="font-size: large;">We think that is what Gandhi meant by “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Contributing to the conscious evolution of our world is a heroic path requiring courage and impeccable self-honesty. It’s not going to happen if people simply mouth the words of co-creation but are unable or unwilling to employ the necessary skills.Some people say they want to help make the world a better place. Many believe they can. Are you such a person? If so, be sure you tend to the place in you that undermines your ability to maintain an open heart and mind during times of dissonance. Identify your fears, and learn to calm yourself in times of stress so that the fear doesn't overtake your nobler impulse to love.</span></div>

Want to Change the World? Own Up to Your Fear

It's essential that anyone committed to a path of enlightened partnership is also committed to his or her own emotional healing and pu...

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Preacher, I need you to pray for my hearing

The Preacher says,<br /><br />"Anyone with needs to be prayed for, come forward to the front, at the altar!" <br /><br />Leroy gets in line, and when it's his turn, the preacher asks: "Leroy, what do you want me to pray about for you." <br /><br />Leroy replies:<br />"Preacher, I need you to pray for my hearing." <br />The preacher puts one finger in Leroy's ear, and he places the other hand on top of Leroy's head and prays and prays and prays he prays for Leroy.<br />After a few minutes, the Preacher removes his hands, stands back and asks,"Leroy, how is your hearing now?" <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Leroy says, "I don't know, Reverend, it ain't until next Wednesday."

Preacher, I need you to pray for my hearing

The Preacher says, "Anyone with needs to be prayed for, come forward to the front, at the altar!" Leroy gets in line, and when it&...

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A straight look about some crooked feelings,We've all felt the giddy flutter of excitement when our new lover walks into the room.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1xa3nE3oouOcDj0irYwoIKnEqjYBVZ2AWX8cg6_JSoXr78BMVt05b34ZsKtWeKRqZg-pFTQte2OcykgL_TDzWoXZeyUtZn7WTVTeAiQoKHE6At5XNHeMvWgorsWmprRvsDL-_2cNAN9c/s1600-h/susancheever-210-Desire_good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR1xa3nE3oouOcDj0irYwoIKnEqjYBVZ2AWX8cg6_JSoXr78BMVt05b34ZsKtWeKRqZg-pFTQte2OcykgL_TDzWoXZeyUtZn7WTVTeAiQoKHE6At5XNHeMvWgorsWmprRvsDL-_2cNAN9c/s320/susancheever-210-Desire_good.jpg" vr="true" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">We've all felt the giddy flutter of excitement when our new lover walks into the room. Waited by the phone, changed our plans...But are we in love, or is there something darker at work? In Desire: Where Sex Meets Addiction, Susan Cheever explores the shifting boundaries between the feelings of passion and addiction, desire and need, and she raises provocative and important questions about who we love and why.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br />Elegantly written and thoughtfully composed, Cheever's book combines unsparing and intimate memoir, interviews and stories, hard science and psychology to explore the difference between falling in love and falling prey to an addiction. Part one defines what addiction is and how it works -- the obsession, the betrayals, the broken promises to oneself and others. Part two explores the possible causes of addiction -- is it nature or nurture, a permanent condition or a temporary derangement? Part three considers what we can do about it, including a provocative suggestion about how we describe and treat addiction, and a look at the importance of community and storytelling.<br /><br />In the end, there are no easy answers. "A straight look about some crooked feelings," Desire shows us the difference between the addiction that cripples our emotions, and healthy, empowering love that enhances our lives.</span>

A straight look about some crooked feelings,We've all felt the giddy flutter of excitement when our new lover walks into the room.

We've all felt the giddy flutter of excitement when our new lover walks into the room. Waited by the phone, changed our plans...But ar...

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How I came to write a biography of Bill Wilson (2004)

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEqhDwMbRWPX3_185dPRYA5VZFVQ0yZHrKcEzrrRBpPtgpc_k1bRLQVAOBfCgLMc94f11N5-cKHsobHh7ttiFZAmjBQAeZZV31MRIKlejyJyRqRYe2sGKmTMNNdNan9nx8wStifdDi3Pb/s1600-h/susancheever-210-My_name_is_bill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEqhDwMbRWPX3_185dPRYA5VZFVQ0yZHrKcEzrrRBpPtgpc_k1bRLQVAOBfCgLMc94f11N5-cKHsobHh7ttiFZAmjBQAeZZV31MRIKlejyJyRqRYe2sGKmTMNNdNan9nx8wStifdDi3Pb/s320/susancheever-210-My_name_is_bill.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />About five years ago Time Magazine asked me to write a profile of Wilson, the cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous. I was amazed to find that although there had been some books about Wilson including his own and his wife Lois' autobiographies, there had never been a proper, fully documented biography. Bill Wilson is one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, a man who founded a movement which changed all of our lives. I felt he deserved the best biography I could write. I began the book respecting him as a teacher and a writer. By the time I finished that respect had doubled and redoubled. I hope that my book does justice to this extraordinary man and gives some sense of his amazing life story.

How I came to write a biography of Bill Wilson (2004)

About five years ago Time Magazine asked me to write a profile of Wilson, the cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous. I was amazed to find that a...

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We talk to God—that is prayer; God talks to us—that is inspiration

“… We talk to God—that is prayer; God talks to us—that is inspiration. <br /><br />We go apart to get still, that new life, new inspiration, new power of thought, new supply … <br /><br />may flow in; and then we come forth to shed it on those around us, that they, too, may be lifted up.”

We talk to God—that is prayer; God talks to us—that is inspiration

“… We talk to God—that is prayer; God talks to us—that is inspiration. We go apart to get still, that new life, new inspiration, new power o...

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Top Ten Practices of Enlightened Partners

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxl80V-KgtIj60jECY_ywRF9GlkJtRXOakGX7lQ3WoOZ1AWlhVui_qOZ3K3JVcTprWLtJzgBhEJay-nAl0nPGDZ2tL4Em9iNQSN0YHvn9PqgDGGsd0U7VAwyZUZiyB5zHK3RWK6ft25eg/s1600/1-Padme_Amidala2-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxl80V-KgtIj60jECY_ywRF9GlkJtRXOakGX7lQ3WoOZ1AWlhVui_qOZ3K3JVcTprWLtJzgBhEJay-nAl0nPGDZ2tL4Em9iNQSN0YHvn9PqgDGGsd0U7VAwyZUZiyB5zHK3RWK6ft25eg/s320/1-Padme_Amidala2-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><br /><br />1. Write down the purpose and desired results for your partnership. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A partnership without a stated purpose and intended results is like a ship setting sail without a chart or plotted course. The purpose should be stated in a way that lifts the spirit of all partners.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />2. Make choices grounded in love rather than fear. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Become aware of your automatic reactions that are based in fear and look for the love choice instead. Ask yourself, what would love do or say in this situation?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />3. Mutually agree upon strategies for dealing with predictable breakdowns, such as miscommunications, upsets or disagreements and use them when needed.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Have these strategies in place *before* the inevitable breakdowns occur. It is difficult, if not impossible, to create and implement them in the middle of a breakdown.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />4. Commit to win/win outcomes; don't settle for anyone being the loser.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />For the partnership to win, all partners need to win. If anyone in the partnership loses, the entire partnership loses. Keep asking questions that lead you to the win/win outcome.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />5. Communicate honestly from the heart and practice high performance listening.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />People respond positively to the expression of heart-felt truth because it builds trust. High performance listening is listening without judgment for the concerns of the other person that may be hidden behind their words.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />6. Assume personal responsibility for your emotional reality and refrain from blame.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Blame and projection will pollute the emotional climate of a partnership faster than anything.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />7. Take the initiative for the satisfaction of your own needs and wants and make clear requests of others that inspire their cooperation.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Don't wait for people to guess what will make you happy. Nobody likes to endure demands or covert manipulation.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />8. Share power rather than struggle for it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Let go of the need to be right all the time. Value others ideas and perceptions as being as valid as your own. Heal your unresolved power issues from the past.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />9. See problems as opportunities.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Every problem contains the gift of spiritual development within it. Learn to unwrap the package.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />10. Nurture a conscious relationship with your Soul.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The more spiritually attuned you are, the more enlightened you and your partnerships will be.</span>

Top Ten Practices of Enlightened Partners

1. Write down the purpose and desired results for your partnership. A partnership without a stated purpose and intended results is like a ...

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“Cuando te encuentras con alguien, recuerda que se trata de un encuentro santo. Tal como lo consideres a él, así te considerarás a ti mismo. Tal como lo trates, así te tratarás a ti mismo. Tal como pienses de él, así pensarás de ti mismo. Nunca te olvides de esto, pues en tus semejantes o bien te encuentras a ti mismo o bien te pierdes a ti mismo. Cada vez que dos Hijos de Dios se encuentran, se les proporciona una nueva oportunidad para salvarse. No dejes de darle la salvación a nadie, para que así la puedas recibir tú. Yo estoy siempre contigo, en memoria tuya.” UCDM T-8.III.4:1-5<br /><br />Tejamos redes de cariño, de apoyo, de aceptación. Emitamos rayos de luz hacia todos los seres. Nos veremos todos inundados de dicha y bendiciones.

“Cuando te encuentras con alguien, recuerda que se trata de un encuentro santo. Tal como lo consideres a él, así te considerarás a ti mismo....

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Bill Wilson and the Ouija Board,Bill W. Had Warts, Just Like the Rest of Us

Ever since becoming enamored with A.A. in the early 90s (especially after really getting into AA circa 2001), I have thought of Bill W. as quite an interesting fellow.<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Unfortunately, some AAs tend to put certain people on pedestals</span><br /> — and this almost certainly applies more to Bill W. than anyone else as far as recovery personalities go. All of us are merely human, and I suppose this post serves as a reminder of just that.Knowing about what might be considered to be weaknesses of others — particularly those who tend to be glorified — can make the person seem more real, even closer to us. None of the comments in this post are meant to be disparaging; to me, they are not. These supposed facts can be found in the books of some of the most significant Bill W. biographers, most notably Susan Cheever.I find Ouija boards to be pretty darn interesting, honestly, though I have seen too many horror movies to run out and buy one myself! And LSD? Well, I don’t think I’ll be going into much — or any — detail about possible acid experiences I may or may not have had in a previous era, but suffice to say that I agree with Bill on some aspects of the trippy hallucinogen. I believe most, if not all, of us can agree on the following: Thank God LSD did not become a standard treatment for alcoholism and addiction! You probably won’t hear too much about this in AA meetings, but Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, often used a Ouija board to contact spirits. His wife Lois said that Bill would get messages directly from the spirit world without even using the Ouija board. For a while, his participation in AA was deeply affected by his involvement with the “witchboard.” Wilson claimed that he received the twelve step method directly from a spirit without the board and wrote it down. (Source: My Name Is Bill: Bill Wilson–His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, by Susan Cheever)Personally, Wilson had a lifelong attraction towards mysticism and junk religion. He was drawn — by its ritualism, not its theology — to Catholicism, and seriously contemplated converting. Later in life, Bill W. flirted with Gerald Heard’s and Aldous Huxley’s West Coast Vedanta and took LSD with the two trippy gurus. Bill was consistently a spiritualist, going through life with AA’s Big Book in one hand and a Ouija board in the other. In the basement, Bill W. had a “Spook Room” where he would communicate with the dead. (Source: My Name Is Bill: Bill Wilson–His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, by Susan Cheever)<br /><span style="color: red;">Bill W. Had Warts, Just Like the Rest of Us</span><br />Cheever’s portrait of Wilson is generally reverent, although she parts company with those who, as she says, see him as a man “chosen by God to carry a message.” In the second half of her book, Cheever goes further and pastes a donkey tail or two on the minor “god” Bill Wilson. Despite his victory over alcohol, Wilson retained his addictive personality and compulsive traits. He chain-smoked himself to death, for one thing. Reportedly, even on his deathbed, Bill W. puffed away as he slowly suffocated. Although he supposedly drank no alcohol for the last thirty-seven years of his life, he always craved it. Those who were around Bill in his last moments know that as he lay dying, he repeatedly requested whiskey; but this request was steadfastly denied by his minions. (Source: My Name Is Bill: Bill Wilson–His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, by Susan Cheever)<br />Bill W. and LSD<br />Bill loved LSD. He urged everyone he knew to try it, including Lois, his secretary, Nell Wing, his friend Dr. Jack Norris, the Reverend Sam Shoemaker, and even Father Ed Dowling! He even thought his own mother might benefit. (Source: My Name Is Bill; Bill Wilson — His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, by Susan Cheever, page 241.)Also see Francis Hartigan, Bill W.: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Cofounder Bill Wilson, pages 176 to 179:<br />When Bill took LSD, use of the drug was legal. He first took it as a participant in medically supervised experiments with Gerald Heard and Aldous Huxley in California in the 1950s. Lois also participated in the first LSD experiments in California. At Bill’s insistent urging, she took LSD herself but always claimed later not to have felt anything. Bill insisted that she did too feel something and that she in fact had a very pleasant time. Nell Wing, who took LSD herself during one of these sessions and was there when Lois tried it, tends to believe Lois. She explains LSD’s lack of impact on Lois by noting that she took much less than the others had. Father Ed Dowling was among the people who accepted Bill’s invitation to join him in these early experiments. Bill also invited Jack Norris, medical director for Eastman Kodak and long-serving nonalcoholic chair of AA’s General Service Board, but Norris declined.<br />It is hard to appreciate today the enthusiasm with which LSD experimentation was initially greeted. Aldous Huxley wrote Father Thomas Merton that LSD might even be the SOMA he had written about in his futuristic novel, Brave New World, and that it was deserving of the most serious and thorough scientific research. Sam Shoemaker wrote to Bill about the wholehearted endorsement of LSD experimentation by an Episcopal bishop, and Wilson wrote to Carl Jung, praising the results obtained with LSD and recommending it as a validation of Jung’s spiritual work. (Word was received of Jung’s death, and the letter was never sent.)Wilson is thought to have continued experimenting with LSD well into the 1960s. Lib S., a longtime AA member who lived in New York for many years, told me that she participated in LSD experiments with Bill in the late 1950s in New York. Marty Mann, Helen Wynn, and others participated in the New York experiments, which were supervised by a psychiatrist from Roosevelt Hospital. Lib S. said that the alcoholic participants in the New York researches were all sober. The purpose was to determine whether the drug might produce insights that would serve to remove psychic blocks that were preventing people from feeling more spiritually alive. Each participant had to agree to undergo extensive debriefing, and all were urged to make detailed notes about what they were experiencing.<br />Bill agreed with Huxley’s assessment of LSD’s power to open the “doors of perception.” He described his first experiences of the substance’s effect as being akin to what he had experienced in Towns Hospital the night his obsession with alcohol was lifted. Nell Wing told me that her own LSD experiences were something that she had always valued. Although Nell denies that Bill ever went this far, other people who knew him during this period said that his initial enthusiasm for LSD was so great that he thought it should be available to all alcoholics. (Source: Bill W.: A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Cofounder Bill Wilson, by Francis Hartigan, pages 178 to 179.)<br />References: Bill Wilson and the Ouija Board

Bill Wilson and the Ouija Board,Bill W. Had Warts, Just Like the Rest of Us

Ever since becoming enamored with A.A. in the early 90s (especially after really getting into AA circa 2001), I have thought of Bill W. as q...

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larger than life figure, Wilson almost singlehandedly changed the prognosis for those suffering from alcoholism. But he was certainly no saint

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MyNameIsBillWPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="1989 movie about Bill W. and Dr. Bob" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="487" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d9/MyNameIsBillWPoster.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="292" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 292px;">1989 movie about Bill W. and Dr. Bob (Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MyNameIsBillWPoster.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr> </tbody></table> Offering a fascinating look at Bill Wilson, one of Time Magazine's 100 List of The Most Important People of the 20th Century, My Name is Bill is a must read for anyone attempting to understand the broader context of Alcoholics Anonymous. Susan Cheever does a marvelous job of capturing the essence of what made this man a pioneer in treating alcoholism and, long after his death, other forms of addiction. <br /> <br /> A larger than life figure, Wilson almost singlehandedly changed the prognosis for those suffering from alcoholism. But he was certainly no saint, and Cheever's portrayal is nicely balanced. We learn a great deal about what drove this uncommon individual and even a bit about some of his other struggles.<br /> <blockquote> Wilson's 'Twelve Steps' approach is comparable to Dr. Albert Ellis's Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a vehicle for assisting those struggling with personal demons find relief. Many (including this reader) believe Wilson's early recognition that this age-old problem requires a spiritual solution was divinely inspired. Bill's insights into the disease of alcoholism based on his own experience stirred in him an uncanny prescience. He predicted that many alcoholics would find deliverance from their debilitating condition if they could only follow a few simple steps. Included among those, and perhaps most crucial, is finding the wherewithal to get through the next 24 hours without a drink.</blockquote> Truly remarkable is how the man known simply as Bill W. transformed what can only be described as a life in precipitous decline - intractable alcoholism, unemployment, financial ruin, and a disintegrating marriage - into a beacon of hope for countless human beings. Ironically, while he struggled with his own implacable inner demons, most notably chronic depression, millions of alcoholics were clawing their way back from the brink of self-destruction. And those are just the ones who were alive during his lifetime!<br /> <br /> Cheever writes, "Bill Wilson never held himself up as a model: he only hoped to help other people by sharing his own experience, strength and hope. He insisted again and again that he was just an ordinary man." <br /> Wilson was anything but an "ordinary man."His elegantly simple prescription for battling one's way back from booze-abetted disaster reflects pure genius. Although Bill was a reluctant model of a recovering alcoholic, his presence still looms large over the many thousands of AA groups that now meet across the globe. It is difficult to imagine many enduring contributions to mankind that exceed that of Bill Wilson's. Truly an epic 20th century figure.Kudos to Susan Cheever for a well-researched, well-written biography. <br /> <br /> <span style="color: red;"></span><br /> <blockquote> <span style="color: red;">This book should be required reading for anyone who suffers from alcoholism or who seeks a path to spiritual growth.</span></blockquote>

larger than life figure, Wilson almost singlehandedly changed the prognosis for those suffering from alcoholism. But he was certainly no saint

1989 movie about Bill W. and Dr. Bob (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Offering a fascinating look at Bill Wilson, one of Time Magazine's 1...

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''Clearly my job henceforth was to Let Go and Let God. Alcoholics Anonymous was safe - even from me.''

<span style="color: #20124d;"> <blockquote><span style="color: #20124d;"><em>Bill's Wilsons Yankee temperament, lanky body, great gifts as a storyteller and childhood setbacks. A novelist and a journalist, she writes clearly; however, even more important are the insights and empathy so credibly her own as a reformed drinker who attended meetings of A.A. with her father, the novelist John Cheever. As she remarked in ''Note Found in a Bottle,'' his drinking ''wasn't hidden, it was completely visible. Because it was completely visible, the drinking was a secret that we kept from ourselves.''What she has related about her own religious sensibility coincides with what she has written about Wilson's. Belief in God became important to both of them, ''but it is intensely private and truly beyond my ability to describe. I don't understand God; I just believe in God.'' When Wilson handed over the leadership of A.A. at the St. Louis national convention in 1955, having provided the program with an enduring structure, he proclaimed: ''Clearly my job henceforth was to Let Go and Let God. Alcoholics Anonymous was safe - even from me.''</em></span><br /><br /></blockquote></span><em></em>

''Clearly my job henceforth was to Let Go and Let God. Alcoholics Anonymous was safe - even from me.''

Bill's Wilsons Yankee temperament, lanky body, great gifts as a storyteller and childhood setbacks. A novelist and a journalist, she wr...

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Bill W., A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Co-Founder Bill Wilson, Francis Hartigan, 2000, page 192.

The impression that he was a ladies' man seems to have come from the way he sometimes behaved at AA gatherings. When Bill wasn't accompanied by Lois (or later, Helen), he could often be observed engaged in animated conversation with an attractive young newcomer. His interest in younger women seemed to grow more intense with age. Barry Leach, who knew Bill nearly thirty years, told me that in the 1960s he and other friends of Bill's formed what they came to refer to as the "Founder's Watch" committee. People were delegated to keep track of Bill during the socializing that usually accompanies AA functions. When they observed a certain gleam in his eye, they would tactfully steer Bill off in one direction and the dewy-eyed newcomer in another.

Bill W., A Biography of Alcoholics Anonymous Co-Founder Bill Wilson, Francis Hartigan, 2000, page 192.

The impression that he was a ladies' man seems to have come from the way he sometimes behaved at AA gatherings. When Bill wasn't acc...

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Bill took both women to an AA meeting. He sat between them and, all during the meeting, he had a hand on one leg of each of the women.

As the AA office staff expanded in the 1940s, Bill seemed to take an active part in its recruitment efforts. One longtime AA member told me that at first she didn't know why in 1946 Bill hired her and another young woman AA member. "Neither of us could type or take dictation," she told me. Then, one night soon after they were hired, Bill took both women to an AA meeting. He sat between them and, all during the meeting, he had a hand on one leg of each of the women.<br /><br /><br />There was also a young woman Bill had begun an affair with whom he subsequently hired for the AA office. She worked at the office from about 1948-1950. She seems to have been very much like Bill's mother, a strong-willed, stubborn woman who was very insistent about having her way. Because everyone knew she was Bill's mistress, she expected to get it. Apparently, she did not appreciate the extent to which AA is a democracy. Bill's recommendation might have gotten her the job, but her behavior became so disruptive that in 1950 the AA trustees told Bill that she could no longer work there.<br /><br />While Bill often seemed to feel free to take advantage of whatever opportunities were available to him as AA's head man, a number of people who were close to him told me that there were times when he was painfully aware of the threat his philandering posed to everything he had worked for. Barry Leach, a longtime AA member who was a close friend of Bill's for more than twenty-five years, Jack Norris, and Nell Wing all said that Bill had let them know how badly he felt about his unfaithfulness to Lois. That he nevertheless was seemingly unable to control himself filled him with despair and self-loathing at times and left him feeling unworthy to lead AA.

Bill took both women to an AA meeting. He sat between them and, all during the meeting, he had a hand on one leg of each of the women.

As the AA office staff expanded in the 1940s, Bill seemed to take an active part in its recruitment efforts. One longtime AA member told me ...

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One for the list buiders on the Costa,They had found God (as they understood Him), and as long as they stayed away from booze and aspirin, they were okay; they were in the clear. They weren't ashamed of sex; they gloried in it.

Full disclosure: I grew up with a stepmom, Wynn, who had been fully prepared to marry Bill. He disengaged himself but put her "story" in the second edition of "Alcoholics Anonymous," in which the accounts of recovering alcoholics were included for the first time. She married my dad, her fifth husband, as a sort of consolation prize. Wynn was a wonderful woman, but I saw AA then from the point of view of a prissy, still-sober teenager, watching members bicker about whether taking an aspirin for a headache constituted a "slip," listening to stories of their friendships with a Personal God — "I told God to have you call me today," my stepmother would say after I moved out of the house. (And what could I possibly say? Maybe she had, and maybe He did.) But they didn't worry much about sex. ... <br /><br /><br />So I want to say for the record (and you won't find it on "Grapevine," or any other AA publication) that early AA, at least on the West Coast, was full of raucous men and women bursting with the physical energy that drying out brings. I speak now for Wynn (the Wynn I knew), who wrote "Freedom From Bondage" in the Book, and who, though she had five husbands, considered the high point of her life her amorous connection to Bill.<br /><br />Wynn stood on our front steps one bright Christmas morning enthusiastically kissing a different handsome AA swain as others crowded past them, pushing inside to a party, where they would drink tomato juice and laugh like banshees, delirious with joy. They had found God (as they understood Him), and as long as they stayed away from booze and aspirin, they were okay; they were in the clear. They weren't ashamed of sex; they gloried in it.

One for the list buiders on the Costa,They had found God (as they understood Him), and as long as they stayed away from booze and aspirin, they were okay; they were in the clear. They weren't ashamed of sex; they gloried in it.

Full disclosure: I grew up with a stepmom, Wynn, who had been fully prepared to marry Bill. He disengaged himself but put her "story&qu...

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Amazed at the energy that comes out of you

<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wm_james.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="William James was the first psychologist to de..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="320" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Wm_james.jpg/350px-Wm_james.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="236" /></a></div> "Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you." <br /> - William James 1842-1910, American Philosopher  helped Bill W in the writing of the Big Book

Amazed at the energy that comes out of you

"Give your dreams all you've got and you'll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you." - William James 1842-1910, ...

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“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ralph_Waldo_Emerson_ca1857_retouched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ralph Walso Emerson" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="320" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson_ca1857_retouched.jpg/350px-Ralph_Waldo_Emerson_ca1857_retouched.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div> “To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” -- Ralp...

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Sophie had been welcomed into meeting

We were meeting in the long sitting-room, and the floor-space was as usual filled by the children. The room was pretty full. Then Sophie's father came and put her in her carry-cot on the floor. She was very young, and we hadn't expected to be greeting her so soon. I looked around the adults, wondering which of us would minister.<br /><br />At the other end of the room Cathy, aged three, slipped down from her mother's knee. Slowly, carefully, and mostly upright she clambered in and out, past all the other children. She reached the carry-cot and peeped in at the baby. Then she turned and gave everyone a smile of pure delight. Still smiling, without a word, she returned to her mother.<br />Nobody else spoke either. Sophie had been welcomed into meeting.<br />William Fraser, 1989

Sophie had been welcomed into meeting

We were meeting in the long sitting-room, and the floor-space was as usual filled by the children. The room was pretty full. Then Sophie'...

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Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.

<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Murphy%2C_Byzantine_Virgin_of_Loving_Tenderness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Byzantine Virgin of Loving Tenderness, date un..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="450" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/df/Murphy%2C_Byzantine_Virgin_of_Loving_Tenderness.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="333" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.<br /></span><br /> <br /> <br /> Isaac Penington, 1667

Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand.

Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one again...

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.' And when I heard it my heart did leap for joy."

And when all my hopes in men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could I tell what to do, then, oh! Then I heard a voice which said, 'There is One, even Christ Jesus that can speak to thy condition.' And when I heard it my heart did leap for joy."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />from The Journal of George Fox 1647<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQk7daoYNmYD91wuSMx9wT592VuMxMru2xWHbdNsndOIk-oP1a5xyPNSP7rQEKeziC3BI1hTPYHAl2rOcO6A8uAMbEqAUjTUzjux1-XIAHtaoFFMP4d2zeZsflza2vtyI3nPWPi39WZRMZ/s1600-h/pickering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQk7daoYNmYD91wuSMx9wT592VuMxMru2xWHbdNsndOIk-oP1a5xyPNSP7rQEKeziC3BI1hTPYHAl2rOcO6A8uAMbEqAUjTUzjux1-XIAHtaoFFMP4d2zeZsflza2vtyI3nPWPi39WZRMZ/s640/pickering.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br /></div>

.' And when I heard it my heart did leap for joy."

And when all my hopes in men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could I tell what to do, then, oh! Then I heard a vo...

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All the modern religions that have examined the 12 steps have come to the conclusion that the steps do not conflict with their beliefs.

Those who work with alcoholics and addicts have a distinct advantage over colleagues in other professions. The 12 steps offer a template that can be recommended to patients and used personally. There is evidence that working a 12-step program is not participating in a religion:<br /><br />All the modern religions that have examined the 12 steps have come to the conclusion that the steps do not conflict with their beliefs. AA. has spread around the world and is working well in many non-Christian countries. Joining AA does not require learning any theology, creed, or catechism. Atheists are welcome and do well in the program. Atheists and agnostics are advised to use the group as their higher power because most in the A.A. group are sober. In over 60 years, not one documented or reported fight or act of violence based on arguments over spirituality has occurred between AA members (Chappel, 2003). This is going to be easy for many of you, but difficult for others. You don’t have to believe in God yourself to encourage the patient to seek God. You can still encourage patients to work a program of recovery that has kept millions of alcoholics sober. If you will look at the 12 steps of AA, the word “alcohol” is used one time, the word “God” or “higher power” is used seven times. Recovery is seen as a spiritual journey and without God recovery is more difficult. Some patients will want to use the AA group as their higher power. This is fine and there are many agnostics in the program that do not believe in God at all. Chapter 4 of Alcoholics Anonymous (2001) is the chapter to the agnostics. Here are a few quotes from that chapter:<br /><blockquote>We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1976, p. 46). We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. Do I now believe, or am I willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself? As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1976, p. 47).</blockquote>As the professional, you must be willing to accept how other people experience religion and spirituality. Be as open-minded and willing as the patient is to search for a higher power. Alcoholics Anonymous calls it the God of the person’s own understanding. This is a personal matter between God and the patient. You will see a wide variety of individual spiritual and religious beliefs. In an atmosphere of unconditional acceptance, patients can freely explore their own belief system. They must see that a higher power is not going to be shoved down their throats. Conscious contact with God is a principle of recovery. It is a mistake to allow formal religious doctrine to enter into your treatment unless the patient has the same religious beliefs as you do. Alcoholics Anonymous has no religious affiliation. People can talk about their religious preferences but, for the most part, they should discuss spirituality rather than religion. They need to talk about their own spiritual journey.Start by taking a spiritual history, where you discuss patients’ relationships with God. When were they introduced to spiritual and religious concepts? What is his or her belief system now? How does the patient currently understand God? How does God communicate with them? Was there ever a time when they felt particularly close to God? The patient needs to process how God communicates with them. The relationship with God needs to be presented as a relationship between two people. Patients can be taught to contact God in a variety of ways. God can speak in nature, scripture, prayer, meditation, church, and through other people. Each of these ways needs to be discussed, and you should have patients give examples of times when they felt close to or far away from God.<br /><br /><blockquote>To improve conscious contact with God, Alcoholics Anonymous suggests Step Eleven. “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 2001, p. 59 ). Prayer and meditation are defined and discussed with the patient. Prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening for God to talk back. Patients are encouraged to pray and meditate. The best way to show patients God is to have them walk into the presence of God. It is best to do this in a group but you can do it individually as well. Have patients close their eyes and mentally ask God a question, “God, what is the next step in my relationship with you?” Then tell the patients to wait for one word or phrase to come into their mind. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred a word or phrase will enter the patients’ thoughts. It will be something like, “Believe, trust me, love, honesty, stay sober, get help, keep going, faith, or hope.” It will be some simple word or phrase like that. Then ask the patients if the word or phrase was accompanied with a feeling. They will say yes. Then you say, “That’s a complicated set of feelings so, let me describe them for you and you tell me if this was a part of what you experienced.” <br /></blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>“Was it a feeling of peace?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling of love?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that there is a God?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that God loves you?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that you are worthy?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that God will help you?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that God has a plan for you?” <br /><br /><br /><br />“Was it a feeling that God will tell you the plan?” <br /><br /><br /><br />Most or all of these questions will be answered yes by the patient. Then you say, “These feelings are what AA calls serenity and this is why you were drinking. Drinking made you feel more at peace, but now you know another way to feel a better peace.” Alcoholics need to replace the normal feeling they got from alcohol with something else that works better or they will be back to drinking. <br /><br /><br /></blockquote>

All the modern religions that have examined the 12 steps have come to the conclusion that the steps do not conflict with their beliefs.

Those who work with alcoholics and addicts have a distinct advantage over colleagues in other professions. The 12 steps offer a template tha...

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Spirituality is the innermost relationship we have with ourselves and all else.

Spirituality is the innermost relationship we have with ourselves and all else. Everyone has some form of spirituality. Religion is an organized system of faith and worship. Many patients see a higher power as punitive. They see a higher power through the window of their father or mother. These transferences, attitudes, and beliefs are all part of treatment. The goal of Alcoholics Anonymous’ first step is to have patients accept that they are powerless over alcohol. The second step is to come to believe that a power greater than themselves can restore them to sanity. All addiction treatment is faith-based treatment. In step three, we turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand him. The word “God” is first used in the third step and some patients don’t like it. Your job is to encourage them to seek the God of their own understanding. Many people who do not believe in God recover. Alcoholics Anonymous encourages members to seek a higher power of their own understanding.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>Alcoholics Anonymous says that alcoholism is a spiritual problem with a spiritual solution. Alcohol has always said to the patient, “Good choice!” It has done this with such power and force that the patient has become addicted to this feeling. Now you need to help the patient find something that feels better than alcohol. You need some experience that more powerfully says, “Good choice.” There is nothing that can do this more powerfully than God. I guarantee you that if the patient walks into the presence of God; they will feel so much better they will follow that feeling anywhere. God’s presence is better than any experience you can imagine. Addicts need something better than alcohol to deal with stress. They need to find greater peace, greater love, and greater power or they will go back to alcohol. There are those of you who know this already and there are those of you who are suspicious of spiritual beliefs. I would encourage you to take a look around you. There is a national trend to seek God. Most national magazines and television shows talk about God. After the tragedy of 9-11, people were praying on every television channel. All across America there is a new growth in spirituality (Gallup & Jones, 2000). Even science is becoming interested in religion and spirituality because studies consistently show that patients who use religion and spirituality get better quicker and live longer. In the 1990s, the research on religion and spiritually began to mature. Research studies were launched within the National Institutes of Health, including the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Special issues and sections focusing on research on spirituality and health have appeared in scientific journals, including the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Underwood-Gordon, Peters, Bijur, & Fuhrer, 1997), the Annals of Behavioral Medicine (Mills, 2002), the Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice (Lucken, 2000), the Journal of Health Psychology (Thoresen & Harris, 1999), the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy (“Spirituality and Family Therapy,” 2000), Psycho-Oncology (Russak, Lederberg, & Fitchett, 1999), Twin Research (Kirk & Martin, 1999), and American Psychologist (Miller & Thoresen, 2003).<br /></blockquote>

Spirituality is the innermost relationship we have with ourselves and all else.

Spirituality is the innermost relationship we have with ourselves and all else. Everyone has some form of spirituality. Religion is an organ...

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SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

In his room alone, feeling totally powerless, he looked up toward heaven, and he cried out, "If there is a God, show me, give me some sign." At that moment Bill's room filled with a great white light. He felt incredibly filled with new hope and joy. "It was like standing on a mountain top with a strong clear wind blowing through me--but it was not a wind of the air," he said, "it was a wind of the Spirit." Bill felt like he had stepped into another world full of goodness and grace. There was a wonderful feeling of Presence that he had been seeking all of his life. He never felt so complete, so satisfied, so loved. Bill Wilson had finally surrendered, and when he surrendered, God came into his life. Notice that God came into his life with such power and force that Bill never denied God again.<br /><blockquote>Bill never took another drink, but his spiritual awakening didn't fully resolve his problem. He still had a craving for alcohol. One day he passed a bar and he felt himself being pulled into it. He thought that if he could just talk to another drunk, he might be able to pull himself back together. He got on the phone, and after making a few calls, finally found one, Dr. Bob Smith. Dr. Bob was a hopeless alcoholic. He had destroyed his medical practice and he was waiting to die. He reluctantly agreed to see Bill, but he had no hope that Bill could help him. Dr. Bob would have no nonsense, he had talked about his alcohol problem with the best, and now here was some other guy, a drunk, who was coming over to try and help him. He was in no mood for help.<br /></blockquote>

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

In his room alone, feeling totally powerless, he looked up toward heaven, and he cried out, "If there is a God, show me, give me some s...

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La Dama del Arco Iris saluda al Guerrero de los Sueños, le agradece sus palabras de bienvenida y se alegra de tener su compañía en esta travesía sembrada de milagros.

La Dama del Arco Iris saluda al Guerrero de los Sueños, le agradece sus palabras de bienvenida y se alegra de tener su compañía en esta trav...

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Concierto de Aranjuez Parte 2

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Concierto de Aranjuez Parte 2

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Quiero hacer contigo lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos.<br /><em>Pablo Neruda</em><br /><em>(</em><span style="font-size:85%;">I want to do with you what Spring does with cherry trees</span>.)

Quiero hacer contigo lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos. Pablo Neruda ( I want to do with you what Spring does with cherry trees .)

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Some Symptoms of Codependency:

<span style="color: blue;"><blockquote><span style="color: blue;">Perfectionism</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Controlling Behavior</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Obsessive Caretaking</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Depression</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Illnesses due to Stress</span><br /><span style="color: blue;">Not Wanting to Deal with Feelings</span><br /></blockquote></span><em>Imagine, if you will, a condition that affects every part of your being, particularly affecting you mentally and emotionally. Imagine, you are being controlled by someone you love very much, who may be addicted to drugs or alcohol or may be suffering through another type of illness. Imagine you are depressed because you feel trapped, yet you feel obligated to be there and endure more than you should because you feel that person needs you in order to survive. Imagine you are one half of a codependent relationship that feels like an endless cycle, and the more you run, you're not going anywhere, you're just growing tired of it all.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>This is codependency. Codependency as defined by the Merriam-Webster online dictionary is a psychological condition or a relationship in which a person is controlled or manipulated by another who is affected with a pathological condition such as an addiction. The truth of the matter is that codependency is an addiction itself. One person is addicted to controlling others because he or she feels they have no control over their own lives. Meanwhile, the other person in the relationship is addicted to being controlled and fulfilling the needs of the controller. Both parties tend to excessively 'take care' of each other and others outside of the relationship as well. </em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em><br /><em><br /></em>

Some Symptoms of Codependency:

Perfectionism Controlling Behavior Obsessive Caretaking Depression Illnesses due to Stress Not Wanting to Deal with Feelings Imagine, if you...

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Under the Tuscan Sun,

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Anthony_Hopkins-Tuscan_Sun_Festival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:left;"><img alt="Sir Anthony Hopkins at Tuscan Sun Festival 200..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="525" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Anthony_Hopkins-Tuscan_Sun_Festival.jpg/350px-Anthony_Hopkins-Tuscan_Sun_Festival.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Sir Anthony Hopkins at Tuscan Sun Festival 2009 in Cortona, Italy. Français : Portrait d'Anthony Hopkins réalisé durant un festival en août 2009 à Cortone, en Italie. Italiano: Sir Anthony Hopkins al Tuscan Sun Festival 2009 di Cortona. (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Anthony_Hopkins-Tuscan_Sun_Festival.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr> </tbody></table> <br /><br />"Unthinkably good things can happen, even late in the game. It's such a surprise."<br /><br />Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes<br /><br />It is indeed, but first you have to let down your defences:<br /><br />ACIM, Lesson 135:<br /><br />Your present trust in Him is the defense that promises a future undisturbed, without a trace of sorrow, and with joy that constantly increases, as this life becomes a holy instant, set in time, but heeding only immortality. Let no defenses but your present trust direct the future, and this life becomes a meaningful encounter with the truth that only your defenses would conceal.<br /><br />Without defenses, you become a light which Heaven gratefully acknowledges to be its own. And it will lead you on in ways appointed for your happiness according to the ancient plan, begun when time was born. Your followers will join their light with yours, and it will be increased until the world is lighted up with joy. And gladly will our brothers lay aside their cumbersome defenses, which availed them nothing and could only terrify.

Under the Tuscan Sun,

Sir Anthony Hopkins at Tuscan Sun Festival 2009 in Cortona, Italy. Français : Portrait d'Anthony Hopkins réalisé durant un festival en...

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Ix Chel : Mayan Goddess of the moon

<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ixchel.svg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Name glyph of Ix Chel including the prefix 're..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="208" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Ixchel.svg/340px-Ixchel.svg.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="340" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />Ix Chel : Mayan Goddess of the moon<br /><br />As an ancient fertility goddess, Ix-Chel was responsible for sending rain to nourish the crops. When fulfilling that function she was called “Lady of the Rainbow”. She helped insure fertility by overturning her sacred womb jar so that the waters would flow.Though sometimes depicted as a goddess of catastrophe (the woman who stands by as the world floods), many of her myths show her in a more benevolent light—as a goddess who refused to become a victim of oppression. This was a woman who, when faced with adversity, took charge of her life and turned it around. Ix-Chel encourages us to acknowledge the negative forces affecting our lives. And she prompts us to assert ourselves fully in the face of physical or emotional violence that would diminish our sense of self.</span>

Ix Chel : Mayan Goddess of the moon

Ix Chel : Mayan Goddess of the moon As an ancient fertility goddess, Ix-Chel was responsible for sending rain to nourish the crops. When f...

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Dream Warrior greets Lady of the Rainbow

Dream Warriors greets Lady of the Rainbow, to all our readers and contributors an introduction to the female side of the site Lady of the Rainbow.Who is our Spanish guide to a course in miracles.

Dream Warrior greets Lady of the Rainbow

Dream Warriors greets Lady of the Rainbow, to all our readers and contributors an introduction to the female side of the site Lady of the Ra...

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Being a psychologist, she feared for her own sanity. She began talking with Bill about everything that was happening to her.

In 1965, Helen Schucman, a 56-year-old woman, was working as a Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. Helen had been hired seven years before, in 1958, by William Thetford, who was known as Bill. In 1965, Bill, Helen's boss and colleague, was 42. (Bill and Helen are pictured at left.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Their department was filled with competition and hostility between coworkers, and the same situation existed in relation to a similar department at Cornell, where Helen and Bill were consultants. The staff meetings were usually scenes of strife and competition among the workers—despite the fact that all of them were psychologists. In particular, there was a good deal of tension between Helen and Bill.<br /><br /><br /><br />One day they met at Bill's apartment on their way to a meeting at Cornell. Both of them were dreading the meeting. In a way not typical of him, Bill made an impassioned, preplanned speech to Helen, in which he declared, "There must be another way"—meaning, another way of dealing with their meetings, their relationships, and their lives. He declared that he was determined not to get angry in the meeting and not to attack people. Rather than focusing on mistakes and pointing out errors, he was going to look for the constructive side in what people said, and cooperate rather than compete.<br /><br /><br /><br />Incidentally, according to the most authoritative version of the story, Bill said, "There must be another way," and not "There must be a better way." The phrase "a better way," however, does appear in the Text, and this phrase was chosen as the name of the newsletter for the Circle of Atonement.<br /><br /><br /><br />Much to Bill's surprise, Helen piped up to say that he was absolutely right, and she would join him in trying this new approach and in finding another way to deal with people. That event was the birthplace of the Course. It contained the seeds of the entire approach of A Course in Miracles. It was a moment, in a relationship, when two people joined in a common purpose, which is a key to what the Course calls a "holy relationship." It was a "miracle," a "holy instant," a moment of laying aside our usual way of thinking and opening to "a better way." Whether they realized it or not, it was a turning point from fear and attack to love, and thus allowed the Holy Spirit into their minds.<br /><br /><br /><br />Although that was the birth of the Course, the Course itself did not begin to appear right then. For three months, Helen experienced a series of dreams and psychic experiences which were leading up to the writing of the Course. Twice she had visions of a large book and was told, or was aware, that this was somehow "her" book. She began having mental conversations with a voice she identified as Jesus. She would ask questions of Jesus about her life, and Bill's, and write down the answers, even though the whole process was disturbing to her. The dreams and visions terrified her; being a psychologist, she feared for her own sanity. She began talking with Bill about everything that was happening to her.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Writing of the Course - 1965-1972<br /><br />Finally, one day (October 21, 1965), Helen's "voice" said, "This is a course in miracles. Please take notes." She wrote down about a page of notes before she realized that this was not going to be something short; the voice was asking for a long-term commitment.<br /><br /><br /><br />In a panic, she called Bill to ask his advice. Bill encouraged Helen to do what the voice asked, and take the notes. He told Helen he would meet with her the next morning before work, read over the notes, and discuss them with her. When they did that, what he read so impressed him that he encouraged Helen to keep taking the notes. They recognized that the notes, which became the Course, was their answer, the "another way" they had agreed to find together. And that is how it all began. For the next seven years, with some breaks, they met together nearly every morning. Helen would read the notes from her shorthand notebooks, Bill typed them up, and they would discuss them.<br /><br /><br /><br />These were both respected psychologists. Neither one of them dared to talk with anyone else about what they were doing; they were afraid they would be thought unstable and might lose their jobs. Eventually they shared the material with a few close friends—first a Catholic priest who worked with them, then with Kenneth Wapnick, and then with Jon Mundy. The latter two are both well-known teachers of the Course today. Helen and Bill studied the notes themselves and then put them into black notebooks on the shelf. Even though it became clear from the material itself that it was meant to be shared, Helen and Bill thought it likely that it would not be published until after their deaths.<br /><br /><br /><br />As time went by, the relationships in Helen's and Bill's department improved dramatically as they applied what they were learning. Unfortunately, after the Course was completed, the relationship between Helen and Bill actually got worse. Eventually Bill moved to the West Coast, and their relationship appears never to have been completely healed. To me this does not invalidate the Course. It only shows that Helen and Bill were students of the Course, like we are, not the authors.<br /><br /><br /><br />Helen definitely did not consider herself the author. In fact, quite frequently she was very disturbed by what she wrote, or even disagreed with it. To her it was evident that the real author was Jesus, although part of her mind was so disturbed by Jesus that she rarely talked about him by name, and for a long time referred to him simply as "the Voice" with a capital V. When she asked the Voice, "Why me? I'm not even religious," the answer she got was, "You are an excellent choice, and for a very simple reason. You will do it."<br /><br /><br /><br />The way the Course was taken down was similar to, but not identical with, what is called "channeling" in New Age circles. Kenneth Wapnick, who has written a biography of Helen titled Absence From Felicity, describes the process of taking down the Course as "scribing," not writing. He says:<br /><br /><br /><br />The scribing was referred to by Helen as "internal dictation"; that is, she did not go into an altered state, a trance,or engage in automatic writing. She was always aware of what she was doing, even if she chose not to pay attention to it. Regardless of her attitude, the writing would continue. (Absence from Felicity, p. 201) <br /><br />Helen said it was more like taking dictation than automatic writing; it required her conscious cooperation. Sometimes she tried to resist, once staying away from writing for over a month, but the pressure to take notes was always there. Resisting just made her feel depressed. Sometimes she would go to bed without writing and find herself unable to sleep until she got up and did it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Editing and Publishing - 1972-1976<br /><br />The dictation ended in September 1972. The books were put on the shelf. Helen and Bill felt their work was done; someone else would publish the Course. Shortly after, on November 25, 1972, Kenneth Wapnick entered their lives. He was a deeply spiritual man who had been raised as a Jew and then converted to Catholicism because he was attracted by the life of Trappist monks. Although he had no particular attraction to Catholic doctrine, the church, or Jesus, he felt strongly guided to become a monk, so he converted. He was planning a visit to Israel before entering the monastery when he met Helen and Bill. He felt an immediate affinity with them, and was intrigued when they told him about their book. But Ken did not read it at the time, and had no room in his luggage to take a copy, which would have been several loose-leaf notebooks.<br /><br /><br /><br />Ken thought about the book several times, feeling drawn to it. He even had two symbolic dreams about a very holy book he was going to find. When he returned from Israel after five months, in May of 1973, he intended to stay only a short time visiting his family before entering the monastery, but he also wanted to visit Helen and Bill, and look at their book. He says he could not wait to see it. As soon as he read it, or very soon after, he realized the Course was the book he had dreamed about, and was to become his life's work. He went back to Israel to tie up loose ends in July; Bill and Helen had become such close friends in two and a half months that in August, they visited Ken in Israel.<br /><br /><br /><br />After Ken returned to the States, Helen, Bill, and Ken spent the next two years editing the Course in preparation for publication. (For a detailed discussion of the editing process, see Robert Perry's article on this website, entitled The Earlier Versions and the Editing of A Course in Miracles.) The editing was finished early in 1975. There it sat for a few more months, awaiting publication. Helen, Ken, and Bill did not have any idea how it could be published.<br /><br /><br /><br />In May of 1975, Bill heard Judith Skutch give a lecture on parapsychology. He felt an inner connection with her and a need to meet her. That same night, Judy went home feeling herself to be at the lowest point of her life. She found herself crying out, "Won't someone up there please help me!" A few days later, her answer came. First, a psychic told her she was about to publish "one of the most important spiritual documents known to humanity." Then, a friend of Judy's invited her to meet Bill and Helen for lunch. They all felt an immediate rapport. Helen and Bill told her the story of the Course and handed her a manuscript copy. As she read it, she wept for joy; she know this was the answer to her prayer, and this was the map for her journey home.<br /><br /><br /><br />Judy had numerous contacts in the world of parapsychology, and began circulating Xeroxed copies of the manuscript among them. The cat was out of the bag, so to speak. Later on, several hundred photo-reduced copies were printed, but these were snatched up almost as soon as they were printed. The appeal of the Course was far wider and greater than either Helen or Bill had believed possible.<br /><br /><br /><br />Clearly, the Course needed to be published in book form. Several publishers actually expressed interest during this time, but no one was willing to publish the Course without changes; they wanted to edit it and abbreviate it. After seeking guidance about the situation, Helen, Bill, Ken, and Judy concluded that 1) the Course was to be published unabridged, 2) by people who were devoted to this alone, 3) by a nonprofit organization, and 4) with all four of them involved. They realized that the guidance pointed to them publishing the Course, so they committed to doing just that. Judy changed the name of her organization, the Foundation for Parasensory Investigation, to the Foundation for Inner Peace. The money for publication was provided miraculously, through an unsolicited gift, and five thousand sets (Text, Workbook, and Manual for Teachers) were printed. In June 1976, the Course was finally published by the Foundation for Inner Peace.<br /><br /><br /><br />Helen Shucman died in 1981 at age 71. Bill Thetford followed her in 1988. Once the Course was in Judy's hands for publication, both Helen and Bill felt their part was done. Messages from Jesus received by Helen seemed to indicate that both had an important future function beyond the scribing of the Course. But neither really stepped into that function, and both remained relatively uninvolved with the dissemination of the Course. Bill attended study groups in California and gave talks telling his story, but refused to take on any teaching role. Helen actually began to depreciate the importance of what she had done. As Ken Wapnick observes in Absence from Felicity:<br /><br /><br /><br />Helen and Bill's joining together was essential for this future function, as it was for the scribing of A Course in Miracles, yet these two remarkably faithful and dedicated people chose otherwise. They thus remained estranged from each other until the end, and so what might have been, remained only within the realm of possibility and not actuality. (Absence from Felicity, p. 381) <br /><br />Even so, what they did manage to do together was remarkable. From the simple decision of two people to join in finding a better way to relate to their fellow human beings, A Course in Miracles was born. Through their work, millions of lives have been touched. All of us who have found that better way through walking the path of the Course can only thank Helen and Bill for their priceless gift to the world.

Being a psychologist, she feared for her own sanity. She began talking with Bill about everything that was happening to her.

In 1965, Helen Schucman, a 56-year-old woman, was working as a Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in Ne...

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"Cure" is a word that cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3lBGh8UxowKSXCnJGneal7ZV8kWNZh4ddQ90IWgC0mMhZ3d_wCqBg8doV5C-7hSqvwQQUXR_8013DHqoWbUgqGSgCd82KPHH2hxYC-daFAy5ZcWkp0BvS4rgQAuf4pzGZoqIA37MK6Y9/s1600/1-1-LaetitiaCasta046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc3lBGh8UxowKSXCnJGneal7ZV8kWNZh4ddQ90IWgC0mMhZ3d_wCqBg8doV5C-7hSqvwQQUXR_8013DHqoWbUgqGSgCd82KPHH2hxYC-daFAy5ZcWkp0BvS4rgQAuf4pzGZoqIA37MK6Y9/s320/1-1-LaetitiaCasta046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />"Cure" is a word that cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial. What the world perceives as therapeutic is but what will make the body "better." When it tries to heal the mind, it sees no separation from the body, where it thinks the mind exists. Its forms of healing thus must substitute illusion for illusion. One belief in sickness takes another form, and so the patient now perceives himself as well. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />He is not healed. He merely had a dream that he was sick, and in the dream he found a magic formula to make him well. Yet he has not awakened from the dream, and so his mind remains exactly as it was before. He has not seen the light that would awaken him and end the dream. What difference does the content of a dream make in reality? One either sleeps or wakens. There is nothing in between. <br /><br />Let us not try today to seek to cure what cannot suffer sickness. Healing must be sought but where it is, and then applied to what is sick, so that it can be cured. There is no remedy the world provides that can effect a change in anything. The mind that brings illusions to the truth is really changed. There is no change but this. For how can one illusion differ from another but in attributes that have no substance, no reality, no core, and nothing that is truly different? <br /><br />Today we seek to change our minds about the source of sickness, for we seek a cure for all illusions, not another shift among them. We will try today to find the source of healing, which is in our minds because our Father placed it there for us. It is not farther from us than ourselves. It is as near to us as our own thoughts; so close it is impossible to lose. We need but seek it and it must be found. <br /><br />So do we lay aside our amulets, our charms and medicines, our chants and bits of magic in whatever form they take. We will be still and listen for the Voice of healing, which will cure all ills as one, restoring saneness to the Son of God. No voice but this can cure. Today we hear a single Voice which speaks to us of truth, where all illusions end, and peace returns to the eternal, quiet home of God. <br /><br />With nothing in our hands to which we cling, with lifted hearts and listening minds we pray:</span>

"Cure" is a word that cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial.

"Cure" is a word that cannot be applied to any remedy the world accepts as beneficial. What the world perceives as therapeutic i...

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Ways to Know You Are Living Love

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQRjlOyXf9qRsXb56GedXgJ7kYbGa3fFy2LxWDHck34PZYwLPnH2LcSojTmOIo1PmXCdi8t0t6jADTO2VqU8eM0AYxOUdgSAnZoQDYUVd54aRgZi4RdTpyD8NqUsD1iEKl6eWDMjWHIlh/s1600/1-alyssa15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQRjlOyXf9qRsXb56GedXgJ7kYbGa3fFy2LxWDHck34PZYwLPnH2LcSojTmOIo1PmXCdi8t0t6jADTO2VqU8eM0AYxOUdgSAnZoQDYUVd54aRgZi4RdTpyD8NqUsD1iEKl6eWDMjWHIlh/s320/1-alyssa15.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How do you know if you are living the fullness of love in your life? Here is a short list of indicators that point to whether or not you are living from your heart from moment to moment.<br /><br />I experience periods of courageousness, acceptance and/or peace on a daily basis.<br /><br />I automatically look for the best solution that is mutual to all parties in any circumstance.<br /><br />I spontaneously look for ways to give love to others and to myself whenever I can.<br /><br />I often feel happy for no particular reason.<br /><br />I find myself in a state of acceptance of others´ behavior much of the time.<br /><br />I want for my (partner, spouse, child, etc.) that which they want for themselves.<br /><br />I truly treat others as I desire to be treated.<br /><br />I find it easy to identify with other people´s points of view and circumstances.<br /><br />I practice changing my non-love feelings to love whenever they arise in awareness.<br /><br />I have witnessed the love that I am dissolving problems all around me.</span></span>

Ways to Know You Are Living Love

How do you know if you are living the fullness of love in your life? Here is a short list of indicators that point to whether or not you...

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“It is while trying to get everything straight in my head that I get confused.”

“It is while trying to get everything straight in my head that I get confused.” <br /><br />Mary Virginia Micka

“It is while trying to get everything straight in my head that I get confused.”

“It is while trying to get everything straight in my head that I get confused.” Mary Virginia Micka

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Doctor Emile Coueé made a giant step in helping people improve their lives when he discovered a method which transformed and accelerated the process of change.

His method was so simple that it nobody wanted to believe in it, as is normal for all things new or revolutionary. However, over time his clinic gained such an incredible reputation that it could not be ignored anymore. He was achieving recovery rates 5 times faster than any other similar clinic.<br />All Doctor Coueé did was ask his patients to say: <br /><blockquote>"Every day, in every way, I'm feeling better and better".<br /></blockquote><br /><br />As he asked them to repeat it over and over again, this affirmation entered into their subconscious mind and was eventually accepted as true. As soon as that happened it actually became true.Our subconscious doesn't know right or wrong, real or unreal. And what you think about most is what it believes to be true. As the patience repeated "Every day, in every way, I'm feeling better and better", this statement became a true fact in their life.When you use affirmations with visualizations thie method becomes really powerful and almost instantaneousAlways make sure that affirmations have to be positive, present tense and personal. An affirmation such as "I like myself" is positive, present tense and personal. It is also simple. The simpler, the better.

Doctor Emile Coueé made a giant step in helping people improve their lives when he discovered a method which transformed and accelerated the process of change.

His method was so simple that it nobody wanted to believe in it, as is normal for all things new or revolutionary. However, over time his cl...

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Simple affirmations versus visualizations.

Doctor Emile Coueé made a giant step in helping people improve their lives when he discovered a method which transformed and accelerated the process of change.<br />His method was so simple that it nobody wanted to believe in it, as is normal for all things new or revolutionary. However, over time his clinic gained such an incredible reputation that it could not be ignored anymore. He was achieving recovery rates 5 times faster than any other similar clinic.<br />All Doctor Coueé did was ask his patients to say: "Every day, in every way, I'm feeling better and better". <br /><br />As he asked them to repeat it over and over again, this affirmation entered into their subconscious mind and was eventually accepted as true. As soon as that happened it actually became true.<br />Our subconscious doesn't know right or wrong, real or unreal. And what you think about most is what it believes to be true. As the patience repeated "Every day, in every way, I'm feeling better and better", this statement became a true fact in their life.<br />When you use affirmations with visualizations thie method becomes really powerful and almost instantaneous<br />Always make sure that affirmations have to be positive, present tense and personal. An affirmation such as "I like myself" is positive, present tense and personal. It is also simple. The simpler, the better.

Simple affirmations versus visualizations.

Doctor Emile Coueé made a giant step in helping people improve their lives when he discovered a method which transformed and accelerated the...

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The ‘me’ we think we are, is not who we are. It’s a mistaken identity that we’ll call the ego.

This world is really focused on getting and having. Think about it. As you read this article you most likely feel that you still have some unmet needs. They may be in finances, love, family, career or spiritual development. We all want to get and have, and what we’re accustomed to doing is using our own will to decide exactly what we need and how to get it. But we can’t possibly experience consistent abundance until we’re prepared to take a good look at the cause of all scarcity and pain. It’s not until we discover and undo the original cause that we can truly give or receive. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The ‘me’ we think we are, is not who we are. It’s a mistaken identity that we’ll call the ego. The shocking news is that this identity has no capacity to either give or to receive. Yet we spend our entire lives searching for love and happiness or resisting what we judge as painful. Our existence is spent in pursuit of love, wealth, health, security, status and even spiritual awakening. The ego doesn’t have a clue what’s in our own best interests or anyone else’s. It has no idea of what we need including what will give us true fulfillment but we continue to choose to listen to its voice. So the ego, or the ‘I’, is a ‘will’ that is apart from God. Fear and not love constitutes the basis for all its desires and actions although this is mostly hidden from our awareness until we decide to question it. And the reason that we experience adversity and scarcity is because the ego has a mantra which is ‘seek and do not find’. Sure, you may find the love of your life or the financial security you wanted but eventually the ego must sabotage it and usually does so unconsciously, making it appear as if you’re the victim. <br /><br /><br /><br />The unconscious ego is at work in nearly every decision we make. So, if we’re trying to give or receive through this uninvestigated self then all we’re really doing is acting from an unconscious denial in the form of a conscious request. And then we wonder why we experience inconsistent peace and suffering. Who we are beneath this self we think of as me, is infinitely greater than our wildest imaginings. We cannot consistently experience <br /><br /><br /><br />Who we really are and therefore the Real world, until we undo the one block to It’s presence. And that’s the ego. Divine providence is Who you are! And the idea of there being any lack or suffering in your life is directly caused by your unconscious beliefs and values. The ego with all its personal and collective beliefs is an illusion seeming real and it’s not until you question this illusion that you’ll be able to experience the Divine Providence that you are. <br /><br /><br /><br />Most of what we create and value here at the level of form (ego) is unconsciously born from fear. Even our love for partners, children and parents is motivated by a need for approval, validation, acceptance, comfort, etc. It’s all based on lack or scarcity. We really don’t know what real love is. We think we know based on the personal and collective ego’s fear-based perception. We know nothing in truth. And we won’t know anything until we’re prepared to let Spirit in to undo all our mistaken beliefs. It can be quite a ride but in the end it’s the only ride in this universe worth taking. <br /><br /><br /><br />Our Original State <br /><br /><br /><br />Our original state before the separation was one of Divine providence. Created from and within infinite loving Oneness, we had no needs, no scarcity and no suffering. In fact we still remain in a state of Divine providence; it’s just that we’re dreaming that we made a will that is apart from God complete with time, space and separate bodies; a dream of birth and death, of pain and conflict and constant change. But God is infinite and unchanging love with no opposite. Fear being the opposite of love cannot exist except in a dream, the one we’re having now. <br /><br /><br /><br />And it’s not about making this dream work or trying to fix the dream. This is a trap that we often fall into especially along the spiritual path. With all good intent we try to spiritualize this dream by introducing spiritual concepts to make it seem like a happier and more loving dream. While that’s ok it still doesn’t address the core question that we all face; just ‘who’ is directing all this? The answer is the spiritual ego of course. We cannot truly love, or receive through the ego. Remember, any form or feeling of scarcity, whether it be in love, purpose or finances, comes from the ego and not Spirit. The time has come for us to wake-up from the dream. <br /><br /><br /><br />The Spiritual journey is not about acquiring more knowledge, abilities or skills. It’s about unlearning all we think we are and know. The perception we have of ourselves, others and the world we live in comes from one source and this one only; the ego. Now the ego, being a will apart from God, projects this entire reality, right down to the separate bodies we appear to inhabit. It makes sure our attention is always turned outward to get all its needs met. It will never let us know that it caused this dream by projecting it outward making it appear that we’re the victims of the world we see. It wants us to believe that we’re all separate and that the world is being done to us and not by us. For example if someone offends you the ego will take offense convinced that another caused you suffering. It won’t let you see that whoever upset you is simply mirroring your own denied unconscious guilt and is a projection coming from your own mind. We’re all one. There’s only ever one of us in this dream so the quicker we forgive error in another, the faster we undo the mass of unconscious guilt we harbor within. Whatever you give to a seeming other you give to yourself. There’s only one Holy Self of which we are all part and there’s only one ego appearing as many. <br /><br /><br /><br />Awakening to Divine Providence <br /><br /><br /><br />Awakening is undoing the block to the awareness of Loves’ presence. And in relinquishing our mistaken identity we come to develop increasing trust in Divine Will. In fact we’re beginning to remember that we are Divine Will and that the egos’ will only delivers pain. We forgive, we question every belief and value and we find that what we valued previously all arose from fear and not love at all. We willingly relinquish anything that’s valueless and we learn through experiencing this that nothing at all was sacrificed. Indeed we lost nothing yet gained an increasing experience of peace and security. Love begins to be known. And we learn that the ego’s insatiable need to have, to become and to avoid was all a giant cover-up to obscure the love that we are and always have been. We discover that real love can only be known and received through extending (giving) it. What we give, we receive. We learn to extend/give despite feeling unloving, tired, frustrated, angry, lost or depressed. True extension involves forgiveness, allowing, surrender, authenticity and unconditional acceptance. We see seeming adversity in a new light, one that’s free of the ego’s fear, denial and avoidance. Seeing now that all change is helpful, we embrace the principle that Divine providence acts out in all ways even in those people or situations that press our buttons. We see that love is indiscriminant and ever increasing as we embrace the value of forgiveness. <br /><br /><br /><br />And what a contrast to the ego’s idea of love! It has it all upside down. The ego believes that we need to ‘get’ love, happiness, wealth or security. No amount of ‘getting’ or ‘seeking’ will ever increase our sense of worthiness or security. It’s only in giving what we most believe we need that we learn we always had it. Love can never be lost and it can never diminish. This is what we live to experience. <br /><br /><br /><br />And for those of us who feel fear at the thought of losing their ego? You’ll be relieved to hear that not all the ego need be annihilated. A thread remains, however this thread is gladly abdicated to the Universal Inspirations Will. We recognize that we no longer wish to cling to a will that operates apart from God and we happily relinquish control and suffering. A Course in Miracles calls this time of awakened consciousness, The Happy Dream. And it doesn’t end here; it’s only just beginning!

The ‘me’ we think we are, is not who we are. It’s a mistaken identity that we’ll call the ego.

This world is really focused on getting and having. Think about it. As you read this article you most likely feel that you still have some u...

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The Drunkard Disciple

<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zen_master_George_Bowman_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Zen master George Bowman 2" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted zemanta-img-configured" height="467" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Zen_master_George_Bowman_2.jpg/350px-Zen_master_George_Bowman_2.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />A Zen master had hundreds of disciples. They all prayed at the right time, except one, who was always drunk. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The master was growing old. Some of the more virtuous pupils began to wonder who would be the new leader of the group, the one who would receive the important secrets of the Tradition.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />On the eve of his death, however, the master called the drunkard disciple and revealed the hidden secrets to him. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A veritable revolt broke out among the others. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />“How shameful!” they cried in the streets, “We have sacrificed ourselves for the wrong master, one who can’t see our qualities.”<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hearing the commotion outside, the dying master remarked, “I had to pass on these secrets to a man that I knew well. All my pupils are very virtuous, and showed only their qualities. That is dangerous, for virtue often serves to hide vanity, pride and intolerance. That is why I chose the only disciple whom I know really well, since I can see his defect: drunkenness.”</span>

The Drunkard Disciple

A Zen master had hundreds of disciples. They all prayed at the right time, except one, who was always drunk. The master was growing old. S...

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