Fellowship of the spirit conference at St. John's University in New York, NY

Care enough to ask people that are dying.

Ask yourself, do you care whether Alcoholics and addicts continue to live and die? Do you care whether they die? Do you care whether you die?

Do your amends have anything to do with drinking again? Does this current list of unmanageability have any connection to a drink? Do the areas where I'm running my life on self will have anything to do with me taking a drink? And if they don't, if these lists, this list of current unmanageability, this list of current agnosticism? Man came to our Group One time in Santa Monica. Great guy,

you'd heard of him. Big book stuff. Does the one through 9 on a regular basis?

Young girl in our group raised her hand, she said. Could you tell us about the last time you went through the steps, the current unmanageability, the current agnosticism that you discovered?

He said. Current agnosticism. Not only do I not know what you're talking about, I was only agnostic once and that's when I got here. How could there possibly be any current agnosticism? But you won't be able to see the current agnosticism if you don't get that list of current unmanageability, the manifestations of 52.

And let me share an experience I had with the chapter to the agnostic that blew my mind.

The first proposition in the second step is, do you now believe or are you even willing to believe that there is a power greater than yourself? A lot of people think the first consideration in the chapter to the agnostic, the first half of Step 2 that we call it, is do you now believe in a power greater than yourself? Like you take step one, you get to the first half of Step 2 and you're supposed to have some great belief in a power greater than yourself. It's not. It says do you? It could be as it could be

for the guy with two days they were doing it back. When do you now believe, or are you even willing to believe that there is a power greater than yourself? If they have any kind of first step experience, they got to know there must be something or they're screwed. You're going to come to believe in God the first time through the work, the same way you came to believe in booze and drugs. Let me say that again. You come to believe in God the same way you came to believe in booze. How'd you be? How'd you come to believe in booze? Did you ever get absolute faith

booze by watching somebody else get drunk? No. Did you ever have faith in booze by looking at it through the window of the liquor store? No. So how'd you come to believe in booze? And if you're like me, it became a power greater than yourself. Some new idiot says I'm having trouble believing in a power greater than myself. My God, you've had a power greater than yourself in your life that you put before every single person and every single thing, including your own life.

You've had experience with a power greater than yourself,

so how'd you come to believe in booze? I saw that it worked in others. I made a decision that wasn't enough because deciding to grit drunk never got me drunk. I had to get up, put one foot in front of the other, take some action, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I got some results. Then I had faith in booze. Same process in this book. You see that it works in others. You make a decision at step three. You take some action in four through 9, which is the same as walking to the liquor store,

and then you come to believe in booze. You come to believe in God the same way you came to believe in alcohol.

So I get to that first consideration in Step 2. Do I now believe and I have some time now, do I now believe or am I even willing to believe that there is a power greater than myself? That question will do nothing for anybody who's had some time or done some work. Course you do. But if you add 1 little thing to that question, to that consideration, to that one short question they say we need to ask ourselves, it'll make it as relevant to you the second time as if it's your 50th time through the.

And here's how it goes. Based on what I've seen in step one, do I now believe or am I even willing to believe that this power that I say that I believe in can take me past where I am with every area I've seen on page 52, including freedom from alcohol, that I might not even know how it would feel

past here, past here. Because what you're facing in the second step and what you're going to face in the inventory if you've been around for a while,

is not what you do when you're powerless over alcohol with an unmanageable life. You're going to be facing what the fuck you do with power,

with manageability, with the grace and glory of God in your life, and you're going to write about those times you thought you were so clear in 1011 and 12 wasn't nothing touching you. You give yourself to 1-2 and three again and it does its magic and all of a sudden, Gee, there ain't going to be much of an inventory. I've been in India for the last three years, been studying with so and so and such and such. How big could the inventory be? Could I really owe that many amends? I'm a pretty spiritual guy. Set aside. Prayer opens you up.

1-2 and Three does its magic. And every time I've started the work, my head says the set aside prayer ain't gonna work. Haven't I risen up a little bit higher than the set aside prayer? Where? I mean, I know prayers in other languages. I know mantras. I know how to use a mala. I know this and that. The set aside prayers not gonna work. There's not gonna be much new in 1-2 and three for me. This is my mind. 3IN March, when I asked Mark to take me through to help me,

there's not gonna be much of an inventory and there certainly won't be very many amends. And isn't it great when you're surprised by not only the process,

but you know how you know when God's in your life? When you're surprised by your life too.

If somebody would have told you where you were at a year ago, where you're at now, and it's pretty much the same. You got to ask yourself some basic questions. But if somebody would have told you where you were at five years ago, where you were going to be today, and it's an absolute surprise because you know how you know, you know how you know when God's working in your life, when you feel lucky, you know how you feel when God's not working in your life, unlucky. And you know how it feels to feel lucky.

You're surprised, you're passionate, you're awake, you're feeling great about what's going on in your life.

And then you hit a wall and you've done some work and you're wondering why. And you ain't talking about the amends that weren't finished or you have finished amends and you hit a new wall. It's like, do some work, get a power, come to the new wall. It's just a new wall. Hello, new wall. Am I going to go around you? Am I going to just sit at the base of you? I'm going to stay on this side of it. Or am I going to ask God to take me through the new wall? And you'll see the new wall in the list of the current unmanageability, the manifestations of page 52, which will

your agnosticism. So if you've been around and you get to that question, do you now believe, are you even willing to believe that there is a power greater than yourself? And it's a stupid question because you know, there is add to it that can take me past here, here, this stuff that I've located the first step has located me here I am. Do I believe this power that I say have I have so much faith in can take me past where I am?

How you going to work with that?

Go through every because the logical mind would say, now that you've answered that or the way to answer that consideration would be to go home and see how much faith you got. Build that faith up. See how much you got. No, you're going to find that if you know how, if you got the right question, the chapter will do this. And here's what you do with that first consideration about past here. Go through the chapter. Mark every word or statement or question or anything that strikes you that would help you face where you don't believe,

doubt, skepticism,

worship of things, people, sentiment, money, yourself, your mind. And even with a better motive, there's stuff that's holding you back. The sea, the sunset, a flower, the box that I put God into as my choice of being everything last time because the box gotten a little small because it was my conception of everything. What about coming to the next proposition? God is everything or nothing without fear and with no size to the container. Because every time, for many, many times

work, I chose God is everything. But I built the container that everything meant.

Could God have had something to do with September 11th? Absolutely not. That's the devil. It's evil. Boom, September 11th started with September 11th. We had no responsibility. Our troubles were of their making. On and on and on. Could there be a bigger picture that God is either everything or is nothing? Now, how am I going to approach that with stuff going on in the world? Maybe there's a bigger picture. Maybe there's such a thing as what goes around

comes around.

We all understand that from the streets. Anybody in New York knows what goes around comes around. Where I come from, they happen to call it karma. For every action, there's a reaction right there. Ain't no guy up there with a million tentacles, one attached to each of you, answering the phone, answering your prayers. I believe there's an energy in this universe that underlies the totality thing. From the book Creative Intelligence of the Universe. Underline the totality of things that set up some specific laws.

You live by the laws, you live well. You don't live by the laws, you don't live well. I haven't been hurt physically. I've never been punched. I've never been in jail, I've never been in a police car, and I've never been back to the penitentiary. And I've never been ripped off in 20 years. And before that, I was ripped off, punched, pistol whipped in jail, in the penitentiary. And that didn't change because alcohol went out of my system,

changed because I got the power to start living from my heart the way I always wanted to.

So you make the consideration past here. Is there more? You face the doubt and the prejudice and the current agnosticism you have about it. You write that list out and you say, my God, it's the same stuff I wrote out as my list of the current unmanageability.

Then how do you get from that to choosing everything or nothing? Go back through the chapter in another color and see the words or phrases or statements that are like more positive

that make you feel a little more comfortable that take you from that. As soon as a man can say is willing is well on his way. As soon as prejudice is laid aside, boom, the cornerstone What what statements or words, what things can I consider that would take me past my doubt? But you got to see the current agnosticism to get past it. How you going to get past what you don't see? God don't take you past what you don't see. He's not that rude and he doesn't come unless he's invited first. Spiritual principle of

God ain't rude. He only comes when he's invited because of his love,

not because of his choosiness.

Not gonna pick you. You're not calling me the right. If we had to call the God the right name to get here when we were new, a lot of us would be in trouble because I called him some names.

No, you got to call him the right name. No, you don't drop the name. Well, what's the name? That's my conception. That's my conscious contact. How you going to take away my conscious contact? Face the doubt. How much did you believe when you got to the second time? Second step this time? This much the book says. Well, maybe this much is about money, people, things, sentiment,

memory, fond memories, emotion. And you see, it locates you just as much as step one located you.

Then you make your choice.

Yes, I choose everything and I'm going to, I'm going to drop my conception about the container and I can do that from the Abcs, I can do it forwards, I can do it backwards. I'm having trouble with inventory. I go from the ABC's through the first. Am I convinced through the 1st requirement my life run on my will

through the third step decision,

reaffirm the decision. Boom, I'm backing inventory can do it forwards, I can do it backwards.

How about those that want to go to lunch and stay and and come back at 2:00? Feel free those that want to take a 10 minute break and ask any questions. Let's say between 1-2 and three steps

come back. We'll answer questions until 12:30 and then we'll have lunch until two. But let's keep the questions at 12 to steps 1-2 and three this afternoon. We'll talk about four through 9.

We're going to have, we're going to have more time over the weekend to, to entertain questions.

We're spending the entire afternoon on 4:00 and 9:00,

so I wanted to ask a question of the group before we ask for questions from you

with a raise of hands. And think about it for a moment. How many people in the room? Their number one priority is to stay sober.

Staying sober is your number one priority. How many?

Isn't that interesting?

There's no right answer, but let me raise a consideration. Isn't it interesting that if your number one priority is to stay sober, you've just made your number one priority the only thing you can't do?

How many people in the room is their number one priority to seek that which is keeping them sober?

It's very subtle, but it's very profound because I'll tell you what, if this is a bottle of alcohol and I'm putting all my effort into keeping myself from this bottle of alcohol, you know what? I stay focused on the problem, the problem, alcohol, keeping myself from drinking. And if this is God,

but once I have a first step and I say and I see there's nothing I can do without God to keep myself from drinking, then my number one priority is to seek that which is already keeping me sober.

So questions on 1/2 and three

and these.

See, I think it'd be nice if you'd come up and ask your question. I'd like to get the questions on tape. They can ask and we can repeat. OK, go ahead, ma'am.

To this, the question was what's the difference between being driven and spiritually motivated?

I'll give you an assignment. First of all, look up the word driven so that you understand what the word means.

Really, I don't know if there's any difference. Now being driven by self will, if you look up that word which you cannot understand, is there's no choice.

Driven by self will is the question.

My experience is. My experience is no. Your head is already in the Tiger's mouth and you can't speed it up and you can't slow it down. Go along for the ride

and does it really make any difference

based on the results and the effect and knowing God? And

the only thing I would say, as long as you're clear on who the driver is

next, Danny,

I was approached

to go through the steps again. However,

9 continuously

following through with the amends, making appointments.

And I'm struggling with the idea whether step 1-2 and three again for the process will enhance where I'm at,

bringing me back to a place to avoid where I am. Danny asked that he was approached to go through the steps again. But he's in nine and they're flowing. And would one through 8 take away from that movement or add to it? I would say,

who approached you to go through the work again? I mean, why did somebody approach you to go through the steps again? Did you approach someone or did someone approach you?

My sponsor who is taking me through 9

to get to know me, he wanted to go back.

That's a little different, his sponsor suggested. Since he's come from treatment, He comes from treatment in nine. He's getting to know a new sponsor here. His sponsor suggests to get to get that foundation, that connection together to do one through 8,

let him get back into amends.

My God, I don't know if it was me. And I would say if the power is there to continue making amends, you can review 1-2 and three at any time to enhance that. If the power runs out to continue amends and they're not flowing, you'll be driven back to one through 8.

Yeah, I would say the same thing. I would continue making amends. Take it into prayer and meditation, and you can always review the first three steps or maybe some more inventory. You're going to be doing a lot of inventories over the years, but keep your focus on the ninth step.

There's a question.

Hi, Tracy,

She said resentment is the number one offender. It kills more Alcoholics than anything else, including alcohol. God makes that possible. How does he make that possible

is your the phrase God makes that possible is prior to the discussion about resentments. You got two separate issues here. Book says resemblance. The number one offender kills more Alcoholics than anything else is your question. How is it that God allows that? Is that what your question is

behind the resentment?

No, that that sentence is behind this idea that you got to get rid of your selfishness.

Inventory is the vehicle to get rid of that selfishness.

They're in two different places in the book. You're putting God makes that possible behind resentments kill more Alcoholics than anything else. God makes that possible is where it says our troubles we think are basically our own making. They arise out of ourselves and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so. Above everything, Alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must be rid of this selfishness or it kills us. God makes that.

They're talking about selfishness. Resentment is the number one offender. It destroys more Alcoholics than anything else. From resentment stems all form of spiritual disease. It's like Mark said, it's two different things. God makes it possible to get free of selfishness by by removing it,

by giving you the power to move past it, to live unselfishly. God makes it power possible

by removing the things that block you from more power to live unselfishly.

Hi Kel,

she's in the work for the first time. She's only on one very first assignment which is to read the 1st 164 pages. Is it possible for her to work on her resentments?

For instance? What's

She's developed a resentment while working on step one.

Nobody can relate to that one.

Well, you got a million other ones, darling. So stay focused on the assignment. Stay focused on 1/2 and three. The power will be there to move you through the resentment inventory.

You can't work on your resentments.

She was one of the people that raised her hand last night when we asked who still believes they have a choice whether they drink again or not. She has a problem with that because she still thinks she has a choice.

Let me read something to you

on

There's two actually two areas.

So on page 24,

and they're talking to you and I about the state you're in now, which is you're sober.

The fact is that most Alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure meaning we don't know, have lost the power of choice in drink

sober.

And now it's going to tell you why you've lost the power of choice and drink.

Because our so-called willpower, which is by the way, where choice comes from, becomes practically non-existent,

were unable comma at certain times,

to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink.

There isn't anywhere in this book where you can show me where it says I was. I'm given the power of choice. Now, when you get to the 10th step,

that's where you're told some very interesting things. But the power of choice

being given back to you is not discussed in there. It says that you have ceased fighting anything or anybody, dash, even alcohol, that you've now been restored to sanity, that you've been placed in a position of neutrality, that it was a miracle, it was a gift, and that the problem has been removed

because in a fit spiritual condition, there's about as much choice to drink as there was to not drink in an unfit spiritual condition. So let me ask you this. Is there any choice, once you put alcohol in your system, over how much you're going to drink when you stop drinking? Is there any choice about how long you're going to be able to keep yourself stopped? Then where's the choice?

She doesn't have one. Yeah. But what's great is, is I think it's great that you're willing to challenge these belief systems. I read at the very beginning, a lot of what Joe and I are trying to do here is make you all begin to challenge some of these belief systems and start asking yourself, where are they coming from? And that's why I said to you, don't let anyone read your big book. Your belief system is not consistent with this big book at all.

Does that make sense? How long since your last drink?

16 months. Did you choose a God that you want that would give you a choice to drink again?

What's your will? Where alcohol is concerned? What's your will

to drink? What are you doing? What do you decide in step three to turn your will over? A lot of people think the third step is turning their will in their life over to the care of God. If that was it, there'd only be three steps. The third step is not turning your will in your life over the care of God. Four through 9 is turning your will and your life over the care of God.

But if you've done that, if you've given your will in your life to God, where's the choice?

My will is to drink.

Have I taken the action necessary to turn my will and my life over based on the decision I made in Step 3?

Next?

My name is Marty. I'm selfish to son of self seeking and afraid. Welcome.

She asks. She's asking Mark to respond to his comment about don't let anybody read your big book for you.

How do you work with somebody based on that principle you spoke of?

We answer some questions before we ever open the book

that we've talked about. And then from there we're going to open and we're going to start on the blank page and then move to the title page. And we're going to go through the book and when the book gives us an instruction, we're going to do it. That's how I work with someone.

Pardon me,

It goes back and forth. He meant don't do the work. Don't let anybody do the work for you. But I meant more than that. And I I meant also the the young lady shared she had a belief system. She has the power of choice. That is not consistent with the book. It's not in the book. She has that belief system because she's letting someone else read her big book for it. This is life and death stuff. Don't let anyone read your big book. These people say, well, you can't make all your amends. It is not consistent with

or I, I'm I'm not going to do meditation is too fluffy. It's not consistent with the book. He means like when people quote the book, they'll say, you know that part in the book where it says today you'll have a choice and you can work on your character defects. That's letting somebody else read your big book. Just don't drink, go to meetings. It's not the book. You'll never recover. Where's that? That's what I mean by that. So many people miss out on so much

of what this program can offer because they let other people read the big book for them because, and you know why we do that?

It's an easier, softer way.

First thing my sponsor said to me about this 20 years ago was use it as a bullshit sifter.

Are arriving, you hear different things.

She asked. When you're new and you're hearing a lot of confusing things and you hear

a slogan like I, I came, I came, I came to, I came to believe.

How is that consistent to letting someone else interpret it for you? I think Mark would say the same thing. So would I. Where does it say that in here?

Yeah. And not only that, I did not come to AEI was brought to a A by a power kicking, screaming. I did not come to a A you know, I did not come to. I was sound asleep dreaming. I was awake for at least two years. I I got awakened through probably a series of events and I came to have an experience. In other words, again, it's just cute little stuff that

I mean, if it works, I that's wonderful.

See, I, I, you know, I've shared some stories. I bury a lot of people, you know, I so am I kind of a hardliner? If it's not in the book? It ain't Yeah, Yeah. You know, I'm not interested in your program. I'm interested in the program. Follow me. I'm not interested in your sponsors program. I'm interested in the program is outlined the big book. Why? Because it's a deadly fatal illness and it kills and kills every time. So,

you know, I, I'm in a position neutrality with all that. But again,

I, I just have my own experiences over the, you know, over the years. And if I get, if it ain't, if it ain't in there, it ain't, then what I'm just getting is some, some opinion. And I understand it's an opinion. The tragedy is though, there's a lot of people in a a that don't believe it's an opinion. They believe it's a fact. They believe it's out of the big book. So then they develop a belief system and then somebody comes along who's got experience with the book and, and they assassinate their character and call them a big book thumper.

Has anybody ever seen the arrogance of

I can't, he can. I think I'll let him. Oh, isn't that a nice thing? I think I'll let God,

my God,

we're, we're the only group. Well, we're not the only group, but it's very prevalent in our group. We have the subject objects confused.

Who's God and who's the drunk?

In the third step, you're going to make a decision to turn your will and life over to that which created your will and life.

The subject object. They're a little confused. You follow me. Oh, we're going to let God do all this stuff. Oh, isn't that sweet? My spirit started to have a problem with the first line of the third step. God, Ioffer myself to thee. Wow,

that which created me, that which gives me each breath, each thought, each emotion. I'm going to offer myself to thee.

Gee, that's a nice thing for me to do, isn't it?

How about this one? A. A is a selfish program.

I think it's one of the most selfless programs for some of the most selfish people in the world.

It's a selfless program, right?

See, this morning, you know, Mike and Ken and I were, you know, we were running, we were talking about this and

Mike had made a statement of something effective. Like, you know, someone asked him, why do you keep going to those and these kind of things like this? And I said to Mike, that's because that person thinks that you're involved with some decision to come to a thing like this. I said, Mike, I said, you know, I, I, I love where I live. I love what I do. I, I, I like to run in this beautiful trail that I can run on. Instead, I'm in a cramped, tiny little room at the Marriott, you know, and running on a treadmill looking at

and, you know, I got three hours sleep. I said, who in God's name would choose to come and do this? You understand the point I'm trying to make. It is a selfless program. See one of the third step considerations. Am I willing to live life on terms other than my own?

Another consideration we didn't mention around playing God. Here's a great one said to me, given to me once. If you had something to do with your own creation, wouldn't you have done a little better job than God?

Any more questions?

Yes, it seems like we straight off the topic of the first three steps. I want to ask one question that kind of disturbed me.

Could you please elaborate on your comment about comma and stuff?

He he asked me to elaborate on my comment about karma and September 11th.

I think for every action there's a reaction. And I think our country has taken some actions that brought a reaction. I don't think September 11th began September 11th. I think our troubles over our own making. I think

we've done some stuff in other countries.

I'll give you a quote from the Dalai Lama.

He said. And he's a very compassionate person. He said America needs to take the responsibility and admit that they were a part of bringing it on by not responding when it happened to others and doing it to others.

I think what goes around comes around. I think there's a bigger design than we see. I think there's a wheel of life that explains to me why a baby, an innocent child is born and dies two days later.

There was something needed to be burned off and that's all they had to do to go on to the next thing. One day, two days, do this, take a couple breaths and boom, you're going to be in the next one. I think if there wasn't this wheel of life, this karmic law in effect, we wouldn't be here because the planet would have been full a long time ago if all it was. It was about God's love. And you'll live forever and nothing will ever go wrong. Paradise on earth.

It's just not that way. You want to talk about the power resentment? Bin Laden to do him good? To write some four column inventory.

I, I mean this I, I was talking to Pelham and I realized 911 happened behind the resentment.

It happened behind the resentment column one US of a column two, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Third column. This is how there this is how they affect me. Wow. I'll I'll tell you something though, and it's not stuff that we should really be getting into, but I'll tell you

to think that the Muslim religion is filled with fanatics.

I'll tell you this. There's about as many religious fanatics in the Muslim religion as there is in the Christian religion.

There's great Christians, there's wonderful Christians. We know some of the stuff going on in Christianity nowadays. Atrocious, unforgivable, sinful stuff, probably forgivable by God. I'm not God. Some of the things they're debating now should not even be considered to be debated. If you did it, if I did it, there would be no debate. Here's one of the things I love. Some agency gets in trouble,

they go to the court or whatever the Supreme Court, and they say,

now here's what we'll do. We'll make a thorough investigation of our agency and we'll get back to you. Now imagine me going to court and saying to the judge charged with whatever. Let me tell you, Judge, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make a thorough investigation and I'll get back to you in a couple months. Right,

questions on 1st 3 steps. We got time for a couple more.

He's asking when the book promises that we will recover from a hopeless state of mind and body

alcoholism.

Does it mean much more?

Chosen precisely how we recovered from our

ivory,

right? I've recovered from a hopeless state of mind and body because I'm not craving booze and I'm not obsessed about it today. That's the hopeless state of mind and body. There's a lot that's going to go on after that. There's a lot of things to continue to grow in. But as far as alcoholism, a hopeless state of mind and body, the craving and the obsession, I'm in a recovered state.

Do we reach some state of perfection? No, we're not Saints.

We're willing to grow along spiritual lines, right?

I wonder how many of us, though, ever work with that line. We claim spiritual progress. We always say it's not about perfection, it's about progress. But how do you, in a humble way, claim spiritual progress? You share the miracles. You share the miracles in your life. You give hope to the new man. What hope could I give to somebody in this room that I met at the break that has two days? If I said to you that I'm still powerless over alcohol and my life is unmanageable, where

the hope be that you'll always be recovering, that you're not going to have power in your life to make decisions along specific lines. You're not going to be able to have a manageable life. Something's not going to stay between you and alcohol. That you're not given the power to help others, that you're not given a willpower. You can exercise along specific lines all that you wish. Where would the hope be? Because I want to remain irresponsible and say to you, hey, I'm powerless over alcohol and my life's unmanageable. What can you expect from me?

One more question,

she's asking what we mean when we define by the word spiritual consent. Yeah, there's there's two spiritual laws I'll work with.

One is the spiritual law of caring.

I do not help Alcoholics who show me through a course of action they don't care about themselves.

However, if they show me through a course of action they're willing to take, they do, then I must be there with them and I will be.

Spiritual consent is this.

It is where you have given me permission

to come into your life. Much like when it talks about in the chapter Working with Others. Both you and the Newman walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. But I only work with people who've given me spiritual consent.

And by that I mean what they're saying to me is you have, I have just given you consent to say anything to me at any time about any form of my behavior.

That's what I mean by spiritual consent. And we can add to that principle he mentioned first the principle of caring. The principle of caring goes like this, and many of you have seen it. If you don't care, I can't. You can try to convince yourself you do. You can try to believe you do. But if the new guy doesn't care, you can't. And if he does care, you can't not care.

Let's have some lunch.

2:00

Good afternoon.

My name is Joe. I'm an alcoholic,

we thought, Mark. We wanted to start with a thought and maybe a little silence.

This reading is called Compassion

Says Once you've seen the face of God, you see that same face on everyone that you meet.

The true God has no face,

the true God has no name. But we cannot identify with that until we're of a very high level of insight. Until then, the gods with faces and the gods with names are still more worthy of veneration study than the illusions of the world. With long and sincere training, it is possible to see the face of God holiness. Is it not about scientific objectivity?

It is about a deep and clear recognition of the true nature of life. Your attitude toward your God will be different than anyone else's God.

Divinity is a reflection of your own understanding.

If your experience differs from others, that does not invalidate your sense of godliness.

You will have no doubts after you have seen. Knowing God is the source of compassion in our lives, we realize that our separation from others is artificial. We are neither separate from other people nor from God. It is only our own egotism that leads us to define ourselves as individuals. In fact, a direct experience of God is a direct experience of the utter universality of life.

If we allow it to change our way of thinking, we will understand our essential oneness with all things. How does God look? Once you see God and know God, you will see that same face on every person that you meet. How about we take a couple minutes and do a meditation,

Ask the God of our understanding to open our minds and hearts and provide us with some energy

for this afternoon and allow us to have some some fun and lightness with this incredible thing called life

without. Without opening your eyes, staying in that place,

which is the place

truth comes from, where God is both in and outside of you, all around you. I would like to do just a short guided meditation on the pertinent points that we've covered.

Is this work, as outlined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, what I want to do?

Am I willing to go to any length, even though I may not know what that might look like,

to do this work and to seek God's will?

Why? Why do I need to do this work,

and why would the group or person that I've chosen

Am I willing to look at and begin to admit the areas of my life where I'm being dishonest with myself

and others?

Am I willing to ask that which I believe in, in my own way, from my own heart,

for an open mind and a new experience with the things that I would like to have an open mind and a new experience with?

Do I believe this book is laid out to show other Alcoholics precisely how to recover,

and that that's the main purpose of this book?

Am I willing to admit from where I am now that in and of myself without God that I am nothing

and that without God I'm lost?

Does my experience abundantly confirm that once I put alcohol and or drugs into my system, something happens where I lose control over the amount once I start?

Am I willing to look at that with alcohol?

Am I willing to look at that with drugs

or whatever my problem might be,

whatever the symptoms of my problem might be,

these are the symptoms. But it's very important to have a clear first half of step one.

If I'm scattered with many, many issues and many, many problems, I will continue to feel scattered. I should start with my primary

symptom.

Am I willing to ask God to help me fully concede to my innermost self

the truth of my first step?

Am I convinced that

I am not like other people?

Or presently,

has that idea been smashed that drunk or sober,