Spiritual Experience

Now on page 567;

II – Spiritual Experience

“The terms ’spiritual experience’ and ’spiritual awakening’ are used many times in this book which upon careful reading, shows that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many different forms.”

My best friend and I were having a discussion about recovery yesterday (which we do on a daily basis). Lonnie has 11 years and is in the phase where some things he witnesses exasperate him. Understandable, to me. In this specific instance, I’ve seen it now for years. It has become “normal” to have the awareness that one of the best kept secrets in Alcoholics Anonymous is our Big Book. Folks simply don’t read it.

The challenge? These same folks bring their “intelligence” into the rooms of AA and spew that all over newcomers and oldtimers alike. Unfortunately what they are really doing is spreading their opinion, not the facts of recovery. When you’ve heard it over and over, it can become exasperating. Yet, it is normal in the sense that it is what we do! I did it too…

We brought up the Third Step at our meeting last night and I couldn’t help but wonder how all these folks, I mean all, had been able to take their Third Step and finish it! Oy Vey!!!

“Though it was not our intention to create such an impression, many alcoholics have nevertheless concluded that in order to recover they must acquire an immediate and overwhelming “God-consciousness” followed at once by a vast change in feeling and outlook.”

Thankfully, the book changes very little and this passage remains intact.

“Most of our experiences are what the psychologist William James calls the “educational variety” because they develop slowly over a period of time.”

It is my hope that the majority of the folks I heard last night stick around and learn through long term experience. It is also my hope that they crack open the damn book!!!