The Tablemate was an early A.A. set of beginners lessons entitled ‘Alcoholics Anonymous: An Interpretation of the Twelve Steps,’ put out in the form of a little pamphlet. It was (and still is) the most successful set of A.A. beginners lessons ever devised.

And I’m drawing content from the Hindsfoot site, laboriously prepared by Glenn C. and others… We moved into Discussion No. 3: Inventory and Restitution Part I then Inventory and Restitution Part II, Inventory and Restitution Part III, and now, Discussion No. 4 – Active Work.

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Step No. 12.  Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

This step logically separates into three parts:

1. The Spiritual Experience

The terms “spiritual experience” and “spiritual awakening” used here and in the book Alcoholics Anonymous mean (upon careful reading)

that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many forms.

Do NOT get the impression that these personality changes or spiritual experiences must be in the nature of sudden and spectacular upheavals. Happily for everyone, this conclusion is erroneous. Among our rapidly growing membership of thousands of alcoholics such transformations, though frequent, are by no means the rule.

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

Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before he is himself. The new man gradually realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life – - that such a change could hardly have been brought about by himself alone. What often takes place in a few months could seldom have been accomplished by years of self-discipline. With few exceptions our members find that they have tapped an unsuspected inner resource which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves.

Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problem in the light of our experience can recover provided he does not close his mind to all spiritual concepts. He can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial.

We find that no one need have difficulty with the spiritual side of the program. Willingness, Honesty, and Open-Mindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable.

2. Carry the Message to Others

This means exactly what it says. Carry the message actively. Bring it to the man who needs it. We do it in many ways:

1. By attending every meeting of our own group.
2. By making calls when asked.
3. By speaking at group meetings when asked.
4. By supporting our group financially to make group meetings possible.
5. By assisting at meetings when asked.
6. By setting a good example of complete sobriety.
7. By owning, and loaning to new men, our own copy of the Big A.A. Book.
8. By encouraging those who find the way difficult.
9. By serving as an officer or on group committees or special assignments when asked.
10. By doing all of the foregoing cheerfully and willingly.
11. We do any or all of the foregoing at some sacrifice to ourselves with definite thought of developing unselfishness in our own character.

3. We Practice These Principles in All Our Affairs

This last part of the Twelfth Step is the real purpose that all of the twelve steps lead to – - a new way of life, a design for living. It shows how to live rightly, think rightly and to achieve happiness. How do we go about it?

1. We resolve to live our life one day at a time – - just twenty-four hours.
2. We pray each day for guidance that day.
3. We pray each night – - thanks for that day.
4. We resolve to keep our heads and to forego any anger, no matter what situation arises.
5. We are patient.
6. We keep calm, relaxed.
7. Now and most important: whatever little ordinary situations as well as big situations arise, we look at them calmly and fairly, with an open mind, then act on them in exact accordance with the simple true principles that A.A. has taught and will teach us.

In other words, our sobriety is only a correction of our worst and most evident faults. Our living each day according to the principles of A.A. will also correct all of our other lesser faults and will gradually eliminate, one by one, all of the defects in our character that cause frictions, discontents, and unhappy rebellious moods that lead right back to our very chief fault of drinking.

Post from: Blisstree

The Tablemate – Discussion No. 4 Active Work

“In the course of writing my two latest A.A. History titles – The Conversion of Bill W. and Introduction to The Sources and Founding of Alcoholics Anonymous, I had occasion to look much more deeply into the Silkworth/Wilson/A.A. links.

First, as to resources, there are none better for me than Dale Mitchel’s Silkworth: The Little Doctor Who Loved Drunks and the Silkworth website.

Second, because Mitchel dug into Silkworth family papers, we can see much more about the good doctor’s belief in healing by religious means.

Third, some of the newly unearthed facts are these: Silky belonged to Sam Shoemaker’s Calvary Episcopal Church in New York and also attended Norman Vincent Peale’s church; and as their friend also, he was privy to a good many religious ideas with which he inculcated Bill Wilson in the pre – ”hot flash” days at Towns Hospital. Silky was also conversant with the William James Varieties title which documented the many healings by conversion that had taken place in the missions over the years. Silky also appears to have been familiar with Carl Jung’s prescription of conversion as a cure for alcoholism.

Not only does history now flesh out these points; but the points themselves make clear how Bill Wilson’ first and foremost solution to the alcoholism problem was conversion. Bill’s grandfather Willie had been converted and healed of alcoholism. Bill was told by Dr. Silkworth that he could be cured by Jesus Christ, the Great Physician. Bill was told by Ebby that conversion was available at the altar at Calvary Rescue Mission, and Bill went there and made a decision for Christ – writing in two different places that he had “for sure been born again.”

Bill staggered on to Towns Hospital and declared that if there were a Great Physician, he’d better call on Him. And this he did – having a conversion experience almost identical to that which his grandfather had had years before – and with the same result: sober for life. Then, when both Silkworth and Lois Wilson confirmed to Bill that he had experienced a genuine conversion, Bill spent the rest of the day studying the William James book which had been given to him by either Ebby or Rowland.

Bill saw the many recorded instances of conversions and cure by the power of God; and he concluded that his own conversion was valid and established the validity of the solution Jung had prescribed for Rowland. The bottom line is that “conversion” became the A.A. solution – both in Bill’s mind as he expressed the idea on page 191 of the Big Book; and in Akron where surrender to Jesus Christ was a mandatory part of the A.A. program.

And what’s the point?

Well most AAs have never heard these historical points; most AAs have no realization that the Oxford Group expressions (spiritual experience and spiritual awakening) were Oxford Group expressions referring to dynamic life-change, whereas the conversion experience was what Carl Jung, Rowland Hazard, Ebby Thacher, Sam Shoemaker, Dr. Silkworth, and the Missions were tendering to drunks. And with great success.

I hope this new data will help correct so much of the confusion today about what a “spiritual experience” or a “spiritual awakening” are and exemplify how they differ from the original “conversion” experience that Bill had. For it was Bill’s conversion that topped the list of items that Bill was asked over the years to keep recounting.”

God Bless,

Dick B.

Thanks Dick… [it was waaaaaay too long for a simple comment ]

Post from: Blisstree

Dick B On Dr. Silkworth