AA Step 2 Study: Comparison with Manuscript

 

Legend:

Underlined Red is text from manuscript.

(Published text.) *

(Compiler’s notes)

*Text used is from 2^nd Edition which is in the public domain.

STEP 2

Pg 44:1-50:2

In the preceding chapters, you have learned something of alcoholism. We hope we have made clear the distinction between the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic. If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if, when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic. If that be the case, you may be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer.

    To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster, especially if he is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety. To be doomed to an alcoholic hell (death) or be "saved" – (to live on a spiritual basis are) not (always) easy alternatives to face.

    But it isn't so difficult. About half our (original) fellowship were of exactly that type. At first some of us tried to avoid the issue, hoping against hope we were not true alcoholics. But after a while we had to face the fact that we must find a spiritual basis of life - or else. Perhaps it is going to be that way with you. But cheer up, something like fifty (half) of us thought we were atheists or agnostics. Our experience shows that you need not disconcerted.

    If a mere code of morals, or a better philosophy of life were sufficient to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago. But we found that such codes and philosophies did not save us, no matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we could wish to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with all our might, but the needed power wasn't there. Our human resources, as marshalled by the will, were not sufficient; they failed utterly.

    Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be A Power Greater Than Ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power?

    Well, that's exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself, which will solve your problem. That means we have written a book which we believe to be spiritual as well as moral. And it means, of course, that we are going to talk about God. Here difficulty arises with agnostics. Many times we talk to a new man and watch his hope rise as we discuss his alcoholic problems and explain our fellowship. But his face falls when we speak of spiritual matters, especially when we mention God, for we have re-opened a subject which our man thought he had neatly evaded or entirely ignored.

    We know how he feels. We have shared his honest doubt and prejudice. Some of us have been violently anti-religious. To others, the word "God" brought up a particular idea of Him with which someone had tried to impress us (them) during childhood. Perhaps we rejected this particular conception because it seemed inadequate. With that rejection we imagined we had abandoned the God idea entirely. We were bothered with the thought that faith and dependence upon a Power beyond ourselves was somewhat weak, even cowardly. We looked upon this world of warring individuals, warring theological systems, inexplicable calamity, with deep skepticism. We looked askance at many individuals who claimed to be godly. How could a Supreme Being have anything to do with it all? And who could comprehend a Supreme Being anyhow? Yet, in other moments, we found ourselves thinking, when enchanted by the starlit night, "Who, then, made all this?" There was a feeling of awe and wonder, but it was fleeting and soon lost.

    Yes, we of agnostic temperament have had these thoughts and experiences. Let us make haste to reassure you. We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even 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.

    Much to our relief, we discovered we did not need to consider another's conception of God. Our own conception, however inadequate, was sufficient to make the approach and to effect a contact with Him. As soon as we admitted the possible existence of a Creative Intelligence, A (a) Spirit of the Universe underlying the totality of things, we began to be possessed of a new sense of power and direction, provided we took other simple steps. We found that God does not make (too) hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding (to those who earnestly seek). It is open, we believe, to all men.

    When, therefore, we speak to you of God, we mean your own conception of God. This applies, too, to other spiritual expressions which you find in this book. Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they mean to you. At the start, this is all you will need (we needed) to commence spiritual growth, to effect your (our) first conscious relation with God, as you (we) understand (understood) Him. Afterward, you will find yourself (we found ourselves) accepting many things which now seem (then seemed) entirely out of reach. That is (was) growth, but if you are going to grow, you have (we wished to grow we had) to begin somewhere. So use your (we used our) own conception, however limited it may be (was).

    You (We) need(ed) ask yourself (ourselves) but one short question. "Do I now believe, or am I even 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 (Note: Keystone found on pg. 62:3 and Foundation Stone on pg. 97:1) a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built. (Current edition has * here directing reader to the Spiritual Experience appendix.)

    That was great news to us, for we had assumed we could not make use of spiritual principles unless we accepted many things on faith which seemed difficult to believe. When people presented us with spiritual approaches, how frequently did we all say: "I wish I had what that man has. I'm sure it would work if I could only believe as he believes. But I cannot accept as surely true the many articles of faith which are so plain to him." So it was comforting to learn that we could commence at a simpler level.

    Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith, we often found ourselves handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning prejudice. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things made us bristle with antagonism. This sort of thinking had to be abandoned. Though some of us resisted, we found no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings. Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness. Sometimes this was a tedious process; we hope no one will be prejudiced as long as some of us were.

    The reader may still ask why he should believe in a Power greater than himself. We think there are good reasons. Let us have a look at some of them.

    The practical individual of today is a stickler for facts and results. Nevertheless, the twentieth century readily accepts theories of all kinds, provided they are firmly grounded in fact. We have numerous theories, for example, about electricity. Everybody believes them without a murmur of doubt. Why this ready acceptance? Simply because it is impossible to explain what we see, feel, direct, and use, without a reasonable assumption as a starting point.

    Everybody nowadays, believes in scores of assumptions for which there is good evidence, but no perfect visual proof. And does not science demonstrate that visual proof is the weakest proof? It is being constantly revealed, as mankind studies the material world, that outward appearances are not inward reality at all. To illustrate:

    The prosaic steel girder is a mass of electrons whirling around each other at incredible speed. These tiny bodies are governed by precise laws, and these laws hold true throughout the material world. Science tells us so. We have no reason to doubt it. When, however, the perfectly logical assumption is suggested that underneath the material world, and life as we see it, there is an All Powerful, Guiding, Creative Intelligence, right there our perverse streak comes to the surface and we laboriously set out to convince ourselves it isn't so. We read wordy books and indulge in windy arguments, thinking we believe this universe needs no God to explain it. Were our contentions true, it would follow that life originated out of nothing, means nothing, and proceeds nowhere.

    Instead of regarding ourselves as intelligent agents, spearheads of God's ever advancing Creation, we agnostics and atheists chose to believe that our human intelligence was the last word, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end of all. Rather vain of us, wasn't it?

    We, who have traveled this dubious path, beg you to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion. We have learned that whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be, those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions. People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about. Actually, we used to have no reasonable conception whatever. We used to amuse ourselves as we (by) cynically dissected(ing) spiritual beliefs and practices; (when) we might have observed that many spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree of stability, happiness and usefulness which we should have sought ourselves.

    Instead, we looked at the human defects of these people, and sometimes used their shortcomings as a basis of wholesale condemnation. We talked of intolerance, while we were intolerant ourselves. We missed the reality and the beauty of the forest because we were diverted by the ugliness of some of its trees. We never gave the spiritual side of life a fair hearing.

    In (our personal) the stories which follow you will find (a) wide variation in the way each teller approaches and conceives of the Power which is greater than himself. Whether you agree with a particular approach or conception seems to make little difference. Experience has taught (us) that these are matters about which, for our purpose, we need not be worried. They are questions for each individual to settle for himself.

Consciousness Building part 2

“Habit is habit, and not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.” Wayne Dyer.
 

Consider those who suffer from addiction. Many who initially recover, seemingly having cast their “habit” out the window, a new basis for living embraced, then relapse and are often baffled as to why. They are fooled by the delusion those years of thinking and living in addiction now magically disappeared because the intoxicants are out of their system. In reality the “instruction” sheet they have been following for years is carved deep in their consciousness and will take years of positive contrary action and consistent vigilance of motive to overwrite, to learn how to live on this new basis of living, the Spiritual Basis, embracing a completely new set of directions, a day at a time. The price may seem high, but the rewards are nothing less than miraculous.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven,

Consciousness Building

When we purchase something that requires assembly, it generally comes with instructions. I once purchased a teapot and inside were instructions, for a teapot! Now the instruction sheet for that Christmas morning bicycle years ago was considerably longer, and I still maintain wrong, both the bike and teapot instruction sheets had numbered steps, the teapot two with the additional warning that hot water is, well, hot, the bicycle four hundred and fifty seven, in Latin. 

Our consciousness requires assembly as well; the question is what “instruction” sheet we follow. With the exception of some notable examples directly touched by the Divine, most of us build our consciousness, for good or ill, step by step by the actions we take and the thoughts we entertain, our level of awareness and understanding waxing and waning dependent on what we say, do, consider and act upon, experience building upon experience, good and bad. Habits of thinking and living do not change by simply assenting to them as needing to be changed; it requires action and perseverance on our part. To borrow from Wayne Dyer: “Habit is habit, and not to be flung out the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven

Storm Proof Foundation

The longest eighteen inches in the world lies between the head and the heart, the bridge from intellect to faith, embracing grace. But speaking about God and spirituality, practicing faith when the weather is calm is easy. Standing in faith when every fiber of the carnal mind screams in opposition is the challenge. The back of every American dollar bill reads “In God We Trust” but do we, really? The Great Carpenter teaches that those who demonstrate faith in action build their spiritual house/consciousness “upon a rock” while those who are nominally Living on the Spiritual Basis build their “house” on sand “and great was the fall of it.”

We can build a structure on any ground as long as the sun is shining, the wind nothing more than a breeze, but to do so in the belief that conditions will never change is a fools errand at best, yet many do this very thing with their spiritual house and then are devastated when the rains come and the winds blow and their structure collapses, then compounding the error by blaming God for the storm, forgetting storms are part of life, rain falling on the just and unjust equally.

In truth we chose the materials our house is constructed of, the construction practices employed, how well we adhere to the blueprints, for it matters little the quality of the materials if they are poorly installed, the blueprint ignored or altered out of fear. The Good News is the Master Builder will step in at any point and set the project (our consciousness) right if we will only place our trust in His guidance and unconditional love. By this simple, but not easy reliance on a Power Greater than Ourselves our structure is solidly built, able to not only withstand life's inevitable storms, but to stand as a beacon of hope and resolve to those who chose poorly. Remember always that Living On The Spiritual Basis is not about weathering storms, but learning how to dance and sing when the rains come.

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven,

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an interesting Holiday, it's history associated with all sorts of things from Pilgrims giving thanks to God, Indian massacres to the Union victory at Gettysburg. Today the thanks given seemingly is for days off work for some, time and a half for others, football, ditching the diet and workout routine for mass consuming of vittles, family (maybe), friends (probably), coming sales for mass consuming all manner of merchandise and that nap after the mass consuming of vittles finished off with pumpkin or pecan pie.

Now imagine a world without Christmas displays before December 1st, the whole concept of "Black Friday" sales unknown, only those having chosen a career in public service (maintaining basic services, medical personnel, police and fire, etc) required to work, Thanksgiving being a day for actually giving thanks.

So take a few minutes today in quiet contemplation and give thanks for the lessons learned, the people who have touched you this past year. Love. Gently embrace the new person you are becoming, your unfoldment in Spirit is ongoing regardless of the amount of days in this flesh, your growth a daily occurrence because of a simple reliance on a Power Greater Than Yourself. And have seconds of that pie, I mean, it is Thanksgiving, Right?

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Pope Francis, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, McRaven,

 

Politicians, Prostitutes And Promises

Some things in life are assured: taxes, death, corrupt politicians, less sleep and more bathroom trips after turning 50, at least one new diet a month that promises: better sex, drop 20 pounds in 20 days with no exercise, fewer bathroom trips and better sleep, etc. The newspaper/nightly news/internet will lead with a story depicting something horrific. 

The world (man) is always presenting some new and improved way to solve problems, to address the issues of living. All that is required is your vote and/or your money/credit card number and everything will change for the better. In truth, nothing in the news today is new. Politicians may not technically belong to the worlds oldest profession (I have my doubts) but if not they have been plying their trade as long. Additionally there was a time, and not that long ago, when leeches and blood letting where central to treating all manner of illness and most patent medicines would definitely make you feel better, considering they consisted mostly of alcohol and some form of opium, and little else.

We are asked to trust people and institutions, to place our faith in governments and “learned” experts. Yet the same problems that plagued the ancients still plague us today: healthcare, jobs, secure borders, taxes, immigration, elder care, safe and available food, education, road and bridge maintenance, etc. Studying the history of worldly assurances; both micro and macro, it becomes apparent that outer assurances have done little to fundamentally change the world.

What of spiritual assurances?  Living on the Spiritual Basis, we have found the timeless assurances of spiritual teachers becoming real for us once we stepped out in faith and wholeheartedly embraced the work. By placing our trust in the miraculous, turning from the outer to the within through prayer and meditation, trusting in infinite God rather than our finite self, we find peace and the ability to meet calamity with serenity. Our new reliance based on the work done in raising our consciousness, expanding our conscious contact with God, not the assurances of others. The promise of eternal life beyond the limitation of the flesh real, for we are now in the world but no longer of it. Now if I could just cut down on those bathroom trips in the middle of the night, maybe a new diet...

© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

#The Secret, #Wayne Dyer, #Serenity, Enlightenment, #Zen, #Emmet Fox, #How To Be Happy, #Golden Key, #Chopra, #Jesus, #Einstein, #AA, Hillary, Trump, Obama