Big Book Anon Workshop: Step Twelve: Spiritual awakening

Set out below are quotations from the earlier chapters, followed by a separate section on the chapter A Vision For You.

Passages in blue are directly from the Book. Passages in black are personal commentary.

Earlier Chapters

This physician had repeatedly tried spiritual means to resolve his alcoholic dilemma but had failed. But when the broker gave him Dr. Silkworth’s description of alcoholism and its hopelessness, the physician began to pursue the spiritual remedy for his malady with a willingness he had never before been able to muster. He sobered, never to drink again up to the moment of his death in 1950. (Foreword to the Second Edition)

The warning of Silkworth was this:

Unless you have a spiritual awakening, you will continue drinking
If you continue drinking, you may never stop

This spiritual awakening requires complete willingness
Willingness, in turn, means being prepared to take action
This action comes in the form of a package deal
Requiring internal surrender to certain ideas ...

Steps One, Two, and Six

... 'pivot-point decisions' on the basis of those ideas ...

Steps Three and Seven

... with 'completion' required in certain areas ...

Step Four, Five, Eight, Nine

... and wholehearted, continuous action in others:

Step Ten
Step Eleven
Step Twelve

Dr Bob's sticking point was Step Nine

On the other hand—and strange as this may seem to those who do not understand—once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he despaired of ever solving them, suddenly finds himself easily able to control his desire for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that required to follow a few simple rules. (The Doctor’s Opinion)

Psychic here means mental
A psychic change means a change in the way one thinks
This does not promise that there will never be another desire to drink
It does promise that that desire can be controlled (i.e. intellect prevails above emotion)
The effort, however, is indirect
It is directed at following a few simple rules
Indirectly, this has the effect of enabling control over the desire to drink

But my friend sat before me, and he made the point-blank declaration that God had done for him what he could not do for himself. His human will had failed. Doctors had pronounced him incurable. Society was about to lock him up. Like myself, he had admitted complete defeat. Then he had, in effect, been raised from the dead, suddenly taken from the scrap heap to a level of life better than the best he had ever known!

Had this power originated in him? Obviously it had not. There had been no more power in him than there was in me at that minute; and this was none at all.

Here was something at work in a human heart which had done the impossible. My ideas about miracles were drastically revised right then. Never mind the musty past; here sat a miracle directly across the kitchen table. He shouted great tidings. I saw that my friend was much more than inwardly reorganized. He was on a different footing. His roots grasped a new soil. (Bill’s Story)

Power = the ability to do something
The power, here, is the ability to stay sober
Will is the faculty of following through on a decision, i.e. taking action on the basis of that decision
The failure of will is the inability to follow through on a decision to stay sober
What releases the Power is the admission of complete defeat
This applies with alcohol and with all other problems
The structure of Step Two:

If someone was powerless and now has power (= the ability to do something) ...
... power has been accessed
That power originates in a Power (with a capital 'P'): a Power greater than the individual
Step Two requires observation and logic, not abstract theology ('the musty past')

The spiritual basis for living is an entirely new basis: the basis of 'trusting and relying upon God' (see below)

There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch. I have not had a drink since. (Bill’s Story)

Step Three is about placing certain things in God's hands:

My beliefs, my thinking, and my actions
The outcomes

Any remnant of self-reliance is sufficient to keep God out completely
This is (immediately) followed by Steps Four through Seven
(Note there is no mention of Steps Eight and Nine)

My friend promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator; that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements.

Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid. It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.

These were revolutionary and drastic proposals, but the moment I fully accepted them, the effect was electric. There was a sense of victory, followed by such a peace and serenity as I had never known. There was utter confidence. I felt lifted up, as though the great clean wind of a mountain top blew through and through. God comes to most men gradually, but His impact on me was sudden and profound. (Bill’s Story)

The spiritual awakening is predicated on the completion of the process ('when these things were done')

... although in Bill's case it came from acceptance of the proposals, not from their fulfilment
This represents the exception
The gradual spiritual awakening is the rule

The elements of the new basis are laid out

Destruction of self-centredness
Turning to God in all things

Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia. We have it with us right here and now. (Bill’s Story)

The solution lies in being ever-present

When, therefore, we were approached by those in whom the problem had been solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed. (There Is A Solution)

If I have a problem, and a solution is presented to me, why wait?
The only blocks could be:

I don't believe I have a problem

Or I don't believe I have a problem sufficiently grave to warrant a solution that requires sacrifice

I don't believe you have a solution
I don't believe your solution will work for me

The fourth dimension of existence is variously referred to as:

The now
The world / realm of the spirit

The great fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God’s universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves. (There Is A Solution)

Again, the notion is one of an entirely new basis for life
God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves

(By implication, God will not do for us what we can do for ourselves)

If I am blocked:

I am either trying to do something that it is God's job to do
I am failing to do something that is my job to do

Note: by ourselves
God's work is not instead of ours
God's work requires us to work, too

“… Here and there, once in a while, alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual experiences. To me these occurrences are phenomena. They appear to be in the nature of huge emotional displacements and rearrangements. Ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once the guiding forces of the lives of these men are suddenly cast to one side, and a completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them. …” (There Is A Solution)

What used to occur only spontaneously and unpredictably can now be brought about systematically with the programme
Again, the notion is one of an entirely new basis for life
Here, Dr Carl Jung is describing a phenomenon occurring throughout history
What changes?

Ideas, emotions, attitudes, conceptions, and motives

Note that, when this occurs spontaneously, it will occur suddenly
In AA this generally occurs slowly

This hope, however, was destroyed by the doctor’s telling him that while his religious convictions were very good, in his case they did not spell the necessary vital spiritual experience. (There Is A Solution)

The programme is less about theology, specific doctrine, or outward observance ...
... and more about internal rearrangement + the outwards manifestation thereof in service

What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us or, if you prefer, “a design for living” that really works. (There Is A Solution)

There are times when it does not appear that what is being offered will work
But we continue to follow directions anyway
The programme addresses the problem we come into recovery to solve by giving us an entirely new 'design for living'
The solution to the problem does not involve solving the problem
It involves living differently
By living differently, the problem is solved automatically
This 'living differently' must continue forever for the problem to remain solved
In brief, God gives me a day, every day, to do what I want with
And my job is to give that day back to God, without delay

If what we have learned and felt and seen means anything at all, it means that all of us, whatever our race, creed, or color are the children of a living Creator with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try. (There Is A Solution)

Universal equality of people
People are children of God
They are made of the same substance
Since God is not corporeal, we are not either
We are spirit, apparently housed in physical form
Our identity resides in God
Our purpose resides in God
Therefore, our security resides in God
This path is available to anyone: it's simple and understandable
We have to be honest (that we have a problem, need a solution, and recognise that solution in AA) ...
... and we have to be willing (to take the actions indicated).

“… But the program of action, though entirely sensible, was pretty drastic. It meant I would have to throw several lifelong conceptions out of the window. That was not easy. But the moment I made up my mind to go through with the process, I had the curious feeling that my alcoholic condition was relieved, as in fact it proved to be. …” (More About Alcoholism)

In a sense, action is the easy bit
I have to drop my beliefs, attitudes, and thinking
The fear: I will thereby cease to exist
In a sense, this is true
The ego, the mind-made false image of self, will cease to exist
Note that these lifelong conceptions are not wrestled with, reconfigured, or tarted up
They are thrown out of the window
If I am blocked, I am by definition holding onto a lifelong conception (referred to elsewhere as an 'old idea')
Once that lifelong conception (old idea) is thrown out of the window, I should feel that my problem has been relieved
... even if nothing has yet changed: time will then prove this to be the case

“Quite as important was the discovery that spiritual principles would solve all my problems. I have since been brought into a way of living infinitely more satisfying and, I hope, more useful than the life I lived before. My old manner of life was by no means a bad one, but I would not exchange its best moments for the worst I have now. I would not go back to it even if I could.” (More About Alcoholism)

All problems are essentially spiritual in nature: they stem from the wrong relationship with God
This is why spiritual principles solve all of my problems
The Steps form the core of this
The Traditions cover my relations with others and the world
The Concepts cover how I work with others, my active place in the world, and my relationship of service with God
There is nothing wrong with a material life: but we've burned out the circuit and can no longer live on that basis
The two chief characteristics of the new life:

Satisfaction
Usefulness

These two characteristics are profoundly connected: it is the usefulness that entails the satisfaction
Happiness is a by-product not the outcome of this life
The new life has a full range of emotions (as did the old one: its best moments vs the worst I have now)
Emotion is not the basis on which I judge whether this life is better than the old one
The criterion is living a life that is worthwhile
We were powerless before
We are oddly powerless now: the old life is not desirable, but, even if it were, we are 'prevented' from returning to it

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. (We Agnostics)

Curiously, the problem is presented in the singular
Once that problem (which is self / ego) is solved
All other problems are solved

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. (We Agnostics)

Prejudice = pre-judgement
Belief is an action of the will: we choose what we believe
Willingness manifests in action
The action here is the expression of the belief
But this must take place in an empty arena
So all pre-conceived notions must be jettisoned
And we start with a blank sheet of paper, on which we write (and say): I believe in the Power Greater Than Ourselves ...
And then back this up with action
Our feeling, intellect, instinct, etc., will sometimes undermine this commitment
But these will gradually be brought in line
If we continue to take the right actions
Defining the Power which is God is unnecessary
Comprehending the Power which is God is equally unnecessary

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 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. (We Agnostics)

Sweep away all prior and present conceptions of God
Sweep away all conceptions of God provided by others
Start from zero / from scratch / with a blank sheet of paper
We get to devise our own conception!
Options:

God is creative
God is intelligent
God is spirit
God is universal
God is greater than the totality of things
God is the source of everything

If these work, use them
If they don't, don't worry about them
The two commodities of Step Two: direction (what to do) and power (the wherewithal to do it)
This must be followed up by action
This approach is available to everyone
There are no blocks imposed from the outside
If there are profound blocks, these therefore stem not from God or the process but from us
Earnestly seeking: sincere, single-minded, action-oriented

We needed to ask 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 a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built. (We Agnostics)

Start with belief (or the willingness to believe = taking it on trust)
That belief concerns the existence of the Power Greater Than Ourselves (PGTO)
It does not yet concern whether that PGTO can help us
This element of the process involves logic: has a PGTO helped others? (see below)

Here are thousands of men and women, worldly indeed. They flatly declare that since they have come to believe in a Power greater than themselves, to take a certain attitude toward that Power, and to do certain simple things, there has been a revolutionary change in their way of living and thinking. In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them. This happened soon after they wholeheartedly met a few simple requirements. Once confused and baffled by the seeming futility of existence, they show the underlying reasons why they were making heavy going of life. Leaving aside the drink question, they tell why living was so unsatisfactory. They show how the change came over them. When many hundreds of people are able to say that the consciousness of the Presence of God is today the most important fact of their lives, they present a powerful reason why one should have faith. (We Agnostics)

This element of Step Two is based on observation and logic
Our 'study cohort' comprises ordinary people of the world (not holies, mystics, ecclesiasticals, mediums, etc.)
Such ordinary people failed
The state they were in before:

Collapse
Despair
Confusion
Bafflement
Total failure of human resources
Perception of the futility of existence
Making heavy going of life
Life was unsatisfactory

But they were helped
The process:

Belief in a PGTO (Step Two)
Taking a certain attitude toward that Power (Step Three)
Doing certain simple things (Steps Four through Twelve)
= wholeheartedly meeting a few simple requirements
Identifying why they were making heavy going of life (self-reliance)

The change:

Revolutionary change in thinking and living
Power, peace, happiness, and a sense of direction
Consciousness of the presence of God

The nature of how the change takes place:

... there has been a revolutionary change
... flowed into them ...
... the change came over them

All we have to do is observe that this is the case and ask ourselves:

Do I want this?
Is there anything to suggest that this cannot come true for me as well?

But later, alone in his room, he asked himself this question: “Is it possible that all the religious people I have known are wrong?” While pondering the answer he felt as though he lived in hell. Then, like a thunderbolt, a great thought came. It crowded out all else: “Who are you to say there is no God?”

This man recounts that he tumbled out of bed to his knees. In a few seconds he was overwhelmed by a conviction of the Presence of God. It poured over and through him with the certainty and majesty of a great tide at flood. The barriers he had built through the years were swept away. He stood in the Presence of Infinite Power and Love. He had stepped from bridge to shore. For the first time, he lived in conscious companionship with his Creator.

Thus was our friend’s cornerstone fixed in place. No later vicissitude has shaken it. His alcoholic problem was taken away. That very night, years ago, it disappeared. Save for a few brief moments of temptation the thought of drink has never returned; and at such times a great revulsion has risen up in him. Seemingly he could not drink even if he would. God had restored his sanity.

What is this but a miracle of healing? Yet its elements are simple. Circumstances made him willing to believe. He humbly offered himself to his Maker— then he knew.

Even so has God restored us all to our right minds. To this man, the revelation was sudden. Some of us grow into it more slowly. But He has come to all who have honestly sought Him.

When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us! (We Agnostics)

Hell and heaven are states of mind
Hell is the state of mind in which God is perceived not to exist
Spiritual awakenings happen to us
They either happen spontaneously or slowly
And work is required (either after or before!)
But we are the objects of them:

... like a thunderbolt (we do not bring about thunder)
... a great thought came ...
... it crowded out all else ...
... he was overwhelmed ...
... it poured over and through him ...
... were swept away ...

The problem was always us: the barriers he had built through the years
The magnitude of that problem and how long it has been there are irrelevant
The nature of God:

Presence
Infinite Power
Infinite Love
Certainty
Majesty

The solution in relation to alcohol

... a great revulsion has risen up in him ...
We don't 'choose' not to drink
We can't drink even if we want to!
Sanity is not making the choice between drinking and not drinking
Sanity is the non-availability of drinking as an option

Our effort will be inadequate in 'reaching' God (even though that effort is 100% of what we have available to give)
But God will come out the rest of the way to meet us

This is the how and why of it. First of all, we had to quit playing God. It didn’t work. Next, we decided that hereafter in this drama of life, God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are His agents. He is the Father, and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.

When we sincerely took such a position, all sorts of remarkable things followed. We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn. (How It Works)

Conclusion of the work so far: how we have been living does not work
Life is a drama

That means that the actors are real but the parts are not and the play is not
It is a reflection of reality but not reality
But, we're actors, so we have to play the parts we are assigned
The form of our lives consists in the roles we are playing
The content of our lives consists in the love and awakening that are conveyed through the playing of those roles
We're not escaping the earth
We're bringing heaven down to it

God is the director / I am the actor
God is the employer / I am the employee
God is the principal / I am the agent
God is the parent / I am the child
God has ultimate authority
I have delegated authority
I must take chief initiative & active responsibility (Concept VI)

Resentment is the “number one” offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick. When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically. (How It Works)

Resentment = separation thinking stemming from judgement of good and evil
This is essentially the sin of Adam (which is also a Hebrew word meaning man)
This fall consisted in looking at the unity, integrity, and perfection of the garden of Eden and entertaining a tiny mad idea
The tiny mad idea is the voice of the serpent
The tiny mad idea is: 'I want more'
The reason this is mad is that you already have everything
There is no more than everything
In listening to this voice, the perception of reality was changed:

What is seemed inadequate
What isn't seemed desirable
This is what resentment is: what is is not what I want it to be

If we are separated from God we are separated from others
This is what spiritual disease is: the (false) perception of separation
The truth is that the fall (of man / Adam) never happened
We have never been separated except in our perception
This separation thinking gives rise to all character defects

The attack that flows from resentment
Striving for objectives in the world
Fear and resentment that those objectives will not be / are not being / have not been realised
And so this creates a vicious circle

Once we are reconnected through the elimination of separation, we are spiritually healed
As a consequence, we are mentally and physically healed
The order: spirit -> mind -> body
Spirit informs mind
Body is an out-picturing of mind
If the mind is not connected with and informed by God, it will be connected with and informed by the ego
There is no point in trying to bring about an alteration at the bodily level without an alteration at the higher levels
There is no point in trying to bring about an alteration at the mental level without an alteration at the highest level
But, if we commit to the alteration at the highest level (admission of defeat and surrender to God)
... and follow that through with commitment to new ideas (at the thought level) and commitment to action (at the bodily level) ...
... Heaven's floodgates open

Perhaps there is a better way—we think so. For we are now on a different basis; the basis of trusting and relying upon God. We trust infinite God rather than our finite selves. We are in the world to play the role He assigns. Just to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity.

We never apologize to anyone for depending upon our Creator. We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness. Paradoxically, it is the way of strength. The verdict of the ages is that faith means courage. All men of faith have courage. They trust their God. We never apologize for God. Instead we let Him demonstrate, through us, what He can do. We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear. (How It Works)

We're in the world, not of the world
We've been sent here, disguised as human beings made of flesh
We're here to play roles:

Father, mother, son, daughter
Teacher, student
Worker, employee, employer, colleague, client
Customer, member of the public
Member of a community, member of society
And a thousand thousand other roles

But we've mistaken ourselves for the roles
So the fate of the role becomes our fate
If the job goes well, if the kid does well, if the train is on time, we're fine
If the job goes badly, if the kid does badly, if the train is late, we're not
The solution is not to lose the roles
The solution is to remember we're actors whilst playing the roles
Actors are fine whatever happens to the role
Ask anyone who has played Macbeth or Hamlet how he's doing after the play is done
He's fine. He's having a great time!
Ask Macbeth or Hamlet how they're doing: not so good
So all we have to do is play the part ...
... = doing 'the next right thing' / ' the next indicated action'
And rely on God for:

Identity = we are spirit, not the characters we are playing
Purpose = to do God's will, not to achieve the characters' aims
Safety = as spirit we cannot be harmed and will exist for eternity

Although we feel what the characters feel (that's part of the deal) ...
... we're fundamentally OK in the same way that theatre-goers are OK watching even a harrowing play
God's purpose cannot be discerned by the characters ...
... the characters in Macbeth don't know they're in a play
It can be discerned a little by the actors
But only God, the playwright, is 100% sure
So if you can't work out the purpose, it's fine!
Trusting God means it's OK just to do the next right thing and not understand why
'The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.' (George Eliot)

We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character, every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe. (Into Action)

Anything we achieve flows from God working through us
The instructions for when fear arises:

We ask God to remove our fear ...
... and direct our attention to what He would have us be

Promise: at once we commence to outgrow fear

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us—sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. (Into Action)

[See notes on Step Nine]

This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. (Into Action)

The Big Book sets out three types of personal inventory:

The spot-check inventory described here on page 84
The night-time meditation inventory described on page 86
The Step Four instructions described on pages 63 et seqq.

To continue to take personal inventory therefore means to adopt one of these
Escalate through these:

Try a spot-check
If that doesn't work, review tonight
If that doesn't work, consider writing

Don't wait to set things right
By completing the Step Nine amends, we have cleared up the past
We want to keep things clear

We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. (Into Action)

Note the past tense: when we take Step Three, we immediately start Step Four
Thus, we start 'this way of living' as soon as we start Step Four
... in other words, when we take Step Three
That means that Steps Ten, Eleven, and Twelve kick in once we have taken Step Three ...
... not only once we've completed Step Nine

We have entered the world of the Spirit. (Into Action)

We're not animals or 'ten-dollar bags of chemicals' (i.e. physical bodies)
We're spirit channelling through physical form
We're now connected to God
Our identity and purpose and therefore our security reside in God

And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone— even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition. (Into Action)

This means what it says
Stop fighting
Stand for good causes
Not against anything or anyone
Leave others to do that
The world requires people to work for good in different ways
Maybe fighters are needed by the world
But the Big Book suggests to me that that is not my path

We don't tackle problems (in ourselves or others) by tackling problems through sheer force
We don't fight someone else's alcoholism
We don't fight our own anonism
We turn everything over to God ...
... and do the next right thing
And alcohol gets conquered ...
... but not by us: by God
This is true for all problems
Problems are solved not at the level on which they obtain ...
... but by rising to a higher level
Action may be necessary on our parts
But that action must be guided by God

Sanity for alcoholics is not drinking even when you 'want' to
Sanity for anons:

Accepting what we can't and shouldn't change
Changing what we can and should

Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action. (Into Action)

The three commodities we get from God:

Knowledge of God's will for us

Inspiration
Direction

The power to carry that out

Strength

Who is God?

Him who has all

Knowledge

Power

Promise: God's spirit flows into us when we take the Steps

A Vision For You

We have shown how we got out from under. You say, “Yes, I’m willing. But am I to be consigned to a life where I shall be stupid, boring and glum, like some righteous people I see? I know I must get along without liquor, but how can I? Have you a sufficient substitute?”

Yes, there is a substitute and it is vastly more than that. It is a fellowship in Alcoholics Anonymous. There you will find release from care, boredom and worry. Your imagination will be fired. Life will mean something at last. The most satisfactory years of your existence lie ahead. Thus we find the fellowship, and so will you.

The benefits of being in AA

Release from care, boredom and worry
Imagination is fired
Life means something
The most satisfactory years of existence lying ahead

These match the benefits of alcohol (see above)
The following promises (from this paragraph and above) can be used as a checklist:

Conviviality
Companionship
Colourful imagination / imagination is fired
Release from care, boredom, and worry
Joyous intimacy with friends
A feeling that life is good
Life means something

If these promises are not coming true ...

Review your programme (including with friends / a sponsor)
Go to God and ask what to do

The promises of AA are equated to what ordinary people get from drinking
The release that others get through drinking, we get through recovery
This is not a bridge to normal living, but a bridge to a form of living which is at a higher level than normal living

On the third day the lawyer gave his life to the care and direction of his Creator, and said he was perfectly willing to do anything necessary. His wife came, scarcely daring to be hopeful, though she thought she saw something different about her husband already. He had begun to have a spiritual experience.

Note the wording: he did not decide to give his life over to the care and direction of God: he did it
Note the perfect willingness
The only thing we can do in AA perfectly is be willing
The execution will always be imperfect
Note that a spiritual experience starts with Step Three and the sincere statement of willingness to go to any lengths
It is the spiritual experience which enables us to stay sober
This is why we are able to stay sober during the process of the Steps
Step Twelve's spiritual awakening is really an awakening which starts from the moment of surrender

We know what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself: “I’m jittery and alone. I couldn’t do that.” But you can. You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than yourself. To duplicate, with such backing, what we have accomplished is only a matter of willingness, patience and labor.

Never underestimate the power of God
Three requirements:

Willingness: being prepared to do the work
Labour: doing the work
Patience: not expecting instant results / not becoming discouraged at seeming failure

So our fellow worker will soon have friends galore. Some of them may sink and perhaps never get up, but if our experience is a criterion, more than half of those approached will become fellows of Alcoholics Anonymous. When a few men in this city have found them selves, and have discovered the joy of helping others to face life again, there will be no stopping until everyone in that town has had his opportunity to recover— if he can and will.

Around half approached will become members of AA
According to the foreword to the second addition, half of those who come to AA and really try succeed straight away
... whilst the remainder are split evenly between those who eventually get sober and those who show some improvement
The job description in AA is to continue the work until everyone who has had the chance to recover has done so

Still you may say: “But I will not have the benefit of contact with you who write this book.” We cannot be sure. God will determine that, so you must remember that your real reliance is always upon Him. He will show you how to create the fellowship you crave.

God-reliance first
Human reliance second
If you're lonely, work within AA, and fellowship will be created around you

Our book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But obviously you cannot transmit something you haven’t got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.

The Book contains everything you need to start
God will reveal more
The people who wrote the Book may change their view: 'will constantly disclose more to us'
The recovery process is not set in stone
It evolves and matures
This is true at fellowship level and individual level
Asking what we can do for the man who is still sick is the twelfth instruction of Step Eleven in the morning
To have a clear channel, we have to be in fit spiritual condition:

Clear of resentment
No harm to others
No secrets
Amends made
Creditors approached
No complacency
Work and self-sacrifice for others

Big Book Anon Workshop

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Big Book Anon Workshop: Step Twelve: Spiritual awakening

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