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12 Steps and 12 Traditions Information and Discussions related to the 12 Steps and The 12 Traditions |
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11-01-2013, 10:28 AM | #1 |
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Step 11
By the time we arrive at Step Eleven, most of us have become comfortable with the concept of spirituality. We feel that the phrase "God, as we understood Him", tells us clearly that, whatever our belief is, some spiritual contact is essential to our recovery program.
Those of us who have been fortunate enough to find a support group-and have participated in our own recovery by being an active member of that group-have come to know the comfort of being a "part of" rather than feeling pain and loneliness because we don't seem to fit in anywhere. This camaraderie has given us the benefit of hearing how others learned to pray and meditate. Many people have said of all the steps, they felt this one was the most healing. It reenforced their commitment to a power greater than themselves. And it gave them a more definitive sense of being on the right path at last. For those of us who are loners, or whose circumstances preclude involvement with others, Step Eleven is like a beacon light. Its focus on meditation in addition to prayer teaches how to create calm in the face of chaos. It also familiarizes us with the effective value of guided imagery, which we can use when we do not have someone with whom we can share. -Step by Step
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"No matter what you have done up to this moment, you get 24 brand-new hours to spend every single day." --Brian Tracy
AA gives us an opportunity to recreate ourselves, with God's help, one day at a time. --Rufus K. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. --Franklin D. Roosevelt We stay sober and clean together - one day at a time! God says that each of us is worth loving. |
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11-06-2013, 11:13 AM | #2 | |
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Step Three was my favourite Step, until I got to Step 11. It reinforced my faith, it made me aware of how important it was to have daily contact with my God, it Eleventh Step Prayer of Saint Francis Assisi, made me realize how important it was to be a clear channel, and to give to others and to myself, the Care that only a Higher Power can give.
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Love always, Jo I share because I care. |
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11-06-2013, 11:15 AM | #3 | |
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11-06-2013, 11:19 AM | #4 | ||
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Eventually, in everyone’s recovery comes the day when reason doesn’t cut it and we hit a wall. At this point, you either have a break down or a break through. If you’ve been doing Step Eleven, you’ll have the break through. Sometimes I have to get on my knees to rise. Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books Quote:
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11-06-2013, 11:21 AM | #5 | |
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Love always, Jo I share because I care. Last edited by MajestyJo; 11-19-2013 at 09:13 AM. |
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11-06-2013, 11:23 AM | #6 | |
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I know it changed me.
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Love always, Jo I share because I care. Last edited by MajestyJo; 11-19-2013 at 09:17 AM. |
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11-06-2013, 11:28 AM | #7 | ||
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to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. "Meditation is something which can always be further developed. It has no boundaries, either of width or height. Aided by such instruction and example as we can find, it is essentially an individual adventure, something which each one of us works out in his own way. But its object is always the same: to improve our conscious contact with God, with His grace, wisdom, and love. And let's always remember that meditation is in reality intensely practical." c. 1952, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 101 ************************************************** "Just For Today!" Web Site: http://www.aahistory.com/jft.html This was posted on my site Soundness of Mind in 2005. This was an e-mail I received regularly and the service was discontinued in 2008 Meditation has always been such a big part of my recovery. It is always good to have other people's words to think on. A friend told me many years ago, to sit at a table, after doing prayer and meditation, with a paper in front of me, and as a thought crossed my mind, I was to write it down. By doing so, I could see the direction my mind was going, also to look at what is taking up space in my head that I needed to let go of, turn over to my HP, with new awareness as to my defects of character, the part of me that needed healing and those that needed cleansing.
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11-16-2013, 06:34 PM | #8 | |
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For me the Sun is healing. Light is all powerful. When I meditate and ask for the White Light to surround me and permeate my Soul and cleaning of all darkness. May the White Light of Love and the Spirit of the Universe be with you and grant you the healing that has been given to me.
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11-19-2013, 09:05 AM | #9 | |
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We procrastinate about doing Step 4, yet when we bring things out of those secret corners, we allow ourselves to heal. It is a daily thing, not a one time process, be it Step 4 or 10. By nourishing my spirit, I have that spiritual defence against my disease, to stay clean and sober in today. I have to work the Steps on all levels, spiritual, mental, emotional, and physically.
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Love always, Jo I share because I care. |
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11-19-2013, 09:46 AM | #10 | |
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Like all things in this program, it takes practice, practice, practice; but more importantly it is daily, and often in the moment. I can make that contact at any given time or place, no matter what is going on in my life. When I looked at religion, it was God, Son, and Spirit, and it was the Spirit that I found empowering, it was what resided in me. It allowed me to make my God personal and not some distant being that I had to look up to find, or outside of myself to find the connection I needed to stay clean and sober.
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11-19-2013, 09:55 AM | #11 |
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So many people don't seem to realize that once you get to Step "Whatever" the journey isn't over, it is a process. It doesn't stop at Step Twelve. It doesn't stop at Step Three because we don't want to do a Step Four. It doesn't end at Step Four because we don't want to tell a living soul. It doesn't stop at Steps Six because I know my defects, I am suppose to find a willingness and a desire to let them go. I can't stop without doing an amend to myself, my God, my friends and family.
Steps Ten, Eleven and Twelve are maintenance steps. You have to do the others to be able to have something to maintain. They are steps to be worked, just in today. As we get honest, as we heal, as we grow, the process goes on, and the road continues. We may make some detours along the way, but God willing, we will get back on the road and follow a path to recovery. I get a new perspective, awareness, and a new outlook on my life, past and present. As I grew in recovery, Steps 10, 11, and 12 had new meaning and I was better equipped to work them.
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11-06-2014, 06:20 AM | #12 | |
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Housing is still being Housing, and I am still working my program. Lately things have been rough and have been going through some difficult times. It is nice to be reminded that challenges can be over come. Problems we stay stuck in. With my God, all things are possible, and that is starting to come true in today.
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