“The moment we catch even a glimpse of God’s will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice, and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in purely human affairs.” (12 & 12, p. 105)
“If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory.” – William Hazlitt (1778 – 1830) English author
“It doesn’t matter that we will not attain a state of perfection or complete humility in our life- time. The ability to contem– plate this grand vision and meditate upon it are rare and priceless gifts in their
own right. We are being changed.” (It Works, How & Why, p. 53)
YOU CAN CALL IT “A PSYCHIC CHANGE” –
” … once a psychic change has occurred, the very same person who seemed doomed, who had so many problems he de-
spaired of ever solving them, suddenly finds himself eas-
ily able to control his desire for alcohol, the only effort necessary being that re- quired to follow a few simple rules.” (The
Big Book, p.
xxvii)
“Be the change that you want to see in the world.”
– Mohandas Gandhi (1869 – 1948) India Independence Movement Leader from British rule
What changes have you noticed lately in your own spiritual growth, lately?
A Dish of Ice Cream
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.
“How much is an ice cream sundae?”
“50 cents,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.
“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.
“35 cents,” she said brusquely.
The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.
The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.
When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.
There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.
WHEN I STUMBLED into AA several years ago, I think most of you would have called me a fairly typical newcomer–confused, intolerant, afraid of the future, and ashamed of the past. Although I was one of the lucky ones who manage to stay sober beginning with the first meeting, my program was slow to blossom into the wonderful way of life it has since become. Why?
It seems the alcoholic mind seldom changes quickly, and what Dr. William D. Silkworth calls “an entire psychic change” usually occurs slowly over a period of time. Dr. Carl G. Jung calls this change a “vital spiritual experience,” which he describes as “in the nature of huge emotional displacements and rearrangements.” He goes on to say, “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 begins to dominate them.” Most of these experiences seem to be what the psychologist William James calls the “educational variety,” because they develop slowly–sometimes, as in my case, taking several years.
— T. S.
Bella Vista, Arkansas (http://www.aagrapevine.org/node/8019)
“We don’t have to be religious to accept this idea.” “We began to see evidence of some Power that could not be fully explained. Confronted with this evidence, we began to accept the existence of a Power greater than ourselves. We can use this Power long before we understand it.” (12 & 12, p. 52) “I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.” – Frank Lloyd Wright (1869 – 1959) U. S. architect
In what ways has your own H.P. or even “Nature” made its presence known in your life lately?
I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud
by William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
What character building moments have you had lately where you had to make a fateful choice?
“Many of us have exclaimed, ‘You mean I even have to tell the truth about that?’ or ‘If only I could still lie, steal, or cheat, it would be so much easier to get what I want.’ ” (It Works, How & Why, p.47)
“People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962) U.S. First Lady & ardent feminist
One day nine dogs went out to hunt. They met a lion. He said “I am hunting too. I am very, very hungry. Let us hunt together.”
So the dogs and the lion hunted together all day.
They caught ten antelopes.
Then the lion said” Now we must divide this meat.”
One of the dogs said “Why, that’s easy. We are ten, and we have ten antelopes. So, each of us will have one antelope.”
The lion became very angry. He hit the poor dog and blinded him. The other dogs did not say a word. But then one of the dogs said, “Our brother was wrong. We must give nine antelopes to King Lion. Then they will be ten together. And we dogs shall take one antelope and we shall also be ten together.”
The lion liked his answer and asked the dog “Who taught you to divide like this? You are a wise dog.”
The dog answered “Oh, King Lion, you hit our brother and blinded him. That blind brother taught me, King Lion!” (http://www.english-for-students.com/The-Wise-Dog.html)
“The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action.” (The Big Book, p. 17)
“The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.”- Bertrand Russell (1872 – 1970) British philosopher/mathematician
What were a problem you’ve had lately and the solutions you used to solve it?
Once, a king wanted to find a wise man to be his Prime Minister. So according to a plan, he made a riddle. “A man has a boat to cross the river. Only two can go in the boat at one time. The man has to take a lion, a goat and a bundle of grass to the other bank so that in a way no one will eat the other. What will he do?”
No one in the kingdom could give the answer. Then a young man went to the king and said, “Your Majesty, the man will take the goat to the other bank. Then he will go to get the lion. He will bring the lion to the other bank and take back the goat with him. Then he will take the grass to the lion because lion won’t eat the grass. He will row back to get the goat to the other bank.”
The king was amazed by his cleverness because he had never let the grass and the goat or the lion and the goat to be together.
So the king was sure of his intelligence and appointed him as the Prime Minister. (http://www.english-for-students.com/The-Correct-Solution.html)
What is an example of a price you felt you had to pay to make you feel wiser today, lately?
“… it may seem easier to manipulate outcomes or avoid consequences, [cuz] we know that we cannot afford the price we would have to pay. The resulting shame, regret, and loss of spiritual contentment would far outweigh anything we might possibly gain by compromising our principles.” (It Works, How & Why, p. 47)
“Many of us had lived our lives up to this point with a secret feeling of shame .” “Often this shame stemmed from unresolved guilt over mistakes we’d never fully dealt with.” (Overeaters Anon., p. 29)
“A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong,
which is but saying … that he is wiser today than yesterday.” Jonathan Swift (1667 – 1745) Irish satirist/writer
“One evening, Simple Simon met a pie man. The pie man was on his way to a food fair in the village.
“Dear pie man, let me taste one of your pies,” said Simple Simon.
“Alright, but first you have to give me a penny. Then I will give you a pie,” said the pie man.
“I’m sorry but I don’t have any money,” said Simple Simon. The pie man smiled and left Simple Simon standing by the roadside. Simon did not have a pie from the pie-man who did not give a pie to the Simon because Simon did not give a penny to the pie-man.”
Everything has a price.
We have to pay the price to attain what we want. Otherwise, our life will not make a progress. (http://www.english-for-students.com/simple-simon.html)
“His are the gifts that we inherited before time was, and that will still be ours when time has passed into eternity. His are the gifts that are within us now, for they are timeless. And we need not wait to have them. They belong to us today.” ACIM* (Lesson 104) on achieving inner peace. “When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.” Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) German-American scientist
What “great gifts” of your own have you used lately, to achieve inner peace?
How far is it to peace, the piper sighed,
The solitary, sweating as he paused.
Asphalt the noon; the ravens, terrified,
Fled carrion thunder that percussion caused.
The envelope of earth was powder loud;
The taut wings shivered, driven at the sun.
The piper put his pipe away and bowed.
Not here, he said. I hunt the love-cool one,
The dancer with the clipped hair. Where is she?
We shook our heads, parting for him to pass.
Our lady was of no such trim degree,
And none of us had seen her face, alas.
She was the very ridges that we must scale,
Securing the rough top. And how she smiled
Was how our strength would issue. Not to fail
Was having her, gigantic, undefiled,
For homely goddess, big as the world that burned,
Grandmother and taskmistress, frild and town.
We let the stranger go; but when we turned
Our lady lived, fierce in each other’s frown.
How have you been able to stand up for your beliefs, lately?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR3dM-GlZK8
The Cows and The Lion.
There was a village near a jungle. The village cows used to go up to the jungle in search of food.
In the forest there lived a wicked lion. He used to kill a cow now and then and eat her. This was happening for quite sometime. The cows were frightened.
One day, all the cows held a meeting. An old cow said, “Listen everybody, the lion eats one of us only because we go into the jungle separately. From now on we will all be together”.
From then on all the cows went into the jungle in a herd. When they heard or saw the lion all of them unitedly moo and chased him away. (http://www.english-for-students.com/The-Cows-and-The-Lion.html)
REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS CAN EASE TENSIONS – “We can stop making unreasonable demands on others and begin to give of ourselves in relationships. Our romantic relationships, our friendships, and our interactions with family … are undergoing an astounding change.” (The Basic Text, p. 74)
“It is the enemy who can truly teach us to practice the virtues of compassion and tolerance.”
– 14th Dalai Lama (1935 – ) Tibetan spiritual leader
From whom have you learned the lessons of love, compassion, and gratitude, lately?
Put The Glass Down :
A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see and asked the students, “How much do you think this glass weighs?”
50 gms!…. 100 gms!’ 125 gms….the students answered.
“I really don’t know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is…what would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”
“Nothing” the students said.
“Ok! What would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?” the professor asked.
“Your arm would begin to ache,” said one of the students.
“You’re right. Now what would happen if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb. You might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and have to go to hospital for sure!” ventured another student and all the students laughed.
“Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” asked the professor.
“No…” the students said.
“Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?” The students were puzzled.
“Put the glass down!” said one of the students.
“Exactly!” said the professor. “Life’s problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem okay. Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache. Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.”
“It’s important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life. But EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to have trust in HIM and to put them down at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh and strong and can handle any issue and any challenge that comes your way!”
So, as it becomes time for you to leave office today. Remember friend to PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY and have tranquility by putting trust in HIM.
He it is who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers that they might have more faith added to their faith.
Tranquility is sign of strong faith while worries and stress is sign of weak faith. Tell to your mind every day before you go to sleep.
Soul that is at rest is satisfied.
Return to your Lord well-pleased with Him and well-pleasing Him.
So, enter among My servants and enter into my Paradise.
By worrying so much, do not turn your life to hell. Good luck. (http://www.english-for-students.com/put-the-glass-down.html)
ACCESSING OUR H.P. IN THE NOW – “Our actions may have left permanent physical or emotional scars… . We must somehow learn to live with such
things.” “We may have difficulty in forgiving ourselves, but we can ask for the forgiveness of a loving God [or H.P.]” (It Works, How & Why, pp. 64 – 65) “As long as you are unable to access the power of the Now, every emotional pain that you experience leaves
behind a residue of pain that lives on in you.” – Eckhart Tolle (1948 – ) spiritual philosopher
How have you experienced the awesome, healing power of living in the Now, lately?
THE NOW — A short story
by Vanitha Muthukumar
The owner of this plant wanted a few pots because everyone had greenery in their backyard. The initial novelty wore off after it gave flowers in plentiful.
He was indisposed and couldn’t water the plant for about a week. The leaves dried off and the plant almost looked like it had reached its last stage.
He began to water the plant again and after a few days, new green leaves appeared. He didn’t care when the plant dried off. But when he saw the green leaves and was overjoyed with new additions and for a while dismissed the brown leaves, slowly he understood they were leaving the plant and him, and the shelter he had provided-
THE POT.
Water source went down but it struggled to hold on to life.
These new green leaves which were not of the main branch, were more demanding than the brown leaves, and he had to water them two times a day, sometimes even three times. That’s when he began to look at the dying brown leaves. They had no demands and kept giving such fragrant flowers.
These green leaves were not of the main branch, hence may never give flowers. When the brown leaves were green, he never cared about them. Now his heart was with the green leaves but he was sad about losing those brown leaves, which were going back to where they came from- MOTHER EARTH. By feeling for the drying, dying brown leaves, he couldn’t fully settle his mind to the green leaves and the green leaves already looked a little pale yellow. Very soon, they would become brown and new green leaves would have come in their place.
…
He didn’t seem to understand that his neglect had caused the leaves to dry and fall off. Now, he should concentrate on the young green leaves and nurture it. His fickle mindedness was the cause. Once his mind becomes stable, he won’t wait for the natural death of the brown leaves but would pluck them all and throw away, to give the entire pot to the new green leaves. But the brown leaves had gratitude and wanted to give him less burden and merge with earth soon.
It taught him one lesson that day. He was constantly holding on to his past, not enjoying his guilt-free NOW and making his future also the same. He had to love himself, to be able to love just one person. One thing. One job. The duality will then be gone.
Not loving oneself pushes one to all kinds of distractions, habits Addictions and losses. (https://medium.com/@bluediamond108/the-now-a-short-story-fb57714180b9)
