Drop the Rock

This week, we started discussing Chapter 7, "We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings," which spans pages 56 to 67. In seeking God's help to eliminate our shortcomings, we must demonstrate a readiness to surrender through our actions. Advancing through this step requires reflecting on spiritual principles, engaging in service work, gaining insight beyond our addiction and its pervasive influence, seeking and trusting assistance, overcoming fear, comprehending and having faith in the process, managing stress, taking responsibility and action, and concentrating on the solution.

Additionally, the group exchanged insights on the theme of humility. Humility starts with self-acceptance. Embracing humility opens us up to fresh perspectives and ideas. Being open-minded is crucial to humility; as recovering addicts, we acknowledge that we don't have all the answers and many of us are working to change the thought patterns that dominated our thinking during active addiction. 

This week, our group progressed through the first chapter, spanning pages 41 to 55. We examined anger and resentments, and the detrimental effects these character flaws have on many individuals in recovery. Self-righteous anger poses one of our greatest risks. When we believe we are "right," we can become a danger to ourselves and others. In the past, being right seemed to grant us the liberty to treat someone who is "wrong" in any manner we saw fit.

We also reflected on a story about the Buddha teaching his students about anger. He compared anger to holding a hot coal with the intent to throw it at someone else; it is we who get burned.

Our discussion led into how fear contributes to these character defects. "Guilt and shame come from the past, just like fear. if those feelings are what drive us, we will never grow. The Sixth and…

This week, our group advanced through the first chapter, covering pages 31 to 41, which detailed Pam's experiences. During our reading, we delved into her time at a yoga retreat and her introspective examination of her life thus far.

In our discussions, we explored the seven deadly sins in relation to step six, which includes pride, envy, gluttony, sloth, and covetousness. We reflected on how envy once made us wish ill on those who succeeded or gained in any way. Before joining the Program, many of us coveted what others possessed without knowing how to achieve it ourselves. Now, in recovery, we rejoice in the miracles we experience. We've learned that action and experience hold more value than mere possession.

We've come to understand that solutions arise from direct and specific actions. Our group embraces the principle of allowing each other "the right to be wrong," with the understanding that…

This week, the group progressed through chapter one, starting from page 24 to page 32. We examined various 'rituals' employed in steps six and seven, including prayer, meditation, and cleansing. This portion of the book helped us recognize the synergistic nature of the Steps; as we work on and practice them, we find that many aspects are integrated into other steps.

"The progress of spirituality from prayer to meditation to reflection is active, not passive. It is taking part in the joy of putting results of prayer and meditation into action. We learn through times of quiet reflection to work into our lives the answers our Higher Power has given us as a result of our prayer and meditation."

By regularly engaging in prayer and meditation, we aim to discover a balance that aligns with our spiritual intentions and our capacity to share. Moving into the act of cleansing, we…