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=====TABLE OF CONTENTS=====
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS
=====READERS' COMMENTS
=====TIGHT BRIEFS
=====ADDICTION & RECOVERY
=====SPONSOR'S CORNER
=====FRIENDLY LINKS
=====PURE BOLOGNA
=====SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE
=====WITHDRAWAL
=====EDITOR'S COMMENTS=====
Principles looks at recovery from somewhat of an "Eastern" spiritual perspective, which fits nicely with 12-step programs'
spiritual underpinnings. God willing, it hits cyberspace once a week - sometime between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.
PRIVACY: I will never publish, give, loan, or sell your email address to anyone. Never - Ever - No way - No how.
Thanks...Charles Roper
=====TIGHT BRIEFS=====
Many people easily spend an hour a day brushing, flossing, bathing, and shaving the outside, but find every reason in the
world not to spend even a few minutes a day improving the inside. What are we afraid of?
=====READERS' THOUGHTS=====
From R:
I think we protect ourselves emotionally the best way we know how, and I guess that's not a bad thing. But I also think it's
costly in terms of how we connect with our own hearts, our own wisdom, the hearts of other people, and with God (or whatever).
It's been costly to me. If I were magic, or maybe if I were just willing, I would strip myself of my many defenses and stand naked
to the world. Or would I? Yikes!
Please email your comments & questions to:
Mailto:Principles-Newsletter-owner@egroups.com
=====ADDICTION & RECOVERY=====
I had to laugh when I read the email from "R" (above). I can recall at least four times when I prayed hard for answers to
problems and received immediate replies. I don't question the source of those replies. Understanding the nature of wisdom and
grace is interesting to me, but it's not important.
What's important is this: When they came, I knew in my heart that those answers hit home in a way that transcends the potency of my
conscious mind.
Case in point: Confused and discouraged about an important aspect of my life, I tossed my question out to (or is it in to) the
universe as sincerely as I am able. The reply came instantly: "Trust God, and tell the truth." That was it. So clean and
simple. But...
Trust? Truth? Help! My alcoholic mind swept itself into panic mode, as it tends to do when confronted with anything that even
hints of surrender.
The irony here is that I pray almost daily for three things - faith, courage, and humility. And in response to such prayers, my
mind - that is, my ego - occasionally insists that I imagine what might happen if I were all of a sudden granted those traits to
the exclusion of their opposites - doubt, fear, and pride. Unfortunately, I listen to my ego, and more often than not, I
obey it.
When I imagine a life governed by trust and truth, fueled by faith and humility, and underlain with courage, Camelot's
Lancelot du Lac comes to mind...and look at how complicated his life got. And then there was Jesus of Nazareth. How happy,
joyous, & free was his brief life on earth?
But of course we're looking for spiritual progress, not spiritual perfection. I'll never be Sir Lance, and Jesus is just a passing
thought. So in the spirit of spiritual progress, and just for today - or better yet, just for the next moment or so - I will
allow my mind to rest, my ego to soften, and my doubt to settle...and I will trust God and tell the
truth.
One moment at a time feels do-able. One moment of surrender feels oddly comforting. All is well.
=====SPONSOR'S CORNER=====
"No one spared...no punches pulled...inspiring, potent 'self-help fiction.'"
High Bottom Drunk: A Novel...and the Truth about Addiction &
Recovery, by Charles Roper.
Order here: http://www.highbottomdrunk.com
=====FRIENDLY LINKS=====
This week's featured link is: 10 Steps to Zazen & 5 Rules of Zazen
We sought through prayer & meditation...Zen means meditation. It is more than formal, sitting meditation, but it does include
formal, sitting meditation as one component. This page offers a guide - a digest of information from many traditions, schools,
masters, and sources.
Visit the site:
http://www.geocities.com/nozendo/Zazen/zazen.html
=====PURE BOLOGNA & HOGWASH=====
An elderly Irishman was heading home from the pub one evening. As he swerved and wove his way between the ditches, he was
stopped by a State Trooper.
The trooper asked him, "Sir, have you been drinking tonight?"
The Irishman replied, "Why yes, officer, I may have had a pint or two. Why do you ask?"
The officer frowned and said, "Well, sir, your wife fell out of the car about 1/2 mile back."
"Oh, thank goodness," exclaimed the Irishman. "I thought I’d gone Deaf!"
=====SUBSCRIBE / UNSUBSCRIBE=====
To SUBSCRIBE to this publication, send any e-mail to:
Mailto:Principles-Newsletter-subscribe@egroups.com
To UNSUBSCRIBE from this publication, send any e-mail to:
Mailto:Principles-Newsletter-unsubscribe@egroups.com
=====WITHDRAWAL=====
Keep it simple, at least till next week.
Charles Roper, Editor
Principles: The Addiction & Recovery Newsletter
Alcohol & Drug Abuse - The Addiction & Recovery Information &
Resources Website:
http://www.alcoholanddrugabuse.com
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