Good Morning Everyone!

Appendix II - "The Spiritual Experience" is found on page 567.

"The terms "spiritual experience" and "spiritual awakening" are used
many times in this book which, upon careful reading, shows that the
personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from
alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many different forms.

"Yet it is true that our first printing gave many readers the
impression that these personality changes, or religious experiences,
must be in the nature of sudden and spectacular upheavals. Happily
for everyone, this conclusion is erroneous."

This appendix was added after the first printing of the first
edition of the book. There was significant confusion regarding the
transformation that Bill experienced and the rest of the main text
of the book. This appendix was added to clear some of the confusion.
Alot of people were expecting the "white light experience" of the
nature of what Bill had on December 11, 1934 at Towns Hospital. Here
it goes on to explain that the "educational variety" was no less
important or vital.

The real gems here are the reinforcement of "change" as the central
theme of the experience. The following four terms mean essentially
the same thing:

-Spiritual Experience
-Spiritual Awakening
-Personality Change
-Psychic Change

What we'll do here is identify how many times "change" or a synonym
of "change" appears in the text, it may surprise you!

-Paragraph 1 - "personality change..."

-Paragraph 2 - "personality changes..., spectacular upheavals."

-Paragraph 3 - "revolutionary changes..., immediate and overwhelming
'God-consciousness'..., a vast change in feeling and outlook."

-Paragraph 4 - "transformations,... the difference...a profound
alteration in his reaction to life."

So, let's see, that's eight "changes" on a single page. I guess they
have made a point - we have to change the people we bring to AA. Not
drinking and going to meetings is not enough. Through the 12 Steps
we have the transformation, in the guise of a spiritual awakening or
experience or psychic change, etc., that is "...THE result of these
steps..." (from Step 12-emphasis added).

With our next post we'll go further - Chapter 5 - How It Works
(Not "how it happens" or "how we get it through osmosis"...).

Have a nice day!

Jim

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