Peter M and Chris S – May 2022 Workshop – Part 2 of 7 – 2022 – Chris S.

About This Speaker Tape

Peter M. and Chris S. - May 2022 Workshop - 2022

A Brooklyn native and former 'fall-down drunk,' Peter P. dissects the war between the mind and the soul. He frames the mind as a predator—a 'trickster' that manufactures problems out of thin air and dresses up wants as needs. Through a series of gritty analogies from pushing a boulder that won't move to the 'disease of me,' he argues that recovery isn't about self-help or therapy but about the death of the ego. He recounts the brutal necessity of the Fourth Step including the pain of uncovering childhood abuse and the shift from blaming a hard-edged father to understanding him. Peter emphasizes that the spiritual life is a 'soulful walk' where one stops playing Higher Power and accepts the role of an agent for a Higher Power moving from the 'warehouse of the head' to a place of buoyancy and gratitude.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:45 Peter P. discusses the Big Book line about quitting playing Higher Power.
• 1:30 The parable of the man pushing the boulder.
• 7:15 Discussion on the 'predator' mind and the 'warehouse' of the head.
• 14:20 Story about a critic at a Minnesota conference and the ego's obsession with one negative comment.
• 18:40 Step 3: The concept of being an 'agent' for the Higher Power (the Principal).
• 24:10 Raw account of childhood abuse and the struggle with the Fourth Step column of fault.
• 31:15 The 'Joey L.' story: using the Fourth Column to crush the ego during a Fifth Step.
• 38:20 Discussion on the Seven Step Prayer and the 'disease of me'.
• 43:10 The 'oil spot' analogy: accepting being broken and flawed.