Sandy B. Spiritual Principles

About This Speaker Tape

Sandy B., a Marine C. veteran, describes a recovery journey defined by a long-term sponsorship since 1964 and a shift from intellectual resistance to spiritual surrender. He recounts his early days of 'faking' having read the Big Book by staining the pages with coffee and cigarette burns to impress his sponsor.

Sandy explores the 'channel of peace' metaphor, arguing that spirituality isn't about receiving peace from above, but clearing character defects to let an internal supply flow outward. He reflects on the 'alcoholic death' versus 'spiritual basis' dichotomy, the danger of 'false pride,' and a pivotal moment where being passed over for promotion in the Marines saved his life by keeping him off a fatal plane crash. He emphasizes the 'undisturbed' state of mind as the primary goal of the 10th Step, aiming to be a 'hole in the donut' rather than a target for life's wreckage.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Introduction and gratitude for the recovery message.
• 2:30 Sponsorship: The 'half-blind leading the totally blind' and the importance of a guide.
• 5:15 Spirituality: The 'How's it going?' approach to honesty.
• 7:40 12-and-12: Analysis of the Prayer of St. Francis and the 'Channel of Peace'.
• 11:30 Big Book: The 'Chapter to the Agnostic' and the act of faking the reading.
• 16:40 Discussion on 'False Pride' and the shift from pride to gratitude.
• 21:00 AA History: Carl Jung, Roland Hazard, and the origins of the spiritual solution.
• 26:30 The story of Bill W. and the birds in Manchester, Vermont.
• timecode Laughter: The 'seeking' metaphor using hide-and-seek and Easter baskets.
• 25:00 Personal Story: Being thrown out of the Marine Corps and the subsequent plane crash.
• 32:00 Step 10: The concept of staying 'undisturbed' and the 'hole in the donut' metaphor.
• 38:00 Forgiveness: The standard of the cross and the removal of the 'self'.