Step 6 and the Perfect Help Available – Sandy B.

About This Speaker Tape

East Coast Convention - 2008

Sandy B. dismantles the illusion of the 'heavy problem' through a symbolic exercise with paper cups and trash bags arguing that our burdens are constructed from thought rather than matter. He maps out the transition from a self-centered trance—where the individual is the center of their own universe—to a Higher Power-centered existence. Drawing on the influence of Chuck C. Sandy B. posits that the only real problem is conscious separation from a Higher Power and the only solution is awakening. He warns against relying solely on the fellowship's support system which can act as a crutch that prevents true spiritual union. Through metaphors of holograms and the 'perfect help' of a dentist he makes the case for a life of constant seeking urging the listener to move spiritual awakening to the absolute top of their priority list.

Topics

Timestamps

• 0:00 Sandy B. opens the Men's Spiritual Weekend, discussing the 'beacons' of the program.
• 4:15 Laughter: The paper cup exercise and the joke about reporting problems to home groups.
• 8:30 The metaphor of the 600-pound pencil and the nature of the 'self-centered trance'.
• 14:20 Discussion of Chuck C. and the concept of conscious separation from a Higher Power.
• 21:10 Contrast between early AA (one meeting a week) and the modern abundance of support systems.
• 28:45 Analysis of addiction as an erroneous spiritual search for union with a Higher Power.
• 35:10 Review of the 10th Step and the 'world of the Spirit'.
• 42:00 The 'Committee of Elders' joke and the psychology of creating problems in one's own mind.
• 51:30 The 'Hologram' metaphor for spiritual awakening and the necessity of constant seeking.
• 58:15 The C.S. L. story of the boy with the toothache and the concept of 'perfect help'.
• 64:00 Closing thoughts on becoming an instrument of a Higher Power and the goal of total awakening.