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[00:00:02.120 – 00:00:02.600] Hello, everyone. [00:00:02.600 – 00:00:02.960] Good evening. [00:00:02.960 – 00:00:04.540] My name is David and I'm an alcoholic. [00:00:04.540 – 00:00:07.750] And you're all very welcome to this open A.A. [00:00:07.750 – 00:00:09.260] recovery workshop with Q&A. [00:00:09.260 – 00:00:10.540] And along with Stuart. [00:00:10.540 – 00:00:11.720] Hello, everybody.

[00:00:11.720 – 00:00:13.200] I'm Stuart, I'm an alcoholic. [00:00:13.200 – 00:00:15.360] Nice to see you, see you later for the Q&A. [00:00:15.360 – 00:00:22.290] So this is one of, of a series of workshops which has been inspired by recoveryspeakers.com, and it's hosted by the Saturday night A.A. [00:00:22.290 – 00:00:25.260] group here in Camberwell, London, SE5. [00:00:25.260 – 00:00:29.720] And we are back in the room on the physical capacity every Saturday night. [00:00:29.720 – 00:00:36.580] So what we wanted to do today, because it's the, the day, that's into June 10th, Stuart and myself are just gonna do t- these two… [00:00:36.580 – 00:00:40.200] Uh, Stuart is gonna read the first one, I believe, and I'll read the second, and so on.

[00:00:40.200 – 00:00:41.120] Over to you, Stuart. [00:00:41.120 – 00:00:47.960] "It must never be forgotten that the purpose of Alcoholics Anonymous is to sober up alcoholics. [00:00:47.960 – 00:00:51.600] There is no religion or spiritual requirement for membership. [00:00:51.600 – 00:00:53.880] No demands are made on anyone. [00:00:53.880 – 00:00:57.940] An experience is offered which members may accept or reject. [00:00:57.940 – 00:01:00.160] That is up to them." Thank you. [00:01:00.160 – 00:01:08.000] And that was a letter to Father M. O'Brien, written in 1943, and quoted in The Soul of Sponsorship by Robert F..

[00:01:08.000 – 00:01:09.230] So that was Bill W. in a letter. [00:01:09.230 – 00:01:14.679] And this one is from Ernie K., published in Not G., page 305, and- Can you stop putting that on for her? [00:01:14.679 – 00:01:15.480] Thank you. [00:01:15.480 – 00:01:16.430] Could you mute them, Stuart? [00:01:16.430 – 00:01:17.160] Yeah. [00:01:17.160 – 00:01:17.470] Yeah. [00:01:17.470 – 00:01:27.500] "So whenever, wherever one alcoholic meets another alcoholic and sees in that person first and foremost, not that he or she is male or female, or Black or white, or Christian, Buddhist,

[00:01:27.500 – 00:01:37.590] Jew or atheist, or gay or straight or whatever, but, but sees that he or she is alcoholic, and that therefore both of them need each other, there will be not only an Alcoholics [00:01:37.590 – 00:01:48.060] Anonymous, but there will be an Al- an Alcoholics Anonymous that you and I love so much and respect so deeply." And this one is from Bob P., the GSO manager from '74 to '78, [00:01:48.060 – 00:01:51.280] and he wrote this in April 26th, 1986. [00:01:51.280 – 00:02:01.320] He said, "If you were to ask me what is the greatest danger facing Alcoholics Anonymous today, I would have to answer the growing rigid- rigidity, the increasing demand for absolute [00:02:01.320 – 00:02:11.700] answers to nitpicking questions, pressure for GSO to enforce our traditions, screening alcoholics at closed meetings, prohibiting non-conference approved literature, [00:02:11.700 – 00:02:12.300] i.e. [00:02:12.300 – 00:02:18.560] banning books, laying more and more rules on grounds, groups, and members." And finally from Stuart.

[00:02:18.560 – 00:02:19.950] "A.A. [00:02:19.950 – 00:02:21.320] has always been evolving. [00:02:21.320 – 00:02:23.880] It has always been in a state of becoming. [00:02:23.880 – 00:02:25.390] Hopefully, A.A. [00:02:25.390 – 00:02:35.420] shall never become rigidly dogmatic, but shall always be imbued with love and tolerance so as to ensure everyone is included." And that was from Phyllis H., GSO [00:02:35.420 – 00:02:39.560] general manager at the international conference in 2014. [00:02:39.560 – 00:02:41.180] Thank you, Stuart.

[00:02:41.180 – 00:02:47.240] So we just wanted to bring that to your, to your attention, and I just wanted to leave for today the last word with Mr. [00:02:47.240 – 00:02:47.760] Scheberg. [00:02:47.760 – 00:02:51.090] And he said, and this is right in the big book, The Creation of A.A., and he said, "In Dr. [00:02:51.090 – 00:03:01.540] Bob's nightmare, his personal story that appears in Alcoholics Anonymous, Smith recounted the details of his last drunk." He [00:03:01.540 – 00:03:08.540] said, "This dry spell lasted for about three weeks when I went to Atlantic C. to attend several days meeting of a national society of which I was a member. [00:03:08.540 – 00:03:14.200] I drank all the scotch they had on the train," good for you, "and brought several quarts on my way to the hotel. [00:03:14.200 – 00:03:15.660] This was on a Sunday.

[00:03:15.660 – 00:03:24.960] I got tight that night, stayed sober on Monday till after dinner, and then proceeded to get tight again. [00:03:24.960 – 00:03:29.080] I drank all I dared at the bar, and then went to my room to finish the job. [00:03:29.080 – 00:03:32.700] Tuesday I started in the morning, getting well organized by noon. [00:03:32.700 – 00:03:35.720] I did not want to disgrace myself, so I then checked out. [00:03:35.720 – 00:03:38.680] I bought some more liquor on the way to the depot. [00:03:38.680 – 00:03:40.820] I had to wait some time for the train. [00:03:40.820 – 00:03:46.120] I remember nodding, nodding from then on until I woke up at a friend's house in a town near home.

[00:03:46.120 – 00:03:51.600] These good people notified my wife, who sent my newly made friend, Bill W., over to get me. [00:03:51.600 – 00:04:01.700] He came and got me home and to bed, gave me a few drinks that night and one bottle of beer the next morning." That was June 10th, 1935, and that was my last [00:04:01.700 – 00:04:02.020] drink. [00:04:02.020 – 00:04:12.080] And from Bill S. says, "On the authority of this story, June 10th, 1935 has ever since been celebrated, and rightly so, as the founding date of Alcoholics Anonymous, the first [00:04:12.080 – 00:04:19.240] day on which two men sharing a common solution and a commitment to sobriety, which were both able to stay sober from that day forward. [00:04:19.240 – 00:04:22.250] But Bill W. wasn't the only early A.A. [00:04:22.250 – 00:04:23.760] member who had a problem with dates.

[00:04:23.760 – 00:04:29.800] Bob S. claimed he attended the American M. Association C. in Atlantic C. on this trip. [00:04:29.800 – 00:04:39.380] But that meeting, it has subsequently been proved, started on June 10th and ended on June 14th." So he b- he goes on to say that, "So what's in a day?" We're not really getting caught up. [00:04:39.380 – 00:04:42.860] We're into the spirit of Alcoholics Anonymous here, and thank you for your attention. [00:04:42.860 – 00:04:51.290] We are recording these, uh, talks, and we're delighted to have Jim W. here, and Jim is gonna do a talk for us tonight, presentation tonight on, on the New Thought and the A.A. [00:04:51.290 – 00:04:51.720] movement. [00:04:51.720 – 00:04:55.400] So in keeping with A.A.'s traditions, in particular Tradition F., each A.A. [00:04:55.400 – 00:05:01.020] group has but one primary purpose, and that, of course, is to carry its message to the alcoholics who are still suffering.

[00:05:01.020 – 00:05:11.120] The main purpose of these workshops is introduce and/or develop ideas and concepts, and hopefully to encourage participants to do some further investigation on their [00:05:11.120 – 00:05:11.460] own. [00:05:11.460 – 00:05:21.800] And here's the essence for me in this, the whole thing of this, uh, Alcoholics Anonymous, that we've had a common thread throughout, and it's been this quote from step 10 in the, our basic text, which says, "We have entered [00:05:21.800 – 00:05:23.060] the world of the Spirit." [00:05:24.044 – 00:05:27.944] And that our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. [00:05:27.944 – 00:05:31.744] So thank you everyone for helping me grow in understanding and effectiveness. [00:05:31.744 – 00:05:40.563] We just wanna point out that what is shared at these workshop meetings represents the experience, strength, and hope of AA members, and must not be taken to represent the fellowship as a whole.

[00:05:40.563 – 00:05:49.104] The 12-step proven program of recovery can be found in our basic textbook titled Alcoholics Anonymous, which we fondly call the big book. [00:05:49.104 – 00:05:51.284] If you're new, that's what we mean when we say the big book. [00:05:51.284 – 00:05:56.073] Now we're just going to just set up, um, a version of the Serenade prayer. [00:05:56.073 – 00:05:58.504] Please unmute and, uh, join in if you wish. [00:05:58.504 – 00:06:01.614] And this is a version of the Serenade prayer. [00:06:01.614 – 00:06:12.144] So G. God P. Please H. Help Us Us To find To find A new A new Experience E. New experience [00:06:12.144 – 00:06:12.824] Amen.

[00:06:12.824 – 00:06:13.544] Amen. [00:06:13.544 – 00:06:14.374] Amen. [00:06:14.374 – 00:06:15.044] Thank you everyone. [00:06:15.044 – 00:06:25.104] We're just gonna have a few moment silence to gather our thoughts and, and reflect on why we're here, how we got here, who was here when we got here, and all those who went before us, and think of those alcoholics still [00:06:25.104 – 00:06:26.504] suffering and their family members. [00:06:26.504 – 00:06:28.003] Thank you. [00:06:28.003 – 00:06:40.424] Thank

[00:06:40.424 – 00:06:41.344] you everyone. [00:06:41.344 – 00:06:43.994] It's always a delight to have Jim W., be in a room with Jim W.. [00:06:43.994 – 00:06:45.164] Jim, thank you for all you do. [00:06:45.164 – 00:06:47.364] Appreciate all your service and all the work you do. [00:06:47.364 – 00:06:52.524] And, uh, with that, it's over to you, Jim, um, your presentation. [00:06:52.524 – 00:06:53.023] Thank you, Jim. [00:06:53.023 – 00:06:58.144] Thank you, David, and, and thanks to all, uh, who are here.

[00:06:58.144 – 00:07:08.584] And, uh, we're going to, uh, start off, uh, today with, uh, wishing everyone a happy 87th, uh, anniversary [00:07:08.584 – 00:07:15.304] to Alcoholics Anonymous, as, uh, as both Stuart and D- David, uh, mentioned in the, uh, in the beginning. [00:07:15.304 – 00:07:18.024] My name is Jim W., and I'm an alcoholic. [00:07:18.024 – 00:07:20.744] My sobriety date is March 5th, 1989. [00:07:20.744 – 00:07:22.844] My home group is the Friends of Bill W. [00:07:22.844 – 00:07:24.344] Group in Cancun, Mexico. [00:07:24.344 – 00:07:27.474] My sponsor is John M., and he has a sponsor.

[00:07:27.474 – 00:07:32.344] And today we're gonna talk about New Thought and AA. [00:07:32.344 – 00:07:40.324] And, uh, some of these, uh, people that you see in here today, you may know about, you may not know about. [00:07:40.324 – 00:07:46.464] Hopefully you will know a little bit more about them by, uh, the time, uh, uh, we finish today. [00:07:46.464 – 00:07:49.624] Uh, New Thought is, uh… [00:07:49.624 – 00:07:55.524] J- William J. called New Thought the religion of healthy-mindedness. [00:07:55.524 – 00:07:57.344] Can you please mute yourself? [00:07:57.344 – 00:08:00.404] The religion of healthy mindedness.

[00:08:00.404 – 00:08:10.524] And, uh, Emanuel S. said, "Our body does nothing on its own, it acts on behalf of the spirit that is inside us." Uh, just [00:08:10.524 – 00:08:19.564] real quickly to start off, to start off, uh, there is a golden thread that runs through every religion in the world. [00:08:19.564 – 00:08:26.564] There is a golden thread that runs through the lives and teachings to all the prophets, seers, sages, and saviors in the world's history. [00:08:26.564 – 00:08:35.704] Through the lives of all men of truly great and lasting power, all that they have ever done or attained to has been done in full accordance with the law. [00:08:35.704 – 00:08:38.844] And we're gonna hear this about law and science. [00:08:38.844 – 00:08:46.584] Just as there are laws in the physical world, uh, New Thought, uh, maintains that there are laws in the spiritual world as well. [00:08:46.584 – 00:08:53.744] A little more formal, uh, information on New Thought and, uh, its teachings and practices.

[00:08:53.744 – 00:09:03.764] Uh, elements of New Thought may be traced to, uh, Platonism based on the idealism of the 5th and 4th century BCE Greek philosopher [00:09:03.764 – 00:09:08.074] Plato, who held that the realm of ideas is more real than that of matter. [00:09:08.074 – 00:09:17.464] To S., especially Swedenborg's view that the material realm is one of effects whose causes are spiritual and whose purpose is divine. [00:09:17.464 – 00:09:23.704] To H., uh, that, uh, based on the views of 18th and 19th century German philosopher, Hegel. [00:09:23.704 – 00:09:33.784] There are also, uh, um, uh, the mind, there's Orientalism mixed in with it, and Transcendentalism of Ralph W. Emerson. [00:09:33.784 – 00:09:38.024] I'm gonna go with, uh… [00:09:38.024 – 00:09:41.444] Hopefully the Wi-Fi will keep up with me.

[00:09:41.444 – 00:09:51.584] Uh, the foundation of New Thought philosophy is New Thought or the New Thought movement is often confused with New A., um, [00:09:51.584 – 00:09:52.654] or the New A. movement. [00:09:52.654 – 00:09:55.624] New Thought is actually more of a perennial philosophy. [00:09:55.624 – 00:09:57.584] It just means through the years. [00:09:57.584 – 00:10:00.124] What was true a thousand years ago is true today. [00:10:00.124 – 00:10:06.424] A perennial philosophy, it is a thread of truth that is woven through all the world's great spiritual traditions. [00:10:06.424 – 00:10:14.464] The spiritual teachings and philosophies that shaped much of New Thought itself has ancient roots that can be traced back for centuries.

[00:10:14.464 – 00:10:23.184] The principles found within the New Thought are universal, and can be found throughout various religious traditions and spiritual philosophies throughout the world. [00:10:23.184 – 00:10:31.684] Unlike many other spiritual and religious movements and organizations at the time, many of New Thought's early teachers and students were women. [00:10:31.684 – 00:10:41.984] Notable among the founders of the movement were Emma C. Hopkins, known as the teacher of teachers, Myrtle F., Malinda C., and Nona E., with many of its churches [00:10:41.984 – 00:10:46.104] and community centers led by women from the 1880s up to today. [00:10:46.104 – 00:10:46.414] The- [00:10:46.576 – 00:10:50.916] Other people there we'll, uh, talk about later. [00:10:50.916 – 00:11:01.336] Many of, uh, of New Thought writings focus on the teachings of Jesus C. and the ancient wisdom of many of the great master teachers throughout the ages,

[00:11:01.336 – 00:11:03.236] such as Buddha, Krishna, and Muhammad. [00:11:03.236 – 00:11:12.806] The principles of New Thought are to be found in Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Zen, Hinduism, and many philosophical and theological works. [00:11:12.806 – 00:11:22.936] If you look at this, uh, little flow chart, uh, if you look in the top left-hand corner, we're talking here about the teachings of Jesus [00:11:22.936 – 00:11:25.276] affected a guy by the name of Phineas Q.. [00:11:25.276 – 00:11:34.116] Uh, he was also affected by Franz M., as in mesmerized, as in the guy who invented or, uh, promoted hypnotism. [00:11:34.116 – 00:11:44.356] If you look in the upper right-hand corner, you see that Plato affected the, uh, the, the works of Emanuel S., uh, as well as Ralph W. Emerson. [00:11:44.356 – 00:11:51.716] And, uh, so we're gonna talk about the New Thought connection with AA specifically.

[00:11:51.716 – 00:12:01.816] Um, and there's a lot of confusion, uh, between what the Oxford Group, uh, thought and taught and what, uh, New Thought, uh, thought [00:12:01.816 – 00:12:02.326] and taught. [00:12:02.326 – 00:12:12.616] According to AA historian Ernest K., Kurtz, when, uh, Ebby T. joined the Oxford Group in the mid-1930s, it was the most famed and most respectable [00:12:12.616 – 00:12:15.956] evangelical expression of religion in America at the time. [00:12:15.956 – 00:12:25.996] Kurtz describes the Oxford Group as a non-denominational, theologically conservative, evangelically styled attempt to recapture the impetus and [00:12:25.996 – 00:12:30.036] spirit of what its members understood to be Christian, primitive Christianity. [00:12:30.036 – 00:12:36.676] The Oxford Group stressed four principles: uh, absolute honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love.

[00:12:36.676 – 00:12:46.676] The group practiced five procedures: uh, to give in to God, to listen to God's directions, to check the guidance that you receive from God, make restitution and sharing, [00:12:46.676 – 00:12:51.026] both to, as in confession, and as witnessing to other people. [00:12:51.026 – 00:12:55.566] In essence, the 12 steps are an elaboration of these five procedures. [00:12:55.566 – 00:13:01.196] Part of AA's spiritual rather than religious orientation was itself strategic. [00:13:01.196 – 00:13:11.696] After their own experiences, W. and somewhat more reluctant, reluctantly Smith, uh, came to believe that any explicit religiosity, [00:13:11.696 – 00:13:18.156] much less the stringent absolutes of Frank B., would drive away as many drunkards as it attracted. [00:13:18.156 – 00:13:26.556] In addition, it might deter participation by Catholics who were forbidden by canon law from joining religious organizations outside the church.

[00:13:26.556 – 00:13:34.476] But an equally important factor in AA's embrace of the spiritual was W. and Smith's own eclectic religious beliefs. [00:13:34.476 – 00:13:44.596] Both co-founders had been raised in liberal New E. Protestant churches, and as AA historian Glen C. has noted, it is that theology, even more [00:13:44.596 – 00:13:50.596] than B.'s sur- supercharged revisions of it, that probably had the most enduring effects on them. [00:13:50.596 – 00:14:00.896] But AA's conceptualization of the divine was influenced as well by the fact that the co-founders were average, avid spiritualists, what religious studies [00:14:00.896 – 00:14:11.376] schola- scholars call seekers or restless souls, with a tendency to identify true spirituality with mysticism or occultism, the knowledge of ultimate reality experienced [00:14:11.376 – 00:14:13.976] as something outside common expressive forms. [00:14:13.976 – 00:14:24.216] Like many 19th century Anglo-American religious iconoclasts, they participated regularly in seances and used Ouija boards to communicate with the spirits.

[00:14:24.216 – 00:14:30.076] W. may have taken the lead in this regard, devoting a special room in his house to weekly spook sessions. [00:14:30.076 – 00:14:35.696] But as AA's official history points out, both co-founders worked away at spiritualism. [00:14:35.696 – 00:14:37.616] It was not just a hobby. [00:14:37.616 – 00:14:46.456] In addition to popular mystical pursuits, W. and Smith were also familiar with a variety of esoteric religious traditions. [00:14:46.456 – 00:14:56.776] Lois W. hailed from a family of followers of the Swedish mystic Emanuel S., um, whose New C. [00:14:56.776 – 00:14:59.876] and its teachings, New C. was the name of the church. [00:14:59.876 – 00:15:01.056] It wasn't a new church.

[00:15:01.056 – 00:15:01.736] It was the name. [00:15:01.736 – 00:15:11.816] The new, the church was called The New Church, and its teachings are generally seen as the main theological precursors to the New Thought sects that developed in the United [00:15:11.816 – 00:15:14.216] States and Britain in the 19th century. [00:15:14.216 – 00:15:24.556] Her grandfather was a minister in the Swedenborgian church of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and her father, Nathan C. Burnham, was a homeopathic physician whose training at the Hahnemann S. of Medicine [00:15:24.556 – 00:15:29.176] in Pheid- Philadelphia would have included discussion of the doctrines of spiritual healing. [00:15:29.176 – 00:15:39.176] In the years just prior to AA's founding, while W. was drunk and unemployed, he and Lois lived with Burnham, and as he absorbed mystical ideas of mind and [00:15:39.176 – 00:15:43.676] spirit around the family dinner table, W. also investigated them through reading.

[00:15:43.676 – 00:15:53.736] Lois W.'s memoir notes that during this period, he explored the mental healing practices of Christian science, reading and rereading Mary B. Eddy's [00:15:53.736 – 00:15:58.356] Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures in the hope of overcoming his drinking. [00:15:58.356 – 00:16:08.356] Though he practiced a fairly straightforward version of congregationalism, Bob S., too, believed vigorously and aggressively, as [00:16:08.356 – 00:16:09.516] it says in Pass It On. [00:16:10.040 – 00:16:14.200] In precognition, second sight, and communication with the spirit world. [00:16:14.200 – 00:16:23.760] He attended the New Thought retreats known as Camps F. Out and followed the teachings of the Unity C. as well as various theosophical leaders. [00:16:23.760 – 00:16:28.020] Camps F. Out, that sounds strange.

[00:16:28.020 – 00:16:29.360] On Dr. [00:16:29.360 – 00:16:34.370] Bob's attendance at Camps F. Out, see Dick B., uh, Dr. [00:16:34.370 – 00:16:36.650] Bob and His L., page 58. [00:16:36.650 – 00:16:44.540] A brief description of the camp's mission, including its history of intercessory prayer, uh, can be found in, in other places. [00:16:44.540 – 00:16:45.240] A box of Dr. [00:16:45.240 – 00:16:55.330] Bob's personal effects in B. University contains a carefully maintained clipping file documenting New Thought lectures in and around Akron, as well [00:16:55.330 – 00:17:00.540] as publications from Theosophical and Unity C. publishers from around the Midwest.

[00:17:00.540 – 00:17:06.060] I guess I should mention Unity C. was one of the, uh, church organizations that came out of New Thought. [00:17:06.060 – 00:17:08.000] We'll do more on that later. [00:17:08.000 – 00:17:18.440] The co-founders' in- abiding investment in New Thought mysticism is borne out as well in the list of books early AAs read, compiled by Bill W.'s secretary, Nell W., and repinted- [00:17:18.440 – 00:17:22.060] reprinted in Bill P.'s AA: The Way It B.. [00:17:22.060 – 00:17:32.580] The ascetic traditions of Western religion, uh, are more highly, a- as in the Oxford Group, uh, [00:17:32.580 – 00:17:42.740] more easily understood, uh, mainstream religions, are more, are more highly codified, better known, and ultimately more easily translated into narrative form [00:17:42.740 – 00:17:48.660] to American audiences than the more diffuse and individualistic mystic rejections of the world.

[00:17:48.660 – 00:17:57.080] It is perhaps for this reason that the printed literature of mid-century AA, as we shall see, emphasized the pietist inheritance of the Oxford Group. [00:17:57.080 – 00:18:07.390] But New Thought mysticism, especially the idea of an accessible, personal, and non-judgmental higher power, was an equally important taproot within the fellowship, [00:18:07.390 – 00:18:11.580] informing both the theory and the practice of AA spirituality. [00:18:11.580 – 00:18:21.760] A notable early example of AA's enmeshment with New Thought was the Ministry of High W. at Kent, Connecticut, a retreat founded on the teachings of Christian [00:18:21.760 – 00:18:24.020] Science minister Emma C. Hopkins. [00:18:24.020 – 00:18:27.820] Uh, originally a sanitarium and generic drying out facility. [00:18:27.820 – 00:18:38.240] Um, uh, during the 1940s, High W. became one of the first treatment communities to address alcoholism solely through spiritual

[00:18:38.240 – 00:18:38.680] means. [00:18:38.680 – 00:18:41.360] We'll do more about them later. [00:18:41.360 – 00:18:51.580] Uh, for Bill W., Bob S., and their contemporaries, however, any tensions that might have existed between the two very different spiritual traditions, the Oxford Group and New Thought, [00:18:51.580 – 00:19:01.900] that undergirded AA were diffused by the fact that each worldview celebrated an all-powerful divine force that actively worked in the lives of the faithful, [00:19:01.900 – 00:19:07.160] supporting them in their repudiation of the mainstream values of competition and aggression. [00:19:07.160 – 00:19:13.420] In doing so, they offered a clear path not only to a sober, but also to a vastly rich life. [00:19:13.420 – 00:19:23.420] The pragmatic focus of AA meant, and for many still means, that members spent their time not on adjudicating, uh, uh,

[00:19:23.420 – 00:19:33.140] a balance of power between pietist humility and idealist self-expansion, but on carrying to the new prospects the joyous message of sober and spiritual life. [00:19:33.140 – 00:19:43.300] They were aided in that process by the literature that invited readers accustomed to the life of self-will run riot to see instead the complex virtues of powerlessness, [00:19:43.300 – 00:19:50.160] and that taught, and that taught by ins- inspiring example how to live as surrendered men. [00:19:50.160 – 00:20:00.230] So now we're gonna talk a little bit more about the New Thought and the AA connection, and a little bit more of the history of [00:20:00.230 – 00:20:01.980] the New Thought movement. [00:20:01.980 – 00:20:04.020] We're gonna start off with High W. Farms. [00:20:04.020 – 00:20:12.550] With a vision of creating a place of retreat for anyone in, in need of healing, Sister F. purchased farmland in Kent, Connecticut in 1926.

[00:20:12.550 – 00:20:18.680] She named it Joy F., and it was eventually called the High W. Farm. [00:20:18.680 – 00:20:24.160] High W. has a rich history connected to Alcoholics Anonymous. [00:20:24.160 – 00:20:33.800] Inspired by AA co-founder Bill W., High W. was established in 1939 as the world's first 12-step treatment center. [00:20:33.800 – 00:20:42.870] The, the debate over the role of Alcoholics Anonymous versus the role of professional treatment can be traced back to the first days of High W. Farm. [00:20:42.870 – 00:20:48.590] It was at this time AA's future was set to remain independent from the business of treatment for alcoholics. [00:20:48.590 – 00:20:55.780] The colorful history of High W. begins with Sister F., a woman who offered the farm to Bill in 1939. [00:20:55.780 – 00:21:02.630] Sister F. was born into a well-educated, affluent family with the given name of Ethelred F. Folsom.

[00:21:02.630 – 00:21:08.540] She was most often called Sister F. because of her affinity for the life and prayer of St. [00:21:08.540 – 00:21:09.080] Francis. [00:21:09.080 – 00:21:12.890] I wonder where Bill first got acquainted with the prayer of St. [00:21:12.890 – 00:21:13.520] Francis. [00:21:13.520 – 00:21:18.060] Sister F. identified herself as a book illustrator and a landscape artist. [00:21:18.060 – 00:21:22.140] Today, she is better known as a visionary and a healer. [00:21:22.140 – 00:21:32.880] Uh, two interrelated themes stand out in Sister F.' life and writings, practical service to those in need of healing, and the desire to let the real Christ self

[00:21:33.072 – 00:21:33.772] shine through. [00:21:33.772 – 00:21:38.192] These are just some pictures, uh, from the High W. Farm. [00:21:38.192 – 00:21:44.692] Here's Bill, uh, spread out on the, uh, he would never stand when he could sit, and he'd never sit when he could lay down. [00:21:44.692 – 00:21:52.512] Kind of a blurry picture, but the, this is High W. Farm, uh, and some pictures from, uh, the old days. [00:21:52.512 – 00:21:55.872] A lot of new AAs, uh, went there. [00:21:55.872 – 00:21:59.572] And we'll see a few of them later. [00:21:59.572 – 00:22:04.972] As she practiced healing, Sister F. disagreed with the revivalist tenet of a man as a sinner.

[00:22:04.972 – 00:22:10.092] She wrote that it wasn't easy for good to manifest when they all think themselves sinners. [00:22:10.092 – 00:22:18.012] Makes me realize more than ever the necessity of getting away from the teaching of evil and sin and fastening our minds on being sons of God. [00:22:18.012 – 00:22:21.911] She chose to live day to day and express all the joy she could. [00:22:21.911 – 00:22:27.032] Sister F. was a disciple of Emma C. Hopkins, the teacher of teachers. [00:22:27.032 – 00:22:36.092] We're going to go back and forth and repeat some of these names over and over as they, uh, affect other people's lives. [00:22:36.092 – 00:22:41.492] Like H., Sister F. believed the highest to be found in the teachings of all religions. [00:22:41.492 – 00:22:49.292] Her reading ranged from the fellowship of science, silence, to cosmic consciousness, to the yoga sutras of Patanjali.

[00:22:49.292 – 00:22:58.612] Her books on Catholicism, meditation, yoga, mysticism, and spiritualism remain at High W. Farm today. [00:22:58.612 – 00:23:09.292] When E. Curtis H. died in 1929, 25, [00:23:09.292 – 00:23:14.052] her sister Estelle C., uh, inherited the rights to her writings. [00:23:14.052 – 00:23:22.492] To ensure that Hopkins' writings remained available to others, Estelle C., along with New Thought disciples Sister F. and Morrison P. [00:23:22.492 – 00:23:28.302] Helling, signed papers incorporating the Ministry of the High W. at Joy F. in 1928. [00:23:28.302 – 00:23:38.312] The role of the ministry was to preserve the writings of Emma C. Hopkins and provide a simple and rustic retreat for body and soul of those in need of spiritual [00:23:38.312 – 00:23:38.932] sustenance.

[00:23:38.932 – 00:23:45.292] Uh, just as a note, keeping the High W., uh, means being aware. [00:23:45.292 – 00:23:47.812] This is some New Thought, uh, thinking. [00:23:47.812 – 00:23:52.872] Means being aware of God's messages for you to help you stay in the divine flow of life. [00:23:52.872 – 00:24:01.552] There are often religious science practitioners trained to keep a High W. by seeing God and the highest good in all. [00:24:01.552 – 00:24:05.172] They also know God is divine good as in each person. [00:24:05.172 – 00:24:11.272] I apologize for the cough. [00:24:11.272 – 00:24:21.312] Um, I'm trying to mute myself, but I just, I can't.

[00:24:21.312 – 00:24:31.652] So we're going to talk a little bit more about the background of New Thought and the AA connection. [00:24:31.652 – 00:24:35.532] Most of this, uh, follows is by, from Bob K.. [00:24:35.532 – 00:24:40.012] Sorry. [00:24:40.012 – 00:24:50.452] Uh, starting with pietism, Philip J. Spener was a Lutheran pastor who found himself increasingly disenchanted with his church's focus on ritual and dogma. [00:24:50.452 – 00:24:57.672] He thought the congregants should have a greater role than that of mere audience members at the Sunday morning salvation show. [00:24:57.672 – 00:25:05.112] In 1675, Spener published Pious D., a call for a religion of the heart rather than of the head. [00:25:05.112 – 00:25:12.712] Christians were urged to seek a personal experience with God and to maintain a continuous openness to spiritual illumination.

[00:25:12.712 – 00:25:19.092] Then we go on here to Jesper S.. [00:25:19.092 – 00:25:28.972] Swedberg was a prominent member of the Swedish clergy, court chaplain, professor of theology in the University of Uppsala, and later a bishop of Skara. [00:25:28.972 – 00:25:33.692] When his family was ennobled in 1717, it took the name Swedenborg. [00:25:33.692 – 00:25:40.012] Swedberg traveled through Europe in the 1680s and was attracted by Spener's ideas. [00:25:40.012 – 00:25:46.292] He came to believe that personal transformation could be brought about by spiritual rebirth and renewal. [00:25:46.292 – 00:25:56.232] The case is easily made that 10 generations later, personal transformation through spiritual rebirth would form the very essence of the 12-step process. [00:25:56.232 – 00:26:06.232] And waiting for, there we

[00:26:06.232 – 00:26:06.412] go. [00:26:06.412 – 00:26:10.952] Jesper S.'s son was something of a da Vinci. [00:26:10.952 – 00:26:20.892] After graduating from the University of Uppsala, he visited Germany, Holland, France, and England, where he pursued his interests in physics, mechanics, mathematics, and philosophy. [00:26:20.892 – 00:26:22.582] He also wrote poetry. [00:26:22.582 – 00:26:30.672] As his family had status but limited wealth, Swedenborg forged a career as a scientist and inventor with Sweden's Department of Mines. [00:26:30.672 – 00:26:38.892] In his mid-50s, the pastor's son became experiencing strange dreams of a grossly sexual nature. [00:26:38.892 – 00:26:44.972] Swedenborg was pressed to confront the ego-driven elements of his burning desire to be recognized as a great man of science.

[00:26:44.972 – 00:26:52.342] From 1743 to 1744, two forces, the love of self and the love of God, battled for supremacy. [00:26:52.342 – 00:26:54.872] Throughout this existential crisis [00:26:56.716 – 00:26:59.836] The scientist repeatedly heard voices and experienced visions. [00:26:59.836 – 00:27:02.936] A waking vision of the Lord told him to quit his job. [00:27:02.936 – 00:27:08.376] He retired from the world of science to take up a new mission as a man of God. [00:27:08.376 – 00:27:11.276] A very special man of God by his own accounts. [00:27:11.276 – 00:27:17.576] 10 years into his religious vocation, he declared that the second coming of Christ had indeed taken place.

[00:27:17.576 – 00:27:23.216] Christ had arrived not in person, but through his chosen agent, Emanuel S.. [00:27:23.216 – 00:27:31.086] He declared that he had been given the power to freely visit heaven and hell, and to converse with both angels and demons. [00:27:31.086 – 00:27:39.416] In spite of the, the strange nature of many of his claims, Swedenborg had followers, many, and even through AA there's a thread. [00:27:39.416 – 00:27:49.536] These included William B. Yeats, Ralph W. Emerson, Henry J. Sr., and the, uh, family of AA's founder's wife, Lois B. W., [00:27:49.536 – 00:27:54.016] and many more as we will see here in a minute. [00:27:54.016 – 00:28:04.116] Henry J. Sr., um, in the book on the three Jameses, uh, it says, "The curse of mankind [00:28:04.116 – 00:28:14.816] that which keeps our manhood so little and so depressed is its sense of selfhood, and the absurd abominable opinionatedness it engenders." So

[00:28:14.816 – 00:28:16.936] Henry J. was the father of William J.. [00:28:16.936 – 00:28:17.956] While in his early… [00:28:17.956 – 00:28:20.236] Just, we're re- just reading the, uh, yellow. [00:28:20.236 – 00:28:24.776] While in his early 30s, he fell into a two-year period of spiritual crisis. [00:28:24.776 – 00:28:29.696] Biographers have suggested that James exhibited the classic symptoms of bipolar disorder. [00:28:29.696 – 00:28:39.556] Carl J. suffered similar psychotic episodes, later referring to his experience as a confrontation with the, uh, unconscious. [00:28:39.556 – 00:28:45.596] Through rigorous self-examination and the study of Emanuel S.'s writings, Henry J. Sr.

[00:28:45.596 – 00:28:51.996] eventually escaped the most severe aspects of his depression and stopped self-medicating with heavy drinking. [00:28:51.996 – 00:29:01.596] Nathan B.. [00:29:01.596 – 00:29:11.596] Lois says, uh, in Lois R., Lois says, "Dad's father, Nathan C. Burnham, practiced law and medicine and was a minister of the Swedenborgian C. [00:29:11.596 – 00:29:15.836] in Lancaster, Pennsylvania." NC Burnham was more than a mere minister. [00:29:15.836 – 00:29:19.496] He was a theologian and authored Discrete D., a New C. text. [00:29:19.496 – 00:29:22.936] Lois and her family members were rigorous adherents to the faith. [00:29:22.936 – 00:29:30.096] There can be little doubt that Bill W. learned at least the basics of the religion of his wife and in-laws.

[00:29:30.096 – 00:29:40.576] His friendship with Rogers B., uh, Lois' brother, and later his courtship of Lois brought the emotionally needy young man into the company of the fascinating family [00:29:40.576 – 00:29:41.616] of a medical doctor. [00:29:41.616 – 00:29:48.676] Surely B. relished the sophisticated dinner conversations so unlikely at the home of his elderly wards, the Griffiths. [00:29:48.676 – 00:29:50.336] Lois' father, Dr. [00:29:50.336 – 00:29:55.316] Clark B., was to have a tremendous, if somewhat indirect, influence on Bill's life. [00:29:55.316 – 00:30:06.166] Uh, some other famous people, just real quickly, to, uh, who were affected by, uh, uh, Swedenborg, uh, uh, [00:30:06.166 – 00:30:08.896] his, his writings and his, uh, his beliefs.

[00:30:08.896 – 00:30:19.416] Uh, Daniel B., uh, he was a cousin of Lois's, an architect who, uh, built, uh, Burnham's White C. in the World's Fair in Chicago. [00:30:19.416 – 00:30:21.805] Henry J., William J., Carl J.. [00:30:21.805 – 00:30:28.656] All of these people were affected and, uh, by, uh, Emanuel S.. [00:30:28.656 – 00:30:33.926] And, uh, uh, Elizabeth B. Browning, uh, Johnny A.. [00:30:33.926 – 00:30:37.536] Well, I'm from Indiana, so I had to throw him in there. [00:30:37.536 – 00:30:41.476] Samuel T. Coleridge, uh, Calvin C.. [00:30:41.476 – 00:30:52.016] Sir A. Conan D. says, "The greatest Sw- the great Swedish seer Emanuel S. has some claim to be the father of our new knowledge of supernal matters."

[00:30:52.016 – 00:31:02.476] Ralph W. Emerson: "The most remarkable step in the religious history of recent ages is that made by the genius of Swedenborg." Henry J.: [00:31:02.476 – 00:31:12.016] Uh, "Emanuel S. had the sanest and most far-reaching intellect this age has ever known." William J., uh, Carl J.. [00:31:12.016 – 00:31:19.036] Martin L. King said, "Swedenborg enables us to understand why we were created and why we are alive." Franklin D. [00:31:19.036 – 00:31:19.556] Roosevelt. [00:31:19.556 – 00:31:25.416] Lots of people, both in and out of AA, were affected by Emanuel S.. [00:31:25.416 – 00:31:36.296] The most obvious connecting link between Alcoholics Anonymous and the New Thought movement comes through William J., who had found answers to his depression and doubts about his self-worth [00:31:36.296 – 00:31:39.256] from New Thought teachings, which he termed mind cure.

[00:31:39.256 – 00:31:47.136] While N. Thought organizations never became very large, the organizations themselves, like churches, they never became really large. [00:31:47.136 – 00:31:52.496] Their ideas, uh, have wide acceptance in general society and influenced early AA. [00:31:52.496 – 00:32:02.636] In fact, uh, many writers believe that, uh, the influence to New Thought in general society today basically happened because [00:32:02.636 – 00:32:05.856] of AA and, uh, its influence in AA. [00:32:05.856 – 00:32:12.936] The principal benefit was much like the program of the Oxford Group and the claims of William J. in his seminal book. [00:32:12.936 – 00:32:19.446] It transformed religious beliefs into a plan of action that individuals could follow for their own benefit in solving- [00:32:19.588 – 00:32:21.268] Problems in the here and now.

[00:32:21.268 – 00:32:24.927] Now, the rest of it we'll, uh, get to later. [00:32:24.927 – 00:32:28.588] So this happened around the mid-1800s. [00:32:28.588 – 00:32:30.238] And what, what brought this… [00:32:30.238 – 00:32:33.538] what brought about this New Thought, uh, movement? [00:32:33.538 – 00:32:43.808] Faced with both the fear created by the fire and brimstone of the Second G. Awakening, a Protestant religious revival in the US from 1795 [00:32:43.808 – 00:32:53.868] to 1835, and the sterility of scientific empiricism, New Thought counters with an unflinching positive view [00:32:53.868 – 00:32:56.228] of life and its outcome.

[00:32:56.228 – 00:32:59.528] I think my Wi-Fi is slow. [00:32:59.528 – 00:33:09.668] By resigning the care of your destiny to higher powers, the believer gives the little compulsive self a rest. [00:33:09.668 – 00:33:19.708] Uh, James characterized New Thought's highest aim as an undoing of the modern norms of vigilance and aggression, the cultivation of passivity, not activity, [00:33:19.708 – 00:33:22.238] relaxation, not intenseness. [00:33:22.238 – 00:33:32.458] Even the manual movement joined Christian S. in New Thought as harmonial religions, in which spiritual composure, physical health, [00:33:32.868 – 00:33:47.718] and even economic wellbeing are understood to flow from a personal rapport with the con- with [00:33:47.718 – 00:33:47.719] the…

[00:33:47.719 – 00:33:57.308] AA's 10th step promises talking about passivity are dripping with passivity, and there's a lot of this passivity in the Big Book, uh, if you know what it is and what you… [00:33:57.308 – 00:33:59.408] what to look for. [00:33:59.408 – 00:34:01.658] Uh, we've ceased fighting anything or anyone. [00:34:01.658 – 00:34:04.568] We will seldom be interested in liquor. [00:34:04.568 – 00:34:09.268] This has been given to us without any thought or effort on our part. [00:34:09.268 – 00:34:10.048] It just comes. [00:34:10.048 – 00:34:13.388] We are not fighting it, neither we are avoiding temptations.

[00:34:13.388 – 00:34:23.128] Early AA members were all over New Thought literature, such as James A.'s, uh, As a Man T., and The Sermon on the Mount by Emmet F.. [00:34:23.128 – 00:34:28.648] New York AAs frequently showed up in groups to listen to Tha- Fox carry the message. [00:34:28.648 – 00:34:34.608] New Thought also produced positive thinkers like Norman V. Peale, Marianne W., and Rhonda B.. [00:34:34.608 – 00:34:38.028] I'm just gonna mention, uh, As a Man T.. [00:34:38.028 – 00:34:44.528] It's probably some of the simplest New Thought ideas to, uh, uh… [00:34:44.528 – 00:34:45.548] a very short book. [00:34:45.548 – 00:34:46.948] I recommend it.

[00:34:46.948 – 00:34:50.508] Uh, a lot of good one-liners in it too. [00:34:50.508 – 00:34:52.268] A little small book. [00:34:52.268 – 00:34:55.548] A man is literally what his think– what he thinks. [00:34:55.548 – 00:34:58.787] His character being the complete sum of his thoughts. [00:34:58.787 – 00:35:03.828] Man is made or unmade by himself in the armory of thought. [00:35:03.828 – 00:35:06.568] He forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. [00:35:06.568 – 00:35:13.708] He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.

[00:35:13.708 – 00:35:21.628] Man is the master of thought, the molder of character, the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny. [00:35:21.628 – 00:35:28.868] Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are. [00:35:28.868 – 00:35:38.108] Their whims, fancies, and ambitions are thwarted at every step, but their inmost thoughts and desires are fed with their own food, be it foul or clean. [00:35:38.108 – 00:35:42.008] The divinity that shapes our ends is in ourselves. [00:35:42.008 – 00:35:43.508] It is our very self. [00:35:43.508 – 00:35:47.608] Uh, where do we find the great reality? [00:35:47.608 – 00:35:49.028] Deep down within us.

[00:35:49.028 – 00:35:52.208] Man is manacled only by himself. [00:35:52.208 – 00:35:54.508] Thought and action are the jailers of fate. [00:35:54.508 – 00:35:57.168] They imprison, being base. [00:35:57.168 – 00:35:59.028] They are also the angels of freedom. [00:35:59.028 – 00:36:01.768] They liberate, being noble. [00:36:01.768 – 00:36:07.768] Not what he wishes and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earn greatly– justly earns. [00:36:07.768 – 00:36:14.548] His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.

[00:36:14.548 – 00:36:20.948] Why all this, uh, uh, concentration on, uh, on the way we think? [00:36:20.948 – 00:36:25.628] Well, because we know that the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind. [00:36:25.628 – 00:36:33.068] So now we go into a little bit, uh, more, uh, Phineas P. Quimby, as far as I know. [00:36:33.068 – 00:36:37.397] Before anybody asks, I, I don't think there's any relation to Hank P.. [00:36:37.397 – 00:36:44.968] Phineas P. Quimby was an American spiritual teacher, philosophy mesmerist, hypnotist, healer, and inventor. [00:36:44.968 – 00:36:50.268] Quimby is widely recognized as being the main founder and leader of the New Thought movement. [00:36:50.268 – 00:36:58.258] The essence of the movement was rooted in the interpretation of Quimby's teachings, and he is often referred to as the intellectual father of New Thought.

[00:36:58.258 – 00:37:07.528] In 1836, Quimby began studying mesmerism, hypnotism, after attending a lecture by a French mesmerist, Charles F.. [00:37:07.528 – 00:37:10.528] He then learned that and went on the road himself. [00:37:10.528 – 00:37:20.658] Perhaps Q.'s most controversial and well-known patient was Mary B. Patterson, later Eddy, who sought healing from him [00:37:20.658 – 00:37:21.828] in 1862. [00:37:21.828 – 00:37:31.248] According to Braden, a historian, she was admitted to Quimby's inner circle and had access to his manuscripts, which were not published for many years. [00:37:31.248 – 00:37:37.768] Eddy later founded Christian S. and claimed that the healing knowledge she espoused was a divine revelation. [00:37:37.768 – 00:37:42.718] Although her claim that, uh, that she learned nothing from Quimby has caused…

[00:37:42.832 – 00:37:48.852] Thus considerable consternation to historians such as Braden, the controversy is not relevant to the subject at hand. [00:37:48.852 – 00:37:58.932] Wherever E. received her ideas from, it is indisputable that she went beyond Quimby in setting up an organization to take the message throughout the country. [00:37:58.932 – 00:38:03.942] Eddy kept a tight rein on her movement and was known to be quite authoritarian. [00:38:03.942 – 00:38:14.052] Although the term Christian S. was used generically for many years, uh, by people such as the Fillmores, it was later relinquished and the term New [00:38:14.052 – 00:38:19.811] Thought adopted to distance it mainly from, uh, her Christian S. movement. [00:38:19.811 – 00:38:29.212] Christian S. is not considered part of the New Thought movement primarily because Eddy claimed that the ideas she set forth were the last revelation. [00:38:29.212 – 00:38:39.472] And, uh, um, New Thought, on the other hand, takes the stand that revelation of truth is continuous, thus keeping thought

[00:38:39.472 – 00:38:39.752] new. [00:38:39.752 – 00:38:49.192] In N. Wine, Malby argues that Science and In- that Science and Health, Mary B. Eddy's book, served as a model for the big book. [00:38:49.192 – 00:38:59.492] The Fillmores were drawn into, [00:38:59.492 – 00:39:10.082] uh, by a fledgling New Thought movement by Emma C. Hopkins, a former student of Mary B. Eddy in Christian S., who by different accounts was either ejected from or voluntarily left, uh, [00:39:10.082 – 00:39:10.931] uh, Eddy's movement. [00:39:10.931 – 00:39:19.522] She went to Chicago, where she established the Christian S. Theological S., uh, later the Illinois M. Institute. [00:39:19.522 – 00:39:22.712] She became known as the teacher of teachers.

[00:39:22.712 – 00:39:32.912] The New Thought movement Unity, uh, we'll get a little bit more into the, uh, basic three, uh, organizations of the New Thought movement [00:39:32.912 – 00:39:33.772] or philosophy. [00:39:33.772 – 00:39:39.132] Unity is the largest organization to come out of the New Thought movement of the late 19th century. [00:39:39.132 – 00:39:48.092] The Fillmores held that their philosophy was simply the practical application of the Christian principles of Jesus or a return to primitive Christianity. [00:39:48.092 – 00:39:58.332] The three main views of religion that prevailed in the New E. area were or- orthodox Christianity with its Calvinistic predestinarian tones, [00:39:58.332 – 00:40:08.452] Unitarianism with its rationalism and distrust of mysticism, and transcendentalism, a radical reaction to Unitarianism, which focused on the divinity [00:40:08.452 – 00:40:14.552] of humanity, intuition, idealism, and the importance of experience.

[00:40:14.552 – 00:40:24.552] William J., who referred to New Thought as the religion of healthy mindedness or mind cure, uh, said, "New Thought might briefly be [00:40:24.552 – 00:40:34.552] called a reaction against all the religion of chronic anxiety, which marked the earlier part of our century in the evangelical circles of England, [00:40:34.552 – 00:40:44.912] uh, and America." It was transcendentalism with such adherence as Ralph W. Emerson, uh, which influenced [00:40:44.912 – 00:40:47.002] the New Thought movement most heavily. [00:40:47.002 – 00:40:54.392] Emerson, in particular, is often named as the father of New Thought, and his philosophies were of primary importance to Charles F.. [00:40:54.392 – 00:41:02.272] Braden, a historian, however, distinguishes between Emerson's philosophical idealism and New Thought's idealistic practice. [00:41:02.272 – 00:41:05.962] New Thought was very practical.

[00:41:05.962 – 00:41:08.712] Uh, Emerson was a philosopher. [00:41:08.712 – 00:41:16.952] While E. spoke and wrote about the link between mind and health, he did not actively pursue this philosophy in his daily life. [00:41:16.952 – 00:41:26.972] Although E.'s philosophy, uh, of self-reliance undoubtedly had profound intellectual impact on leaders like Charles F., Braden [00:41:26.972 – 00:41:33.492] argues that the New in Thought refers primarily to the practical application of these philosophies. [00:41:33.492 – 00:41:35.672] Like AA, New Thought is practical. [00:41:35.672 – 00:41:37.991] If it works, do it. [00:41:37.991 – 00:41:47.282] Uh, William J., who lived through the birth and early stages of the New Thought movement, attributes the popularity of the philosophy to its practicality.

[00:41:47.282 – 00:41:54.992] With the growth of science, medicine, and psychology, James contends that the American people began looking for ideas which could be proven. [00:41:54.992 – 00:42:01.632] The experiential and highly experimental nature of New Thought seemed to meet these rational requirements. [00:42:01.632 – 00:42:06.852] The plain fact remains that the spread of the movement has been due to practical fruits. [00:42:06.852 – 00:42:17.192] As J. observes in just one of many, uh, witty phrases, uh, he says, "By their fruits you shall know them, not by their roots." [00:42:17.192 – 00:42:22.712] Doesn't matter where it comes from, um, what are the fruits? [00:42:22.712 – 00:42:27.232] Then we'll go a little bit to, uh, Ralph W. Emerson. [00:42:27.232 – 00:42:34.372] Uh, uh, if you're in the US, you probably studied him, uh, a- a- as a writer in school.

[00:42:34.372 – 00:42:39.092] Uh, Emerson's entire life was one of spiritual exploration. [00:42:39.092 – 00:42:49.412] He's been called the father of New Thought because he was instrumental in gathering together a group of intellectuals, writers, and philosophers to explore the transcendental philosophy. [00:42:49.412 – 00:42:52.392] Emerson entered Harvard C. on a scholarship. [00:42:52.392 – 00:42:55.692] At age 14, he became a Unitarian minister. [00:42:55.692 – 00:42:57.912] He wrote eloquent essays on many subjects. [00:42:57.912 – 00:43:02.792] Emerson thought every man is an individualization of the one and only God. [00:43:02.792 – 00:43:05.882] He thought that at the center of our being we are all op-

[00:43:06.044 – 00:43:10.124] Operated on by spiritual laws which execute themselves. [00:43:10.124 – 00:43:17.144] Again, li, uh, science and laws in the spiritual, uh, and mental realms. [00:43:17.144 – 00:43:21.924] Just as, uh, in the physical realm, if I plant corn, corn will grow. [00:43:21.924 – 00:43:24.844] If I plant weeds, weeds will grow. [00:43:24.844 – 00:43:30.034] Uh, a- and, uh, if I think negative, negative things will happen. [00:43:30.034 – 00:43:37.844] Emerson is not thought of as a New Thought writer, but rather as one of the prime sources from which New Thought drew its inspiration. [00:43:37.844 – 00:43:43.044] Now a little bit about the, uh, three churches that, uh, came out of New Thought.

[00:43:43.044 – 00:43:53.104] The New Thought person was to be free from the principles of a declared belief, instead being in touch with the only present indwelling presence of God. [00:43:53.104 – 00:44:01.044] Um, the unlike most religious societies, there is no sacred text or immutable canon. [00:44:01.044 – 00:44:10.124] Truth is viewed as a matter of continuing revelation, and no one leader or institution can declare with finality what is the nature of truth. [00:44:10.124 – 00:44:15.694] This is not so unlike our, our book is meant to be suggestive only. [00:44:15.694 – 00:44:18.064] We realize we know only a little. [00:44:18.064 – 00:44:22.663] God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. [00:44:22.663 – 00:44:27.764] AA is not frozen in 1939, in theory at least.

[00:44:27.764 – 00:44:34.084] For a relatively small organization, New Thought has experienced much fragmentation. [00:44:34.084 – 00:44:39.844] Beliefs are varied and thus difficult to summarize. [00:44:39.844 – 00:44:45.804] The three major factions today are Religious S., Unity C., and the Church of Divine S.. [00:44:45.804 – 00:44:51.684] Bill W.'s, uh, close friend Marty M. was a longtime member of the Church of Religious S.. [00:44:51.684 – 00:44:52.784] Mal B. [00:44:52.784 – 00:44:54.844] attended Unity C. according to Glenn C. [00:44:54.844 – 00:45:05.324] The bulk of the remaining sects have unified, uh, under, uh, the, uh, uh, umbrella of new, uh, international New Thought Alliance,

[00:45:05.324 – 00:45:06.544] or the INTA. [00:45:06.544 – 00:45:16.743] In its missions, uh, statement, uh, the INTA says, "To teach the infinitude of the Supreme O., the divinity of man [00:45:16.743 – 00:45:26.744] and his infinite possibilities through the creative power of constructive thinking, thinking in obedience to the voice of the indwelling presence, which is our source [00:45:26.744 – 00:45:36.824] of inspiration, power, health, and prosperity." Now, depending on which side of the pond you are on, we're going to the other side. [00:45:36.824 – 00:45:41.684] Uh, the western, uh, uh, the eastern side of the pond. [00:45:41.684 – 00:45:51.934] According to Alcoholics Anonymous, AA archivist Nell W., early AA members were strongly encouraged to read Thomas T.'s Edinburgh lectures, uh, Lectures [00:45:51.934 – 00:45:52.904] on Mental S..

[00:45:52.904 – 00:46:03.424] In the forward to his book, uh, Troward writes, uh, "This book, uh, its purpose is to indicate the natural principles governing the relation between mental action [00:46:03.424 – 00:46:13.424] and material conditions, and thus to afford the student an intelligible starting point for the practical study of this subject." Uh, well, this is just a picture of, [00:46:13.424 – 00:46:18.184] uh, Troward in Exmouth, in Devon C. in England in June 1986. [00:46:18.184 – 00:46:22.584] Troward was born actually in Punjab, India in 1847. [00:46:22.584 – 00:46:29.024] Educated in England, he returned to India to become a divisional judge in the Punjab, which is now Pakistan. [00:46:29.024 – 00:46:31.924] His chief interest lay in the field of religion. [00:46:31.924 – 00:46:38.704] He also studied Indian religions, comparative religions, Hebrew ancient scriptures, and was drawn to Emerson's writings.

[00:46:38.704 – 00:46:41.964] He also studied the concept of reincarnation. [00:46:41.964 – 00:46:49.224] He, he associated himself with the Higher T. Center in England and became a noted leader of British N. Thought. [00:46:49.224 – 00:46:53.374] Troward was interested in formulating a theory of mental healing. [00:46:53.374 – 00:46:58.064] When he was asked to label it, he called it mental s-science. [00:46:58.064 – 00:47:03.504] Then another guy that we'll hear about from time to time, an Ernest H.. [00:47:03.504 – 00:47:08.644] Holmes discovered Troward's work in 1914, two years before Troward died. [00:47:08.644 – 00:47:18.764] He said, "This is as near to my own thoughts as I shall ever come." He began speaking on Troward's writing to, uh, growing groups when he was 25, without realizing his lifetime ministry

[00:47:18.764 – 00:47:19.324] had begun. [00:47:19.324 – 00:47:25.523] He totally absorbed Troward's ideas and dink, uh, deeply linked them with his own thinking. [00:47:25.523 – 00:47:32.444] Uh, he was one of the main channels through which Troward reached American circles. [00:47:32.444 – 00:47:37.434] Here's a book that he edited, uh, Ernest H.. [00:47:37.434 – 00:47:45.264] Uh, a book called, uh, Mind R. Your W.: How to Think Y. into Better H., Greater H., and More S.. [00:47:45.264 – 00:47:55.264] And, um, uh, this, uh, this book, uh, uh, that he wrote in the introduction, he says, "The New Thought movement [00:47:55.264 – 00:47:56.764] is essentially spiritual.

[00:47:56.764 – 00:48:01.884] Dealing with the laws of mind, it is also scientifically, scientific. [00:48:01.884 – 00:48:11.944] It assumes that God is not only the final reality, he is the only present reality." And, uh, couple [00:48:11.944 – 00:48:22.044] of, uh, I think for us apropos quotes, uh, by Ernest H. are, "Change your thinking, change your life," and, [00:48:22.044 – 00:48:24.004] "All the power of the universe is with you. [00:48:24.004 – 00:48:28.184] Feel it, know it, and then act as though it were true. [00:48:28.184 – 00:48:29.184] Ac- [00:48:29.668 – 00:48:30.128] Act as if.

[00:48:30.128 – 00:48:40.448] The New Thought movement was deeply i- influenced also in its earliest stages by the world of Asian religions, Hindu V. thought, and especially in James A.'s [00:48:40.448 – 00:48:41.938] case, Buddhism as well. [00:48:41.938 – 00:48:52.167] Down there at the bottom it says, "If we were feeling pain and suffering, including inner resentment, continual inner rage, fear, worry, anxiety, shame, and guilt, [00:48:52.168 – 00:49:02.188] we could heal these problems simply by learning how to think about them differently." The, uh, first quote that I had was by [00:49:02.188 – 00:49:05.048] R- uh, Ralph W., uh, Trine. [00:49:05.048 – 00:49:08.368] Uh, not Emerson, Ralph W. Trine. [00:49:08.368 – 00:49:12.538] And, uh, and there's some New Thought in economic prosperity.

[00:49:12.538 – 00:49:21.508] Uh, a book that illustrates the New Thought movement's shift toward individual prosperity, uh, is Ralph W. Trine's In T. With the Infinite. [00:49:21.508 – 00:49:28.668] A popular writer and lecturer, Trine taught that one's ability to channel positive thoughts would lead to success. [00:49:28.668 – 00:49:37.648] Published in 1897, the book sold millions of copies and gained Trine a wide following, including from automobile industrialist Henry F.. [00:49:37.648 – 00:49:44.348] Trine emphasized that happiness was largely a matter of positive thinking, as he noted in his book. [00:49:44.348 – 00:49:54.408] Um, uh, one really good thought from, uh, uh, Henry F. is, "If you think you [00:49:54.408 – 00:49:55.378] can, you're right. [00:49:55.378 – 00:50:01.528] If you think you can't, you're right." Ralph W. Trine said, "The optimist is right.

[00:50:01.528 – 00:50:03.128] The pessimist is right. [00:50:03.128 – 00:50:07.988] The one differs from the other as the light from the dark, yet both are right. [00:50:07.988 – 00:50:14.428] Each is right from his own particular point of view, and this point of view is the determining factor in the life of each. [00:50:14.428 – 00:50:25.108] It determines as to whether it is a life of power or of impotence, of peace or of pain, of success or of failure." Also, [00:50:25.108 – 00:50:33.048] one extreme answer to the problem of pain and suffering was given in the New Thought movement, which had a great influence on many of the Protestants in early AA. [00:50:33.048 – 00:50:41.468] These N. Thought authors, uh, taught that pain and suffering were fundamentally produced not by external conditions, but by wrong thinking. [00:50:41.468 – 00:50:47.428] If we changed the way we thought, the external world would change to match our new ideas.

[00:50:47.428 – 00:50:57.668] This group of American and British teachers, preachers, writers, and healers included Phineas P. Quimby, Emma C. Hopkins, Thomas T., James A., [00:50:57.668 – 00:50:59.868] and Emmet F.. [00:50:59.868 – 00:51:03.688] So most of you have probably heard of Emmet F. before. [00:51:03.688 – 00:51:10.768] He came to know, uh, the prominent New Thought writer Thomas T., uh, uh, in, uh, over in England. [00:51:10.768 – 00:51:17.268] Uh, Fox attended the London meetings at which the International N. Thought A. was organized in 1914. [00:51:17.268 – 00:51:25.228] Little bit more on, uh, who was Emmet F., was a layman who became a great exponent of New Thought. [00:51:25.228 – 00:51:32.868] As an Irishman who worked in the field of electrical engineering, he soon became very well known and popular as a New Thought minister.

[00:51:32.868 – 00:51:35.368] His family had a long Catholic tradition. [00:51:35.368 – 00:51:44.088] His father was not merely a famous surgeon, but also an Irish nationalist politician and a member of parliament, or parliament. [00:51:44.088 – 00:51:48.388] He received his early education at the Stamford H. Jesuit C.. [00:51:48.388 – 00:51:50.468] Oh dear, Jesuits. [00:51:50.468 – 00:51:51.468] You know what they're like. [00:51:51.468 – 00:52:01.788] Anyway, he was known, the college was known for the way in which it inculcated systematic thoroughness and remarkable self-control in its students, and these were traits of Fox's [00:52:01.788 – 00:52:03.048] character throughout his life.

[00:52:03.048 – 00:52:13.168] The Jesuit order trained men who were not afraid to break with traditional teachings, and who eventually influenced the philosophical beliefs of the world, such as Pascal, [00:52:13.168 – 00:52:15.208] uh, Descartes, and Voltaire. [00:52:15.208 – 00:52:18.048] Seems that Fox was a natural healer. [00:52:18.048 – 00:52:26.408] At the age of six he placed his hand on his mother's aching forehead, who then experienced no more pain and felt a sense of peace embracing her. [00:52:26.408 – 00:52:31.308] In another instance when he spoke the words, "Mary, Mary, you are going to be well. [00:52:31.308 – 00:52:41.328] Yes, you are going to be well," to the sick sister of the maid who was working for them, he realized that it was their, the maid's and her sister's, faith that had brought about the [00:52:41.328 – 00:52:41.708] healing.

[00:52:41.708 – 00:52:51.428] Even as a young boy, he understood that the ability to heal was not special to him, but is a power that is possessed by all. [00:52:51.428 – 00:52:56.608] He seriously began his investigation into the healing phenomena at the age of 18. [00:52:56.608 – 00:53:01.328] At, by the time, at the time, he was not very S. himself. [00:53:01.328 – 00:53:07.828] His impaired hearing and vision led to nervous shyness and even to being labeled a sissy. [00:53:07.828 – 00:53:13.048] His ability to heal led to his divergence from the Catholic C.. [00:53:13.048 – 00:53:20.448] His quest for answers and explanations led him into a study of metaphysics, and later to its teachings, teachers, and healers. [00:53:20.448 – 00:53:26.188] It included movements such as practical metaphysics, new psychology, and divine science.

[00:53:26.188 – 00:53:36.548] The works of Ralph W. Emerson, Phine- Phineas P. Quimby, Mesmer, Mary B. Eddy, Curtis, uh, Hopkins, Horatio D., and Charles F. [00:53:36.548 – 00:53:39.488] all led to Fox's deeper understanding of healing. [00:53:39.488 – 00:53:43.548] To him, healing meant complete harmony of body, mind, and soul. [00:53:43.548 – 00:53:48.308] It has been stated that his movement away from the Catholic C. was a gradual process. [00:53:48.308 – 00:53:52.458] That there was no break with the church indicates that his newfound faith was not… [00:53:52.540 – 00:54:00.460] Not a Protestant, small P, was not a Protestant one so much as it was an increasing enlightenment that encompassed all faiths. [00:54:00.460 – 00:54:10.510] It was important for Fox to have the freedom, uh, to approach God in ways known to him, and therefore he also respected the ways

[00:54:10.510 – 00:54:11.890] of his parents and other people. [00:54:11.890 – 00:54:17.480] It has been said that his family did not oppose him so much as they adjusted to his new way of life. [00:54:17.480 – 00:54:27.480] Once after he'd appeared on the platform with psychics such as Sir O. Lodge and Sir A. Conan D. at the Albert H., an article in the newspaper [00:54:27.480 – 00:54:33.060] led to a family confrontation which resulted in Fox and his mother never discussing the subject again. [00:54:33.060 – 00:54:40.400] However, it seems that he and his mother shared a fine zeal for their inner faith, and therefore respected each other in that faith. [00:54:40.400 – 00:54:50.940] His sister, Nora F., never realized what great work her brother had done, for he always underplayed his fame so that he did not hurt the family's Catholic sensitivities. [00:54:50.940 – 00:55:04.880] It was at his cremation that Nora said, "Fancy him starting a new religion when we've already got a perfectly good one." So

[00:55:04.880 – 00:55:10.800] his association, uh, with divine science, uh, Fox began attracting large crowds in New York. [00:55:10.800 – 00:55:16.760] Um, he felt that since he was ministering, he should be ordained. [00:55:16.760 – 00:55:23.080] When he sought ordination from Unity S., he was turned down because he hadn't attended their training program. [00:55:23.080 – 00:55:26.960] But Nona Brooks of Divine S. said, "Eh, no problem. [00:55:26.960 – 00:55:37.220] I'll ordain you." Um, early AA members were encouraged to read New Thought, uh, literature such as Emmett F.'s The Sermon on the Mount and Thomas T.'s [00:55:37.220 – 00:55:44.670] Edinburgh L. on Mental S., um, as well as, uh, James A.'s, uh, As a Man T.. [00:55:44.670 – 00:55:52.300] Some went to the ministry of High W. Retreat, uh, as we've seen, based on the teachings of Eddie disciple Emma H..

[00:55:52.300 – 00:56:02.309] Uh, in the middle there, which talks about even Richmond W., an AA member who got sober in Boston in 1942, penned a daily meditation book, 24 [00:56:02.309 – 00:56:06.580] Hours a Day, in 1948 after moving to Daytona B.. [00:56:06.580 – 00:56:12.809] Uh, we have to mention that, uh, his, his, his, uh, book was very eclectic. [00:56:12.809 – 00:56:16.240] Uh, he was trained in the classics, uh, Richmond W.. [00:56:16.240 – 00:56:20.020] Uh, he, he took, uh, things from God C.. [00:56:20.020 – 00:56:24.780] Uh, he made them, changed them to make them very generic. [00:56:24.780 – 00:56:35.080] He used, uh, some of the, uh, Oxford Group terminology, uh, uh, like the, uh, the four absolutes

[00:56:35.080 – 00:56:40.740] and, uh, and the five Cs, uh, without talking about the Oxford Group. [00:56:40.740 – 00:56:48.580] But he also, according to historian Glen C., there are flashes of the Emmanuel M.'s New Thought mysticism scattered throughout the text. [00:56:48.580 – 00:56:51.520] Here's one, I think, from June 21st. [00:56:51.520 – 00:56:59.860] Rich regarded himself as a, um, a teacher of an intelligent faith and the great intelligence behind the universe. [00:56:59.860 – 00:57:09.860] In language partly similar to Emmett F.'s, he says for June 21st that, "Intelligent faith in that power greater than ourselves can be counted on to [00:57:09.860 – 00:57:11.300] stabilize our emotions. [00:57:11.300 – 00:57:16.300] It has an incomparable capacity to help us look at life in balanced perspective.

[00:57:16.300 – 00:57:24.380] We look up, around, and away from ourselves, and we see that nine out of 10 things which at the moment upset us will shortly disappear. [00:57:24.380 – 00:57:26.360] Problems solve themselves. [00:57:26.360 – 00:57:35.660] Criticism and unkindness vanish as though they had never been." A fundamental and critical AA method involves letting go. [00:57:35.660 – 00:57:42.110] Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas, and the result was nil until we let go absolutely. [00:57:42.110 – 00:57:45.760] Change through religion sprouts from similar seeds. [00:57:45.760 – 00:57:51.200] The individual becomes willing to give up the old self or the old ways, and the answers come. [00:57:51.200 – 00:57:54.900] William J. called this surrender the way of success.

[00:57:54.900 – 00:57:59.100] It's not hard to see that the same idea was transferred to AA. [00:57:59.100 – 00:58:05.900] Uh, in a second edition story, the professor in the paradox lists four paradoxes of how AA works. [00:58:05.900 – 00:58:08.939] Number one is we surrender to win. [00:58:08.939 – 00:58:16.200] Although B. W. judiciously avoided using the specific term surrender in writing The Big Book, the concept is there. [00:58:16.200 – 00:58:26.520] AA in his book expresses disdain for self-propulsion and self-will run riot of their former lives, these ambitions going hand in hand with compulsive [00:58:26.520 – 00:58:26.980] drinking. [00:58:26.980 – 00:58:37.120] Down there at the bottom where it says, "By vigorously embracing the ascetic surrendered life, AAs became able to pursue a deliberately

[00:58:37.120 – 00:58:47.520] diffused non-creedal and sometimes mystical spirituality." AA's ideas of taking the entire drink problem and turning it over to God is entirely [00:58:47.520 – 00:58:50.180] compatible with core New Thought thinking. [00:58:50.180 – 00:58:56.760] When one reads the big book looking for positive as- affirmations, there are many to be found. [00:58:56.760 – 00:59:04.540] Journeying through the philosophy and writings of William J. and also the Emmanuel M. New Thought principles have arrived in AA. [00:59:04.540 – 00:59:09.300] Just a sideline here, um, uh, quickly. [00:59:09.300 – 00:59:15.690] Uh, we know that, uh, over there in Cleveland, Clarence S.'s a drunk, and, uh, his wife goes to [00:59:15.844 – 00:59:25.864] Reverend D. Upton and says, "Can you talk to Clarence about his drinking?" Well, he talked to him and he said, "Well, you're gonna have to have a, a spiritual

[00:59:25.864 – 00:59:30.824] experience." And anyway, Clarence started going to Oxford Group meetings in Akron. [00:59:30.824 – 00:59:41.264] And, uh, so after, uh, the good Reverend, uh, Upton, uh, found out about, uh, about [00:59:41.264 – 00:59:47.944] that, he said, "Oh, nothing good could come out of the Oxford Group," Lupton said to his wife, uh, Clarence's wife, Dorothy. [00:59:47.944 – 00:59:58.034] Uh, he said that, "In as much as AA," or at the time, "Was mixed up with the Oxford Group, it was bound to fail, that any movement as tremendous as this [00:59:58.034 – 01:00:04.444] should never be mixed up with a religious organization." So but they were at the time. [01:00:04.444 – 01:00:06.504] Uh, they were, uh… [01:00:06.504 – 01:00:06.664] Dr.

[01:00:06.664 – 01:00:10.524] Bob and Clarence, they were going to these Oxford Group meetings in Akron. [01:00:10.524 – 01:00:20.664] But Clarence got to be a, a, a enthusiastic 12-stepper, had lots of people there in, uh, Cleveland, and, uh, some of them were Catholic. [01:00:20.664 – 01:00:31.264] And the church said, "Well, you can't go to those Oxford Group Protestant meetings." And, uh, so after the Big Book came out, Clarence told Bob, he said, "I'm gonna start a meeting [01:00:31.264 – 01:00:35.074] up there in Cleveland and, and, uh, break away from the Oxford Group," and Dr. [01:00:35.074 – 01:00:44.964] Bob said, "You can't do that." And Clarence said, "Watch me." So they decided, uh, they made the mistake of telling them where the meeting was gonna be in Cleveland. [01:00:44.964 – 01:00:55.504] And, uh, so the Akron group, uh, went up there to the first meeting and tried to break it up and threatened to, uh, beat up the people that were starting this other group, [01:00:55.504 – 01:00:58.704] and, uh, all in the name of pure Christian love, of course.

[01:00:58.704 – 01:01:02.794] Anyway, to get to my point, uh, Dr. [01:01:02.794 – 01:01:05.643] Smith stayed home, uh, from all this. [01:01:05.643 – 01:01:11.184] He quickly, uh, reconciled himself to the break and began attending the meeting once or twice a month. [01:01:11.184 – 01:01:21.354] While he was reluctant to anger his close friends of the Oxford Group, he understood the reasons for starting the group in Cleveland, which was soon describing itself as a meeting of Alcoholics [01:01:21.354 – 01:01:21.924] Anonymous. [01:01:21.924 – 01:01:25.744] By the end of '39, Smith was convinced that the Alcoholics… [01:01:25.744 – 01:01:28.624] Akron A. too must find a new home.

[01:01:28.624 – 01:01:32.824] In D., as many as 70 people began cramming into Dr. [01:01:32.824 – 01:01:33.984] Bob's living room. [01:01:33.984 – 01:01:40.324] Now, I'm not sure how you could get 70 people into that little living room, but he had 70 people there. [01:01:40.324 – 01:01:44.824] And, uh, what happened was they, they were having meetings at T. [01:01:44.824 – 01:01:48.284] Henry and Clarice's, uh, uh, house. [01:01:48.284 – 01:01:51.324] And, um, so Dr. [01:01:51.324 – 01:02:00.884] Bob said, "You know, we're gonna have meetings at my house, and it's gonna be just for alcoholics." And so without, uh, fuss or bother, Dr.

[01:02:00.884 – 01:02:04.624] Bob announced that there would be a meeting for the alcoholics if any of them cared to come. [01:02:04.624 – 01:02:07.884] When the meeting came to order, all of the little band were there. [01:02:07.884 – 01:02:08.194] Dr. [01:02:08.194 – 01:02:13.504] Bob put his foot on the rung of a dining room chair, identified himself as an alcoholic. [01:02:13.504 – 01:02:20.544] I wonder if that's the first time someone said, "My name's Bob, and I'm an alcoholic," and began reading the Sermon on the Mount. [01:02:20.544 – 01:02:25.964] Now, we'll get back to that, the importance of the Sermon on the Mount, in just a minute. [01:02:25.964 – 01:02:28.834] On the second day of new year 1940, Dr.

[01:02:28.834 – 01:02:37.384] Bob wrote, "Have definitely shaken off the shackles of the Oxford Group." And, uh, AA had declared its independence from the Oxford Group. [01:02:37.384 – 01:02:41.284] The Sermon on the Mount was not Oxford Group literature. [01:02:41.284 – 01:02:47.144] Uh, on the contrary, it is definitely, uh, New Thought, uh, literature. [01:02:47.144 – 01:02:51.264] Sermon on the Mount, uh, by Emmet F., was published in 1934. [01:02:51.264 – 01:02:56.704] Uh, it was used by early AA members, and those in New York also attended Fox lectures. [01:02:56.704 – 01:02:58.664] He also wrote The Golden Key. [01:02:58.664 – 01:03:07.894] The message of the Sermon on the Mount was simple and appealing to those struggling for answers outside the dogma of traditional religion, which had failed alcoholics.

[01:03:07.894 – 01:03:14.744] It set out Fox's view that the Bible is merely a textbook of metaphysics, a manual for the growth of the soul. [01:03:14.744 – 01:03:25.024] The book promoted the idea that the teachings of Jesus express a practical approach for the development of the soul and for the shaping of our lives into what we really wish them to be [01:03:25.024 – 01:03:26.064] without dogma. [01:03:26.064 – 01:03:33.914] This more practical and less dogmatic interpretation of the Bible would've been immediately appealing to Bill W. and the early AAs. [01:03:33.914 – 01:03:39.404] Their experience of coming to know a god was through a practical action in the real world. [01:03:39.404 – 01:03:48.744] At the time, the AA principles must have seemed heretical to those outside the fellowship, as they are somewhat vague concepts outside of organized religion. [01:03:48.744 – 01:03:54.944] However, the absence of absolutes was paramount to the success of AA in attracting newcomers.

[01:03:54.944 – 01:04:05.084] Where the Big Book insists on something being done, it is usually in relation to eliminating character defects, such as selfishness or resentments, rather than a [01:04:05.084 – 01:04:09.084] demand for blind faith or acceptance of abstract concepts. [01:04:09.084 – 01:04:19.184] Early AA switched from Oxford Group literature to Emmet F.'s Sermon on the Mount because Fox did such a bet- a much better job of calming newcomers' fears, [01:04:19.184 – 01:04:20.724] and he still does. [01:04:20.724 – 01:04:22.904] His book still works just as well today. [01:04:22.904 – 01:04:33.064] Fox told newcomers point blank that the idea of a cruel, vindictive, punishing God which scared them so much was nothing but an imaginary boogeyman from an ancient [01:04:33.064 – 01:04:34.564] and superstitious world.

[01:04:34.564 – 01:04:38.854] The real Jesus did not go around, uh, making up hundreds of- [01:04:39.045 – 01:04:49.096] of rules," Fox said, "and telling us that we would suffer eternal hell fire for breaking a single one of them." In fact, he discouraged hard and fast rules and regulations of every kind. [01:04:49.096 – 01:04:59.286] What he insisted upon was a certain spirit in one's conduct, and he was careful to teach principles only, knowing that when the spirit is right, details will take care of themselves. [01:04:59.286 – 01:05:02.156] Now back to a little bit of history. [01:05:02.156 – 01:05:07.496] Uh, Fox gave his first metaphysical talk in 1928 in Mortimer H. in London. [01:05:07.496 – 01:05:16.256] From this moment, he was ambivalent about whether to continue working as an electrical engineer or whether to take up public speaking and writing. [01:05:16.256 – 01:05:26.056] Gaze, uh, Emmett F. went to, uh, this Harry G.'s, uh, uh, lectures on healing.

[01:05:26.056 – 01:05:31.886] Uh, and eventually, uh, the teacher became s- the, uh, student of the student. [01:05:31.886 – 01:05:36.966] But anyway, Gaze encouraged the young Fox, and soon afterwards he started his career as a speaker. [01:05:36.966 – 01:05:41.636] First in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, and then in New York. [01:05:41.636 – 01:05:49.156] By S. of 1931, he has established himself at the Church of the Healing C., which at the time met at the Biltmore H.. [01:05:49.156 – 01:05:53.736] A year later, he's the Reverend E. Fox, pastor of the Church of the Healing C.. [01:05:53.736 – 01:05:56.656] Uh, by 1939, he's built the church. [01:05:56.656 – 01:05:58.296] Uh, talk about a mega church.

[01:05:58.296 – 01:05:59.536] Maybe the first one. [01:05:59.536 – 01:06:03.996] To what most pundits of the time believed was the largest congregation in the US. [01:06:03.996 – 01:06:12.196] Newspaper accounts estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000 people came to see him on a Sunday at the Hippodrome. [01:06:12.196 – 01:06:16.016] Now, Hippodrome was this huge, enormous place. [01:06:16.016 – 01:06:17.896] They used to have circuses there. [01:06:17.896 – 01:06:21.416] I mean, and it was i- 5,000 and 6,000 people. [01:06:21.416 – 01:06:28.456] And, uh, so there, the, the Hippodrome, and there's some pictures of the, the inside.

[01:06:28.456 – 01:06:33.336] So it was this enormous place, and Fox would, would fill it up on a Sunday. [01:06:33.336 – 01:06:35.616] And, uh… [01:06:35.616 – 01:06:45.666] Anyway, what Fox says is that, uh, "The first thing we have to realize is a fact of fundamental importance because it means [01:06:45.666 – 01:06:48.856] breaking away from the ordinary prepossessions of orthodoxy. [01:06:48.856 – 01:06:52.716] The plain fact is that Jesus taught no theology whatever. [01:06:52.716 – 01:06:55.956] His teaching is entirely spiritual or metaphysical. [01:06:55.956 – 01:07:00.856] There's absolutely no system of theology of doctrine to be found in the Bible.

[01:07:00.856 – 01:07:07.536] It simply is not there." And, uh, these are just some, uh, uh… [01:07:07.536 – 01:07:11.376] Here's a, uh, uh, an address. [01:07:11.376 – 01:07:17.716] Uh, uh, "These two things sum up the New Thought message, uh, as I understand it. [01:07:17.716 – 01:07:27.876] The love of God and the power of prayer." In his book Stake Y. Claim, uh, he says, "God wants us to be happy, joyous, and active, [01:07:27.876 – 01:07:33.856] but always in his service." So, so, uh, you know, New Thought was big. [01:07:33.856 – 01:07:34.896] I mean, it went all… [01:07:34.896 – 01:07:37.036] There were all kinds of speakers.

[01:07:37.036 – 01:07:40.136] Uh, in this I, I would like to thank, uh, Sean C. [01:07:40.136 – 01:07:48.856] uh, for, uh, a lot of this, uh, information and images, uh, about New Thought in those days. [01:07:48.856 – 01:07:50.876] And of course, the Reverend W. [01:07:50.876 – 01:07:51.836] John M.. [01:07:51.836 – 01:07:57.976] We don't have time to do, uh, to do all of them, but, uh, international New Thought was really big. [01:07:57.976 – 01:07:59.456] Dr. [01:07:59.456 – 01:08:05.716] Bob was a man in search of God, and it was in this area that he, like Bill W., was probably among the least conservative of men.

[01:08:05.716 – 01:08:15.716] This is not remarkable when we consider that New E., politically and materially conservative as it was, still fostered many of the New Thought philosophies and mind cure religions [01:08:15.716 – 01:08:19.616] mentioned by William J. in the varieties of spiritual experience. [01:08:19.616 – 01:08:23.276] James said, "Give up the feeling of responsibility. [01:08:23.276 – 01:08:24.516] Let go of your hold. [01:08:24.516 – 01:08:27.896] Resign the care of your destiny to higher powers. [01:08:27.896 – 01:08:38.216] Be genuinely indifferent as to what becomes of it all, and you will find not only that you gain a perfect inward relief, but often also in addition the [01:08:38.216 – 01:08:46.916] particular, particular goods you sincerely thought you were renouncing." William J., real quickly, uh, his father was Swedenborgian.

[01:08:46.916 – 01:08:53.976] Uh, James's life was, uh, blighted by regular bouts of hypochondria and depression, so Bill could relate with that. [01:08:53.976 – 01:08:57.176] Varieties now stands, uh… [01:08:57.176 – 01:09:05.036] Well, in Varieties of Religious E., William J. describes the seedbed of what today is called New Thought. [01:09:05.036 – 01:09:10.476] He traces the thought of Emerson and Thoreau through the intellectual movements of the 19th century. [01:09:10.476 – 01:09:18.916] Uh, this was the apex of what James called healthy mindedness of optimism, the rejection of morbid sentiment and outdated religion. [01:09:18.916 – 01:09:24.816] The discovery of nature was a sanguine tonic for more, for those morose dispositions. [01:09:24.816 – 01:09:32.796] Like traditional creedal religions, uh, New Thought recognizes that relinquishing such beliefs is seldom easy.

[01:09:32.796 – 01:09:43.116] Um, to achieve surrender, James explained, "A native hardness must break down and liquefy." But once the dis- dissolution occurs, the rewards [01:09:43.116 – 01:09:44.936] are profound indeed. [01:09:44.936 – 01:09:49.196] Now, and this is something most of us have experienced. [01:09:49.196 – 01:09:56.436] Significantly, A.A.'s interest in New Thought did not extend to its power of the mind dimension concerning alcohol. [01:09:56.436 – 01:10:02.186] Such a cultivation of personal mental power was another form of the life of self-pro- [01:10:02.300 – 01:10:11.780] Impulsion, and as Bill W. had discovered during his fruitless perusal of Science and Health, no prophylactic, no protection against alcoholism. [01:10:11.780 – 01:10:15.260] What interested the co-founders, AA historian Mel B.

[01:10:15.260 – 01:10:25.520] has noted, was New Thought's capacious image of a beneficent n- natural order, and its many practical, uh, uh, ways to cultivate [01:10:25.520 – 01:10:28.500] an ongoing conscious contact with God. [01:10:28.500 – 01:10:37.680] AA historians have long, uh, acknowledged the influence of varieties, uh, on, of spiritual experience on AA's co-founders. [01:10:37.680 – 01:10:43.740] It's gonna go real quickly here, as I know we're, I'm going over time. [01:10:43.740 – 01:10:48.369] But, uh, spiritual experiences, James thought, could transform people. [01:10:48.369 – 01:10:51.070] Some were sudden, others came on gradually. [01:10:51.070 – 01:10:53.800] Some flowed out of religious channels, others did not.

[01:10:53.800 – 01:10:58.700] But nearly all had the great common denominator of pain, suffering, and calamity. [01:10:58.700 – 01:11:00.360] Been there, done that. [01:11:00.360 – 01:11:04.600] There had to be a complete failure of the will in a certain part of one's life. [01:11:04.600 – 01:11:13.980] Thus the AA procedure of telling one's story and stressing the progressive loss of control in the fatal malady consisting of the physical allergy and the mental obsession. [01:11:13.980 – 01:11:21.340] When this is driven home, the alcoholic, uh, will surrender to the problem, and then is open to the solution. [01:11:21.340 – 01:11:32.280] And we'll remember that just, uh, according to Lois, just a couple weeks before he went to, uh, uh, T. Hospital for the last time, Bill was reading, uh, [01:11:32.280 – 01:11:37.460] the Christian S. book, and, and, uh looking for the great physician.

[01:11:37.460 – 01:11:46.200] In his book, uh, his autobiography, Bill W.: My F. 40 Years, Bill says, "The terrifying darkness had become complete. [01:11:46.200 – 01:11:50.880] For a brief moment, I supposed the last trace of my abstinence was crushed. [01:11:50.880 – 01:11:53.100] Crushed out as the abyss yawned. [01:11:53.100 – 01:11:55.900] I remember saying to myself, 'I'll do anything. [01:11:55.900 – 01:11:56.700] Anything at all. [01:11:56.700 – 01:12:08.520] If there be a great physician, I'll call on him.' Then with neither faith nor hope I cried out, 'If there be a God, let Him show Himself.' The [01:12:08.520 – 01:12:10.400] effect was instant, electric.

[01:12:10.400 – 01:12:14.000] Suddenly my room blazed with an indescribably white light. [01:12:14.000 – 01:12:24.000] I was seized with an ecstasy beyond description." So E. came and visited to him, and left, uh, visited him there in the hospital after this, [01:12:24.000 – 01:12:24.860] and left him a book. [01:12:24.860 – 01:12:28.480] "The moment Ebby left, I picked up the book and commenced to read. [01:12:28.480 – 01:12:35.130] The title was The Varieties of Religious E., the author William J., called by some the father of modern psychology. [01:12:35.130 – 01:12:39.020] The book was not easy reading, but I kept at it all day. [01:12:39.020 – 01:12:49.040] By nightfall, this Harvard professor long in his grave had, without anyone knowing it, become a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous." Yeah, in today's world, uh,

[01:12:49.040 – 01:12:53.580] the influence of New Thought beliefs, some of you will recognize some of these people. [01:12:53.580 – 01:13:03.820] Ernest H., uh, the founder of Religious S., stated that, "Religious S. is not based on any authority of established beliefs, but rather on what it can accomplish," [01:13:03.820 – 01:13:12.340] uh, "for the people who practice it." Wayne D., Suze O., uh, Deepak C., Anthony R., uh, Eckhart T.. [01:13:12.340 – 01:13:18.139] A lot of these people, uh, are affected, and have carried New Thought into today. [01:13:18.139 – 01:13:24.680] Uh, the law of attraction, of course, is about as much a law as AA statistics are statistics. [01:13:24.680 – 01:13:34.180] But Rhonda Byrne's enormously successful book has spawned many imitators, while itself being an imitation of the positive thinking efforts of generations ago. [01:13:34.180 – 01:13:39.940] By the way, Emmet F., uh, had a book called The Power of Constructive T..

[01:13:39.940 – 01:13:46.460] Um, Napoleon H. and Norman V. Peale grew out of the basic New Thought mentality. [01:13:46.460 – 01:13:51.540] Uh, and, and even Oprah W., but we're not gonna dis Oprah. [01:13:51.540 – 01:14:02.680] Uh, Oprah, uh, a quote from Oprah says, "The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude." And, [01:14:02.680 – 01:14:09.920] uh, again, not to dis Oprah, I love that quote, but to also realize that there's nothing new under the sun. [01:14:09.920 – 01:14:20.259] You know, about 100 years before Oprah said that, uh, William J. said, uh, "The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery [01:14:20.259 – 01:14:30.340] that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." Very quickly, uh, Emmet F. says, [01:14:30.340 – 01:14:33.140] "How can I tell if I'm, uh, really on a spiritual path?

[01:14:33.140 – 01:14:36.200] If I always look for the best in each person. [01:14:36.200 – 01:14:38.620] If I resolutely turn my back on the past. [01:14:38.620 – 01:14:40.560] If I forgive everyone without exception. [01:14:40.560 – 01:14:43.060] If I regard my job as sacred. [01:14:43.060 – 01:14:45.620] If I take every means to demonstrate a healthy body. [01:14:45.620 – 01:14:52.000] If I endeavor to make my life as much service to others as possible." Uh, all of these things. [01:14:52.000 – 01:15:02.040] Uh, and, and Emmet F. says, "Have you ever realized that all around us there lies a realm of infinite power which we can train ourselves at any time to tap for our

[01:15:02.040 – 01:15:02.560] own use? [01:15:02.560 – 01:15:11.280] This power surrounds us as the atmosphere does, and like the atmosphere, it belongs to everyone, and is at the disposal of anyone for any good purpose. [01:15:11.280 – 01:15:21.300] This power, which is the real source of all things that exist, needs only be consciously contacted in order to flow from your being and transform [01:15:21.300 – 01:15:25.410] itself into health, into true prosperity, into inspiration." [01:15:25.552 – 01:15:28.332] And then into anything else that may, you may be needing. [01:15:28.332 – 01:15:37.772] Uh, Fox explains further on down there at the bottom, "Get by yourself for a few minutes each day, and drop all your worries for the time. [01:15:37.772 – 01:15:44.332] Relax the body and quietly invite the great universal power to come into your mind and endow you with these things.

[01:15:44.332 – 01:15:54.432] Be receptive." Um, "On no account must you give instructions to that power because it will not take them, and if you try [01:15:54.432 – 01:15:56.322] to compel it nothing will happen. [01:15:56.322 – 01:16:06.472] Be receptive, be open-minded, be humble." And, uh, Mel B., uh, claims that these statements are, uh, uh, con- uh, [01:16:06.472 – 01:16:10.172] uh, definitely affected, uh, Bill W. [01:16:10.172 – 01:16:12.472] in the writing of The Big Book. [01:16:12.472 – 01:16:22.512] Again, another quote that I like from Emmett F., "The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are [01:16:22.512 – 01:16:32.512] the instruments and expression of God himself." Um, as a second example, after the publication of The Big Book, uh, most commonly used beginners

[01:16:32.512 – 01:16:35.412] lessons in AA, lots of pamphlets came out. [01:16:35.412 – 01:16:39.272] The Detroit pamphlet, uh, basically pretty much all the same. [01:16:39.272 – 01:16:40.412] Some copied the others. [01:16:40.412 – 01:16:42.732] The Washington pamphlet, the Table M., uh… [01:16:42.732 – 01:16:49.512] The Detroit version had a long passage from Emmett F. at the end, a little piece called Staying on the Beam. [01:16:49.512 – 01:16:56.572] "Those who believe in the allness of God have a spiritual beam upon which to navigate on the voyage of life. [01:16:56.572 – 01:17:06.092] As long as you have peace of mind and some sense of the presence of God, you are on the beam and you are safe, even if outer things seem to be confused or even very dark.

[01:17:06.092 – 01:17:10.092] But as soon as you get off the beam, you are in danger. [01:17:10.092 – 01:17:20.112] You are off the beam the moment you are angry, or resentment, or jealous, it's jealous, or frightened, or depressed." And, uh, it was not just Bill W. who was interested in [01:17:20.112 – 01:17:21.232] Emmett F.'s ideas. [01:17:21.232 – 01:17:31.272] Igor S., who wrote for The Grapevine, more on that in a minute, and in his book on Fox and Young, noted that five of the original stories [01:17:31.272 – 01:17:37.012] in The Big Book were by early AA members, and deeply influenced by Emmett F.. [01:17:37.012 – 01:17:37.362] Uh, Dr. [01:17:37.362 – 01:17:41.692] Bob would regularly give newcomers a copy of Fox's Sermon on the Mount to read.

[01:17:41.692 – 01:17:51.992] Mel also mentions that Mike E., uh, um, second AA member from Detroit, often mentioned the inspiration from Fox's book, as did Tex B. [01:17:51.992 – 01:18:01.472] and Mel himself, who got sober in Pontiac, Michigan, where the group offered Emmett F.'s The Sermon on the Mount and other items that have been helpful to me over the years. [01:18:01.472 – 01:18:11.692] In M. of 1944, a special kind of link excuse me, was established between Emmett F. [01:18:11.692 – 01:18:16.332] and the AA movement when the son of Fox's secretary joined the AA movement. [01:18:16.332 – 01:18:18.822] Uh, joined AA. [01:18:18.822 – 01:18:21.932] This was a man named Harold A., Al S.. [01:18:21.932 – 01:18:23.952] He became very active in AA.

[01:18:23.952 – 01:18:29.452] He was the author of the Responsibility P. recited at the Toronto I. in '65. [01:18:29.452 – 01:18:35.892] Uh, and also the Declaration of Unity at the Miami I. in 1970. [01:18:35.892 – 01:18:39.072] In his later years, he another wrote a book, Bird D. [01:18:39.072 – 01:18:39.792] Heart B.. [01:18:39.792 – 01:18:43.232] Al became the Grapevine editor in 1949. [01:18:43.232 – 01:18:46.232] The magazine wasn't too well known around the country then. [01:18:46.232 – 01:18:54.672] There were many months when he wrote the entire issue by himself, signing each article with a different set of initials and giving a different locality.

[01:18:54.672 – 01:18:56.232] Oh, rigorous honesty. [01:18:56.232 – 01:19:06.241] Anyway, as editor of the Grapevine, Al also changed the basic nature of the major AA periodical when he shifted editorial emphasis away from drunk stories [01:19:06.241 – 01:19:08.652] to you're not drinking, now what? [01:19:08.652 – 01:19:14.932] A profound shift in AA had taken place around the time The Big Book was published in 1939. [01:19:14.932 – 01:19:22.592] At the point when the book came off the press, one important segment of the AA movement, Akron, Cleveland, were still linked to the Oxford Group. [01:19:22.592 – 01:19:32.692] But in the AA literature written in the decade following, that is during the 1940s, there were no mentions of books on the Oxford Group and no recommendations, none at all, that anyone [01:19:32.692 – 01:19:36.132] read any of the major books written by prominent Oxford Group members.

[01:19:36.132 – 01:19:39.252] The Oxford Group connection was dead. [01:19:39.252 – 01:19:48.452] On the other hand, there was a significant contingent within the AA fellowship during the 1940s, which was strongly devoted to Emmett F. and New Thought spirituality. [01:19:48.452 – 01:19:54.632] As we have just seen, the newcomers were very strongly urged to read New Thought books. [01:19:54.632 – 01:20:04.632] Uh, breaking with the Oxford Group and shifting in part to a major emphasis on the writings of Emmett F. and the New Thought movement along, of course, with [01:20:04.632 – 01:20:13.152] the publication of The Big Book, that was, uh, an intrinsic part of the era which saw the greatest growth in all of Alcoholics history. [01:20:13.152 – 01:20:17.032] Uh, Richmond W., uh, you know, here are just, uh… [01:20:17.032 – 01:20:19.732] We're, we're getting close to the end here.

[01:20:19.732 – 01:20:26.572] Um, uh, here's one from Richmond W., "You were born with a spark of the divine within you. [01:20:26.572 – 01:20:29.812] Uh, it had been all but smothered by the life you were living. [01:20:29.812 – 01:20:37.552] That celestial fire has to be tended and fed so that it will grow eventually into a real desire to live the right way. [01:20:37.552 – 01:20:41.252] By trying to do the will of God, you grow more and more in the new way of life. [01:20:41.252 – 01:20:47.532] By thinking of God, praying to Him, and having communion with Him, you gradually go- grow more like Him. [01:20:47.532 – 01:20:48.672] The way of your tr- [01:20:48.796 – 01:20:54.236] Transformation from the material to the p- spiritual is the way of divine companionship.

[01:20:54.236 – 01:21:04.356] And Mel B., who, uh, most of you know, uh, wrote the meditation book Walk In D. Places, uh, for June 21st says, uh, "Whenever trouble arises, first [01:21:04.356 – 01:21:06.776] thing to do is to turn it over to our higher power. [01:21:06.776 – 01:21:13.436] We can take all necessary practical steps to solve a problem, but we don't need to decide what the answer may be. [01:21:13.436 – 01:21:16.316] Do this and you'll soon be out of your difficulty. [01:21:16.316 – 01:21:20.436] This is essentially the formula of the gold key as taught by Emmett F.. [01:21:20.436 – 01:21:23.576] It is also the core idea of steps three and 11. [01:21:23.576 – 01:21:30.436] It is a manner of living one's life with the constant knowledge that a higher power is always part of it.

[01:21:30.436 – 01:21:38.866] We should also condition ourselves to believe that our higher power has been with us all along and will continue to show us the way. [01:21:38.866 – 01:21:43.216] Nothing depends on our being spiritual or saintly or perfect in behavior. [01:21:43.216 – 01:21:53.236] With all our shortcomings, we are and ever will be children of God." This is a great quote, uh, from Ernest H. that, [01:21:53.236 – 01:21:58.136] uh, David found and I think is appropriate for us and for today to end with. [01:21:58.136 – 01:22:08.216] "One who has, uh, been healed of alcoholism should be directed into some creative activity which gives him self-expression, the results of which compensate him [01:22:08.216 – 01:22:12.036] for the apparent gratification he received through his alcoholism. [01:22:12.036 – 01:22:22.716] It is generally accepted that some form of useful service to humanity, perhaps helping others who have suffered from the same delusions, is one of the best possible ways

[01:22:22.716 – 01:22:32.756] of seeking permanent happiness." A way of seeking permanent happiness by passing along what we have learned, what we have received, and what we have [01:22:32.756 – 01:22:33.156] learned. [01:22:33.156 – 01:22:41.456] Um, I hope you have learned a little bit more about, uh, some of the new thought people and their ideas. [01:22:41.456 – 01:22:46.836] A- and, uh, now we'll open with the Q&A session. [01:22:46.836 – 01:22:48.576] Jim, that was so good. [01:22:48.576 – 01:22:49.616] Thank you very much. [01:22:49.616 – 01:22:55.716] Please, uh, if you'd like to acknowledge that, I'm sure you do, please, uh, uh, you can, uh, unmute yourselves there now.

[01:22:55.716 – 01:22:56.196] Yeah. [01:22:56.196 – 01:22:58.035] Thank you, Jim. [01:22:58.035 – 01:22:59.096] That was great. [01:22:59.096 – 01:22:59.595] Thank you, Jim. [01:22:59.595 – 01:23:01.096] That was great, Jim. [01:23:01.096 – 01:23:01.356] Thank you. [01:23:01.356 – 01:23:03.556] Fantastic.

[01:23:03.556 – 01:23:04.456] Fantastic. [01:23:04.456 – 01:23:05.546] Oh my God. [01:23:05.546 – 01:23:06.176] Thank you, Jim. [01:23:06.176 – 01:23:06.916] What wonderful research. [01:23:06.916 – 01:23:08.156] Thank you very much. [01:23:08.156 – 01:23:09.036] So please go. [01:23:09.036 – 01:23:10.225] So please go.

[01:23:10.225 – 01:23:10.516] Can I do that one again? [01:23:10.516 – 01:23:12.856] I hope you feel better. [01:23:12.856 – 01:23:15.656] I've closed the chat. [01:23:15.656 – 01:23:17.316] That's brilliant. [01:23:17.316 – 01:23:18.756] There you go. [01:23:18.756 – 01:23:22.756] We've got a, a recording of that, I'm sure you'd want to listen to that again, can be found here. [01:23:22.756 – 01:23:23.756] I just put it in the chat.

[01:23:23.756 – 01:23:24.596] You can go there. [01:23:24.596 – 01:23:26.016] That'll be on later on tonight. [01:23:26.016 – 01:23:29.156] Thank you Mike K. and Recovery Speakers for doing that for us. [01:23:29.156 – 01:23:34.276] Uh, just before we go to Stuart in the Q&A, Jim, have a drink of, a, a lovely cup of tea there. [01:23:34.276 – 01:23:35.996] Have a nice cup of tea. [01:23:35.996 – 01:23:45.836] Uh, next week we're gonna have, um, a man by the name of Chris J. is coming along to us, and, uh, Chris is gonna do a presentation for us, what it was like, the life of Henry G. [01:23:45.836 – 01:23:48.416] P. through August 1935.

[01:23:48.416 – 01:23:55.505] And the following week, at the end of the month, we're gonna have, uh, Bill S. with us, the author of Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A. [01:23:55.505 – 01:23:59.916] And he's gonna do a presentation for us on the challenging the creation myths. [01:23:59.916 – 01:24:06.316] And just quickly, if I may, we have Jim W. coming back to us in July, and Jim is gonna do a presentation. [01:24:06.316 – 01:24:07.366] You heard some thoughts. [01:24:07.366 – 01:24:16.796] Uh, he's gonna do one on Lewis, which I'm looking forward to, on the 29th of July, and he's also gonna do one on, uh, AA in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. [01:24:16.796 – 01:24:20.195] So with that, without further ado, uh, over to Stuart. [01:24:20.195 – 01:24:22.716] Hello again, everybody.

[01:24:22.716 – 01:24:23.836] Stuart, alcoholic. [01:24:23.836 – 01:24:33.915] If you'd like to come in and ask a question, be part of the meeting, then please raise your hand in the participant section if you can know how to do that, and [01:24:33.916 – 01:24:40.696] I will call on you. [01:24:40.696 – 01:24:45.176] There are 64 people in the meeting. [01:24:45.176 – 01:24:48.856] You're more than welcome to raise your hand, and I'll call on you. [01:24:48.856 – 01:24:50.336] Oh, here we go. [01:24:50.336 – 01:24:50.696] Great.

[01:24:50.696 – 01:24:52.336] We're gonna go to Gloria C. [01:24:52.336 – 01:24:52.776] now. [01:24:52.776 – 01:24:53.856] Good evening, Gloria. [01:24:53.856 – 01:25:00.196] Uh, thank you Stuart and David, and so much thank you to, uh, Jim. [01:25:00.196 – 01:25:07.195] Thank you, thank you for your valiant efforts to talk beyond your cold there. [01:25:07.195 – 01:25:17.296] Um, okay, my question has to do with new thought, and I think, uh, you mentioned that part of its [01:25:17.296 – 01:25:27.335] philosophy or spirituality had to do with experiential, um, activity, and, uh, I

[01:25:27.336 – 01:25:37.516] wondered how this, if it did indeed relate to experiential psychiatry, uh, that we, um, [01:25:37.516 – 01:25:38.116] often it… [01:25:38.116 – 01:25:43.276] Well, we sometimes encounter in drug rehabs now and alcohol rehabs. [01:25:43.276 – 01:25:50.286] Um, I, I have, uh, I've worked in that field for a long time, but they, they don't usually… [01:25:50.286 – 01:26:00.476] They do more of the traditional, uh, psychiatry and also medication, but, um, the experiential, uh, psychiatry mode [01:26:00.476 – 01:26:02.676] I think has helped many people. [01:26:02.676 – 01:26:04.336] If you have any comment about that.

[01:26:04.336 – 01:26:06.936] No, not really. [01:26:06.936 – 01:26:11.846] I, I don't think that, uh, that, uh, psychiatry as such was- [01:26:12.058 – 01:26:22.228] really contemplated the, uh, s- although there were psychologists involved, obviously William J., um, they, they didn't really talk [01:26:22.228 – 01:26:24.408] about psychiatry as such. [01:26:24.408 – 01:26:30.428] They, they talked about the, the mind, uh, y- the mind over matter. [01:26:30.428 – 01:26:31.388] All right? [01:26:31.388 – 01:26:41.448] Now, of course, while there are, um, they talk about mind healing and, and, uh, the s- uh, healing science and that sort of thing, but they're talking

[01:26:41.448 – 01:26:49.028] more about mental, which is of course psychology, psychiatry, but how the mind can control things. [01:26:49.028 – 01:26:56.528] Now, we know that, uh, uh, Christian science or, or I, I, I don't mean to f- anybody's religion. [01:26:56.528 – 01:27:04.628] Uh, but anyway, uh, none of this, uh, you know, uh, double amputees have not been healed, you know? [01:27:04.628 – 01:27:14.688] Uh, or, or, uh, you know, and, and this doesn't claim to, um, cure cancer, [01:27:14.688 – 01:27:15.448] for example. [01:27:15.448 – 01:27:17.468] Some people believe that. [01:27:17.468 – 01:27:28.128] But, uh, uh, but we also know fr- doctors know that a mental attitude, a positive mental attitude has a lot to do

[01:27:28.128 – 01:27:31.648] with healing, whether it's cancer or, or whatever it is. [01:27:31.648 – 01:27:41.668] I was in a, in a, uh, uh, this was a, a quote that Emmet F. used, uh, and, and I was in a, uh, a meeting in West [01:27:41.668 – 01:27:47.348] Virginia and, uh, and this guy was in the meeting, I'll, I'll call him Blind J.. [01:27:47.348 – 01:27:58.468] His name was Jim and he was blind, and he quoted in the meeting, uh, what, uh, uh, Fox quotes and he said, "Those people that have walked in darkness have seen a great light." And, [01:27:58.468 – 01:28:04.448] uh, so this guy who was blind is talking about seeing a great light. [01:28:04.448 – 01:28:10.888] You know, now that's positive mental attitude that can cure. [01:28:10.888 – 01:28:12.888] Did it cure his blindness?

[01:28:12.888 – 01:28:13.568] No. [01:28:13.568 – 01:28:16.048] But it cured him. [01:28:16.048 – 01:28:19.828] And, and, uh, there are a lot of things, you know, of, of… [01:28:19.828 – 01:28:20.917] I, I love Dr. [01:28:20.917 – 01:28:21.658] uh, Dr. [01:28:21.658 – 01:28:30.848] Paul, you know, uh, in, in the acceptance story and, uh, when I focus on what's good, I have a good day, and when I focus on what's bad, I have a bad day. [01:28:30.848 – 01:28:34.128] You know, and that's about as simple as this is.

[01:28:34.128 – 01:28:44.268] The power of positive thinking, the, the, e- getting in this, this deep do- this [01:28:44.268 – 01:28:49.628] reality deep down inside of us and using the mental powers that we have. [01:28:49.628 – 01:28:59.048] Now how that relates to psychology and psychiatry, I, I don't know, but the, the, calls it mind cure, you know, and using it, uh, in that. [01:28:59.048 – 01:29:09.148] And, and the idea of the experim- experiential and experimental idea is that, listen, if, uh, if me thinking positive, you know, [01:29:09.148 – 01:29:16.588] gives me negative outcome all the time, then this thing doesn't work, but it does work, you know. [01:29:16.588 – 01:29:26.788] In, uh, um, having a positive mental attitude, uh, you know, it, it's the old, and, uh, James, uh, Allen [01:29:26.788 – 01:29:29.648] uses this, "When I plant corn, corn grows.

[01:29:29.648 – 01:29:39.708] When I plant weeds, weeds grow." You know, and I have bad thoughts, you know, I'll have negative thoughts, I get negativity in my life, um, and, and that [01:29:39.708 – 01:29:40.188] sort of thing. [01:29:40.188 – 01:29:44.468] I'm sure that didn't answer anything about psychiatry, but thank you, Gloria. [01:29:44.468 – 01:29:51.168] Uh, one other thing, Jim, could you leave your, uh, email address in the chat, please, or someone do that for you? [01:29:51.168 – 01:29:52.948] I, I think, I think it's in there, David. [01:29:52.948 – 01:29:55.988] Uh, is, it's jimincancun@gmail.com. [01:29:55.988 – 01:29:59.208] Thank you.

[01:29:59.208 – 01:30:00.708] In the, in the chat there. [01:30:00.708 – 01:30:01.638] Bye. [01:30:01.638 – 01:30:02.508] Thank you very much. [01:30:02.508 – 01:30:04.548] We're gonna go to Tom N. now. [01:30:04.548 – 01:30:06.108] Hello, Tom, good evening. [01:30:06.108 – 01:30:07.548] Uh-oh. [01:30:07.548 – 01:30:08.828] Here I am in trouble.

[01:30:08.828 – 01:30:19.048] Hey, T- hey, Jim, I just was, uh, interested what, uh, what you came up with in regards [01:30:19.048 – 01:30:25.148] to treating your problems via scientific prayer. [01:30:25.148 – 01:30:25.688] Yeah. [01:30:25.688 – 01:30:29.018] That, that's a, that's a, a, a big thing, a treatment. [01:30:29.018 – 01:30:37.988] Uh, Emmet F. talks, talks a lot about if you have a problem, it, it needs treatment, and he uses that word a lot. [01:30:37.988 – 01:30:48.108] And, uh, and using scientific prayer, uh, and, uh, th- there's a lot, there's so much, you know, I, I ended [01:30:48.108 – 01:30:52.228] up with a three-hour presentation that I did in about an hour and 15 minutes.

[01:30:52.228 – 01:31:00.488] Uh, but I, uh, you know, I have so much other, uh, information in the presentation too that, uh, we just didn't have time for. [01:31:00.488 – 01:31:10.608] But yeah, scientific prayer, um, and, and so many other things about the, the, uh, the scientific laws that, uh, [01:31:10.608 – 01:31:21.048] that they believed and believe that, uh, these laws, you know, really, uh, do exist in the spiritual realm [01:31:21.048 – 01:31:25.128] as much as in the, uh, i- in the physical realm. [01:31:25.128 – 01:31:28.548] But I didn't answer much about the scientific prayer, but… [01:31:28.548 – 01:31:33.788] That's great. [01:31:33.788 – 01:31:34.928] Thank you very much

[01:31:35.700 – 01:31:43.380] Um, if you would like to ask a question, then please raise your hand in the participant section and I'll call on you. [01:31:43.380 – 01:31:55.340] Maybe [01:31:55.340 – 01:31:55.660] not. [01:31:55.660 – 01:31:56.140] We're… [01:31:56.140 – 01:31:56.960] Oh, here we go. [01:31:56.960 – 01:31:59.920] Um, we've got, um, Tina. [01:31:59.920 – 01:32:00.800] Hello, Tina.

[01:32:00.800 – 01:32:01.380] Good evening. [01:32:01.380 – 01:32:02.520] Hello. [01:32:02.520 – 01:32:03.980] Um, I'm Tina. [01:32:03.980 – 01:32:05.220] I'm an alcoholic. [01:32:05.220 – 01:32:10.000] I don't have a question, but I just really want to thank you, um, Jim. [01:32:10.000 – 01:32:12.580] Wow, I scribbled some of it down. [01:32:12.580 – 01:32:16.180] I took pictures of the screen without your faces, people.

[01:32:16.180 – 01:32:18.360] I just really want to thank you. [01:32:18.360 – 01:32:25.640] Uh, uh, just was fantastic, and I wanted to introduce myself because you'll be seeing me every Friday now. [01:32:25.640 – 01:32:26.880] Thank you. [01:32:26.880 – 01:32:28.620] Thank you, Tina. [01:32:28.620 – 01:32:30.050] Thank you, Tina. [01:32:30.050 – 01:32:30.800] Thank you very much. [01:32:30.800 – 01:32:33.540] We're gonna go to Judy P now in Lawton.

[01:32:33.540 – 01:32:36.940] Yes, uh, Judy, alcoholic. [01:32:36.940 – 01:32:46.960] Um, I had a, had a phone call, um, while you started the, uh, Q&A, and I may have [01:32:46.960 – 01:32:52.380] missed the question that I have, and if I do, if I did, I apologize. [01:32:52.380 – 01:33:02.420] Um, when you were talking about the High W. Farm, uh, as being an early, uh, AA, uh, treatment center, um, isn't [01:33:02.420 – 01:33:05.680] this where, uh, Ebby went for a period of time? [01:33:05.680 – 01:33:06.720] Yeah. [01:33:06.720 – 01:33:07.840] Yeah, I have.

[01:33:07.840 – 01:33:09.740] In fact, I have a letter there in… [01:33:09.740 – 01:33:14.940] Uh, i- it was one of the, uh, one of the many slides that I have hidden. [01:33:14.940 – 01:33:17.320] But, uh, yeah, Ebby went there. [01:33:17.320 – 01:33:20.940] Uh, never did him much good because he never could stop drinking. [01:33:20.940 – 01:33:22.320] Uh, he went there. [01:33:22.320 – 01:33:25.340] Uh, they gave him a job as an assistant manager. [01:33:25.340 – 01:33:28.760] Uh, you know, he had big dreams of becoming manager.

[01:33:28.760 – 01:33:31.240] Uh, just couldn't stop drinking. [01:33:31.240 – 01:33:35.160] And, uh, more than anything else, he went there. [01:33:35.160 – 01:33:42.140] He went to several other drying out places, uh, mostly just to get out of the cold in the winter, unfortunately. [01:33:42.140 – 01:33:45.760] But yeah, Ebby, Ebby went there, spent a lot of time there. [01:33:45.760 – 01:33:50.240] And, um, uh, but yeah. [01:33:50.240 – 01:33:52.700] Yeah, he, he did spend a lot of time there. [01:33:52.700 – 01:34:01.860] Even into, I think the letter that I have is like in the '60s, uh, that, uh, uh- Is, is that where he was when he- …

[01:34:01.860 – 01:34:03.620] that he- Is that where he was when he died? [01:34:03.620 – 01:34:04.920] No. [01:34:04.920 – 01:34:10.100] No, he was at Pike's Farm in, uh, New York, if I remember right. [01:34:10.100 – 01:34:13.880] Uh, um, right, Hugh's saying yes. [01:34:13.880 – 01:34:16.960] Uh, Pike's Farm in, in New York. [01:34:16.960 – 01:34:18.720] Yeah, when, uh- McPike. [01:34:18.720 – 01:34:20.400] Yeah.

[01:34:20.400 – 01:34:24.560] Great. [01:34:24.560 – 01:34:25.440] Thank you very much. [01:34:25.440 – 01:34:26.800] And we're gonna go to Hugh now. [01:34:26.800 – 01:34:28.100] Good evening, Hugh. [01:34:28.100 – 01:34:29.850] Hello, I'm an alcoholic. [01:34:29.850 – 01:34:30.880] My name is Hugh. [01:34:30.880 – 01:34:34.200] Um, I was just reading about McPike's Farm.

[01:34:34.200 – 01:34:35.219] Bill had… [01:34:35.219 – 01:34:45.040] As a favor to Bill, they took him in from High W. Farm in May of '64, I believe. [01:34:45.040 – 01:34:52.440] He died in, uh, 1966, but he w- had seven months sobriety when he got to McPike's Farm. [01:34:52.440 – 01:35:02.740] Um, Jim, I j- I just wanna say that I, I don't, didn't know much about anything that you talked about, but as you know, I'm a fourth-generation [01:35:02.740 – 01:35:10.660] practicing Swedenborgian, and that is one of the best presentations I've ever seen by someone who's not a Swedenborgian. [01:35:10.660 – 01:35:11.520] Excellent. [01:35:11.520 – 01:35:12.800] Very good.

[01:35:12.800 – 01:35:15.080] Thank you. [01:35:15.080 – 01:35:15.700] Thank you. [01:35:15.700 – 01:35:21.740] I, I, uh, you know, when you, when you get talking about religions, uh, uh, you know, I, I just, um… [01:35:21.740 – 01:35:25.040] You have to be careful because, uh- Yeah … [01:35:25.040 – 01:35:32.320] you know, and I'm talking history, but I also don't wanna be, uh, you know, offensive to, uh, to anyone who believes anything. [01:35:32.320 – 01:35:34.300] You know, I really don't care. [01:35:34.300 – 01:35:39.700] You know, I, I consider religion in AA to be an outside issue, you know?

[01:35:39.700 – 01:35:39.870] Yeah. [01:35:39.870 – 01:35:50.220] And, uh, and, and just, uh, speaking, uh, uh, as an amateur AA historian, you know, I, I, I appreciate [01:35:50.220 – 01:35:50.520] that. [01:35:50.520 – 01:35:51.320] Thank you very much. [01:35:51.320 – 01:35:54.360] Thank you very much. [01:35:54.360 – 01:35:57.570] If we have any more questions, then please- Jim … [01:35:57.570 – 01:35:58.240] raise your hand.

[01:35:58.240 – 01:35:59.260] Oh, here's David. [01:35:59.260 – 01:36:01.900] No, I just find it, Jim, uh, remarkable. [01:36:01.900 – 01:36:04.260] But we were speaking yesterday in the Writing the Big Book. [01:36:04.260 – 01:36:04.640] Do you remember? [01:36:04.640 – 01:36:07.200] We were speaking with the promises, the step nine promises. [01:36:07.200 – 01:36:17.340] And at the end of, um, the step nine promises, we were talking about the Multilith, and it says, "They will materialize in you," it says, "if we work for them." Would you like to spend a little bit more time [01:36:17.340 – 01:36:17.590] on that?

[01:36:17.590 – 01:36:20.360] Because I know y- you were referencing it yesterday. [01:36:20.360 – 01:36:25.480] Oh, the, the, these, the promises will materialize in you. [01:36:25.480 – 01:36:26.840] If you work, yeah. [01:36:26.840 – 01:36:27.010] Uh, yeah. [01:36:27.010 – 01:36:37.620] I, I mean, uh, there are so many, uh, so many things in the, uh, in both the, in the Big Book as it is today and i- in the, uh, Multilith, [01:36:37.620 – 01:36:39.180] uh, changes that were made. [01:36:39.180 – 01:36:42.980] But these things, they happen in us, you know.

[01:36:42.980 – 01:36:44.180] That, that's what happened. [01:36:44.180 – 01:36:49.480] And, and, uh, our mind, uh, controls, you know. [01:36:49.480 – 01:36:54.000] The problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, you know. [01:36:54.000 – 01:36:55.320] That's what the book tells us. [01:36:55.320 – 01:36:58.380] And, uh, you know, in the very beginning- [01:36:59.124 – 01:37:02.914] I don't know how you were, but I, you know, I had to control my thoughts. [01:37:02.914 – 01:37:09.684] You know, if the thought of a frosty mug came into my mind, I had to get rid of it, you know?

[01:37:09.684 – 01:37:18.784] And, and that is the thinking part because my thinking will get me into trouble or it will save me, you know? [01:37:18.784 – 01:37:29.144] And the, the, the, the problem, the, the mind scientifically, you know, into synapses and blah, blah, blah, you know, produces 900 [01:37:29.144 – 01:37:31.424] thoughts a minute, you know? [01:37:31.424 – 01:37:41.484] And, uh, the, the only benefit that I have is that I can pick and choose which ones I focus on, and I can let the frosty [01:37:41.484 – 01:37:44.814] mugs go away, and I can focus on the good things. [01:37:44.814 – 01:37:47.084] And when I focus on what's good, I have a good day. [01:37:47.084 – 01:37:51.964] And when I focus on what's bad, I have a, you know, this positive mental attitude.

[01:37:51.964 – 01:38:02.483] And, and I think that we find, you know, maybe, uh, after this presentation, as you're reading, as you're, as [01:38:02.483 – 01:38:10.444] you're reading The Big Book, I think maybe you'll see some new thought ideas in the, uh, in The Big Book. [01:38:10.444 – 01:38:14.524] But yeah, these, these things happen inside of us, you know? [01:38:14.524 – 01:38:16.144] The promises happen in us. [01:38:16.144 – 01:38:18.384] The change happens in us. [01:38:18.384 – 01:38:22.044] Um, eh, eh- And the great reality, Jim. [01:38:22.044 – 01:38:27.684] We found a great reality deep down within us It's the only place where he can be found.

[01:38:27.684 – 01:38:28.044] Yep. [01:38:28.044 – 01:38:30.064] Thank you, Jim. [01:38:30.064 – 01:38:31.304] Thank you. [01:38:31.304 – 01:38:37.744] We've just got time for an- I think we've just got time for another couple, so, um, we're gonna go to Patrick O. now. [01:38:37.744 – 01:38:38.984] Good evening, Patrick. [01:38:38.984 – 01:38:40.144] Good evening. [01:38:40.144 – 01:38:41.444] Jim, thank you very much.

[01:38:41.444 – 01:38:44.464] That was fantastic, and it, uh, it just… [01:38:44.464 – 01:38:54.544] You know, these people, I, I always enjoy the way that, you know, that these thoughts came from mankind, and, uh, these were all seekers of, of [01:38:54.544 – 01:38:55.864] some sort of a philosophy. [01:38:55.864 – 01:38:57.084] They weren't mean-spirited. [01:38:57.084 – 01:39:01.324] They were all trying to do the best they can, and, and they spawned other things. [01:39:01.324 – 01:39:05.304] I mean, they, uh, people jumped on the wagon and maybe expanded a little bit. [01:39:05.304 – 01:39:06.424] Some ran parallel.

[01:39:06.424 – 01:39:16.024] Uh, I know one of the things that why the Emmanuel movement was encouraged was to go ahead and sort of tamp down Christian S. here in, uh, in this part of the country. [01:39:16.024 – 01:39:19.544] And of course, that came from Quimby and all those other people. [01:39:19.544 – 01:39:27.804] Uh, and it's just, it's remarkable that, uh, once you realize how many lanes are heading in the right direction, and you take what you… [01:39:27.804 – 01:39:28.484] What do they say? [01:39:28.484 – 01:39:32.434] Uh, take the best and leave the rest, you know? [01:39:32.434 – 01:39:33.634] That's, that's it, you know? [01:39:33.634 – 01:39:36.424] And who cares where it came from, to be honest with you.

[01:39:36.424 – 01:39:36.453] Yeah. [01:39:36.453 – 01:39:40.204] If it helps you in this, uh, along this way, and I really appreciate all the work you do. [01:39:40.204 – 01:39:40.544] Thank you. [01:39:40.544 – 01:39:42.004] Thank you, Patrick. [01:39:42.004 – 01:39:52.084] And, and I, I sometimes look at it also as a cobweb of, of so many things coming into the intersection of, of, of ideas, [01:39:52.084 – 01:40:02.944] of, you know, uh, you know, The Big Book or, or my recovery or comes from so many different way, you know, uh, people and philosophies [01:40:02.944 – 01:40:06.763] and, and the ways that they intersect, uh, just fascinating.

[01:40:06.763 – 01:40:07.464] Thank you, Patrick. [01:40:07.464 – 01:40:09.244] Okay. [01:40:09.244 – 01:40:12.344] We're gonna go to Joel L. in Miami, Florida now. [01:40:12.344 – 01:40:18.344] I'm an alcoholic and my, I'm an alcoholic and my problem is Joel. [01:40:18.344 – 01:40:20.744] I hear an echo. [01:40:20.744 – 01:40:24.144] Yeah, you must have another, uh, device there. [01:40:24.144 – 01:40:29.144] I have, I, I have another device, but I have it, I have it turned off.

[01:40:29.144 – 01:40:31.404] Not muted. [01:40:31.404 – 01:40:33.724] There you go. [01:40:33.724 – 01:40:36.944] I don't even know what happened. [01:40:36.944 – 01:40:37.344] Okay. [01:40:37.344 – 01:40:40.164] Go on, Joel. [01:40:40.164 – 01:40:42.064] Jim- … [01:40:42.064 – 01:40:43.584] that, that was so fantastic.

[01:40:43.584 – 01:40:48.884] E- every time your presentation is done, it, it exceeds itself at the next level. [01:40:48.884 – 01:40:50.504] I can't, I can't believe it. [01:40:50.504 – 01:40:54.344] But anyway, y- this presentation was too important to me. [01:40:54.344 – 01:40:58.763] I sent a, uh, chat to David. [01:40:58.763 – 01:41:00.624] Do you wanna handle it with David? [01:41:00.624 – 01:41:01.984] Do you wanna handle this privately? [01:41:01.984 – 01:41:06.844] Well, I just, I just said to Jim what you said 'cause I thought it was a very passionate message.

[01:41:06.844 – 01:41:16.964] I was gonna say to Jim after, he's, Joel said, "David, can you please, please, please beg Jim to email me, us, the slides used today. [01:41:16.964 – 01:41:27.264] This lecture is too important, way too important for me to not study it further in more detail." I will be glad to confirm that I will not share these slides, [01:41:27.264 – 01:41:28.183] Joel. [01:41:28.183 – 01:41:31.364] I mean it. [01:41:31.364 – 01:41:32.714] Thank, thank you, Joel. [01:41:32.714 – 01:41:34.764] I really wanna study these, this slide. [01:41:34.764 – 01:41:44.764] I, uh, I, I, uh- I, I will be happy to, uh, do a presentation for you and your group or any other that you, any time that

[01:41:44.764 – 01:41:45.324] you would like. [01:41:45.324 – 01:41:55.464] Uh, but I, I don't give out the presentations, mainly because I, I don't, I, I'm changing them on a constant basis, and I don't want things [01:41:55.464 – 01:41:56.024] going out. [01:41:56.024 – 01:41:57.264] I, sometimes I correct them. [01:41:57.264 – 01:42:03.284] No, I don't make too many mistakes, but mainly because I just copy and paste what other people say, you know? [01:42:03.284 – 01:42:05.063] So I can't get that too much wrong. [01:42:05.063 – 01:42:10.114] But, um, uh, I, uh, I do correct things, and I change them.

[01:42:10.114 – 01:42:14.644] I'm constantly changing them, so I, I don't give the slides out. [01:42:14.644 – 01:42:21.514] But I, I will be happy to, uh, give the presentation, um, any time, uh, to- [01:42:21.756 – 01:42:22.176] 21. [01:42:22.176 – 01:42:28.836] But thank you, I, I appreciate the, uh, uh, your appreciation of the work Okay. [01:42:28.836 – 01:42:29.356] Thank you. [01:42:29.356 – 01:42:32.406] Thank you so much Okay. [01:42:32.406 – 01:42:36.976] We're gonna finish up now with, um, uh, an anonymous alcoholic.

[01:42:36.976 – 01:42:38.286] Uh- … [01:42:38.286 – 01:42:40.936] a Galaxy A12. [01:42:40.936 – 01:42:43.836] Hello whoever you are. [01:42:43.836 – 01:42:44.876] Hello there. [01:42:44.876 – 01:42:49.956] I'm Tony, I'm an alcoholic, and I apologize, I will change my name from Galaxy A12. [01:42:49.956 – 01:42:53.396] Uh, I just wanted to say, you know, thanks very much. [01:42:53.396 – 01:43:02.336] That was just mind-blowing, um, and, uh, yeah, I shall have to listen to it again if it's, if it's on the, is it Recovery 12 or Recovery T.?

[01:43:02.336 – 01:43:12.216] But yeah, I'm just kind of wondering, you know, you talked about with hip- uh, Emmet F. and 5,000 attending his, his sermons and things. [01:43:12.216 – 01:43:16.336] What was the social aspects at that time, a thing, that, that made this grow? [01:43:16.336 – 01:43:20.916] Or was it, you know, was, were people looking for something? [01:43:20.916 – 01:43:28.136] Or, I, I don't know if that sort of is clear as a question, but, uh, I can't really put it any other way. [01:43:28.136 – 01:43:29.876] I, I, I didn't quite get the… [01:43:29.876 – 01:43:31.026] What, what was the question? [01:43:31.026 – 01:43:38.556] It's like the social aspects at the time that allowed, you know, that Emmet F. was attracting 5,000 people.

[01:43:38.556 – 01:43:48.566] Well, you know, a lot of what was going on, and of course, uh, you know, even Ernie K. thinks that AA would never have happened had it not been for the Depression in the United [01:43:48.566 – 01:43:50.196] States, you know? [01:43:50.196 – 01:43:54.216] Uh, but Emmet F., we're talking Depression times. [01:43:54.216 – 01:43:59.396] You know, this was 1934 that, uh, you know, The Sermon on the Mount came out. [01:43:59.396 – 01:44:01.736] The Depression started in '29. [01:44:01.736 – 01:44:07.296] People were just e- even barely, I mean, barely getting out of the Depression. [01:44:07.296 – 01:44:13.036] It was a rough time socially, socioeconomically, uh, all over the world.

[01:44:13.036 – 01:44:17.276] Uh, you know, it was a rough time, and people were looking for hope. [01:44:17.276 – 01:44:24.566] They were looking for a way to, uh, to control, you know, to, to make their life better. [01:44:24.566 – 01:44:32.996] And somebody comes along, this guy, and he filled up this hipdrome, you know, in, uh, you know, with 5,000, 6,000 people. [01:44:32.996 – 01:44:35.156] This mega church back in those days. [01:44:35.156 – 01:44:37.176] And people were looking for hope. [01:44:37.176 – 01:44:44.856] They were looking for a way, uh, to try and control, to, to feel better, to be better, you know? [01:44:44.856 – 01:44:54.956] And he comes along and he says, uh, you know, e- even to, to alcoholics where, uh, maybe churches hadn't really helped us,

[01:44:54.956 – 01:44:58.496] uh, get sober, some of us, uh, you know? [01:44:58.496 – 01:45:08.516] And, uh, but we're looking for something else, and this guy comes along and, uh, kinds of half, uh, religious, half, uh, [01:45:08.516 – 01:45:17.236] power of positive thinking kind of guy and, uh, and gets us talking about, uh, healing ourselves, you know? [01:45:17.236 – 01:45:27.276] And, uh and, and, uh, feeling better and being able to, to, uh, to feel better about ourselves by [01:45:27.276 – 01:45:34.956] controlling our thoughts and, and, uh, and, and learning how to think, uh, think better, you know? [01:45:34.956 – 01:45:39.155] So yeah, socioeconomically it was a rough time, uh, in that time, so. [01:45:39.155 – 01:45:42.676] Thank you.

[01:45:42.676 – 01:45:43.036] Thank you. [01:45:43.036 – 01:45:47.716] Um, Jim, are you, uh, are you feeling, are you feeling able to carry on for another- Yeah. [01:45:47.716 – 01:45:48.856] I, I'm, I'm fine. [01:45:48.856 – 01:45:49.866] I'm fine. [01:45:49.866 – 01:45:54.496] If you could put up with my coughing earlier, then I, I'm, I'm doing fine. [01:45:54.496 – 01:45:55.636] Okay. [01:45:55.636 – 01:45:56.656] We're gonna go to Nick P.

[01:45:56.656 – 01:45:57.636] in London now. [01:45:57.636 – 01:45:59.956] Yeah. [01:45:59.956 – 01:46:00.816] Th- thanks, Jim. [01:46:00.816 – 01:46:04.276] Uh, that was really good, uh, blew me away obviously. [01:46:04.276 – 01:46:10.976] You know, I, personally, I, I've got to be careful with this positive thinking around, uh, drinking. [01:46:10.976 – 01:46:15.336] You know, because I always had positive thoughts about drinking, that I'd get away with it. [01:46:15.336 – 01:46:17.816] It won't be the same as it was last time.

[01:46:17.816 – 01:46:20.196] So I have got to definitely watch that thinking. [01:46:20.196 – 01:46:28.656] But the one thing that was, uh, missing, which I, I don't know where it fits in, you know, the program tells me that I'm powerless. [01:46:28.656 – 01:46:38.896] And, you know, it also says, you know, you know, when I cease fighting, I recall from that hot flame, and I've got to overcome that spiritual melody, [01:46:38.896 – 01:46:41.876] then I will physically and mentally recover. [01:46:41.876 – 01:46:50.216] And I understand the positive thinking as- aspects of what you talk about in the new thought program, but powerlessness is my problem. [01:46:50.216 – 01:46:54.216] How does that fit into the new thought issues? [01:46:54.216 – 01:46:55.776] Well, the, uh- Because like- …

[01:46:55.776 – 01:47:01.256] the, I, I think there was a, a quote there towards the end, uh, I think it was maybe Richmond W.. [01:47:01.256 – 01:47:08.466] You know, it talks about, uh, "You know, you almost, you almost put out the fire inside of you." Mm-hmm. [01:47:08.466 – 01:47:11.116] You know, with the way that you were living before. [01:47:11.116 – 01:47:17.116] But th- this is, goes to, uh, to use our terminology. [01:47:17.116 – 01:47:23.476] You know, we had to find this great reality deep down within us because that's the only place that it can be found. [01:47:23.476 – 01:47:29.796] And, uh, and, and, uh, yeah, lack of power, that was my dilemma, you know? [01:47:29.796 – 01:47:32.696] And I had to find a power, you know?

[01:47:32.696 – 01:47:35.196] And, uh, and I found it. [01:47:35.196 – 01:47:36.436] You know? [01:47:36.436 – 01:47:37.216] I found it. [01:47:37.216 – 01:47:43.996] And, uh, I don't know how you were, but a lot of my power came from new thinking. [01:47:45.160 – 01:47:47.880] You know, I had to change the way I was thinking. [01:47:47.880 – 01:47:56.720] I came, I, I came into AA and these people were telling me that almost everything I'd been thinking for my whole life was wrong. [01:47:56.720 – 01:48:02.040] You know, I thought it was, I thought it was cool not to put up with assholes.

[01:48:02.040 – 01:48:06.760] You know, I, I, you know, I do not suffer myself to… [01:48:06.760 – 01:48:07.120] You know. [01:48:07.120 – 01:48:11.400] Anyway, you know, that yeah, yeah, that's the way people are, you know. [01:48:11.400 – 01:48:12.560] Why should I put up with them? [01:48:12.560 – 01:48:18.900] And, and you know, resentment, that's what people are supposed to do, and fear, that's just something you have to live with. [01:48:18.900 – 01:48:24.340] And all of a sudden people were giving me a new way of thinking, and telling me fear… [01:48:24.340 – 01:48:25.310] They're, they…

[01:48:25.310 – 01:48:31.720] I don't think there's a church in the world that counts fear as a sin, but in AA it's a sin. [01:48:31.720 – 01:48:33.240] You know? [01:48:33.240 – 01:48:41.400] Um, a- and I had to learn that, uh, that, uh, you know, I had to learn a new way of thinking. [01:48:41.400 – 01:48:48.580] And, uh, and this new thought, I learned a new way of thinking, but it's not new thinking. [01:48:48.580 – 01:48:51.540] You know, some of it goes back to Plato, you know? [01:48:51.540 – 01:48:56.960] And, or Swedenborg or, or Emerson or, you know, what's true then is true now. [01:48:56.960 – 01:49:00.460] And I had to find, find this, uh, this power.

[01:49:00.460 – 01:49:04.420] I agree with you, uh, uh, 100%, powerlessness. [01:49:04.420 – 01:49:12.780] And I had to find that power deep down inside me, you know, and I had buried it and almost put out the flame, you know? [01:49:12.780 – 01:49:20.720] And, uh, but I had to rekindle the flame, I think Richmond W. says, you know, and, and build it up again. [01:49:20.720 – 01:49:25.020] And, uh, because the, the, the difference… [01:49:25.020 – 01:49:32.440] And there were two, you know, very, very different, um, spiritual or religious traditions. [01:49:32.440 – 01:49:40.320] You know, the Achra group was evangelical, uh, very conservative, uh, orthodox. [01:49:40.320 – 01:49:50.520] And, uh, most of, if not all of the AA new people in those days were not conservative.

[01:49:50.520 – 01:49:51.900] They were not orthodox. [01:49:51.900 – 01:49:57.200] They came from, uh, uh, liberal Protestant churches. [01:49:57.200 – 01:50:05.160] This Dilworth Upton, you know, he was a UU, you know, he was a Universal U., you know, uh, minister. [01:50:05.160 – 01:50:10.200] And, uh, and he of course helped us, uh, with the publicity in the early days in Cleveland. [01:50:10.200 – 01:50:19.920] And, and, uh, the religious people that, you know, AA is not an orthodox, uh, Christian religion. [01:50:19.920 – 01:50:30.200] Uh, and, uh, and the, the sooner that, um, uh, it got out of that, the sooner it could grow more quickly. [01:50:30.200 – 01:50:40.360] You know, I, I think there somewhere in the presentation, I can't remember who said it, maybe it was Glen C.- Chestnut, that, uh, you know, the, uh, uh, the absolutes

[01:50:40.360 – 01:50:43.700] would scare away as many people as it would attract. [01:50:43.700 – 01:50:45.500] I think it'd probably scare away more. [01:50:45.500 – 01:50:48.560] But, uh, uh, yeah. [01:50:48.560 – 01:50:53.500] The, the, uh, I, I don't think I answered anything, but it gave me time to talk some more. [01:50:53.500 – 01:50:56.180] Thank you. [01:50:56.180 – 01:50:59.220] Um, we're gonna go to Lola in DC now. [01:50:59.220 – 01:51:00.880] Hi.

[01:51:00.880 – 01:51:01.660] Hi, Jim. [01:51:01.660 – 01:51:03.740] That was outstanding. [01:51:03.740 – 01:51:11.660] That was the most amazing talk I have ever heard you give, and each time you give a talk it just seems to be better than the prior talk. [01:51:11.660 – 01:51:13.140] So thank you, thank you, thank you. [01:51:13.140 – 01:51:15.240] I just have a quick comment to make. [01:51:15.240 – 01:51:25.480] This, this presentation just really solidified in my mind where I came from because, I mean, I got sober a long time ago a- as a kid, [01:51:25.480 – 01:51:34.780] and I remember my home group, even though it wasn't conference approved literature, we had those books, and they talked about those books all the time.

[01:51:34.780 – 01:51:38.380] The Sermon on the Mount and all the books that you showed. [01:51:38.380 – 01:51:47.780] And I paid zero attention because I was not planning on staying here, and yet they all practice those principles in AA. [01:51:47.780 – 01:51:52.220] And as I was sponsored, I was sponsored under those principles. [01:51:52.220 – 01:52:02.720] We don't seem to be doing that so much these days, but I am super-duper grateful for when I got sober with the group that I got sober with it because i- it was kinda like first-handed, [01:52:02.720 – 01:52:02.979] right? [01:52:02.979 – 01:52:06.080] I mean, anyway, thank you so, so much. [01:52:06.080 – 01:52:07.160] That was outstanding.

[01:52:07.160 – 01:52:08.500] Thank you, Lola. [01:52:08.500 – 01:52:09.460] Thank you, Lola. [01:52:09.460 – 01:52:15.300] Okay, I think our final, our final question for the evening will be Alex S. [01:52:15.300 – 01:52:16.460] Hello, Alex. [01:52:16.460 – 01:52:17.040] Good evening. [01:52:17.040 – 01:52:18.820] Hello. [01:52:18.820 – 01:52:19.540] Good evening.

[01:52:19.540 – 01:52:22.600] And Jim, thank you very much, that was wonderful. [01:52:22.600 – 01:52:32.420] I, I, um, it's, it's kinda on topic, but are, do you have any history or doc- … [01:52:32.420 – 01:52:42.420] um, entation of when William J. and James were at Worcester U. in 1907 at a Central A. [01:52:42.420 – 01:52:43.220] Conference? [01:52:43.220 – 01:52:46.060] I, I- So any correspondence? [01:52:46.060 – 01:52:54.660] Do you have any of their correspondence in what they were doing with one another, uh, when, when they met, William J. and Carl J.? [01:52:54.660 – 01:52:56.980] Uh, no.

[01:52:56.980 – 01:52:57.980] No I don't. [01:52:57.980 – 01:52:58.010] Okay. [01:52:58.010 – 01:53:02.300] That's, uh- Yeah, I know that they met, and I have, uh, you know, some information. [01:53:02.300 – 01:53:05.520] Uh, but, but no, I don't have any of the correspondence, no. [01:53:05.520 – 01:53:06.880] Okay. [01:53:06.880 – 01:53:08.000] Thank you. [01:53:08.000 – 01:53:08.150] I ap-

[01:53:08.332 – 01:53:18.852] Uh, uh, I'm, I'm curious just because all those doctors' names are in the beginning of some of the literature, and I, I'm enjoying all of this [01:53:18.912 – 01:53:20.652] and the Thursday afternoon group. [01:53:20.652 – 01:53:21.132] Thank you. [01:53:21.132 – 01:53:21.651] That's it. [01:53:21.651 – 01:53:22.822] Thank you. [01:53:22.822 – 01:53:24.772] And thank you for, thank you for the share. [01:53:24.772 – 01:53:25.892] Loved it.

[01:53:25.892 – 01:53:26.832] Thank you. [01:53:26.832 – 01:53:29.832] And on the stroke of midnight in London. [01:53:29.832 – 01:53:33.132] Exactly the stroke of midnight in London, that's it. [01:53:33.132 – 01:53:35.172] So moving back to David. [01:53:35.172 – 01:53:38.292] So similar- David, you're gonna turn in- you're gonna turn into a pumpkin. [01:53:38.292 – 01:53:40.232] As long as I don't turn into Mr. [01:53:40.232 – 01:53:41.712] Hyde, we'll be all right.

[01:53:41.712 – 01:53:45.052] Well he's not coming back. [01:53:45.052 – 01:53:49.372] Hey, Tom, do you want to quickly mention that, um, meeting I just put into the chat, Tom N.'s status. [01:53:49.372 – 01:53:53.612] Tom, you have, you said you have a new talk meeting every… [01:53:53.612 – 01:53:55.112] Is that right, Tom, every Monday? [01:53:55.112 – 01:53:58.252] Tom, you're muted. [01:53:58.252 – 01:54:00.031] If you would, quick. [01:54:00.031 – 01:54:01.832] Tom?

[01:54:01.832 – 01:54:03.232] Yeah. [01:54:03.232 – 01:54:13.232] We've been doing that for, uh, several months, and we went through the Sermon on the Mount, and we're on our second Emmet F. book, and [01:54:13.232 – 01:54:14.792] we're just about completed. [01:54:14.792 – 01:54:18.012] And it's, uh, it's been a revealing thing. [01:54:18.012 – 01:54:28.712] What we do is we just read, uh, several paragraphs, and then we just take time to discuss what its meaning and application is to us personally [01:54:28.712 – 01:54:31.032] and how we can apply it to our own lives. [01:54:31.032 – 01:54:40.312] And so we're gonna, uh, consider a third book, and we haven't decided on that at this time, but it's every Monday at 5:30 Eastern T..

[01:54:40.312 – 01:54:40.772] Thank you. [01:54:40.772 – 01:54:41.872] Thank you, Tom. [01:54:41.872 – 01:54:42.612] Thank you, Tom. [01:54:42.612 – 01:54:44.172] That sound- that sounds fascinating. [01:54:44.172 – 01:54:45.012] I mean, there's so much… [01:54:45.012 – 01:54:53.132] I have so much information and, and there's so much more available on Emmet F. and everything he wrote and other people that wrote at the time. [01:54:53.132 – 01:55:01.152] Uh, you know, so much good information, and taking it, you know, a paragraph at a time, uh, just like that book, uh, As a Man T..

[01:55:01.152 – 01:55:05.562] You know, it's a simple little book, and yet, you know, I have it on audiobook that I can… [01:55:05.562 – 01:55:07.932] So I can listen to it as I'm driving to work. [01:55:07.932 – 01:55:11.972] You know, just simple affirmations and, and things about… [01:55:11.972 – 01:55:14.472] Anyway, thank you very much. [01:55:14.472 – 01:55:15.072] Thank you, Jim. [01:55:15.072 – 01:55:16.932] Just want to bring attention to what we have next week. [01:55:16.932 – 01:55:21.092] I know I said it already, but next week it's What It W. Like: The Life of Henry G.

[01:55:21.092 – 01:55:24.491] P. Through A. 1935 with Chris J.. [01:55:24.491 – 01:55:25.532] And the following week we have Mr. [01:55:25.532 – 01:55:27.672] S. here, Challenging the Creation M.. [01:55:27.672 – 01:55:36.832] And Jim W. is back with us, as you can see there on the screen, on the 8th of July, and he's gonna do it on AA in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. [01:55:36.832 – 01:55:42.592] We're gonna close this section of the meeting now, and a recording will be on recoveryspeakers.com. [01:55:42.592 – 01:55:44.051] Um, thank you, Mike K., for that. [01:55:44.051 – 01:55:46.712] We're gonna close with Jim W.'s reflection.

[01:55:46.712 – 01:55:49.112] Uh, Jim, if you're, um, nearly ready. [01:55:49.112 – 01:55:49.732] Thank you, Jim. [01:55:49.732 – 01:55:50.732] Over to you. [01:55:50.732 – 01:55:51.771] Back to you, I should have said. [01:55:51.771 – 01:55:53.172] All right. [01:55:53.172 – 01:56:04.372] Uh, first of all, uh, again, I'd like to wish us all a very happy, uh, sober, uh, uh, [01:56:04.372 – 01:56:07.882] 87th anniversary on, uh, on this day.

[01:56:07.882 – 01:56:14.822] And, uh, when they first met, you know, uh, Bill says that, "Alone in town, I was scared to death of getting drunk. [01:56:14.822 – 01:56:17.792] I was no longer a teacher or a preacher. [01:56:17.792 – 01:56:23.372] I was an alcoholic who knew that he needed another alcoholic as much as that one could possibly need me. [01:56:23.372 – 01:56:27.092] Driven by that urge, I was soon face to face with Dr. [01:56:27.092 – 01:56:29.301] Bob." You know, and after… [01:56:29.301 – 01:56:30.392] And then David, of course. [01:56:30.392 – 01:56:32.972] Uh, uh, uh, June, that was June 10.

[01:56:32.972 – 01:56:34.172] Uh, that was in May. [01:56:34.172 – 01:56:41.212] And they almost immediately got to work, and they found Eddie R., and he was a mess, but eventually got sober. [01:56:41.212 – 01:56:42.412] And, uh, Dr. [01:56:42.412 – 01:56:45.852] M., who didn't get sober, but, uh, they were working. [01:56:45.852 – 01:56:49.112] They got right away, and they started working with other alcoholics. [01:56:49.112 – 01:56:52.832] And, uh, a- and then, uh, Dr. [01:56:52.832 – 01:57:02.832] Bob had his little, uh, you know, uh, h- his little, uh, brief, uh, slip there as David read in the beginning, and then they came back, and they

[01:57:02.832 – 01:57:03.652] got back to work. [01:57:03.652 – 01:57:08.692] And they got back to work and, and thank God, uh, they did. [01:57:08.692 – 01:57:18.972] And I think that, uh, probably today being the June 10th and our anniversary, I think that, uh, we'll close today with the responsibility [01:57:18.972 – 01:57:25.972] statement, which is something that I think, uh, uh, all of us can feel at a deeper level even today. [01:57:25.972 – 01:57:30.392] So after a moment of silence, we'll close with the, uh, responsibility statement. [01:57:30.392 – 01:57:42.632] Uh, [01:57:42.632 – 01:57:45.192] David, did you do something?

[01:57:45.192 – 01:57:47.332] Sorry, Jim, had you got it on your screen? [01:57:47.332 – 01:57:48.012] I, um… [01:57:48.012 – 01:57:48.332] Okay. [01:57:48.332 – 01:57:50.272] I, uh, I, I do now. [01:57:50.272 – 01:57:53.512] All right. [01:57:53.512 – 01:57:57.032] And, uh, who's responsible? [01:57:57.032 – 01:57:58.032] I am.

[01:57:58.032 – 01:57:58.812] I am. [01:57:58.812 – 01:58:00.012] I am responsible. [01:58:00.012 – 01:58:00.882] Responsible. [01:58:00.882 – 01:58:01.161] For anyone. [01:58:01.161 – 01:58:03.612] For anyone who, uh, reaches out for help. [01:58:03.612 – 01:58:03.622] For anyone who, uh, reaches out for help. [01:58:03.622 – 01:58:06.902] Where- Well, I want the hand of AA always to be there.

[01:58:06.902 – 01:58:08.192] The hand of AA always to be there. [01:58:08.192 – 01:58:08.622] And for that. [01:58:08.622 – 01:58:09.792] And for that. [01:58:09.792 – 01:58:10.552] I am. [01:58:10.552 – 01:58:11.372] I am responsible. [01:58:11.372 – 01:58:12.992] Responsible. [01:58:12.992 – 01:58:15.372] Well done, everyone.

[01:58:15.372 – 01:58:16.312] Thank you, Jim W.. [01:58:16.312 – 01:58:17.092] Thank you. [01:58:17.092 – 01:58:17.752] Thank you. [01:58:17.752 – 01:58:20.082] Thanks, Jim. [01:58:20.082 – 01:58:20.842] Thank you so much. [01:58:20.842 – 01:58:21.812] Thanks so much. [01:58:21.812 – 01:58:23.022] Gee, Jim.

[01:58:23.022 – 01:58:23.792] Thank you, Jim. [01:58:23.792 – 01:58:24.592] Thanks. [01:58:24.592 – 01:58:24.812] Wow. [01:58:24.812 – 01:58:25.752] Great presentation. [01:58:25.752 – 01:58:26.372] Thank you all. [01:58:26.372 – 01:58:27.412] The best. [01:58:27.412 – 01:58:28.672] So wonderful.

[01:58:28.672 – 01:58:28.822] Good weekend. [01:58:28.822 – 01:58:31.322] Now we're gonna pause the recording and go into the-