Held in December, the retreat was envisioned by Sandy B to not be marketed - no flyers, no website - just spread by word of mouth, drawing seekers from the far corners in a non-AA spiritually focused men's retreat.
Special thanks to the website where I found this and the rest of the series held from 2006 to 2012
HANDOUTS: CONTEMPATIVE AA Notes From A Fellow Traveler PERTINANT PASSAGES Reading List
CONTEMPLATIVE AA (from a handout at the event)
Bill W. "AA is an utter simplicity which encases a complete mystery."
The actual kitchen table where Bill stared at Ebby and wondered what could have
transformed him.
Contemplate, Wonder, and Ponder for the sheer joy of it.
Reflect on the silence. Also on spiritual propositions such as these:
"Truth exists in the silence where thought doesn't exist."
"Stop believing in what you believe. Go beyond belief."
"To be free of thoughts is meditation. Watch yourself watching thoughts."
"When you are conscious of your breath, you are totally in the present."
"There is no meaning in life; it just is. You may make up a meaning, but it does not
come from life itself'
"The eye through which I look for God is the eye that God is looking out
of."
"To get an answer to a pressing question, form it then drop it into the stillness and wait. The answer will come, or your question will disappear!"
"God is the essence of all life. Stillness is the language that God speaks. Stillness and the Divine are one."
"Is the 4th dimension of existence in the silence? If not, where?"
"The starting place for all reflection or contemplation is the fact of your own existence. The question to be asked is, 'Who are you?'"
"A perfectly spiritual being falls asleep and dreams he is very imperfect believes and feels accordingly. How does he return to spiritual perfection? Answer: 'By awakening.'"
"The Bottom Line of life is that everything is most wonderfully inexplicable!"
"The mystery of life is the mystery of me."
