The Spiritual Principle Justice The Spiritual Principle Justice is behind A.A.’s Step Nine: “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” Such people, of course, refers to Step Eight’s list of those we’d harmed. Step Nine requires us to step out and take action, wherever possible. But we must be… Read More
The Spiritual Principle Brotherly Love The Spiritual Principle Brotherly Love serves as the foundation for Step Eight: “Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.” Brotherly Love gives us the compassion and empathy to make things right among our friends, families, colleagues and acquaintances. For if we don’t make things… Read More
The Spiritual Principle Humility The Spiritual Principle Humility is behind A.A. Step Seven: “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.” You cannot remove the defects of character brought up in Step Six without humility. Too often, alcoholics are victims of pride and selfishness. During this step, you begin to practice modesty and welcome a change of attitude, which will lead… Read More
The Spiritual Principle Willingness The Spiritual Principle Willingness lies behind A.A.’s Step Six: “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.” The defects of character, of course, refer to those defects which we admitted to in Step Five. Having done so, we’re ready to cast out those defects. The crucial aspect of Step Six is our… Read More
The Spiritual Principle Integrity The Spiritual Principle integrity lies behind A.A. Step Five: “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” “If we have truly done a thorough job of introspection and evaluation of our assets and shortcomings, do we have the integrity to own up to it? It can be very… Read More
