DIRECTION

Definition of Direction:
A course along which someone or something moves

Synonyms for Direction:
Way, route, course, line, run, bearing, orientation

These notes are from recovery in AA and/or related 12 step programs.
Readers are encouraged to click external links for more detail.
We hope you find them helpful.

Love in fellowship.

When we are unsure of how to handle a difficult situation, we need to promptly seek the assistance our group provides. In order to receive help, we usually need to ask for it.

The illusion that we knew how to manage our lives and did not have to follow anyone else’s directions was one of the causes of our difficulties and with life in general.  –Food for Thought/Elisabeth L | More…

Any action or expression we make toward another comes back to us. Maybe not today, but it assuredly returns: we do sow what we reap.

If we treat others hatefully, or with disdain and suspicion, we eventually get the same in return. And we can also have a love-filled, affirming life if we willingly, gladly, and honestly offer our love to others with no conditions.

We can bring ourselves misery or happiness through our actions. With the help of our Higher Power, we can sow only what we want to reap.

It’s a small decision to turn within for guidance. Although it takes practice to remember to let our Higher Power direct our actions, it will become a habit in time – the healthiest habit we’ll ever develop. –In God’s Care/Karen Casey  | More…

We each have a life to live, one that has purpose and meaning. We can help our Higher Power give direction and purpose to our life by setting goals.

Goals create direction and pace. Goals help us achieve a manageable life that is directed in the course we choose for ourselves. –The Language of Letting Go/Melody Beattie | More…

What matters? Only the flicker of light within the darkness, the feeling of warmth within the cold, the knowledge of love within the void.

Sometimes when we’re depressed, we feel as though we’re lost on a dark sea. But there is always a flicker of light for us.

It may be prayer, or the love of a special friend. When we see that light, we need to move toward it. Whatever brings us hope is like that flicker of light. The more we seek it, the clearer and brighter the light will become. –Today’s Gift | More…

Our spiritual tradition shows us the way to live in harmony, balance and respect.
If we do not allow spirituality to guide our lives, we will be lost, unhappy and without direction. We are spiritual beings trying to be human, not human beings trying to be spiritual. It is said, Know thyself. –Elders Meditations | More…

The Program is a road, not a resting place. It tells us how to get from where we are to where we are supposed to be. –A Day at a Time | More…

Every day is a new day. Sometimes we make mistakes.We do not need to carry these mistakes along with us.

Take the lessons and leave the mistakes behind. Look forward to today. Today we can do something good. Today we can have good thoughts.

Today we can think kind, uplifting thoughts about ourselves. Today I will think good about… –Elders Meditations | More…

Though alcoholics can appear to have serious shortcomings, these problems are really only misguided attempts to satisfy needs that must be met.

We can meet our needs in an orderly manner by turning to our Higher Power and following the slow and impractical, but over the longer term we will come to see that it is the right way to live.

Our instinctive needs are proper and God-given, but they must not run wild in our lives.
Living sober also means taming our instincts. –Walk In Dry Places/Mel B. | More…

The Elders tell us that everything the Creator made is interconnected. Nothing can be separated. The Elders say we should pray before we do anything. We should ask the Creator, what do You want us to do?

We are put on the Earth to do the will of God. If we run our governments, communities, families or ourselves without the spiritual we are doomed to failure. –Elders Meditations | More…

There are times when we get tired and depressed or elated and confused. We alcoholics have a beacon light for our dark and confused moments. It is our commitment to abstinence.

No matter how confused we may be, we can remember that abstinence is the most important thing in our life without exception.

Whatever happens, we will not be lost if we hold fast to our abstinence. As long as we do not drink, we will be able to find our way out of a difficult situation.–Food For Thought | More…

If we learn about direction, we also learn about attention, about focus, and about power.
Each direction has spiritual power.

In the morning, go outside, face the east and get still; then, listen to your thoughts.
After you have done this for a while, turn and face the west. Get quiet once again and listen to your thoughts.

Did your thinking change when you changed direction? 
Great Spirit, teach me the power of the four directions. –Elders | More…

Our spiritual tradition shows us the way to live in harmony, balance and respect. If we do not allow spirituality to guide our lives, we will be lost, unhappy and without direction. We are spiritual beings trying to be human, not human beings trying to be spiritual. It is said, Know thyself. –Elders Meditations | More…

God intended us to have dominion over our lives, to be the captains of our souls. Of course, in the ship of life, you cannot make port unless all sails are set. You must pursue the spiritual life wholeheartedly. You cannot expect to reach port if you are faithful in your prayers and meditations for a time, and then for a time you forget God. –Emmet Fox | More…

Everyone has to find the right path. You can’t see it so it’s hard to find. No one can show you. Each person has to find the path by himself. Inside of everyone is the natural, built-in desire to be seeking a relationship with the Creator. We must make this journey because we want to. The path is inside of ourselves. It is inside that we must begin our search. –Elders Meditations | More…

Every day is a new day. Sometimes we make mistakes. We do not need to carry these mistakes along with us. Take the lessons and leave the mistakes behind. Look forward to today. Today we can do something good. Today we can have good thoughts. Today we can think kind, uplifting thoughts about ourselves. Today I will think good about… –Elders Meditations | More…

The Elders tell us that everything the Creator made is interconnected. Nothing can be separated. The Elders say we should pray before we do anything. We should ask the Creator, what do You want us to do? We are put on the Earth to do the will of God. If we run our governments, communities, families or ourselves without the spiritual we are doomed to failure. –Elders Meditations | More…

Too often God’s message is missed due to our selfish concerns, but it’s never too late to begin listening for it. God is forever at hand, awaiting our recognition. We can be mindful that the ease of our lives is directly proportional to the recognition we offer. Right conduct is never a mystery to us. We may not always choose to do it, but we never fail to know what should be done. –Each Day a New Beginning | More…

Directions to recovery: Just go straight to hell and make a U-turn. The miracle that I found in recovery is the miracle that awaits us all, no matter how far down we have fallen, no matter the state of despair or the depths of the abyss into which we have descended. Our collective experience is we will recover if we are willing to work the Twelve Steps. When we do, we find that the very experience that nearly took our lives enables us, over time, to help and save another. This is the enduring miracle that is available to all who keep coming back. No matter what, don’t leave before the miracle happens for you, too. –Wisdom of the Rooms | More…

In all of us there is an inner consciousness that tells of God, an inner voice that speaks to our hearts. It is a voice that speaks to us intimately, personally, in a time of quiet meditation. –24 Hours | More…

We complicate our relationships needlessly when we act before we think. In a moment’s pause, before we respond to a person or situation, may come a clear message indicating how we are to act or what we are to say. In that quiet moment, our conscience calls to us. Our willingness to pause, listen, and then act as our Inner Guide suggests, will ensure that our relations with others will reflect our true values. –In God’s Care | More…

Every spiritual person should carry a vision of GOD’S will in every area of their life. One day at a time, each morning at sunrise, we should spend time praying to the Creator. We should say something like, my Creator, this morning I ask you to show me, in terms I can understand, what you would have me do. By doing this daily, over time, we will develop an unquestionable vision. Each person is responsible for taking the time to do
this. It will bring great joy and peace of mind to those warriors who do. Elders Meditations | More….

Be still and know. The Medicine Wheel teaches the four directions of the inner power of God. These four directions are emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual. As our emotions get too far out of control, we simultaneously create an equivalent mental picture, our physical body fills with stress and tension, and we become spiritually confused. When we experience these uptight feelings, the best thing to do is mentally pause, slow down our thinking, breathe slowly, or pray and ask the spirits to help. Only when we approach the stillness of the mind do we get access to our spiritual guidance system. To be guided, let your mind be still. –Elders Meditations | More…

Why are the Elders always telling us to know The culture and listen to the teachings? When we go off track, why do the Elders say, return to the teachings? The teachings tell us how to live in harmony with the Laws and principles of the Great Spirit. Living means life – a good life, a happy life. Many of us have grown up without the teachings and the culture, that is why we don’t know how to live. To improve on relationships, to
treat our children with honor, and to respect our Elders, we need to live by the old teachings again. –Elders Meditations | More…