PURITY

Definition of Purity:
Freedom from immorality, or contamination

Synonyms of Purity:
Morality, righteousness, honesty, integrity, worthiness, etc.

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.

Initially we trust in our ignorance, calling it innocence, and next we trust our innocence, calling it purity. What a mess.

Then when we hear strong statements from our HP, (the Beatitudes) we shrink back, saying, “But I never felt any of those awful things in my heart.” We resent what He reveals.

Am I prepared to trust the penetration of His Word into my heart, or would I prefer to trust my own ‘innocent ignorance’? As long as I remain under the false security of my own ‘innocence,’ I am living in a fool’s paradise.  –Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest | More…

Purity is not innocence, it is much more. Purity is the outcome of sustained spiritual sympathy with God. We have to grow in purity. The life with God may be right and the inner purity remain unsullied, and yet every now and again the bloom on the outside may be sullied. God does not shield us from this possibility, because in this way we realize the necessity of maintaining the vision by personal purity. If the spiritual bloom of our life with God is getting impaired in the tiniest degree, we must leave off everything and get it put right. Remember that vision depends on character — the pure in heart see God. –My Utmost for His Highest Classic | More…

Washing at dawn:
Rinse away dreams.

Protect the gods within,
And clarify the inner spirit.

Purification starts all practice.
First comes cleansing of the body — not to deny the body, but so that it is refined.

Once cleansed, it can help us sense the divine. –365 Tao | More…

You don’t purify the body without cleansing the mind; that’s the way it works. It works this way because we are interconnected, our minds and our bodies are one system.

So when we start to grow, we need to start cleaning up our thoughts and start showing respect for our bodies.

We start purifying our minds by prayer and meditation, and we start cleansing our bodies by getting the right amount of sleep and developing good eating habits.

Today, I’m going to observe my thoughts. Will my thoughts be clean today?
Great Spirit, let me focus on Your love today so my mind will be pure. –Elders | More…

Purity is not innocence, it is much more. Purity is the outcome of sustained spiritual sympathy with God. We have to grow in purity. The life with God may be right and the inner purity remain unsullied, and yet every now and again the bloom on the outside may be sullied. God does not shield us from this possibility, because in this way we realize the necessity of maintaining the vision by personal purity. If the spiritual bloom of our life with God is getting impaired in the tiniest degree, we must leave off everything and get it put right. Remember that vision depends on character — the pure in heart see God. –My Utmost for His Highest Classic | More…