Principles

1.   If I want to live a peaceful, constructive, free, and joyous
     life, I must engage in an ongoing search toward my spiritual
     center, as that center holds all of me together and enables
     me to grow.  When I direct my search toward my spirital cen-
     ter, I grow emotionally and spiritually.

2.   To conduct this spirital search of myself and for myself, I
     need to learn to give up trying to control anyone or anything
     outside myself and many things inside myself as well.

3.   A Power greater than myself is guiding my life whether I re-
     cognize it or not.  The sooner I learn to become aware of, to
     trust, to use this Power to help me in my search, the easier
     and less painful my search will be.

4.   I am free to use this Power or not, as I will.  If I set my
     will against my Greater Power, I suffer unnecessarily (not be-
     cause this Power is punishing me or making things difficult
     for me, but because I make it difficult for myself by not al-
     lowing my Greater Power to help me).  When I flow with my 
     Greater Power, my life becomes beautiful and serene.  The 
     choice is entirely mine.

5.   Preferably with the help of my Higher or Greater Power, I
     gradually need to become aware of, and accept, all the in-
     ner workings and comments of my emotional self.  I need to
     become increasingly honest with myself about my past and 
     present attitudes, feelings, emotions, thoughts, behavior
     patterns, and motives.

6.   I need to become increasingly open with at leat one other
     person, but preferably more, about all my emotions and 
     emotional patterns as I discover them.

7.   I must increasingly accept myself exactly as I am--without
     hiding, disguising, distorting, or rejecting any part of
     myself -- and without judging, condemning, or denigrating
     any part of myself.

8.   My internal rhythm is determined by my emotional and spiri-
     tual components, not by my conscious mind.  I need to real-
     ize that I cannot change as fast as my brain thinks I should,
     but that I can and do change at a rate determined by my own
     internal rhythm (no one else's)--so long as I am willing to
     continue searching.

9.   If anyone has wronged me at any time in the past, I must 
     gradually come to forgive that person freely and complete-
     ly.  The sooner I can do this, the sooner I will be relieved
     of the grudges and resentments which continually gnaw away
     at my insides and block my spiritual growth.  I do this by
     releasing these people and asking my Higher Power to bless
     them, to care for them, and to see that only good comes to
     them.  I can greatly help myself in this by doing a kind act
     for these people, preferably without their or anyone else's
     knowledge.

10.  If I have wronged anyone in the past (no matter how justified
     I think it may have been), I must freely admit it and even-
     tually make amends and/or restitution where I can.  The sooner
     I can do this sincerely and honestly, the sooner I will be
     relieved of the increasing loads of guilt I have been un-
     consciously carrying around for years.

11.  Having admitted my wrongs toward others and having made resti-
     tution, and having freely forgiven all others of the wrongs
     done or imagined toward me, I can and must then come to for-
     give myself for all past wrongs I have done to others and to
     myself.  I need to learn to be good to all of myself, to be
     gentle but firm with myself, and, most of all, to be as patient
     and understanding with myself as I try to be with others, and
     as I hope they will be with me.

12.  I need to continue being honest with myself on a daily, and
     eventually an instantaneous basis.  When I discover that I am
     wrong, I need to learn to admit it as soon as possible (re-
     gardless of who else might be wrong too, because that is not
     for me to judge).

13.  I need to realize that my brain is only a small part of me 
     which can neither predict the future nor plan my life to my
     best advantage.  Only my Higher Power can do that, if I let
     Him or Her.  So I need to come ever close to the Higher 
     Power which is partially within me.  I do this through daily
     or several-times-daily prayers and meditations, asking only
     to know my Higher Power's will for me and then quiet my
     mind so that I can hear the answer.

14.  I need to work with others who need and ask for my help be-
     cause *only* by trying to help them can I help myself.  Only
     by freely giving away what I discover and receive can I keep
     it and use it in my life.

15.  As I continue to work on these principles and to become aware
     of others patiently, ceaselessly and tirelessly, one day at a
     time, or one minute at a time, I gradually begin to substi-
     tute "want to" for "must" or "need to" in all of them.  They
     become an ingrained part of my consciousness as they are al-
     ready embedded in my unconscious or superconscious.  As this
     process slowly progesses at my own inner pace, I come to ex-
     perience increasing inner peace, love and joy, regardless of
     my external circumstances, which themselves seem to improve
     continually.