30 Things Overheard at 12 Step Meetings:

1. Treat your mind like a bad neighborhood- Don't go there alone!
2. Ten out of ten people die, so don't take life too seriously.
3. Be profound, funny or quiet.
4. After you talk in a meeting, listen to hear if you said anything.
5. I don't need your help today... Love, God
6. Our sickness is between our ears.
7. Want to hear God laugh? Tell Him your plans.
8. Don't expect to learn about people from books; a person can't fit in a bookcase.
9. Now I can wake and say, "Good morning, God!" rather than "Good God, it's morning!"
10. When I turned myself over to God, I took my life out of the hands of an idiot.
11. When the world comes to an end, it will do so without my permission.
12. If you pray for a Cadillac and God sends you a jackass, ride it.
13. There's no one too dumb for this program, but it's possible to be too smart.
14. All I wanted was to control you, myself, and everything else!
15. My disease is an elephant. As long as I remember it's there, I won't get stepped on.
16. Try praying. Nothing pleases God more than to hear a strange voice.
17. Reality can be hell when you're only visiting.
18. God save me from myself.
19. Keep it simple!
20. We're all here, because we're not all here.
21. Constructive Criticism: I tell you what is wrong with you. Destructive Criticism: You tell me what is wrong with me.
22. My mind is out to get me!
23. I need to get the cotton out of my ears and put it in my mouth.
24. Come to 90 meetings in 90 days. If you're not satisfied, we'll refund your misery.
25. Things I turn over to God most easily are those things already fixed.
26. E.G.O. "Easing God Out"
27. God has never been a problem in my life, but I have been a problem to God all my life.
28. I know that I'm not yet the person I can be, but I thank God I'm not the person I used to be.
29. If you think you're happy, you are. If you think you're wise, you're not.
30. When I don't have expectations of others, anything positive they do is a pleasant surprise!

Letting Go of Fear

From The Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie ©1990, Hazelden Foundation.

Fear is at the core of codependency. It can motivate us to control situations or neglect ourselves.

Many of us have been afraid for so long that we don't label our feelings fear. We're used to feeling upset and anxious. It feels normal.

Peace and serenity may be uncomfortable.

At one time, fear may have been appropriate and useful. We may have relied on fear to protect ourselves, much the way soldiers in a war rely on fear to help them survive. But now, in recovery, we're living life differently.

It's time to thank our old fears for helping us survive, then wave good-bye to them. Welcome peace, trust, acceptance, and safety. We don't need that much fear anymore. We can listen to our healthy fears, and let go of the rest.

We can create a feeling of safety for ourselves, now. We are safe, now. We've made a commitment to take care of ourselves. We can trust and love ourselves.

God, help me let go of my need to be afraid. Replace it with a need to be at peace. Help me listen to my healthy fears and relinquish the rest.

Outdoor Altar

This post was inspired by Dani over at Magickal Mommy. I really enjoyed her post about her outdoor altar, and it reminded me of one of my favorite places to gather for ritual. I have a friend who lives nearby, and we used to get together every now and then for ritual. She has the most beautiful altar in her back yard. I have a few very fuzzy pictures of her altar all decked out for Beltaine in 2005...this is the best one I could find.



Her altar is made out of a log holding up a wooden pedestal, which displays an enormous crystal. During this ritual, we used this as the main altar, and placed all the ritual items around the huge crystal.

I don't have an outdoor altar. The #1 reason being that whenever it's warm enough for me to be doing rituals outside, my back yard is invariably infested with thousands of spiders...and I'm extremely arachnophobic. I do, however, have a lot of little outdoor things here and there that honor the Gods in various ways. I have a couple little stone plaques. One says, "Goddess Dwells Here", and is displayed right outside the front door. Another says, "Blessed Be The Trees", and this one is stationed below the twisted willow tree.



If there were a place where I felt comfortable communing with the Earth in my back yard (without being accosted by creepy crawlies, which would send me screaming across the yard), it would be below this tree. *sigh* Maybe the next home I live in, I will make sure to have a back yard that I can actually enjoy.

Who is this Goddess?

Anyone know? She was in my email. At first, I thought she was Kali.

ETA: I think she's Lakshmi.

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

I watched a documentary not long ago about a small town wanting to add "intelligent design" to science classes. It was a little while back, so I don't recall specifically if they mentioned the FSM on the documentary, but I know that, one way or another, that documentary lead me to this website. I laughed and laughed...but in all seriousness, the FSM has really brought to light an important topic...NO religion is "better" or "more important" than any other. At least not in a society like ours, where there are so many various religions. One set of beliefs just CAN'T dictate what everyone in the country should do, when a good chunk of people just don't have the same beliefs.

I'm proud and humbled (yes, all at once) to participate in a Spiritual path that does not encourage a belief in "good" or "bad", "heaven" or "hell", "right" or "wrong". I could never participate again in a belief system that would send most of the people on this Earth to a fiery pit for all eternity...just for reading the wrong book.

Anyway, that's my little soapbox. But that's not what this blog post is about. Earlier, I read the Eight I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts (a take-off on the Ten Commandments), and it really made me crack up. So, I thought I'd share it with you all today. Enjoy!

THE EIGHT I'D REALLY RATHER YOU DIDN'TS

1. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Act Like A Sanctimonious Holier-Than-Thou Ass When Describing My Noodly Goodness. If Some People Don't Believe In Me, That's Okay. Really, I'm Not That Vain. Besides, This Isn't About Them So Don't Change The Subject.
2. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Use My Existence As A Means To Oppress, Subjigate, Punish, Eviscerate, And/Or, You Know, Be Mean To Others. I Dont Require Sacrifices, And Purity Is For Drinking Water, Not People.
3. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Judge People For The Way They Look, Or How They Dress, Or The Way They Talk, Or, Well, Just Play Nice, Okay? Oh, And Get This Through You Thick Heads: Woman=Person, Man=Person. Samey-Samey. One is Not Better Than The Other, Unless We're Talking About Fashion And I'm Sorry, But I Gave That To Women And Some Guys Who Know The Difference Between Teal And Fuchsia.
4. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Indulge In Conduct That Offends Yourself, Or Your Willing, Consenting Partner Of Legal Age AND Mental Maturity. As For Anyone Who Might Object, I Think The Expression Is Go F*** Yourself, Unless They Find That Offensive In Which Case They Can Turn Off The TV For Once And Go For A Walk For A Change.
5. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Challenge The Bigoted, Misogynist, Hateful Ideas Of Others On An Empty Stomach. Eat, Then Go After The B*******.
6. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Build MultiMillion-Dollar Churches/Temples/Mosques/ Shrines To My Noodly Goodness When The Money Could Be Better Spent (Take Your Pick): A. Ending Poverty B. Curing Diseases C. Living In Peace, Loving With Passion, And Lowering The Cost Of Cable. I Might Be A Complex Carbohydrate Omniscient Being, But I Enjoy The Simple Things In Life. I Ought To Know. I AM The Creator.
7. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Go around Telling People I Talk To you. You're Not That Interesting. Get Over Yourself. And I Told You To Love Your Fellow Man, Can't You Take A Hint?
8. I'd Really Rather You Didn't Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You If You Are Into, Um, Stuff That Uses Alot Of Leather/Lubrication/Las Vegas. If The Other Person Is Into It However (Pursuant To #4), Then Have At It, Take Pictures, And For The Love Of Mike, Wear A CONDOM! Honestly It's A Piece Of Rubber, If I Didn't Want It To Feel Good When You Did It I Would Have Added Spikes, Or Something.

In the name of His Noodly Goodness, RAmen.