jonlovgren 
The Magic Words and the 12 Steps – We Are All Recovering From Something
“Embrace and enjoy the journey, and the journey will carry you graciously into a new life – one far beyond anything you ever could have imagined.” ~~~Jon Lovgren.
What is the journey? For the alcoholic or drug addict or any of the other multitude of 12-step groups, the journey begins with the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous® in one form or another. As you know, this 12-step program has healed millions of people struggling with alcohol, drugs – both street and pharmaceutical, food, sex, gambling, etc.
The fact that so many people have healed and are healing every day is testament to the validity and soundness of the program. Why is everyone not practicing these principles in all their affairs? Because they think they are not addicted to anything and the Big Book only applies to those that are addicted.
We believe the 12-step program and the Big Book is applicable for everyone with only a few minor changes that do not take away from the program.
We both have over 25 years of the AA program and remain sober today. We, like many others, had a point in our journey when we asked ourselves, “Is this all there is? Now what?” We were in a spiritual quandary; we did indeed have the Spiritual Awakening the program promises; however, we felt there must be more. How can we maximize or enhance our spiritual connection? The awakening promised in the program opens the door. We experience the peace, joy, and happiness on occasion, but how can we keep it, maintain it, have it more often than not?
We open the door and look for things that will improve our spiritual journey. We find there are many books on the subject and all are helpful if we but keep an open mind. Our path led us to an ancient Hawaiian practice of love, humility, forgiveness, and gratitude. Ho’oponopono teaches us that we are all 100% responsible for everything in our lives. When we embrace and embody that, we stop blaming, we realize we are the only one to blame. When we eliminate blame, we begin to see we no longer have excuses. We take full responsibility for our own lives, not relying on anyone else to ‘fix us’ or control us.
Is this not the primary purpose of the steps – to teach us self-responsibility? We can best carry the message to others needing it if we are living it ourselves. Getting our own houses in order.
When we added ho’oponopono to our own programs, we noticed very profound changes. We are at peace more than not, regardless of the situation or circumstances, and if we do lose our peace momentarily, we know how to get it back immediately.
Ten years of combining ho’oponopono with the steps has opened our eyes to the endless possibilities before us. As we learned in the program, “You keep what you have by giving it away.” In that vein, we wrote a book combining the two as well as bringing the 12-step program to everyone. It is no longer, “Just for alcoholics and drug addicts.”
Also note we offer a free download of an electronic version of the Original Manuscript from 1938 – some call it the “The original 164 pages.” As it is in the Public Domain, we will never charge for the electronic version. Please visit our web site to get your copy. http://getpono.com
