Bill W & The Spiritual Awakening?

Submitted by The Professor on Sat, 05/12/2012 - 02:51

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One thing that has always puzzled me.

How come Bill W gets his "spiritual awakening" even before a step has been done? Yet everyone else must do the whole of the 12 steps before they get their spiritual awakening? If a spiritual awakening is the main ingredient for sobriety, then surely all it will take is a bit of Belladonna?

becket's picture

becket

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 16:16

One who may have previously been unkind in some way would have to undergo some sort of adjustment in order to be kind. I believe kindness is in itself a spiritual awakening. It takes the person out of self. That is an elevated level of consciousness.

I disagree with you, causeandeffect.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

causeandeffect's picture

causeandeffect

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 16:23

One doesn't need a spiritual awakening to make an adjustment to their behavior. If a spiritual awakening was an effective means of changing behavior, why did bill behave the way he did?

I disagree with you, becket.

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The Professor

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 00:10

"See, there's a part of the problem here: your failure to understand the "tripping" experience. On psychedelics one doesn't "make things up" - they are real at the time, and some of them remain real decades later. Whether they're real to anyone else or not has little to nothing to do with the tripping experience."

I completely agree with you. However, I have a problem with a "trip" being knowingly and fraudulently sold as a "spiritual awakening" and continuing to lie by writing a book and telling everyone that the 12 steps was the way to get this "spiritual awakening".

Lesson over!

becket's picture

becket

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 00:50

Bill Wilson didn't drop acid till the 50s, right? The Big Book was in print by 1939. So what's your point? The pitch was already in place. And why are a bunch of druggies and drunks kvetching about Bill Wilson using psychedelics? More pot/kettle.

If you think he was a charlatan, a snake, a slimebucket, fine. Certainly no one here is going to try to talk you out of that. Just make sure you have your loathing in chronological order.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

JR Harris's picture

JR Harris

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 06:19

Atropa Belladonna which is the main ingredient of the Belladonna cure, is a deliriant commonly used in pagan and satanic rituals throughout history. The Belladonna Cure also contained henbane (another occult ritual herb), which long with the strychnine administered every 4 hours, and a compound called Blue Mass which contained Mercury every 12 hours provided the catalyst to send Wilson on a "chasing the monkey" addiction trying to attain his chemically induced "Spiritual Awakening" for the rest of his life. The long term effects of these drugs on the human body and the obvious "voodoo" administering of it by Dr. Silkworth are not known and have not been studied since it is no longer used.

Bill Wilson's "trip" started in November 1934 where he was drugged using herbs commonly used by occultists through out history to manipulate and even kill their subjects. Why do you think Wilson was so intrigued by the occult?

"Tradition 10 - Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the AA name ought never be drawn into public controversy." Please follow orders from the Interchurch Center if you are an AA member and don't comment.

becket's picture

becket

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 15:22

Was he drugged or did he seek out and voluntarily ingest the drugs? I believe you're reading too much into Bill Wilson's "chasing the monkey". An alleged cure in 1934, although laughable today, does not necessarily point to obsession with the drug nor compulsion to use it.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

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causeandeffect

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 15:35

He given the belladonna cure more than once, yet he kept going back to Towns Hospital. So yes, he sought it out.

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massive

Tue, 05/15/2012 - 23:56

JR - I love your detail here!!!

Massive

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alkieanon

Wed, 05/16/2012 - 05:34

Self medicated or physician prescribed? Did Bill W do it to himself? Or did a doctor administer it as part of a standard medical treatment of the time?

The Professor

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 06:37

He took these in the 30's in hospital. This was the reason for his "Spiritual awakening" fraudulently sold to the AA faithful!

Lesson over!

becket's picture

becket

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 15:20

Are you on Belladonna right now, Professor?

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

becket's picture

becket

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 01:08

It was sold as a spiritual experience in the 1960s when I took it. I cannot disagree with the description of the experience.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

patti

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 05:56

Wasn't writing the BB, really just about turning the group into a way to earn a living for Wilson? And a way to keep reenforcing the controlling tactics of the steps? From the beginning wasn't it all just really about Wilson having a group & followers to support him, like Buchman had put together for himself? To me the BB represents a bunch of insane psycho babble, with the primary purposes being to brain wash, first break down & belittle & then create a new persona & controllable & needy individual who is dependent upon the group for survival & will continue to contribute financially to the group/Wilson & work, promote & advertise for free. The target group was addicts, why not, they would be easy to control & the only thing Wilson knew how to do to earn money was to hit people up for investment money & to control & manipulate Lois & others. It all fell into place for him, being a drunk was the only other thing Wilson knew how to do, combining his addiction with Buchman's philosophies & a wide open market, drunk recovery & convincing & controlling the drunks to invest in his group. Then just elaborating upon Buchman's philosophies & coming up with a bunch of bullshit to fill a book with controlling advise, "suggestions" & keeping his earners & supporters around for life. I think it was all about money from the beginning & that's part of the reason the BB is such dumb ass bullshit. It had other agendas than a way to quit drinking & that has a lot to do with it's absurdity & ridiculousness.

patti

becket's picture

becket

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 15:37

You're a snapshot of paranoia, patti.

If Bill Wilson's aim was money from the very beginning, then you're going to have to revise your opinion of him, from one of a sorry-ass loser to one of a fabulously successful winner. He achieved his aim, whatever it was.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

Pennywise's picture

Pennywise

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 15:39

This is true, Becket. He did, and he is.

"Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid."

dandammit's picture

dandammit

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 06:28

A spiritual awakening is-
after a 12 mile jog, having a little heat exhaustion, then getting stung by a hornet.

alkieanon's picture

alkieanon

Tue, 05/15/2012 - 22:05

Seventeen to One. 1956 (reported LSD experiment) - 1939 (BB published) = 17.

patti

Sat, 05/12/2012 - 18:55

prof, yeah a real support group that gave real support would be a good thing for any & all addicts. w/out that dumb ass book, & the picking apart of your self & then others & no dumb ass steps that do not make any sense. yeah just a support group without the madness. but what would Wilson have done without books & without steps & a program. sans books no money & living to be made. and a real support group you would attend as needed & not forever, that wouldn't be good for business either! Yeah it really helped to have friends in that snake pit.

patti

alkieanon's picture

alkieanon

Sat, 05/12/2012 - 21:26

The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James

IIRC, he never says that everyone will get a "religious experience" (or "spiritual awakening/experience").

patti

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 06:00

The whole thing just didn't have anything to do with anything but making money. Spiritual awakening was just more bullshit to add to a book. Guess that's why AA doesn't make any sense, it had nothing to do with sense or anything else, it was just about money from the beginning, I feel.

patti

becket's picture

becket

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 15:39

Again: if you are right, Bill Wilson was undeniably and tremendously successful! Winner.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

causeandeffect's picture

causeandeffect

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 15:45

I guess you can also declare jim baker a winner too, if that's your criteria for winning.

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becket's picture

becket

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 16:13

It's not my criterion. patti insists she knows Bill Wilson was in it solely for the money. He made the money. That means his bid was successful. Less so with Jim Bakker because of his downfall. The criteria these men allegedly set for themselves were met, more successfully for Wilson than Bakker. Notice the word "allegedly": it appears in this post because accusations have been made toward these two persons. I am not wholly convinced that either man was without altruistic intentions at least in the beginning of their endeavors.

Again, this is not the way I measure success.

“The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

patti

Tue, 05/15/2012 - 05:52

I guess considering a person a winner is relative. Wilson may have won financially by never having to go to work again, he may have won by controlling a lot of people & getting them to voluntarily contribute to him personally & work for free. But I can't consider a cult leader who even in death is still controlling, damaging & harming many innocent people a winner. Wilson was a successful con man, but I don't think that is winning or an accomplishment.

patti

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