Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

STEP ELEVEN

in a mood in which we can focus undisturbed on construc-
tive imagination, we might proceed like this:

Once more we read our prayer, and again try to see what
its inner essence is. We'll think now about the man who
first uttered the prayer. First of all, he wanted to become a
"channel." Then he asked for the grace to bring love, for-
giveness, harmony, truth, faith, hope, light, and joy to ev-
ery human being he could.

Next came the expression of an aspiration and a hope
for himself. He hoped, God willing, that he might be able to
find some of these treasures, too. This he would try to do by
what he called self-forgetting. What did he mean by "self-
forgetting," and how did he propose to accomplish that?

He thought it better to give comfort than to receive it;
better to understand than to be understood; better to for-
give than to be forgiven.

This much could be a fragment of what is called medita-
tion, perhaps our very first attempt at a mood, a flier into
the realm of spirit, if you like. It ought to be followed by
a good look at where we stand now, and a further look
at what might happen in our lives were we able to move
closer to the ideal we have been trying to glimpse. Medita-
tion is something which can always be further developed.
It has no boundaries, either of width or height. Aided by
such instruction and example as we can find, it is essen-
tially an individual adventure, something which each one
of us works out in his own way. But its object is always the
same: to improve our conscious contact with God, with
His grace, wisdom, and love. And let's always remember
that meditation is in reality intensely practical. One of its