Twelve-Step Recovery Program
The 12 Steps had their beginnings in the 1930's when AA was getting started. A group of recovering alcoholics had come through their experiences with alcohol addiction with the knowledge that a spiritual element was paramount in any lasting recovery. They also realized the spiritual element was the governing factor that gave an addict a new chance at life without obsession, and had to be renewed or practiced daily.

Dreams and Journaling
Many of us have encountered the slippery nature of our own ego. We often fall prey to the ego's ability to split itself in our search for our inner guide, and find our intellect and feeling easily fooled. By using a third party such as journaling or dream work, we can step outside of the many facets of ego and gain an impartial view of the creature we call ourselves.

Dialogue and Confrontation
Meeting in small groups, online discussions, and scheduled meetings can be invaluable for the earnest seeker in search of a better look at himself. The meetings are somewhat paradoxical in that there is no goal other than self-discovery. A topic may be chosen to get things moving, but the purpose is not one of reaching consensus or compromise, but of receiving a glimpse into the unconscious motivations of one's own mind. The idea is not to prove a point or to persuade, but to reveal the workings of the ego in the minds of the participants.

Effortless meditation (TM) and its founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Many of the effortless meditation techniques in use today found their modern popularity through Maharishi and his transcendental meditation technique. Maharishi(1918–2008) was the disciple of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, known as Shankaracharya (Guru Deva). In the late 50's he began traveling, teaching his meditation and setting up centers for instruction. In the Maharishi's words, transcendental meditation is "a simple, natural program for the mind, a spontaneous, effortless march of the mind to its own unbounded essence." Also see an article by Michael Connors, "Meditation: It's Not What You Think."

Quakers and Shakers
The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, was founded in England in the 17th century. A Christian religious denomination founded by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations of Christianity, the Society of Friends is counted among the historic peace churches. The United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, or Shakers, is a religious group that originated also in England in the 1700's.

This edition features Pio of Pietrelcina, a Capuchin priest now venerated as a saint, who before the age of 30 reached the "unitive way", union with God. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione in Pietrelcina, Italy , and given the name Pio when he joined the Capuchin Order. Raised in a poor family by illiterate parents, he claimed to have experienced heavenly visions and ecstasies in his youth, and to see and speak with Jesus, the Virgin Mary and his Guardian Angel as a child, and assumed all people could do so.

Also, Bob writes about a lesson from personal experience, "Pride or Love."