On the other hand, there is a large group of people who have spiritual inclinations but don’t connect easily to organized religion. For them, the concept of the Source gives a name to an experience they’ve already had but might not have defined: the sense that everything is given by a beneficent universe. This new focus deepens their sense of grate

The advertising industry spends billions of dollars each year—all of it preying on our need for acceptance. Every advertisement boils down to a simple message: if you buy our product you’ll be accepted, loved, part of the in-crowd; if you don’t you’re stuck … alone

When AA uses the term self-will, they’re referring to the delusion that the universe will conform to your expectations.

But what if, on a level we can’t see, the universe is interested in our welfare, supporting us in ways large and small? It’s not that much of a stretch to be able to perceive this. Start with your physical body. It extracts oxygen from the air, it digests complex foods, it allows you the miracle of sight and hearing. All these things work amazingly

So it’s when you’re expressing yourself that you’re most in harmony with the universe.

When consumers say, “taking care of us,” they really mean exonerating us from the struggle. But the story explains that God’s real “job” is to keep us in the struggle. This view of God doesn’t go down well when your ultimate goal is a life of ease.

Watch little kids, particularly when they’re playing. They aren’t self-conscious or insecure. They express themselves freely and exuberantly. They almost never freeze.

The expressive power of the inner self is released through this bond with the Shadow. Once you become an advanced practitioner of the tool, you’ll be able to express yourself freely in situations that you would’ve frozen in previously.

“Force of Self-Expression.” It has a magical quality: it drives us to reveal ourselves in a truthful, genuine way—without