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The Recovery Spiral: A Pagan Path to Healing

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The most often used tool in the fight against addictions is the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Program. But as many pagans who have used this program know, it is very Christian oriented in it's beliefs and structure and only gives passing acknowledgment to other Spiritual Paths.

Ms. Collins has an M.S. in counseling and is a clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and has been a practicing Wiccan for thirty years. Her Masters work specialized in various abuses and abuse related issues. She offers in this book an option to the AA 12 Step Program. She has re-written the 12 steps so they fall more into place with general pagan beliefs and practices and includes some Wiccan principals as well.

The Pagan 12 Steps included in this book are brilliant and should find their way into mainstream 12 Step programs for the assistance in pagan addiction recovery. They are well thought out, right on the mark and place the responsibility of recovery on the individual with the assistance of Divine Presence.

The book also presents five 'Principles' for recovery. These principles assist in developing personal self worth, challenge each person to change, offer hope in recovery and foster balance, honesty, reality and success.

Ms. Collins offers an insightful personal process based on self examination through the use of Tarot Cards, and discusses various types of emotional and addictive abuses through the eyes of various persons who have gone through this self examination process, including herself.

There are small vignettes of people as they talk about their lives, their habits, their struggles with abuse, drugs, sex, family issues, relationships and other types of emotional stresses and issues in relationship to principles outlined by Ms. Collins. She goes over some Tarot spreads which highlight these issues and their base causes and assists you in the readings. She points out personal responsibilities which were missed, causes that may have contributed to their addictive issues, and solutions that are self initiated and Deity inspired.

While the 12 Step program is not always successful, it has proven to be very effective with most people who dedicate themselves to healing and change. The program as adapted for the pagan community in this book offers additional assistance focused on personal responsibility and beliefs.

I would recommend this to any practicing pagan counselor looking for a fresh view at the addiction recovery systems, especially those using the current 12 Step program. This book offers a very practical pagan addition to the program and can be used in conjunction with any program already in place.

Ms. Collins delivers a break-through book for Pagans suffering from the debilitating dis-ease of addictions. Whatever the addiction from alcohol or drugs to helping others or buying too much, this book works on the intuitive level to address the cause and changes needed to find relief from a life ravaged by addictive behaviors.

For years the Pagan sufferer has had to make do with books written mainly from a Judeo-Christian perspective. While many have found such books helpful and used them to achieve a measure of relief from their addictions, there was something "not quite right" from a Pagan viewpoint. The Recovery Spiral addresses this lack in many Pagan addicts' needs for full recovery from addiction and its harmful side effects.

Ms. Collins based her book on her own recovery since 1974, and her specialized work on abuse and abuse related issues. She takes the Pagan addict on the Path of Recovery through meditation, ritual and tarot readings all based on a reworded 12 Step system of recovery with gentle humor and guidance. Through the stories of the author herself and several others in the book we learn how a Spiral Path of recovery can work in our own lives.

Each of the reworded 12 Steps is thoroughly explained in a Pagan perspective. The rituals are simple enough even for a beginner to the Pagan Ways. The author's voice is clear and concise in her explanations of Step work. The book's three distinct sections are well laid out for anyone wanting to use the book from the newest to recovery to those with many years of 12th Step experience.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to remove old baggage from their lives and replace it with healthy behaviors so they can live with a fuller connection to themselves, their friends, family and the Divine.

W. Lyon Martin Author/Illustrator of "An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child"

Ideally, a 12 Step program stresses *spirituality* in recovery, the Higher Power, however one recognizes it, be it God or one's Higher Self. In reality, being a Pagan in recovery can be a pretty lonely, isolating experience. Paganism in often mis-understood, which can put a damper on the openess, honesty, and 'fearless self-inventory' required for recovery.

This book goes a good way to addressing the specific needs of Pagans seeking recovery from chemical and process addictions, along with rituals, writing exercises, and mediations designed to bolster the teachings of each Step.

That said, the book has some serious flaws. It doesn't spend enough *time* on each Step, or the approaches one can take to them. I have often had to turn to Beattie's "The Co-Dependent's Guide to the 12 Steps" to supplement this book, because of the sheer lack of information. The outline is there, but the emotional connection is often missing. Too much time is spent on case histories and not enough on how to apply the step to one's own situation.

One of the tools used in the book is the Tarot--a very useful tool in itself. However, the results of the readings given in the book make me wonder just where the (card) reader was coming from. The interpretations of many of the cards are pretty far out from what I've learned--and more than a little negative. The spreads are also new and somewhat complicated, requiring a lot of page-flipping. There doesn't seem much point to the complexity of some of the spreads, which seem elaborate for the sake of elboration. (Is it *really* necessary to have a spread that puts cards at the main compass points instead of using the Celtic Cross?)

The feelings of isolation a Pagan may feel in a more mainstream recovery group is indeed a danger in its hinderance to recovery, in the 'cut-off' feeling that makes it that much easier to lapse.

The book also tries to cover too much territory--process addictions like co-dependency and sex addiction to chemical addictions like alcohol and narcotics. As such, there's a lot of jumping around and skimping. If you're looking for a focus on co-dpendency, or food-addiction, you'll have to read very closely.

The personal stories add depth, but I don't buy recovery books to read about other people, I buy them to help *myself*. A lot of the space given over to the lives of strangers could have been better used in giving concrete guidelines to Pagans in need.

This is not a bad book by far, but I would not rely on it and a group alone to bolster recovery efforts. One should have a book meant specifically for one's particular addiction to hand as well, for application of the Steps does indeed vary depending on the form of the addiction.

This book can alleviate the sense of 'otherness' and isolation experienced by those whose religious practices are outside the mainstream, and the re-wording of some of the Steps can make approaching them easier (and we all know, it doesn't matter how you get 'em to come in, so long as they *keep coming*.) I, for one, had the hardest time with the wording of Step One, and find this version something I can embrace without fear--but the complaint of twisting the Steps out of true by re-wording them is not without grounds. It appears that the rituals and Tarot exercises included were put in to replace the "Twelve Tools" present in most 12 Step programs. In fact, the idea of the Twelve Tools is never even mentioned in the text.

Use this book, if you're a Pagan--but use it with a 12-Step group, be it pagan or otherwise. Use it with other books as you work your program. This is just one tool for your recovery.

If you help organize a 12-Step group, read this book for an idea of what the closet Pagans in your group--present and future--may need. Anyone in recovery knows not to spurn a tool that can help bring us to sanity and balance, no matter how it's packaged or named.

For someone struggling with the profoundly Christian slant of most 12-step programs, I was thrilled to find a book that offered concrete ideas, rituals, etc. for embracing a Pagan philosophy of support. The book is easy to read, offers tremendously good thoughts to ponder and concrete rituals, Tarot spreads relating to each of the twelve steps, and anecdotal illustrations. It's truly a good beginning for anyone seeking to find a twelve-step solution from an earth-based path.

This book has been tremendously helpful to me not only as a Wiccan but as a drug/alcohol rehab counselor. I have gained a better, more thorough understanding of the 12-step program in general through this book's Wiccan modification of the program. My better understanding is, in turn, my clients' better understanding. My mentor and co-worker, herself a drug/alcohol counselor, said that in some ways, this book's rendition of the 12 traditions is better! (...and I have to agree!) I could go on and on, really, because I feel this book is of such importance to all faiths...but I'll just end here by saying that I'm very thankful that I found and bought this book. :)

great book of recovery for pagans, finally there is a book out there for addicts and alcoholics.. a must for anyone looking to recover.

I have thirteen years of sobriety through the implementation of the 12 steps. I am also Pagan. I strongly discourage Pagans to use this book in early recovery. People like us have a tendency to complicate even the most simple things. We pole vault over rabbit turds! It's my opinion that this book only complicates the process of recovery and often those who use it tend to relapse.

If you truly want to recover, stick with the original material. Many Pagans, and religious zealots, mistakenly believe that the 12 steps have their roots in Christianity. While it is true some Christian principles INSPIRED the 12 steps, the founders also considered many other faiths as the program was developed. They considered the universal truths common to ALL of those faiths in the final form of the 12 steps as they are today and in the writing of CONFERENCE APPROVED materials.

Keep an OPEN mind and don't let semantics get in the way of recovery. Look for the truth in the words, even in the prayers deemed as Christian. They are all useful in living a healthy daily life.

This book is perfect for anyone seeking 12 step recovery adapted to fit the Pagan lifestyle.

Recognition, recovery and sometimes rehab - these are the 3 R's of people making the supreme effort of recovering from addictions. While the most successful program of recovery, from alcohol anyway, is Alcoholics Anonymous, many non-christians find that the wording and the "slant" of the AA Big Book and AA "conference approved literature" makes only token acknowledgments at best that there may be religions on planet earth other than Christianity. Anyone who has spent time reading the AA Big Book can fail to notice this - for many Pagans in particular (from my perspective, anyway) the wording and slant can keep them from appreciating and learning from the very valuable advice and lessons in the "Big Book" - and sadly, many do not recover because of this barrier.

There IS an alternative - The Recovery Spiral is a must-read for any Pagan in recovery, or considering recovery. The first chapter will feel like a splash of cool fresh mountain water after a long, hot, dusty trek - help that we can accept and that has meaning in our lives. Also a must read for the partners and co-dependants in the lives of Pagans in recovery! Based on the lessons and learnings of the AA Big Book, Cynthia Jane Collins has cast us a recovery circle, put her hand in ours and tells us that we are not alone and that there is hope and an astonishing life beyond addiction.

I do not recognize the 12-step program the previous writer refers to... "the profoundly Christian slant..?". Nah, that is not my 12 step program, thank god/God/HP... As far as I am concerned, part of Bill W's genius was that he made the AA program open for any spiritual orientation. You can get sober as an atheist, a buddhist, a muslim, a christian.. and a pagan of course....

Which is not to say you should/n't read this book - my concern is people that try to make the 12-step program into something it is not. It IS a simple program for complex people, of course...

Be wise!