As I write this on the eve of the launch of the very first QS tour I am struck by how much we learn about ourselves, through each other. And it happens sometimes when we least expect it, like a huge shift that happened for me when I read a members post this week. Read what ‘L’ said, and then I’ll explain further,

“I don’t know why it took the events of yesterday (glorious technicolor detail of falling royally on my ass in my earlier post) to bring me to this place, but I am full of gratitude to the QS members who posted as it’s lead me to understand extremely quickly something about the way I’m wired…..No more ass on the floor – it’s tushy on the cushion to see and welcome back this part of myself.”

Then another member in response,

“Tushy on the cushy!
I agree with you. It is more than just not drinking….it’s taken me a long time to realise this…slow learner. I never had a physical dependency at all, everything going on in the mind….a way of escaping it! Looking back recently, I became aware of how much my family environment had laid the bricks of addiction….alcohol was a huge part of everyday life for many years, so of course it’s going to take time to reprocess my brain, to realise that i can take control and change….take those bricks down and rebuild.”

SHIFT ONE:
As I read the conversations this week between members I saw how each one opens up doors that up until now have been firmly shut. I know that my own experience, and these blogs, open SOME doors, but not all of them; that is happening BETWEEN the community at large.

It is indeed the COMMUNITY
and the COMMUNICATION
that sets us free 

My goodness how profound
I began to see our journey so differently
How the members who COMMUNICATE the most were experiencing more freedom
The ones who were opening up and becoming vulnerable to the group, were reaching a deeper understanding of themselves; because they ASKED exactly what they were feeling in their hearts, AND GETTING AN ANSWER.

My goodness how profound
THIS is how we break free
THIS is how we go to a place we’ve never been before;
By others being part of the whole team who help you build a brand new house to live in; one that you have designed to match what your truth is requesting.

SHIFT TWO:
Freedom is a journey
It is something that we work towards, like building that house from scratch
You wouldn’t get stressed out that the house hadn’t been finished in four days
So why the frustration when there is a trigger to binge again?

It is all a learning
You are gaining something from the journey
So don’t push it away
Explore it
Share it with others in the community that understand
And don’t forget the last two weeks of Words Of Wisdom quotes,

The Three Stages Of Truth
“All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
Arthur Schopenhauer

The Three Paths To Truth
“There are three ways to approach the mystery of the divine
The first practice is prayer
The second is meditation
The third and most important is conversation”
Rumi

This is why QS is so powerful
—> the CONVERSATION within the community

Keys are turning as one person unlocks themselves,
and permission is given for the next member to do the same

You don’t get this without a community
We are a new breed
We are the forerunners in a world founded in freedom
We are the future
And this is the School Of Life
…ready for an upgrade?

And for some freedom is just around the corner
Whilst for others it is a few months or even years down the line
But you are getting there
Step by step
Permission slip by permission slip
Meditation by meditation
Commitment by commitment

But you’ve got to be in
You have to be a part of the community

Have you watched yesterdays video yet?
I was asked about self-discipline;

“You say self discipline is key. Does that mean that people without self discipline cannot be helped?”

YES!!!!!
IT DOES!!!!!!
But
Everyone can learn how to be self-disciplined, and this is where meditation comes in; this is how meditation is our greatest teacher; for we can master the art of self-discipline by getting our ‘tushy on the cushy’, ‘arse on cushion’.
Have YOU done your practice yet today?

And it is the community that supports you in this
For they are learning the art too
We understand what you are going through

So the message of this blog is this:
Do not give up just because you haven’t reached freedom in a heartbeat
It is a journey
And those willing to commit long-term are the ones that get there
Build your house from your heart

And to finish off I will give you another quote from this conversation, which resonated with me so much that it is being featured in the QS Tour slides. It is so relevant to the QS journey, for everyone joins the programme at a different stage of their own journey; you cannot compare your experience with the next persons, but you can gain insight from it. This is the power of the community.

“Once you begin this programme you never return to ‘the beginning’; you’ve already made strides into sobriety. Many of us have had and continue to have lapses. For me connecting with the group, on good and bad days, meditating and becoming increasingly aware, are all helping me on my path to sobriety.”

And then,

“The layers then peel away, quicker for some more than others – I’m an “other”. Meditation takes us inside ourselves as we question and become more self aware and world aware…..it’s bloody amazing……our unique, individual journey, whilst simultaneously in parallel with everyone else in the community.”

See you tomorrow in London those that are coming!
I literally am so excited to get QS out around the UK and Ireland, I could burst!
The links are below to get your donation-based ticket
Are you ready to build the house of your dreams?