The terms “spiritual experience” and “spiritual awakening”
	are used many times in this book which, upon careful
	reading, shows that the personality change sufficient to
	bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested
	itself among us in many different forms. (Page 567) 

In the second paragraph, however, the authors write that many readers concluded that "these personality changes, or religious experiences, must be in the nature of sudden and spectacular upheavals." (Page 567, Fourth Edition) The terms 'personality change' and 'religious experience' are used interchangeably here, erasing any distinction between the psychological/secular and spiritual or 'God' elements of awakening.

The next paragraph has this description of an awakening: "[A]n immediate and overwhelming 'God-consciousness' followed at once by a vast change in feeling and outlook." This description implies that the 'God' element is primary, or at least comes first, followed by a psychological change. This is consistent with the authors' description on Page 25 as well as the awakening Bill describes in his own story. Awakenings of this type, "though frequent, are by no means the rule."

Most A.A. members' experiences are said to be of the "educational variety", and develop slowly over time. The term and idea come from William James' Varieties of Religious Experience, which has already been cited on Page 28. This is not unlike Dr. Bob's story, as he does not report having had a sudden awakening. A gradual awakening, or change in the newcomer is consistent with the inclusion of Promises in several of the Steps in the program of recovery that we have seen in Chapters Five and Six. These Promises, some of which are psychological or secular and some of which are spiritual or God-centered, are elements of the awakening that appear at certain stages in the process of recovery. His friends will often notice changes before he does, but finally the newcomer

	realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in
	his reaction to life; that such a change could hardly have
	been brought about by himself alone. What often takes
	place in a  few months could seldom have been accom-
	plished by years of self-discipline. (Page 567) 

The authors continue:

			              With few exceptions our 
	members find that they have tapped an unsuspected
	inner resource which they presently identify with their
	own conception of a Power greater than themselves. 


	Most of us think this awareness of a Power greater than 
	ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. Our more 
	religious members call it 'God-consciousness'" (Page 567-568) 

In all of the descriptions of the spiritual awakening found here and elsewhere in the Big Book, a pattern is apparent: We sometimes see awakening described in purely psychological terms, and sometimes using both psychological and spiritual terms. But the awakening is never described solely in God-centered terms. Therefore, the secular or psychological element is the universal characteristic of all awakenings described in the Big Book, and is sometimes accompanied by 'God-consciousness' or other spiritual effects.

The authors conclude with a strong plea for an open mind not unlike that we have seen in We Agnostics, culminating in this italicized sentence: "Willingness, honesty and openmindedness are the essentials of recovery. But these are indispensable." (Page 568) These qualities are mentioned in numerous places in the literature, but this is the only time all three appear together.

Capping off the plea for openmindedness, the authors quote a well-known saying of Nineteenth Century philosopher and agnostic Herbert Spencer:

	“There is a principle which is a bar against all informa -
	tion, which is proof against all arguments and which can-
	not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—
	that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”
	—Herbert  Spencer  (Page 568)