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Our Group Guidelines
| New Beginnings is a Pagan-based recovery fellowship, offering support for those coping with the many stressors |
| of Life, from addictions and abuse to co-dependency and damaged self-esteem. Feeling isolated and alone, we |
| tried various ways to “fix” our situation by relying on the see-saw of excess or burying ourselves in obsessive control. |
| As a result, we found a comfort zone, living from crisis to chaos, until we hit a dead end. Now, learning what it’s like |
| to find our own voice and make our own choices, while setting boundaries for ourselves, we enjoy a new-found empowerment. |
| We are committed to crafting our own unique recovery as Pagans, pantheists and those who celebrate |
| alternative religions and spiritualities. By applying Pagan-based principles and successful recovery |
| approaches, we work together to promote healing, break negative patterns, and celebrate a healthy |
| lifestyle. New Beginnings is not a religious program of "spiritual awakening", because most of us already |
| freely express our universal connection to the Divine in many forms: as triple Goddess, a pantheon |
| of Gods, the Lady and Her Consort, or a single cosmic form - using the language from our pre-christian |
| heritage of paganism. We believe that those without a spiritual connection can enjoy recovery as well, |
| because faith comes in many forms, and it is not for us to judge the “right” way of someone’s spiritual |
| journey into healing. |
| Our focus is on developing our personal program of recovery by attending meetings, finding a sponsor and |
| working the steps. We provide regular meetings for sharing and connecting with others, an eleven-step |
| inventory process to carefully design and follow our progress. New Beginnings also offers activities, |
| meditations, and short rituals for personal reflection and continued growth, as well as literature and |
| post-discussion fellowship. A core component is our sponsorship workshops, which are a useful guide |
| for those who wish to serve as a New Beginnings sponsor. |
| More importantly, we encourage those from diverse pagan paths and traditions to share their struggles and |
| successes, through the prism of Paganism. The foundation of our religion requires us to take ownership |
| for our own spiritual growth, following The Rede and The Three-Fold Law of Return. Such personal |
| responsibility means that we walk in harmony with our Gods, and as such, enjoy a measure of free will |
| that is unique to our beliefs and enhances our recovery efforts. |
| No one recovery program works for everyone. The history of Addictions Recovery has a deep well of healing |
| experiences and diverse tools from which we draw from. It is not our role to decide whether an addiction |
| is genetic, psychological, physiological, or environmental. We are not affiliated with any national 12 Step |
| recovery program, local treatment facility or counseling center. New Beginnings is a safe place where |
| Pagans can find sanctuary, without the pressure of developing a dependency upon the group process, |
| confessing to “character defects”, or admitting “wrongs”. We welcome all who would stand freely in circle, |
| In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust, without judging, controlling, or self-serving bids for attention. |
