{"id":26918,"date":"2022-08-01T01:10:52","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T05:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/?p=26918"},"modified":"2022-07-29T16:16:43","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T20:16:43","slug":"book-review-higher-and-friendly-powers-by-peg-oconnor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2022\/08\/01\/book-review-higher-and-friendly-powers-by-peg-oconnor\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering by Peg O’Connor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Book Review
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span>Higher and Friendly Powers:
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span>Transforming Addiction and Suffering
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span>by Peg O’Connor
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span>Published by Wildhouse Publications
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span>June 1, 2022
\n<\/b><\/span><\/span>288 pages<\/b><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am someone who has struggled with addiction issues for most of her adult life, rotating in and out of AA since 1990. Currently I do not attend any meetings at all, but I do desire to live a clean and sober life so I was excited to get an Advanced Reader Copy of Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering<\/em>, by Peg O\u2019Connor, and published by Wildhouse Publications. Very simply, I was dying to transform my addiction and suffering \u2013 anyway I could. If I could do it by not actually quitting my partying \u2013 just cutting way back \u2013 I was open to any and all suggestions. I just didn\u2019t want to stop altogether. I had already done that and that was pretty damn boring.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I am well acquainted with the writings of Peg O\u2019Connor. If you visit her website<\/a>, you\u2019ll see links to her writings, and that will take you to her various writings for the New York Times, Psychology Today,<\/em> and other publications. She is a professor of Philosophy, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, as well as the Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. She has thirty-four years sobriety and has written extensively about addiction and recovery.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I admit that I like to party. I\u2019ve always liked to party. Even as a little girl, I liked the taste of alcohol and used to beg sips of whatever drinks my elders were imbibing. I always liked the feeling that alcohol gave me. Of course, I never liked the hangover the next day \u2013 who does? \u2013 and the main reason I\u2019ve stopped drinking is so I don\u2019t have to deal with the hangover \u2013 I like waking up bright and early so I can get to my writing and get a good day\u2019s work done. That isn\u2019t possible with a hangover. And of course \u2013 my age is becoming an issue \u2013 what I could handle at age twenty isn\u2019t possible at age sixty-two. But when you start drinking, your brain reverts back to your younger self \u2013 well my brain does, anyway! I think that\u2019s one of the attractions of partying. But it\u2019s also one of the detractions.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering,<\/em> O\u2019Connor cites the work of American philosopher William James, especially his well-known text, The Varieties of Religious Experience.<\/em> I read excerpts from The Varieties of Religious Experience<\/em> when I was taking a World Civilization course at the State University of New York at Buffalo \u2013 we also read excepts from The Koran, The King James Bible, Confucius\u2019 Analects, The Iliad,<\/em> and other texts from around the world (it was an awesome class). I was acquainted \u2013 of course \u2013 with William James as a member of the illustrious James family, of which the author Henry James belonged \u2013 as an English major, of course I knew of Henry James, even if I hadn\u2019t actually read any of his novels.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone in recovery who knows anything about AA \u2013 and that\u2019s just about all of us \u2013 knows that AA has a passing reference to William James in Appendix II of the \u201cBig Book\u201d \u2013 but Peg O\u2019Connor dedicates her entire recovery book to William James and very little to AA or to Bill Wilson. To be sure \u2013 she gives them both credit where credit is due \u2013 but she is clear that James\u2019 view of addiction, the suffering of humankind and how to connect with a \u201chigher and friendly power\u201d is much more expansive and inclusive than anything Bill Wilson ever conceived.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Honestly \u2013 it was the idea of a \u201cfriendly\u201d power that grabbed me. I\u2019ve heard of a \u201chigher\u201d power since I was eighteen years old but never a \u201cfriendly\u201d power. I started thinking about what a friendly power would look like \u2013 what would a friendly power sound like \u2013 what would a friend power be \u2013 for me?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I liked James\u2019 idea of a \u201cmisery threshold\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 20). We all have different thresholds of how much misery we can stand; some of us can go through much more punishment than other people we may know. I have friends who drink way more than I could ever attempt; my body couldn\u2019t physically withstand that kind of abuse. James\u2019 concept of \u201chealthy-minded\u201d and \u201cmorbid-minded\u201d people also rang true \u2013 as did his assertion that \u201cwe are all mixes of healthy-minded and morbid-minded though the proportions vary dramatically between people and even within a person over the course of her lifetime.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 20-21). As someone who has Bipolar 1, and who is a rapid-cycler, I am definitely a mixture of \u201chealthy-minded\u201d and \u201cmorbid-minded\u201d \u2013 I can swing between the two moods several times within an eighteen-hour period and even when I am sleeping, my dreams reflect this conflict within myself. I believe that this conflict is one of the reasons that I struggle with addiction \u2013 I have looked for a resolution for many years and never found a solution to this inner battle.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

James uses the language of Christianity although he cites other religions and spiritual traditions and even atheists and agnostics. The language of Christianity persists mainly because at when William James was writing, Christianity of all sects and denominations were prominent in American culture; this was true when Bill Wilson was writing the book that eventually became known as \u201cThe Big Book\u201d of Alcoholics Anonymous. The difference between the two men is that the language of Christianity became codified in AA and nowhere in any of James\u2019 writings is Christianity put forth as the only religion, the number-one religion; indeed, James \u201cdisbelieves and cannot accept an Infinite and All Powerful interventionist God having certain traits.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 181)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I think, as Pagans and Wiccans, some of us struggling on a daily basis to achieve and retain our sobriety, having a writer like Peg O\u2019Connor cite the numerous spiritual writings of William James, and explain their relevance to recovery is a like getting a strong cup of coffee at an early morning meeting when you really need to hear the message. \u201cFor James, a life of religion or spirituality is not about theology but about experience. James was content to be a tangent to the wider life of things, willing to live on possibilities and embracing the maybes of life.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 184).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I like that \u2013 \u201cembracing the maybes of life.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Bill Wilson\u2019s Big Book<\/em> and his entire AA organization would have been better served if it had paid closer attention to the writings of William James and less to the Oxford Group, from which AA sprang. The Holy-Roller atmosphere of many AA meetings have turned off many a sick and suffering alcoholic, regardless of religious persuasion, and if the lighter spiritual touch of William James had been adhered to, how many more alcoholics and addicts might have been living in recovery?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As Peg O\u2019Connor writes, \u201cWarring selves declare peace\u201d, which is what we all desire.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What is most important \u2013 whether you believe in the Christian god or a variety of pagan gods and goddesses or no deities whatsoever \u2013 is to have faith in life. James writes, \u201cBe not afraid of life. Believe that life that worth living and your belief will help create the fact.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 130) O\u2019Connor adds, \u201cA person who is eager to escape a life in which he is actively addicted still has some hope\u2026 Hope paired with willing is a first cousin to faith.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 131). As Wiccans say, \u201cas so I will, so mote it be\u201d \u2013 to have the will to change is power \u2013 not powerlessness.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I highly recommend Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering<\/em>, by Peg O\u2019Connor. This was an e-book but I printed out the entire thing \u2013 I kid you not! \u2013 just so I could really concentrate on my reading. This book is not to be missed if you are in recovery or you love someone in recovery. Order it today!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about the author, visit https:\/\/pegoconnorauthor.com\/<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\nHigher and Friendly Powers on Amazon<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

**<\/b><\/p>\n

About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Polly MacDavid<\/b>\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

She blogs at\u00a0<\/span><\/span>silverapplequeen.wordpress.com<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/u><\/span>. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Review Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering by Peg O’Connor Published by Wildhouse Publications June 1, 2022 288 pages     I am someone who has struggled with addiction issues for most of her adult life, rotating in and out of AA since 1990. Currently I do not attend any meetings at all, but I do desire to live a clean and sober life so I was excited to get an Advanced Reader Copy of Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering, by Peg O\u2019Connor, and published by Wildhouse Publications. Very simply, I was dying to transform my addiction and suffering \u2013 anyway I could. If I could do it by not actually quitting my partying \u2013 just cutting way back \u2013 I was open to any and all suggestions. I just didn\u2019t want to stop altogether. I had already done that and that was pretty damn boring. I am well acquainted with the writings of Peg O\u2019Connor. If you visit her website, you\u2019ll see links to her writings, and that will take you to her various writings for the New York Times, Psychology Today, and other publications. She is a professor of Philosophy, Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, as well as the Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. She has thirty-four years sobriety and has written extensively about addiction and recovery. I admit that I like to party. I\u2019ve always liked to party. Even as a little girl, I liked the taste of alcohol and used to beg sips of whatever drinks my elders were imbibing. I always liked the feeling that alcohol gave me. Of course, I never liked the hangover the next day \u2013 who does? \u2013 and the main reason I\u2019ve stopped drinking is so I don\u2019t have to deal with the hangover \u2013 I like waking up bright and early so I can get to my writing and get a good day\u2019s work done. That isn\u2019t possible with a hangover. And of course \u2013 my age is becoming an issue \u2013 what I could handle at age twenty isn\u2019t possible at age sixty-two. But when you start drinking, your brain reverts back to your younger self \u2013 well my brain does, anyway! I think that\u2019s one of the attractions of partying. But it\u2019s also one of the detractions. In Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering, O\u2019Connor cites the work of American philosopher William James, especially his well-known text, The Varieties of Religious Experience. I read excerpts from The Varieties of Religious Experience when I was taking a World Civilization course at the State University of New York at Buffalo \u2013 we also read excepts from The Koran, The King James Bible, Confucius\u2019 Analects, The Iliad, and other texts from around the world (it was an awesome class). I was acquainted \u2013 of course \u2013 with William James as a member of the illustrious James family, of which the author Henry James belonged \u2013 as an English major, of course I knew of Henry James, even if I hadn\u2019t actually read any of his novels. Anyone in recovery who knows anything about AA \u2013 and that\u2019s just about all of us \u2013 knows that AA has a passing reference to William James in Appendix II of the \u201cBig Book\u201d \u2013 but Peg O\u2019Connor dedicates her entire recovery book to William James and very little to AA or to Bill Wilson. To be sure \u2013 she gives them both credit where credit is due \u2013 but she is clear that James\u2019 view of addiction, the suffering of humankind and how to connect with a \u201chigher and friendly power\u201d is much more expansive and inclusive than anything Bill Wilson ever conceived. Honestly \u2013 it was the idea of a \u201cfriendly\u201d power that grabbed me. I\u2019ve heard of a \u201chigher\u201d power since I was eighteen years old but never a \u201cfriendly\u201d power. I started thinking about what a friendly power would look like \u2013 what would a friendly power sound like \u2013 what would a friend power be \u2013 for me? I liked James\u2019 idea of a \u201cmisery threshold\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 20). We all have different thresholds of how much misery we can stand; some of us can go through much more punishment than other people we may know. I have friends who drink way more than I could ever attempt; my body couldn\u2019t physically withstand that kind of abuse. James\u2019 concept of \u201chealthy-minded\u201d and \u201cmorbid-minded\u201d people also rang true \u2013 as did his assertion that \u201cwe are all mixes of healthy-minded and morbid-minded though the proportions vary dramatically between people and even within a person over the course of her lifetime.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 20-21). As someone who has Bipolar 1, and who is a rapid-cycler, I am definitely a mixture of \u201chealthy-minded\u201d and \u201cmorbid-minded\u201d \u2013 I can swing between the two moods several times within an eighteen-hour period and even when I am sleeping, my dreams reflect this conflict within myself. I believe that this conflict is one of the reasons that I struggle with addiction \u2013 I have looked for a resolution for many years and never found a solution to this inner battle. James uses the language of Christianity although he cites other religions and spiritual traditions and even atheists and agnostics. The language of Christianity persists mainly because at when William James was writing, Christianity of all sects and denominations were prominent in American culture; this was true when Bill Wilson was writing the book that eventually became known as \u201cThe Big Book\u201d of Alcoholics Anonymous. The difference between the two men is that the language of Christianity became codified in AA and nowhere in any of James\u2019 writings is Christianity put forth as the only religion, the number-one religion; indeed, James \u201cdisbelieves and cannot accept an Infinite and All Powerful interventionist God having certain traits.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 181) I think, as Pagans and Wiccans, some of us struggling on a daily basis to achieve and retain our sobriety, having a writer like Peg O\u2019Connor cite the numerous spiritual writings of William James, and explain their relevance to recovery is a like getting a strong cup of coffee at an early morning meeting when you really need to hear the message. \u201cFor James, a life of religion or spirituality is not about theology but about experience. James was content to be a tangent to the wider life of things, willing to live on possibilities and embracing the maybes of life.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 184). I like that \u2013 \u201cembracing the maybes of life.” Bill Wilson\u2019s Big Book and his entire AA organization would have been better served if it had paid closer attention to the writings of William James and less to the Oxford Group, from which AA sprang. The Holy-Roller atmosphere of many AA meetings have turned off many a sick and suffering alcoholic, regardless of religious persuasion, and if the lighter spiritual touch of William James had been adhered to, how many more alcoholics and addicts might have been living in recovery? As Peg O\u2019Connor writes, \u201cWarring selves declare peace\u201d, which is what we all desire. What is most important \u2013 whether you believe in the Christian god or a variety of pagan gods and goddesses or no deities whatsoever \u2013 is to have faith in life. James writes, \u201cBe not afraid of life. Believe that life that worth living and your belief will help create the fact.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 130) O\u2019Connor adds, \u201cA person who is eager to escape a life in which he is actively addicted still has some hope\u2026 Hope paired with willing is a first cousin to faith.\u201d (O\u2019Connor, 131). As Wiccans say, \u201cas so I will, so mote it be\u201d \u2013 to have the will to change is power \u2013 not powerlessness. I highly recommend Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering, by Peg O\u2019Connor. This was an e-book but I printed out the entire thing \u2013 I kid you not! \u2013 just so I could really concentrate on my reading. This book is not to be missed if you are in recovery or you love someone in recovery. Order it today! For more information about the author, visit https:\/\/pegoconnorauthor.com\/.   Higher and Friendly Powers on Amazon   ** About the Author: Polly MacDavid\u00a0lives in Buffalo, New York at the moment but that could easily change, since she is a gypsy at heart. Like a gypsy, she is attracted to the divinatory arts, as well as camp fires and dancing barefoot. She has three cats who all help her with her magic. Her philosophy about religion and magic is that it must be thoroughly based in science and logic. She is Dianic Wiccan but she gets along with a few of the masculine deities. She loves to cook and she is a Bills fan. She blogs at\u00a0silverapplequeen.wordpress.com. She writes about general life, politics and poetry. She is writing a novel about sex, drugs and recovery.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":197,"featured_media":26920,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10005],"tags":[11001,11003,10095,10015,13986,13987,12185,10075],"class_list":["post-26918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-addiction","tag-alcohol","tag-book","tag-book-review","tag-higher-and-friendly-powers","tag-peg-oconnor","tag-recovery","tag-review"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/197"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26918"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26918\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26922,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26918\/revisions\/26922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}