| There is a time and place in which the
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| | of pain and of distress takes place
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| soul begins to seek a path of return to
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| | through the ability of addiction to grant
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| its lost home, and, finding the way
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| | a temporary feeling of satisfaction, then
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| blocked or invisible, yearns once again
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| | the original impetus to find a spiritual
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| for the sense of peace and love that it
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| | solution to a basically spiritual dilemma
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| remembers as having been part of its
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| | is lessened. In such instances the soul
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| deepest longing. In that moment of time,
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| | must often wander far down the pathways
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| when the soul turns toward the sun of its
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| | of illusion before it discovers that the
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| longing seeking remembrance and reunion,
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| | promise of peace and of satisfaction that
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| seeking the sense of peace and completion
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| | an addictive substance or process seems
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| that it believes is possible, a
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| | to give is an illusion. It discovers that
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| significant step toward the light of
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| | there is often more pain involved than
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| Spirit is taken and the soul will never
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| | satisfaction, and that the emptiness, in
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| be the same again.
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| | any case, never really goes away.
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| At the same time, if the yearning for
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| | Some who choose this alternate route for
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| home is not realized by fulfillment, if
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| | easing a hunger of the soul continue a
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| the spiritual longing finds, instead, an
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| | very long time in a state of illusion,
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| emptiness of heart and a lack of response
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| | until broken, desperate, and despairing,
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| to its prayer for reunion, it can become
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| | they return with empty hands and an empty
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| disconsolate and greatly sorrowful, so
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| | heart to face the source of the problem.
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| much so that it gives up that which it
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| | Others, who see more clearly or who are
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| has set its heart upon, and instead turns
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| | able to bear pain with greater courage,
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| to other means by which to fulfill its
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| | find that the path of addiction is a path
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| desire for peace and for the essence of
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| | of illusion and seek a change of
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| tranquility which can only be produced by
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| | direction and movement shortly after
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| the light.
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| | having embarked upon it.
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| These are the conditions under which
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| | The problem for many who embark on this
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| addictive processes take place within the
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| | road out of spiritual longing and out of
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| human psyche. They emerge from the
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| | a nameless pain that seems impossible to
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| condition of perceived separation from
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| | ease by any other route, is that there is
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| one's point of origin and spiritual home,
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| | no easing of the underlying cause of the
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| and arise when the deeper longing of the
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| | pain except by continuing to incorporate
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| soul still struggling to emerge within
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| | more and more of the addictive substance,
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| the human self, seeks its way back to the
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| | relationship, or process. This is true
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| point of its Source and origin.
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| | not only because the physiology of
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| They do not arise before this, because
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| | addiction prompts this kind of
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| before this the embodied soul is fully
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| | accelerated usage in order to maintain
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| engaged with life on the material plane.
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| | the same effect upon consciousness, but
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| It is engaged both from the standpoint of
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| | also because underneath it all, the
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| seeking mastery and a sense of physical
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| | awareness of one's own emptiness still
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| comfort and fulfillment, and in the sense
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| | and always remains. Addiction represents
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| of fascination with the many arenas of
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| | the desperation of the hopeless and the
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| earthly learning and pleasure that are
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| | yearning who, with a sense of desiring to
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| both sensory and spiritual - though the
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| | save themselves, seek a way out of their
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| latter quality may be unknown to the self
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| | dilemma by turning to a source which
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| that pursues them. When the soul begins
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| | seems to offer a possible way.
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| to find these pleasures and this mastery
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| | In the end, all addictive process whose
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| no longer sufficient to quiet the
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| | origin is the state of separation that
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| yearning that grows within the heart and
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| | the embodied self experiences from God
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| the deeper levels of being, then the soul
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| | and from its true self, must be healed by
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| begins to lose hope that the life of the
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| | finding its way back to the center of
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| physical plane will be able to grant the
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| | this dilemma - to the source of its own
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| satisfaction that it longs for. Instead,
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| | pain. When this can occur in a more
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| it may seek a substitute gratification
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| | authentic way, that is, when it is
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| that it hopes will steadfastly and surely
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| | recognized that it is spiritual hunger
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| be able to grant the kind of peace and
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| | that is fueling the craving for a
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| soul-fulfillment that is desired.
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| | substitute and illusory peace rather than
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| Fundamentally, turning toward addiction
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| | a real peace, then, and only then, can
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| is a spiritual act. However much it may
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| | the spiritual enlightenment of the
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| be fueled by conditions of poverty, need,
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| | embodied self begin in an authentic way.
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| emotional instability, immaturity, or any
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| | Today, the problem of addiction and its
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| other psychological variable, the
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| | spiritual underpinnings can be viewed in
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| replacement of the soul's yearning for
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| | a new light. Because it is the time now
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| completion and peace with a substitute is
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| | of increased spiritual light upon the
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| an act of spiritual seeking that has
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| | earth, the underlying truth of addictive
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| taken a turn away from its true
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| | process can more easily come to the
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| destination toward an alternative
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| | embodied soul, bringing with it greater
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| destination. This is an act that is both
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| | clarity concerning inner motivations,
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| an effort to resolve a spiritual dilemma,
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| | longings, and formerly unconscious
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| as well as an effort to grant immediate
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| | states. As a result, it is now more
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| release from the pain of having to wait
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| | possible for the healing of addiction to
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| for a more authentic source of
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| | rise beyond the level of psychological
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| realization.
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| | and physical forms of treatment that have
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| The difficulty in waiting for what one
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| | proven effective in recent decades, but
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| longs for but cannot yet have, and the
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| | only to a certain degree, to a new and
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| emptiness that occurs in the presence of
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| | higher level of healing.
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| the heart's longing that neither mind nor
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| | Now, it becomes possible for all
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| senses can satisfy - these are the
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| | addiction to be revealed in its true
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| dilemmas of the embodied self that seeks
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| | essence as a spiritual action designed to
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| relief from longing and a way of
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| | answer a need that it was believed could
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| resolving the problems of time and of
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| | not be answered in any other way. With
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| waiting. If the process of choice were
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| | this longing exposed to the light of
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| engaged in more consciously, with greater
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| | awakened consciousness, there is hope,
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| awareness of what truly was being sought,
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| | today, that what has been a widespread
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| it is likely that many more who turn to
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| | and pervasive problem in both advanced
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| addictive substitutes could find within
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| | and underdeveloped nations will have the
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| themselves the courage to wait through a
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| | chance of being healed in an equally
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| period of pain and of emptiness. But the
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| | widespread way at a core level. This new
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| choice before the embodied self is rarely
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| | possibility comes out of the increased
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| that conscious. And although a spiritual
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| | capacity of the human body and psyche to
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| longing exists at its foundation, this
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| | touch its own spiritual depths in ways
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| longing is often not even dimly
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| | that were not possible before. With this
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| recognized by the conscious, experiencing
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| | contact, the phenomenon of addiction can,
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| self which only seeks an end to its pain
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| | in time, disappear as a solution to the
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| - the pain of emptiness and the pain of
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| | problem of the soul's longing, and a new
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| loss.
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| | step can be taken toward the soul's true
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| When it is discovered through use of
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| | destination - the path of return toward
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| addictive substances, relationships, or
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| | its spiritual home.
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| habits of any kind that a kind of numbing
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