Ring-bearers Anonymous by Margaret Lion
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Welcome! You are NOT alone!
There is a frightening addiction running rampant in Middle-earth.
It has consumed our best and brightest, causing them to make unwise
decisions that lead to self-aggrandizement, world-wide warfare, and
ultimately, death. It is the sinister addiction to the One Ring of
Power forged by Sauron so long ago. Those who come into possession
of this One Ring are forever changed and obsessed with illusions of
power and corruption. They lie, cheat, steal, and fish with their
bare hands never washing-up afterwards. Anyone under the power of the
addiction to the One Ring cannot think for him/herself and is doomed
to forever be under the shadow of this illness.
But fear not. We have the cure for this dreadful addiction. Ring-Bearers
Anonymous is a fellowship of all species of Middle-earth joined together
for a common bond: to help the still suffering compulsive ring-bearer
break the addiction to the One Ring once and for all.
Contents:
Questionnaire
The 12 Steps of RBA
Meeting Times and Locations
Annual Convention
RBA Prayers
Questionnaire - Are You a Compulsive Ring-bearer?
This series of questions may help you determine if you are a compulsive
ring-bearer. Many members of Ring-Bearers Anonymous have answered yes to these
questions.
- Do you wear the One Ring when you already have rings on every finger?
- Do you wear the One Ring for no apparent reason?
- Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after wearing the One Ring?
- Do you give too much time and thought to the One Ring?
- Do you look forward with pleasure and anticipation to the time
when you can wear the One Ring, sneak-up on people, and say "Gollum" or
"We hates it precious, we hates it forever!" in their ears?
- Do you plan your ring-bearing episodes ahead of time?
- Do you wear the One Ring while with others?
- Do you wear the One Ring while alone?
- Is invisibility affecting the way you live your life?
- Have you tried to NOT wear the One Ring for a week (or longer),
only to fall short of your goal?
- Do you resent others (especially Gandalf) telling you to "use a
little willpower" and stop wearing the One Ring?
- Despite evidence to the contrary, have you continued to assert
that you can give up the One Ring "on your own" whenever you wish?
- Do you crave to wear the One Ring at a definite time, day or night?
- Do you wear the One Ring to escape from worries or trouble or the
Sackville-Bagginses?
- Have you ever been treated for invisibility or illusions of grandeur?
- Does your ring-bearing behavior make you or others unhappy?
If you answered yes to ANY of these questions you are a compulsive
ring-bearer. We await your arrival at the next meeting.
The 12 Steps of Recovery for RBA
The below 12 Steps of Recovery have saved the lives of recovering
compulsive ring-bearers.*
- We admitted were powerless over the One Ring and that our
lives had become unmanageable and that we were invisible.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves -- Eru
- NOT Sauron -- could restore us to sanity and visibility.
- Made a decision to turn our will, our lives, and the One Ring
over to the care of Eru for tossing into the fire of Mount
Doom and restoring us to visibility.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
and our pockets.
- Admitted to Eru, to ourselves, and to another human being/
elf/ent/hobbit/orc/dwarf/Valar/Maiar/etc. the exact nature
of our wrongs and ring size.
- Were entirely ready to have Eru remove all these defects of
character and the One Ring from our finger.
- Humbly asked Eru to remove our shortcomings and the One Ring.
- Made a list of all human beings/elf/ent/hobbit/orc/dwarf/Valar/Maiar/etc.
we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such human beings/elf/ent/hobbit/orc/dwarf/
Valar/Maiar/etc. wherever possible, except when to do so
would injure them or others or start a war.
- Continued to take personal and clothing inventory, checking
pockets in particular, and when we were wrong, or were
hoarding inappropriate jewelry, promptly admitted it and
disposed of said jewelry.
- Sought through prayer, meditation, and arduous quests to
improve our concious contact with Eru, praying only for
our knowledge of Eru's will for us and the power to toss
the One Ring into the fire.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps
we sailed to the Undying Lands in Elven ships, carrying this
message to other compulsive ring-bearers and practice these
principles in all our affairs.
* These steps are adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous,
another program of recovery, from a realm known as Earth.
Meeting Times &
Places for Ring-Bearers Anonymous |
Sunday, Imladris, Council Hall,
6 pm.
|
Tuesday, Hobbiton, Bag End, Dining
Room, Noon
(Note: This is a luncheon meeting so bring food.)
|
Thursday, Isengard, Top of the Tower,
3 pm.
(Note: This is a step meeting.)
|
Friday, Minas Tirith, House of Healing,
5 pm.
(Note: House of Healing now offers individual and group therapy sessions.
Contact Ioreth or Eowyn for more information.)
|
Annual Convention - Journey to Orodruin
- Where: Mount Doom in what's left of Mordor
- When: New Year's Day
- Special Guest Speaker: Samwise Gamgee "Being A Good
Friend to A Ring-Bearer Means Saying "Just Throw It
In, Master."
We will once again walk the path up Mouth Doom and hold a meeting
at the top next to the fire. We will listen to the inspirational words of
Samwise Gamgee, who has travelled all the way from Hobbiton to share his
story of success and how to best live with a Ring-Bearer. Give yourself
the opportunity to once again commit to being Ring-Free!
Meals Catered by the Ex-Slaves of Nurn.
RBA Prayers
Many species recite these prayers on a daily basis to help rid them
of their addiction to the One Ring. We hope that they help you as well.
The Daily Prayer:
One Millennium at a Time
The Serenity Prayer:
Eru,
Grant me the serenity to accept the rings I cannot change,
The courage to change the rings I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference between magical and plain gold.
The Solidarity Prayer:
I put my hand/paw/claw/branch etc. in yours and together we can do what
we could never do alone. No longer is there a sense of Sauron's One Eye
watching us. No longer must we each depend upon our own unsteady illusions of
world conquest. We are all together now, reaching out our
hands/paws/claws/branches etc. for a power and strength greater than ours
and the All-Seeing Eye. And as we join hands/paws/claws/branches etc. we find
that a coalition of species on Middle-earth is more powerful than Sauron.
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