Tag Archives: 10th step

“The eternal inquiry concerning God is an inquiry into the nature of our own being.“. Ernest Holmes, Living Without Fear

”We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found.”  Alcoholics Anonymous textbook

”...enter into the inner secret communion with that great Reality, which is our Universal Self—God...” Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind textbook

When I first entered recovery, I was not religious.  I never understood the concept of a God separate from me, which is what most religions teach, at least on the surface.  I never cared to explore such things, instead preferring to explore the nature of this substance or that, and how it effected me.  When I stopped exploring substances and began to explore the nature of God, I was very frightened.

I was frightened because I did not want to drink, and what the steps seemed to be telling me what that I had to believe in some sort of outside God in order to not drink.  It wasn’t the belief in God that was bothering me.  I got the concept that it was a God of my understanding.  It was the belief in a God separate from me that did not make sense to me.

Today I know that belief in a God separate from me is a sort of Religion 101. It’s beginner religion.  I accepted that outside God for a while, which is probably a good thing for a newcomer to do.  My mind was still a dangerous neighborhood back then, and not only did I not know how to explore that unknown territory, but I was afraid to do so.

But the steps set me up to do inner exploration that I continue to this day.  Back then this exploration was also a bit surface, but it was a beginning.  Today, inner exploration means deep communion with God.  The Great Reality is indeed deep within me. I will never forget how much fun I had when, in my research, I realized that both Bill W. and Ernest Holmes used the same phrase to describe the same thing in their writings.  I do not know who got it from whom, but it is important to me to know that two wise spiritual teachers used the same phrase for the same concept.

Inner exploration is a beautiful way to live.  By going within I commune with God as well as discover the nature of my own humanness.  Daily I realize new insights, discover new aspects of spirit, and feel the presence of a power that feeds me with faith when I would feel fear, with peace when I would be agitated.  This daily practice also is a source of no small amount of humor as the opportunities to laugh at myself are endless.  This Inner Presence allows me to know the right things to do, and when to do them.

Today I am so grateful for the 10th and 11th steps.  The 10th encourages me to continue that daily practice of inner exploration.  The 11th encourages me to continue to explore how God works in my life. Taken together, these two steps provide a strong and unshakeable foundation for successful living.

Buy the book, A New Thought Journey through the 12 Steps here on my web site, or on Amazon

 

 

 

Thomas Moore: “If you need to demonize someone, your heart is blocked with emotional and spiritual plaque.”
Edwene Gaines: “No one can steal from you unless you are a thief. No one can cheat you unless you are a cheater. No one can gossip about you unless you are a gossip.”
Alcoholics Anonymous 12 and 12: “It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us.”

While I love the quote from the 12 and 12, I have a major problem with the word “wrong.” There is never anything wrong with us. Never ever. However, the wisdom of the statement is true and strong. Anytime we are speaking in terms of them versus us, or gossiping out someone, or judging someone, or pointing the finger of blame outward to someone or something else, it is a signal. That signal is really a deep inner desire, on the soul level if you will, to address something within that wants to be brought out to the light, revealed and healed. In my daily practice of introspection, I watch for areas in which I judge others, or blame others, or am thinking in terms of myself versus them. That is separation and duality at its worse, and it will harm no one but me. When I find those things, I know it is a signal for me to stop and take a look at myself and discover what is going on that needs changing. This is usually about behaviors or ways of thinking that I developed early on as defense mechanisms. The only problem is that there is no longer any need for defense. The circumstances under which the behaviors and ways of thinking developed simply don’t exist anymore. Those ways of thinking and behaviors are now simply limitations. And we argue for them when we continue them. Stop arguing for your limitations. Use the daily practice of introspection to become aware of those thoughts and behaviors which would hold you back, and change them.

This is the latest entry for the daily meditation book that I am writing.  If you would like to be a part of the creation of this book, and have access to things the general public doesn’t see, I would love your support!  Go here to check it out.

"We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it."  AA textbook

"Never limit your view of life by any past experience." Ernest Holmes

Statements such as these teach us that we should not base our current lives on what happened in the past.

It is tempting, I know, to look at something that happened in the past and tell ourselves that we will never do THAT again, because look what happened!

If we do so, we limit our future.

What if instead we looked at the events of the past as stepping stones to our next greatest and highest good?

All those shitty things that happened are not something to be ashamed of.  Shame and guilt only keeps us in the problem.  Fear and attempts to prevent it from happening again only keep us in the problem.

Instead, try to view it from a different perspective.  If we look at those things as necessary for our greatest good, then we can thank them, do our grief and forgiveness work, and move on.  This is why this particular promise is stated after completion of the 10th step in the textbook.  There is work to be done before we can stop blaming ourselves for past events.

In New Thought, we are taught that God is everywhere present, all good, all the time.  This means not that we should put our heads in the sand and declare that all that bad stuff was really good.  It means that we take a look at it and glean the nuggets of wisdom from them; therein lies the good.

So...we take a good look at our past, without shame and blame and condemnation, and use it to move into our greatest good.

How has your past served you?  I would love to hear your thoughts.

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