Next Level....

Sometimes I think there is a lot of vagueness when it comes to the idea of a Higher Power. I know there are people who resist the idea of God, often coming from childhood experiences with religion. I had that; for years the word God made me cringe. Having grown up in a Southern Baptist church, I ran from anything resembling religion. I was always interested in reading about other religions, and spirituality, but I had to leave the word God out of it. 

I had attached a lot of negativity to that word. But really, it is what we want it to be. When they say, in recovery literature, to 'get a God of your understanding', I chose a God that I would not understand. I chose to perceive and receive this experience as The Ultimate Mystery, the cohesive energy of love that holds everything together, playfully tossing miracles around like confetti. What I have learned, for myself, is that if I am looking for this, then I am seeing this.  There are no more or less miracles now than there were before I changed my thinking, but I can see them now, and they are everywhere- and they always were, I just couldn't see them. I now see proof of God because I am looking for proof- I am not looking to disprove, and I know that if I were looking to disprove I would find plenty of proof against God. At that point, I would be more than happy to drink AT God, who isn't there- all because I chose to not see him. One thing a friend said to me really had an impact. He said, "Hey, if you want astern and punishing God, then thats your choice. God will show up however you are ready to receive him." That really cooked my goose when I heard that.

Nowadays, I have quite a relationship with whatever it is you choose to call it. I used to read the Sufi poets, Rumi and Hafiz, for example....

Laughing At the Word Two

Only 
That Illumined 
One 

Who keeps 
Seducing the formless into form 
Had the charm to win my 
Heart. 

Only a Perfect One 
Who is always 
Laughing at the word 
Two 

Can make you know 
Of 
Love. 

From: 'The Gift' 
Translated by Daniel Ladinsky 

...and I didn't understand. Often in their poetry, they refer to God as The Beloved. They sing praises as if they were talking about, or to, a lover. But I get it now, being in a constant relationship with God, with this Unifying Principle, is a lot like being in love. There are moments of goosebumps, of intense gratitude, of not being able to believe how lucky I am to have this connection. Its a great adventure to see how God shows up, in me, in others, in events, in seeming challenges that give birth to new realities, the likes of which I wouldn't ever have dared dream. I don't need to question what is happening or why- life is unfolding the way it is meant to. I might not like it sometimes, but I love it all the same, because it is all part of a bigger picture that is tailor made for my soul's growth. 

When I was caught up in the life of the ego- drinking, popping pills, shopping, going from one obsessive love relationship to another, always looking to create intense scenarios to hide inside of. I wouldn't have been very interested in anything like soul growth. But what I have found is that, interestingly enough, I was running from the very thing I wanted most of all. I wanted it at a level I couldn't listen to, because my ego/disease was the loudest voice in my head.  I would go so far as to say that Predator that lives inside of us is the same Opponent of God that we have all heard about in all the religions and mythologies.  It is very powerful, and cunning, and only has one job, which is to keep us from growing, and realizing our own Divine Nature. It does this by telling us we really don't want it, and we listen to that because it is a compelling voice- the voice we have come to know, which lives in our head. We have learned to follow it even as it leads us astray. But just behind that voice is the voice of the other, The Beloved of Rumi and Hafiz. That voice wants you to let it guide you, it wants you to have an ecstatic participation in a Divinely Animated Universe, it wants you to revel in The Mystery, which is the Next Level of recovery. First you adjust to abstinence. Then you quiet the Voice of the Ego by putting the principles of the 12 steps into your life. This is enough. But if you want the Next Level, I suggest really exploring the 11th step. Get quiet so you can hear that voice. The voice that has been quietly telling you that you are loved all along.

Some of this may be controversial, depending on someone's belief system and what they are willing to tolerate in others. Certain religions have little tolerance for other ways of thinking. I am mostly speaking, here, to those who are struggling with a belief system and do not already have one in place. And I am also speaking to anyone who is interested in someone else's experience in recovery.  This area of my life keeps me aware, awake, and open to the rest of my life- from service work to my employment, my relationship to myself and others- everything. I notice that when a person's program begins to wane, this is often an area that is being overlooked. 

Some of the places where I have found a lot of spiritual guidance and support are the following: 
Kabbalah
Course in Miracles
Landmark Forum
Dr Wayne Dyer
Abraham/ Hicks
Science of Mind
Agape
Rumi and Hafiz
The 4th Way
The Bible
What the Bleep do We know (the movie)
Dr Masaru Emoto's water crystals 
Women Who Run With Wolves- Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Harry Tiebout
Emmet Fox
Carl Jung
Howard Thurman
Krishnamurti

If you are seeking, if you need more, I would suggest google any of the above and start reading. Order some of the books, get the movies, watch documentaries, and immerse yourself in something of a higher order of thought. It will start to have a profound effect. Let it.