Higher Power.... the concept of a Power Greater than one's self, is all that is required. I have friends in AA who have a Goddess based in nature as their Higher Power, and who are quite ritualistic in their worship of their chosen HP, and they have been sober and living happy, helpful and loving sober lives for decades. AA is open to all faiths, and even lack of any particular faith. Some people even choose the AA Group as their higher power.
Come one, come all!
__________________
~Your Higher Power has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
I admit I do have inner struggle during meetings when Christian prayers are said. I do believe in a higher power but do not wish to offend anyone. I knw this topic gets a lot of reactions but only wish to take the good away from each meeting.
Merry Meet, Tick! The Higher Power is of Your Understanding. Humility will be required...so 'casting and spinning' may hinder your progress. Surrender is a beautiful path and as a Wiccan, the concept of a divinity using you as a conduit for positive works is already in place.
The founders made it a Higher Power of Your Understanding for a reason; no exclusions on the spiritual journey.
All the meetings around here end with the chair person saying "help me close this meeting with the Lords prayer, or prayer of YOUR choice." There is nothing religious about AA...Bill and Bob worked hard to ensure that. Many time at the rehab I work at I have the conversation about spirituality having nothing to do with religion, and it seem to help break some of the barriers that get in the way for those who aren't "believers." People should not "force" beliefs on each other, but respect each other for who they are. Sadly, I see allot of people doing just that. I would say use whatever HP you choose
LOL, ok, now a few of you knew I wouldn't let this one get by!
You absolutely can be a pagan, Asatru, wiccan. hedgie or trad and be in AA, following the Steps and principles and traditions. It just takes a smidge of modification (in your mind) when you hear others speak. A God/dess of your understanding. Any Higher Power that takes you to that fine edge of ecstacy when youre in communion with him/her/it. It's all about where you choose to place your faith and/or trust.
AA is for everyone who wants or needs it. There are no "have to's" when it comes to this area. I've had many the day where an old cedar out back was my Higher Power. But, that's another topic.....
Trad 3 says the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Does it get any plainer than that? there is only ONE requirement.
It doesn't matter what your higher power is, that's between you and your HP. The day that adherence to any particular faith becomes a requirement, well, that'll be the day.
__________________
It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
It is not required to do anything you're not comfortable with - if that means coming a few minutes late and leaving before the ending, by all means do that but don't miss the rest of the meeting.
Do I have to know what being a wiccan is to answer the question? I'm quite sure it's more up to you than it is up to anybody else.
Case in point; if I was a wiccan, whatever that means, and someone told me I couldn't do A.A. because of it, I'd prove them wrong.
But as you point out... the context from which A.A. developed was primarily during the depression and many of the time and area were Christians. If that offends you and you can't plug your own beliefs into that equation, you'll have a rough time.
If either the atheist or the religious zealot can make it, the rest of us have a pretty good chance. In fact, it is up to YOU to choose down the line what these spiritual principles mean to you and to make sense of them for yourself.
There are detractors of A.A. that say that A.A. makes this impossible. I say it's all up to you.