Had a good discussion about the spiritual aspect of AA at a meeting this evening. I have always considered myself an open minded atheist - religion and spirituality are great for other people if that's what they want to believe, but it doesn't work for me.
I'm starting to realize how cynical I am, and how this program is slowly unravelling some of that cynicism. An example: someone at a meeting the other day mentioned an idea. Have a jar, and throughout the year, on little pieces of paper, write down good things that happen or things that you are grateful for and add them to the jar. Dump the jar out on NYE and read everything. Usually I would say oh, that's kind of nice, but way too hokey or cheesy for me. But then I remembered 'how's that working for you?' So, I'm doing it!
My mind is being opened to possibilities despite my stubborn best intentions.
Alcoholism, the disease made me cynical, too. When I was down and out facing death, it was to AA and my sponsors that I turned to, because nobody else understood me.
Nice post Ruby! Yes, working The Program loosened the strings wrap around my closed mind also. After seeing The Program work for so many, I tried something different- being open to new principles, ideas and suggestions. My life changed. Open-mindedness is a core Spiritual principle, without it I cannot change. HOW- Honesty, Openmindedness and Willingness.
It is also another way of explaining to the new-comer that we must tear down the barriers or walls that we have built around our hearts ... the same walls we built to keep everyone else out are also the same walls that imprison us to ourselves ... open-mindedness allows us to slowly break these walls down so as to build a relationship with our higher power ... also when we remove these walls, we do two things, we not only can allow others in, we can also start to give ... I see it as the 'ground-breaking' process to building a solid foundation on which to grow in AA ... (our topic of discussion at last night's meeting)
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
I wasn't too much different than you when I arrived in he rooms and I'm still not religious.
Looking back, I really don't see how spirituality could have worked for me during active alcoholism, way to much anguish.
First thing we need to realize is that we aren't God. If we are God, we wouldn't need to come to AA or these forums for help? If we can get this far, we can accept that there is power greater than us, if only it is a room full of people who no longer need to have their lives run by Alcohol.
For me spirituality can take on many forms. It could be your putting notes in a jar. Opening a door/ service work or helping someone when there may seem to be no obvious benefit to myself. Admiring beauty in nature etc.
One of the things that appealed to me in AA was that they didn't pretend to know exactly who or what God was....they just told me to do as we do and find out for yourself. Yes, acted my way into good thinking.
-- Edited by Rob84 on Thursday 3rd of January 2013 07:02:06 PM
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Rob
"There ain't no Coupe DeVille hiding in the bottom of a Cracker Jack Box."
Atheism is no barrier to taking the steps suggested as a program of recovery. That's why the italicized "...God as we understood Him." was inserted in Step 3. For people like me who were too busy being God-like in my arrogance of ignorance to accept the simple fact that all I had to do was stop fighting and start stepping!! :)
