Spirituality - Is Not Religious
The is a saying one will hear once they embark on a spiritual recovery program, "religion is for people that are scared of hell, and spirituality is for people that have already been there". However, it’s all good, because we are all in this life at different levels of awareness. Acceptance of what is, is already a highly spiritual way of being in the world. We favor any endeavor that helps one find a way of being in the world, where they feel comfortable in their own skin, and can enjoy peace of mind.
If you were to stop 150,000 people on the street, and ask them what their life’s ambition is, maybe one in 10,000 would say enlightenment. It is not common to pursue higher levels of awareness. Pursing a spiritual life, or as many refer to it: being on the path, can be a lonely pursuit. However, one rarely feels alone.
Religion typically believes in two powers, duality - or good and evil. Two opposing forces which are always present. God is out there somewhere, and if I can just be “good enough” and “pray hard enough”, perhaps He will answer my prayers and make my life better. People love to argue about religion too, and it is the major cause of wars for as long as history has been documented. Hence, it does more to separate people, than bring them together.
Spirituality on the other hand unites people, as opposed to separating them. No hard core dogma, no ecclesiastic languaging, no authoritive personalities to quote based on ancient time periods. Spirit believes we are all connected to a source greater than ourselves. Some call it God, universal consciousness, or just spirit.
We cannot see electricity, but we experience the effects of it. Nor can we see integrity, honesty or love, but we are sure when they are absent or present. That is one of the amazing aspects of the 12 step programs which are not religious but spiritual.
Many people are not aware of the differences between religion and spirituality, heretofore believing the 12 step programs are "religious" and as a result understandably sceptical. Consider the man who year after year, has gone to jail, lost his home, his job and family, essentially all of his worldly good as a result of his drinking, and still cannot stop drinking. However, this same man goes to a 12 step meeting, his fellow man puts their arms around him, tells him they understand, and he never takes another drink for the remainder of his life. This is an example of spiritual healing.
Peace that surpasses understanding is a wonderful thing to live with. There is a knowing that regardless of circumstances in life, one has a real joy in just being alive. Interestingly, when one lives a spiritual life, and stops pursuing the things of the world, their circumstances tend to greatly improve anyway. Go figure?
By Lisa Marie Anderson
Director/Developer of newliferecovery.net
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note: newliferecovery.net does not promote one recovery model over another, we support religious treatment, 12 step treatment, and non 12 step recovery models. We endeavor to provide information that will help every suffering individual find recovery.
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