Well now. As a child I have no religious training nor spiritual guidance that I can remember. I suspect learning to bow down to ETOH in any form would qualify for something, not sure what. For those not certain, ETOH is also known as alcohol; the king of the additives. Legal, lethal, all pervading throughout life and your body, just plain old alcohol.
When I came into recovery I embraced a "God of my understanding" even though I did not in any manner understand anything. But, what the heck they (the recovered people) said it was; "...indispensable to my recovery". So God it is. Then I was told to learn to pray. Yeah. Ok. Pray for what? I had been praying for 20 years to something to save my ass, never happened. And now I should be praying for, well, who knows.
After a few years in recovery or at least not drinking, I was privileged to meet an angel who chided me to try "sincere prayer"! Why whatever was she saying. I was still the; "now I lay me down to sleep thing" and now I should be "sincere". I mean I was only trying to work on understanding and forgiveness of my now deceased father who abused us all. I mean with a God how hard can that be? On to better and bigger things.
After another 15 or 16 years in ahhh recovery? I had graduated to meditating, praying without ceasing and even untold more. My biggest mistake as I look back was ignoring the guidance and or answers from this God of my understanding. That is a no no I found out. At 21 years of being dry in between serene sober moments I found out it was all or nothing, 100% into God or get out. God did not seem to mind but my psyche was like flip flopping all over the joint. So do something 100 % in each present moment was gonna be the ticket.
It was then that I met my first Unitic by the name of June. I was again privileged to help bring her to some stable recovery and she drug me off by the nape of the neck to Unity. That is philosophy number one. Fits really really really well with 12steps. Proffers everything I know about metaphysics. Leaves NO ONE out. My kinda stuff. Divinity abounding with recovery people all over. Yep. This was it, and still is. My number one spiritual philosophy still comes to me from Unity. However, there is that clause in the New Testament something about; "...will be added unto you". So here comes philosophy number 2.
Having never ever had any training nor exposure to philosophies or even a religion I was again privileged by the Grace of God to be introduced to the Catholic, pronounced "Cat-hol-ic" religion via the 7AM mass. Well now, I was like lost. I don't know nothing about genuflecting, kneeling or the other required machinations. I am not really huge on ritual, well, the Lords Prayer after EVERY meeting might be one, or a chocolate donut with every glass of milk another. I will say that I do like the singing, very cool and the devotion that most show. I can get into that.
Being a teacher of disciplines such as taichi and qi gong usually has me thinking devotion, discipline, want, desire, and any other words I don't know yet. So discipline and devotion in a church is good for me. Yet, "no rules just right" is also very cool. I am now blessed with a Sunday morning that is very much disciplined and ritualized, although I am the only heathen in the place and ends with me hugging a priest who goes into shock. Then it is a hop skip and a jump over to my Unity home where I get to hug anything that moves. I got to hear a "homily" in the first and a "lesson" in the second.
Man o man. I truly have been given a unique set of spiritual guidance for now, just for now, that I think is like the best of both worlds. And I do feel blessed at being able to "have my cake and eat it too" when I comes to philosophies that may and should increase my joy in life.
Love and light
Richard
