Now that you have completed step one it is important to follow up with step two. The link to the A. A. 12×12 will provide you an online book to read, if you wish. Women, you may find the language of the 12×12 more masculine. The replacement for this would be A Woman’s Way Through The Twelve Steps, by Stephanie Covington, Ph.D. The language is geared to women and helps bring an easier path in step work. It is written for women in general. (Try Alibris for a copy)
The language in the second step is clear, ‘came to believe.”
Step two offers suggestions on how to develop a belief of the divine. It is time to trade in the ‘higher power’ controlling your life with one that will work with you. No one has set up any strict rules to develop your belief. Please, do not make it a door knob or light switch. Your divine presence should be with you at all times, in all ways, and supportive.
Many women find a feminine power easier to relate to after living a life-time of abuse and violence. Men may tend towards the conventional ideas of a god. A few have found Divine Parents work for them. The Bible speaks of us as children, perhaps coming to believe in a God and Goddess will work for you. Again, the choice is yours. Believing in a Divine presence, no matter what you call it or define it as, is a personal matter.
You can ask a dozen people about what he or she thinks about god, goddesses, deity, or use any term you wish. What you will receive is just as many answers. No two people ever agree on the same concepts, descriptions, or ideals of god. (I place god in lower case because it is a descriptor, not a name).
Finding the path to spirit is not complicated, yet it can fill up with detractors, side roads, and pits. To repeat: There are no hard-and-fast rules. You get to make them up as you go along. Many men and women before you have jokingly referred to themselves as not only a recovering addict, alcoholic, or other terms, but also a recovering Southern Baptist, Catholic, or name your religion. The reason cited by these individuals is the compassion of the church members was lacking.
Remember that feeling when you finally accepted you are powerless and life is unmanageable? Now it is time to fill that space with the Divine presence of your understanding of a god or goddess. Take a few minutes over the next few days and sit quietly, listen to your breath and the world around you. Do nothing else, just notice! Close your eyes and focus on your breath, the rhythm of your heart, notice.
The stillness is divine, the sounds of nature and your body are divine. Everything about you is divine. With practice, you will begin to notice a shift in your thinking, behaviors, and habits. Read your index card from step one: “I am powerless and my life is unmanageable.” Add to this, “With the Divine, I will restore my spirit.”
When we accept that there is a power beyond us and our problems, the door opens to peace, and a calm begins to grow. Acceptance of help from a divine presence develops our intuition. The spiritual principle of this step: We make peace with our past. A day will come when you do not cringe when a memory shows itself.
If you are not sure where to begin, consider your journal. Write about how you feel about God, your religion, if you are involved in one, and other thoughts that come to mind about believing in a divine presence. Angry at God? Write a ‘Dear God” letter. Do what it takes to help clear the path. The final answer is yours. It is your life. Do with it as thou wilt, bring harm to none.
Remember I am but a chat or call away. Go to my Contact page. Send up a flare. I might see it.
