step eleven

[Punkinhead75]

"Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our concious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

     Taken from The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions pg96

I've been taught that prayer is the asking and meditation is the listening.  There are times when this comes much easier than others.  I have one of those brains where the hamster wheel turns regardless of weather the hamster is on it or not.  Work is very busy and it sometimes takes a bit for my brain to slow down.  This step is one that I need to get better at.  There have been times where I set aside 15min to say a little prayer and then meditate on that prayer.  For me that is basically just letting my mind relax and settle in on what the prayer is focused on.  However I don't do that regularly enough.  What I find is that I am often reminded throughout the day that there is a Power greater than myself that is in control of everything.  Sometimes I need to stop and focus on that so that I can accept what is happening instead of just reacting to it. This may sound kind of screwy but it has helped me over the years so I will share it with you.  Throughout the day we are given moments by ourselves.  Learning to make the best of these moments has taken some practice but it has been well worth it.  During these times I find myself sitting down with no phone to answer, I generally don't talk to anybody and I find that I am pretty relaxed.  Where do these moments happen?  On the toilet.  I look at these times as Gods way of giving us a break from the craziness of the day.  So for those that think they have no time to stop and pray or meditate you may want to look again.  Are there other times that may be available?

When I was drinking and drugging my thoughts were constantly related to getting my next fix.  Where it was coming from, who was it going to be with, do I have enough money, will my wife find out etc.  Today I find myself thinking about God and how I do or don't understand Him.  I spend more time being grateful for my life rather than worrying about paying bills, cutting grass doing dishes cooking dinner or whatever else it may be.  Do I still have to take care of these responsibilities? Yes.  The main difference being that I can be grateful to be able to do them instead of feeling sorry for myself because I have to do them.  Have a great day!!!!

[Htownnofrown]

Great stuff Punkin, this is one of my favorite steps. Through prayer and meditation I am able to have a more clear and focused mind when going through my day. When I am doing my best to live in his will (doing the next right thing) I am rewarded beyond belief.

There is so much more to this life then just being sober and I've found a lot of it comes from practicing this step on a daily basis.

[Punkinhead75]

Thanks Narla! :)

[narla]

wow,I don't know what to say,
I have not used the twelve steps in my recovery,to be honest I have never read them.
I'd love to hear some other peoples thoughts on the subject.

Please if you make a comment be respectful of everyones beliefs,no matter what side of the fence you are on.  

[hellc@mst]

This step is pure Buchmanism again, Frank Buchman's "Guidance". You just sit quietly and wait for Der Grosse Führer in the sky to dictate your marching orders. Then you assume that your own internal mental noise is The Voice Of God. Note that there is no technique or policy for distinguishing The Voice Of God from someone's own subconscious mind, mumbling and rumbling and making noises.  

Something that I have never heard a stepper explain is how, while they practice Step Eleven, they distinguish between the Voice of God giving them Divine Guidance, and the voice of old Lizard Brain (base brain) while it demands its creature comforts: "I'm hungry. Feed me. I'm thirsty. Drink. I'm feeling uncomfortable; I hurt. Grab a painkiller — maybe a cigarette and a beer and some dope..." Bill Wilson did not have any teachings on that subject — no helpful advice at all — he just said that you can get into all kinds of trouble and do stupid things while practicing Step Eleven and believing that you are listening to the voice of God:


Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas.
The Big Book, 3rd edition, William G. Wilson, page 87.

  ... How many times have we heard well-intentioned people claim the guidance of God when it was all too plain that they were sorely mistaken. Lacking both practice and humility, they had deluded themselves and were able to justify the most arrant nonsense on the ground that this was what God had told them.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, William G. Wilson, pages 59-60.

Nevertheless, Bill Wilson told us to go ahead and do Step Eleven anyway. And then you are supposed to do whatever the voices in your head tell you to do. Really. Literally. You are supposed to spend the rest of your life "seeking and doing the Will of God", however you hear "the Will of God":


Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely on it.
The Big Book, 3rd edition, William G. Wilson, page 87.

Worse yet, after you get your work orders from "God as you understand Him" in Step Eleven, you are supposed to submit those orders for the approval of your sponsor or other group elders. Theoretically, your sponsor is supposed to save you from your own stupidity by interpreting your received messages from God, and approving or disapproving of your received Guidance:


      ... what comes to us alone may be garbled by our own rationalization and wishful thinking. The benefit of talking to another person is that we can get his direct comment and counsel on our situation, and there can be no doubt in our minds what that advice is. Going it alone in spiritual matters is dangerous.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, William G. Wilson, pages 59-60.

But that just means that it will be your sponsor who decides what God said and what God wishes for you to do. You start off being told to listen to the voice of God, but end up being told to listen to your sponsor.


When did that sponsor become qualified to interpret messages from God for you?
So just where did your sponsor get his religious education?
What seminary did he attend, and when did he graduate?
What religion ordained him as a priest or minister, qualified to interpret the words of God for you?
And how do we know that he won't take advantage of the situation while he is giving you his interpretation of The Word of God? Can you really trust that stranger with your life?

(copied,pasted and edited by me)  http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-interpreted.html