Last year while camping, I read a book (out there it takes maybe 3 days) called "New Wine in Old Skins" which is about the origin of A.A.
A woman mentioned in the foreword that "A.A. people use the term spirituality quite a bit yet they really can't describe what spirituality is."
She said that for the most part we have an idea what it isn't.
So, after reading the book I was left with this impression I received from the foreward about the spirituality question raised by that woman. There are times when after reading a book, only ONE thing in it catches my attention, in that case I will meditate on the ONE thing.
So when I go camping at Locust Lake I consider myself on a spiritual retreat. AND it always is. I also invite recovery friends over to share the site as I am allowed to have 5 more people as "stay overs" if I wish.
Anyway, so I was meditating on this question and a thought:
What is spirituality?
What spirituality isn't.
I came to a conclusion that it isn't true that A.A. can't describe spirituality but that each person has, probably based on their own experience and spiritual maturity, their own definition.
Second, I agreed with myself that there is more of an impact upon the listener who is interested in spirituality if we explain to them what spirituality ISN'T. This is important to me because it doesn't allow for any one person to project "their" brand of spirituality upon another. My way of spirituality or the highway. ( leave the ego's out of it)
And third, as a recovering person who has had a drastic change of personality toward my fellow man and life itself, as a person with a conscience, as someone who will be honest because honesty counts, I CAN say without a doubt, that there are fellow travellers in recovery who, when practicing the 12 Steps, the 12 Spiritual Principles, these friends would agree with me that WE have a definition for spirituality and that definition is AWARENESS.
So let's seperate the "talkers" from the "walkers" with some details about awareness. O.K.?
My motives when OBSERVING the world around me must be good, close to pure. Ego and self-centeredness have no place in the spirtual realm. On the other hand, IF you are an egotistical, self-centered person when you are among let's call them "mature spiritual" people- you will stand out and not for good reasons.
Picture in your mind a rolling stream and in the middle of that stream a huge rock. The water "smashes" against the rock as it makes its course. That rock is you AND as time passes the water will wear you down and smooth you out- it's inevitable, sure and certain to happen.
You can't pretend to be spiritual.
Anyway, speaking for myself, the maintenance of my spiritual condition is a 24 hour activity.
If you watched videos I posted from Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev he says "yoga isn't about twisting the body into all sorts of positions" and he's right. It's meditation, prayer and self-examination.
So I am an observer, that's how I learn. I learn what to do and what not to do. I also observe and can meditate on something that deosn't make sense to me at the time, maybe I will seek some guidance from my spiritual advisor as well. As I have the gift of discernment I am also able to 'dismiss' things right away as non-essential or counter productive to moving forward in the spiritual realm.
ALL this is possible if, as we say "I am right sized".
Because when I'm not right sized, when I start the day by just "shooting up a prayer" and nothing else, when I start my day with leftover baggage from yesterday, when I start my day knowing I was dishonest and hurtful, when I don't take time as the founders did with ONE HOUR of prayer, meditation and self-examination, when I start my day with A BIG LIE I am doomed to failure.
This goes to the core of what I was implying earlier about being an observer with good, pure motives.
If you are an observer with bad, unpure motives you will destroy your fellows diginity and make up lies for why you "had' to do it.
YOU don't see that "we" see what you are doing so, as the rock in the middle of the stream we will continue to smash against you until you get smoothed out. AND if at this point in your spiritual walk, this day, right now, if you're feeling WORN DOWN then maybe you need to simply surrender your ego and self-centeredness and go with the flow of the stream.
WATER BEATS ROCK !
Awareness, observing, concluding then acting upon what you need to be, to be of maximum service as the Big Book says.
A little note about what you call taking someone elses inventory.
A genuine spiritual person, a mature person won't collect data on another person and use it against them.
A genuine spiritual person, a mature person won't say "I'm not taking anyone's inventory, I'm not really, I'm just trying to help them."
A genuine spiritual person, a mature person won't engage in a long negative conversation about another and then finish the talk with "well, God bless him" as if that makes the trash talk O.K.
A woman mentioned in the foreword that "A.A. people use the term spirituality quite a bit yet they really can't describe what spirituality is."
She said that for the most part we have an idea what it isn't.
So, after reading the book I was left with this impression I received from the foreward about the spirituality question raised by that woman. There are times when after reading a book, only ONE thing in it catches my attention, in that case I will meditate on the ONE thing.
So when I go camping at Locust Lake I consider myself on a spiritual retreat. AND it always is. I also invite recovery friends over to share the site as I am allowed to have 5 more people as "stay overs" if I wish.
Anyway, so I was meditating on this question and a thought:
What is spirituality?
What spirituality isn't.
I came to a conclusion that it isn't true that A.A. can't describe spirituality but that each person has, probably based on their own experience and spiritual maturity, their own definition.
Second, I agreed with myself that there is more of an impact upon the listener who is interested in spirituality if we explain to them what spirituality ISN'T. This is important to me because it doesn't allow for any one person to project "their" brand of spirituality upon another. My way of spirituality or the highway. ( leave the ego's out of it)
And third, as a recovering person who has had a drastic change of personality toward my fellow man and life itself, as a person with a conscience, as someone who will be honest because honesty counts, I CAN say without a doubt, that there are fellow travellers in recovery who, when practicing the 12 Steps, the 12 Spiritual Principles, these friends would agree with me that WE have a definition for spirituality and that definition is AWARENESS.
So let's seperate the "talkers" from the "walkers" with some details about awareness. O.K.?
My motives when OBSERVING the world around me must be good, close to pure. Ego and self-centeredness have no place in the spirtual realm. On the other hand, IF you are an egotistical, self-centered person when you are among let's call them "mature spiritual" people- you will stand out and not for good reasons.
Picture in your mind a rolling stream and in the middle of that stream a huge rock. The water "smashes" against the rock as it makes its course. That rock is you AND as time passes the water will wear you down and smooth you out- it's inevitable, sure and certain to happen.
You can't pretend to be spiritual.
Anyway, speaking for myself, the maintenance of my spiritual condition is a 24 hour activity.
If you watched videos I posted from Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev he says "yoga isn't about twisting the body into all sorts of positions" and he's right. It's meditation, prayer and self-examination.
So I am an observer, that's how I learn. I learn what to do and what not to do. I also observe and can meditate on something that deosn't make sense to me at the time, maybe I will seek some guidance from my spiritual advisor as well. As I have the gift of discernment I am also able to 'dismiss' things right away as non-essential or counter productive to moving forward in the spiritual realm.
ALL this is possible if, as we say "I am right sized".
Because when I'm not right sized, when I start the day by just "shooting up a prayer" and nothing else, when I start my day with leftover baggage from yesterday, when I start my day knowing I was dishonest and hurtful, when I don't take time as the founders did with ONE HOUR of prayer, meditation and self-examination, when I start my day with A BIG LIE I am doomed to failure.
This goes to the core of what I was implying earlier about being an observer with good, pure motives.
If you are an observer with bad, unpure motives you will destroy your fellows diginity and make up lies for why you "had' to do it.
YOU don't see that "we" see what you are doing so, as the rock in the middle of the stream we will continue to smash against you until you get smoothed out. AND if at this point in your spiritual walk, this day, right now, if you're feeling WORN DOWN then maybe you need to simply surrender your ego and self-centeredness and go with the flow of the stream.
WATER BEATS ROCK !
Awareness, observing, concluding then acting upon what you need to be, to be of maximum service as the Big Book says.
A little note about what you call taking someone elses inventory.
A genuine spiritual person, a mature person won't collect data on another person and use it against them.
A genuine spiritual person, a mature person won't say "I'm not taking anyone's inventory, I'm not really, I'm just trying to help them."
A genuine spiritual person, a mature person won't engage in a long negative conversation about another and then finish the talk with "well, God bless him" as if that makes the trash talk O.K.
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