The Twelve Steps have assisted recovering people to find sobriety for over half a century. The principles are much more ancient founded upon the transformative work of Christ over 2000 years ago.

Seven of the Twelve Steps connect directly to spirituality. This is no accident. Spirituality touches transcendence, the truth behind drug use.  When an addict uses, she transcends her pain momentarily in the attempt to relieve its anxiety.  It makes sense that a careful attending to one’s spirit (non material truth) can heal addiction neural pathways.

The final three Steps touch conscious awareness and maturity.  Steps 10-12 teach the recovering addict to continue healthy self examination, spirituality, and giving the gift to others.

Are these not the character traits of the aware and the mature mind? I am focused on continued growth, humble enough to admit wrongs, praying-meditating on the ability of the prefrontal cortex to be aware of God committed to His will and power.

These are the traits of the mature.  A vet posted in a comment that he has been betrayed more by pastors than his brothers in the military. I agree.  We live in an era of replacing the sacred spirituality of conscious awareness and maturity with Nihilism.

The greatest betrayals whether from the clergy pedophile, or corrupt politicians in ecclesiastical organizations have emerged in this era. The pedophile and the politician alike project the nothing-matters-but-the-moment Nihilism of our culture.

Can we project a new vision?  One of connection with spirituality and maturity?  The Steps and their spiritual results have never been more relevant in a Nihilistic culture. Ongoing growth with humility matter, spirituality with conscious awareness transcends Nihilism, and the awakening that results…stunning.

 

 

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with
God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and
the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to
carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our
affairs