Spiritual Program

[MajestyJo]

Yesterday I was blessed to hear a panel on how AA members found the spirituality in the program and how it worked for them.

One went back to his roots, and got involved in the Native Culture and is sharing recovery around the US and Canada.

Another had been in and out for several years, and finally he surrendered to the program, and now has 7 years clean.

The final speaker was a big lover of Zen. I heard him say to someone before the meeting, when I open my mouth, I will confuse everyone. I totally identified with him.

It doesn't matter what religion or path you follow as long as it is spiritual in nature.

For me, spirituality is giving without expecting back. Spirituality is about taking care of yourself, making healthy choices, so you can pass on a healing and positive message. That doesn't mean I sugar coat it and tell it how others want to hear it, but share it to the best of my ability, as a clean clear channel, sharing the message(s) that I have experienced and given to me by my God. My words are not original, they are what I have heard around the rooms of recovery, in my meditations, my perspective of what I have heard and read over the last 22 years. It doesn't matter that it is 22 years just means that I have been practicing for a very long time.

For me spirit means from within, going within and touching base with my God who resides withing. When I surrender, that spirit is lit, sometimes long dormant because I forgot to feed it and acknowledge that it is there.

Taking me out of the equation, it isn't all about me. We are part of the whole, and unity of spirit keeps us together and why I call a meeting, a God Village.

May you ever walk in the Sunlight of the Spirit. May the White Light of Love and the Fellowship of the Spirit, walk with you each day.

[MajestyJo]

The 10 Most Important Things Are...

LOVE
The Special Feeling That Makes You Feel
All Warm And Wonderful.


RESPECT
Treating Others As Well
As You Would Like To Be Treated.


APPRECIATION
To Be Grateful For All The Good Things
Life Has To Offer.


HAPPINESS
The Full Enjoyment Of Each Moment.
A Smiling Face.


FORGIVENESS
The Ability To Let Things Be
Without Anger.


SHARING
The Joy Of Giving
Without Thought Of Receiving.


HONESTY
The Quality Of Always
Telling The Truth.


INTEGRITY
The Purity Of Doing What's Right,
No Matter What.


COMPASSION
The Essence Of Feeling Another's Pain,
While Easing Their Hurt.


PEACE
The Reward For Living
The 10 Most Important Things.

[MajestyJo]

By the time The Creator made woman, it was the sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said, "Why are You spending so much time on this one?"
And The Creator answered, "Have you seen My spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart -and she will do everything with only two hands."
The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."
But I won't," The Creator protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to My own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days."
The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But You have made her so soft."
"She is soft," The Creator agreed, "but I have also made her tough.
You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."
"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.
The Creator replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."
The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like You have a leak in this model.
I told You that You were trying to put too much into this one."
"That's not a leak, that's a tear!"
"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.
"The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."
The angel was impressed. "You are a genius.
You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."
And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry.They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice.They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheers when their friends get awards.They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding. Their hearts break when a friend dies.They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.

The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals.They give moral support to their family and friends.

Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

PLEASE pass this along to all your women friends and relatives to remind them just how amazing they are.

[MajestyJo]

God would give me just enough light for the step I am on...that I would learn to walk by faith.

I read this quote on another site. I had never heard it put this way before. I found it to be very empowering. When I am stuck, I know I can surrender in the moment, accept what is in the moment, and ask for help and it will be given to me.

It is my personal belief that the Light comes in at the point of surrender. I can't, God can, and I have to ask for His help. I have to follow it up with action.

Surrender is a Principle of Step One for me. God brought me here, and gives me the tools to stay here, one day at a time.

It goes hand in hand with honesty and acceptance.

"Step One is the base of the pyramid of the rest of the alcoholic's life" - unknown

[MajestyJo]

Will you walk with me?



My friend could you always be?

Will you take my hand ?

When times are tough, can you take command?


Will you laugh with me,

And share in my glee?

Will you be at my side at every turn,

Teaching me the things I need to learn?


Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall,

Will you be with me to share it all?

As we walk together year after year,

Our friendship only will grow more dear!

Author unknown

Keep coming, so you don't have to come back. Share with others, it lightens your load. We are only as sick as our secrets.

[MajestyJo]

You may have gone to bed last night weary
and wondering how, when and why?

But thank God you woke up this morning and
placed your feet on the floor. And when you did,
I'm sure the enemy said... "DARN, she (he) is up again!"

That's right. You are up again.
You may still be discouraged, but you are not defeated!

You are up again. Your head is up!
Your gratitude is up! Your faith is up!
You are standing up on your faith.
You are cheering up and looking up.
You are speaking up and thinking up.
You are hooking up with the right people.
You are growing up and maturing in your self-esteem, self-worth and self-control.
You are up and ready to make it through and up out
of your temporary circumstances.

To get better sleep, reduce the news watching and
distance yourself from the negative people.
Prayer is better than prozac.
There is no cost... just a lot of reward.
Make sure you pray, and pray believing God will answer.
May today be all you need it to be.
May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit
rest and abide in your thoughts, rule in your dreams tonight,
and conquer all your fears.
May God manifest Himself today in ways you have never experienced.
May your joys be fulfilled, your dreams be closer, and
your prayers be answered. I pray that faith enters a new height
for you; I pray that your territory is enlarged.
I pray for peace, healing, health, happiness, prosperity, joy,
true and undying love for God.

Someone once said, "Aging puts wrinkles on the body.
Quitting puts wrinkles on the soul."

"I pray that God's great power will make you strong, and that you will have joy as you wait and do not give up." Colossians 1:11 (New Life Version)

Tag ---- you just caught God blessing you

Stay in the Light,
~ Jewel Diamond Taylor, Keynote Speaker, Emotional Intelligence Trainer, Success Coach, Author and Women's Retreat Leader

[MajestyJo]

This is a spiritual program, not a religious one. It is finding the power of our belief in something other than ourselves. Yet for me, this power is within me, when I surrender and say my way doesn't work, I am empowered to do what I need to do for myself from the Source, from which all Creation flows.

For me it was so important to limit this power by my "human" concept, but to be open minded and look for God in all things and be open to receiving messages through His messengers.

God isn't the burning bush, but the flower on the bush. He isn't always the bright shining light, but the glimmer and glow that comes from within. He isn't a man of religion, yet if that man's words are divinely inspired, they can empower us.

We are empowered to be Co-Creators of our own Universe.

Because recovery is a spiritual program, and all the Steps have Spiritual Principles, I am hoping that we can all come together and share our recovery.

Powerlessness, willingness, honesty, courage, faith, etc. are all parts of recovery no matter what substance you used to feed your addiction, the Steps are a tool to a better way of life. I can't think my way into good living, I have to live my way into good thinking.

I used alcohol like I used other substances to escape my reality. I am an alcoholic who chooses not to drink today. I am an addict whose drug of choice (in the moment) was always more. I could stop many times, but I could not stay stopped. It was only through the healing and the growth of working the Steps, that I found a Higher Power and the ability to stay stopped.

Written by me in 2005 at 14 years sober.

I not only was able to stay clean and sober, but it helped me deal with all the outside issues I had regarding abuse, mental issues like anxiety and depression, emotional trauma like seeing my brother killed when I was 3 and took on the guilt that it was all my fault, anger, rejection, abandonment, etc.

[MajestyJo]

Spiritual Deficit Disorder - SDD

What is it?

Spiritual Deficit Disorder is the result of chronic stress and constantly feeling overwhelmed with too much to do, too many places to go, deadlines to meet, expectations to live up to, and not enough quality time for YOU.

Spiritual Deficit Disorder occurs when you have lost that special connection with your Essence, your Spirit. It occurs when you are driven by something external to validate You.

Dr. Paul Pearsall, in his book titled "Toxic
Success" states that people who are experiencing SDD (spiritual deficit disorder) suffer from a constant nagging feeling of self doubt and feeling "not enough".

The unfortunate thing about SDD is that no matter how successful one is in the eyes of others, no matter all the achievements and accomplishments...one still feels empty inside, like there is a "missing piece".

For many who suffer from SDD, that nagging feeling of "not enough" and searching for the missing piece, only causes further stress, and a greater longing to return to Spirit. The cycle perpetuates itself until the body can no longer handle the stress and separation from Spirit.

For some, the wake up call is dis-ease in the body, for others it takes its toll on relationships, career, and even family.

People who are cut off from their Essence, their Spirit, have cut themselves off from the very source of their life - Their Heart.

We know that the "Silenced Heart" is the number one cause of Heart disease in America today. Research indicates that what is in our minds, our thoughts and the nagging habits that drive us to separation from our Hearts, is the toxicity that impairs our health and our well being.

We need to slow down, reconnect with our Heart and get in touch with what is most important to us.

How does one do this?

It's far simpler than you may think!

The 4 Secrets To A Healthy Joyful Heart:

1. Breathe - Deeply
We underestimate the power of the breath!
The Hawaiians practice daily whats called the "Ha Rite" which is deep breathing.
Each time you breathe, deeply, from your diaphragm,you are massaging all your organs, especially your Heart. You are also automatically inviting your body to relax... let go and to surrender into the present moment.

2. Take Time For You
No matter what... Take at least 10 minutes a day for YOU - with absolute consistency.
Engage in some activity or hobby that brings your Heart joy, peace and love.
Take a walk in Nature
Listen to your favorite music
Light a candle and just breathe into the flame
Watch a sunset
Visit an animal shelter on the way home
Take a relaxing bubble bath
Have a massage
Turn off the news and BE with YOU
Whatever it is... just do that something special
for You each day!

3. Honor The Wisdom of Your Heart
Take time to get in touch with what your Heart
truly desires.
Listen to your Heart, and honor it.
Practice trusting your Heart's Wisdom... it will
never fail you.

4. Experience Unconditional Love
Unconditional love comes from your Heart... it is your Heart.
When you discover your own unconditional self love you will be living from your open Heart. You will feel more joy, love, peace and true happiness than ever before.
It will change your life!
To learn more about SDD I highly recommend Dr. Paul Pearsall's book "Toxic Success"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"All dis-ease in the human body is related to lack of love or to experiencing only love that is
conditional"
Dr. Bernie Siegel

[MajestyJo]

WHAT DEPLETES YOUR SOUL?

"Certain activities, attitudes, foods, and persons support the cultivation of an unconscious life. They draw us away from our center. They throw us off-balance. They deplete the soul."
-- Patricia Lynn Reilly

Some activities we think are restful are, in fact, draining. Set an intention to really become aware of how you feel after you've engaged in different activities. Awareness helps us make better choices for ourselves.

"We have to try to cure our faults by attention and not by will."

-- Simone Weil

From Women at Heart

[MajestyJo]

There is a special place in life, that needs my humble skill,
A certain job I'm meant to do, which no one else can fulfill.

The time will be demanding, the pay is not too good,
And I wouldn't change it for a moment, even if I could.

There is a special place in life, a goal I must attain,
A dream that I must follow because I won't be back again.

There is a mark that I must leave, however small it seems to be.
A legacy of love for those who follow after me.

There is a special place in life, that only I may share.
A little path that bears my name, awaiting me somewhere.

There is a hand that I must hold, a word that I must say,
A smile that I must give, for there are tears to blow away.

There is a special place in life that I was meant to fill.
A sunny spot where flowers grow, upon a windy hill.

There's always a tomorrow and the
best is yet to be, for somewhere
in this world, I know there
is a place for me.


~© Grace E. Easley

[MajestyJo]

THINK on THESE THINGS
by Joyce Sequichie Hifler
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Texture is that finely woven fabric of life that demands we have a congenial environment. It asks that we be industrious toward success, and that we should have a way of life, a purpose. We should hear the music of life and taste the bitter and the sweet.

Texture requires us to research every experience and learn the lessons in it. It orders us to communicate with life and make discoveries about ourselves and progress toward a texture where the coarse has been refined.

Frequently we should examine the texture of life to identify the quality. How wide is my world? How high is my sky?

All of us should know our own makeup, our capabilities, our gifts with which we have been divinely endowed. And we should think long on these words from Edna St. Vincent Millay's Renascence:
"The world stands out on either side no wider than the heart is wide. Above the world is stretched the sky, no higher than the soul is high."

My primary purpose is to carry the message of recovery and to share my experience, strength, and hope with others, with the desire and hope, that it will help someone else. I had no purpose in life prior to entering the doors of recovery. I was marking time, existing instead of living.

[MajestyJo]

The awareness that is growing in you now is not the result of any conscious 'doing', nor do you need to struggle to make something happen. Any sense you might have had that you've been groping in the dark is dissolving now, or will be dissolving soon. Let yourself settle, and remember that deep inside you are just a witness, eternally silent, aware and unchanged. A channel is now opening from the circumference of activity to that center of witnessing. It will help you to become detached, and a new awareness will lift the veil from your eyes.

- Zen

So many times in recovery, the light just goes on. I am travelling this road of enlightenment with blinder on with no knowingness, and am but a child who has been reborn of the spirit. Every once in a while the light goes on and I get new direction, new hope and I start to see things in a new light.

"If you had one had in the hand of your Higher Power and the other hand in the hand of a newcomer, you had no hands left to pick up!"

[MajestyJo]

Hugs

Hugging is healthy. . . . . .
It helps the immune system, cures
depression, reduces stress and induces
sleep. It's invigorating, rejuvenating, and
has no unpleasant side effects.

Hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.
Hugging is good medicine. It transfers energy,
and gives the person hugged an emotional
boost.

Hugging feel good and warms, overcomes fear,
eases tension, it must be why God gave us arms.
You need four hugs a day for survival, eight for
maintenance, and twelve for growth.

- - unknown

[MajestyJo]

So glad that the Serenity Prayer can not be worn out. It has been a true blessing to me. Short and to the point, it allows me recognize that of myself I am nothing, with God all things are possible.

One of the biggest results of prayer is the fact that I am sober 22 years. For that alone, I will be eternally grateful.

Prayer has been the answer for me for so many years. So many times I found myself stressed, only to feel the hand of my God, touch me and bring me peace. I always liked the saying, "God answer's knee-mail." The old knee doesn't allow me to go there any more but I think it is the surrender of the mind and spirit as much as it is the body, so have to accept 2 out of 3 these days.

The most important thing that I have learned is that is good to pray but it is more important to be still and listen for the answers. Faith for me isn't praying over and over again for the same thing, but praying and leaving things in God's Hands. I do pray and put a person in God's Hands and give them what they need instead of putting a request as to what I think they need. Not easy, but I try not to play God with other people's lives these days.

Today, I broke my rule of only buying $3. worth of Nevada Tickets. I spent $5. and didn't get anything. I was in the process of beating myself up while walking out of the mall and met up with an Al-Anon member. If I hadn't stopped to play the tickets I would have missed her. $5. is a small price to pay for a mini-meeting. I just tried to put some good into a not so good thing.

Posted in 2011

[MajestyJo]

The Watchmaker - In charge of all of creation. As my friend says to me, "Put it out to the Universe and see what you get back."

http://kids4truth.com/Dyna/Watchmaker/English.aspx

I found it to be awesome!

My thought tonight was, "God is but a prayer away." Sometimes that prayer is simply a word, "Help" and has more meaning now than it did when I was using. No longer, "Help me get out of this mess and I'll never do it again."

So many things I can't change, I don't have the power. I do have the choice. I can pray and ask for help. When that prayer is answered, I am empowered to do what I need to do for myself or other people are put in my path, and all I have to do is accept God's gracious gift for what is, not as I would have it be. When prayers are answered, a prayer of thanksgiving should always follow. Mine is generally, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," when I am aware and able to acknowledge a gift from my God.

Posted in 2004

A direct result of prayer that works, the prayers don't stop here, they continue.