Hmmm. No one's posted anything to this thread for a while, so I guess I'll throw in my 3 cents worth (adjusted for inflation).
I've always believed in some Higher Power that drives the universe. MythofSysiphus said something about the stars & planets running around obeying some "set of rules", but he (or she) doesn't offer any theory about where these "rules" may have originated.
Religion nearly obliterated my belief system. I looked at a lot of different religions and couldn't identify with ANY of them. They all seemed to have some sort of anthropomorphized "God" and I couldn't understand how any "God" could allow the suffering and misery that is all around us. I stayed lost for many years. I gave up looking.
I tried AA for a couple of years and couldn't stay sober. I realized later that this was because I still wanted to drink more than I wanted sobriety. My last drunk lasted just over 2 years and at the end of that time I decided to put a shotgun in my mouth and end the suffering. At that same moment I had that moment of sparkling clarity that the big book of AA talks about. I heard a voice, loud and clear, that simply said "You don't have to live this way anymore if you don't want to". The thought certainly didn't come from me (although Jung might say differently).
I'd heard those words many times before in the rooms of AA. I went back to AA that evening and haven't had a drink since. But I digress.
I still had the "God" thing to get over. The best example I found of my Higher Power came from Hollywood and not any religion. When I had watched George Lucas' "Star Wars" movies, somehow "The Force" resonated with me. It not only had it's Good side, but also the Dark side, either of which could be harnessed and used. It explained (in a way that made some sense to me, at least) the evil that existed as well as the good.
I truly believe that there is some force out there that influences everything around us and provides the immutable laws of nature and the "set of rules" mentioned above.
It may sound corny to some (maybe many), but it has worked for me for many years. I do believe that the soul lives on after physical death. I believe that it is reunited with this mysterious "force" (what religious folk would call heaven). I also believe in hell, not as a physical place bad people go to after physical death, but as a state of mind we occupy when influenced by the dark side. The big book of AA talks about the "pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization" and the terrible 4 horsemen "Terror, Frustration, Bewilderment and Despair" we all feel at the end. That's hell.
I've been a sober member of AA for a long time now and have no problem reconciling "God" as I understand Him. This has worked well for me. Whether or not is will for you is not for me to guess.
If this helps anyone, I'm grateful. If not, just move on to the next post and the next until you find what it is you are seeking.
May the Force be with you!