Lpg

Hey guys,

I'm going through the big book at a study group and have been reading alot. I'm stuck with the higher power part, iv never been religious not for any reason other than I wasn't raised with religion so not got alot of feeling towards it, I'm not opposed to the idea of it But what I'm asking is does your higher power have to come from God or can It be something other?

I have recently been studying Crystal healing and bringing meditation into it which I find really powerful to me. Can something like this be classed as a higher power?

Thanks lpg

Dee74

I haven't got a horse in this race but I posted this recently - it might help you make sense of what a Higher Power is to you?

D

Lpg

Thank you dee

Ken33xx

You can use anything. The idea is to have something to turn your problems over you. Say you're at an airport and your flight has been cancelled due to engine problems. Nothing you do about this. You're frustrated but also realize it is out of your hands.

Now... say you hate your job and your boss. You feel you have a legitimate reason for feeling this way but to stew in resentment won`t help. In fact it might cause you to get mad enough that you pick up a drink.

So... you turn the problem over to a higher power which relieves you of the burden. Does it actually work? Well, that depends on the individual. For me the question is how long will I moan/groan before I do something.

The entire 12 steps as I see them are designed to help you live life on the straight and narrow. Don`t lie, cheat and apologize when wrong.

If you do these things life generally runs a bit smoother as opposed to trying to cut corners.

Now, we`re all human and no one is perfect. We do the best we can.

The whole HP concept can be a major sticking point for some but it doesn't have to be.

Grungehead

Higher Power to me means "a power greater than myself". For me that is God, but there are plenty of things more powerful than myself. Some use nature, the universe, and even "G.O.D." (group of drunks i.e. their AA group). What was important to me was to come to the realization that when I was my own higher power my life was a mess.

tomsteve

good questions and good to see ya investigating.

the chapter,'we agnostics" may answer this. heres a lil part of it:

We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. "Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?" As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built.

Lpg

4
August
SEEDS OF FAITH
Faith, to be sure, is necessary, but faith alone can avail nothing. We can have faith, yet keep God out of our lives.
— TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 34
As a child I constantly questioned the existence of God. To a "scientific thinker" like me, no answer could withstand a thorough dissection, until a very patient woman finally said to me, "You must have faith." With that simple statement, the seeds of my recovery were sown!

Today, as I practice my recovery – cutting back the weeds of alcoholism – slowly I am letting those early seeds of faith grow and bloom. Each day of recovery, of ardent gardening, brings the Higher Power of my understanding more fully into my life. My God has always been with me through faith, but it is my responsibility to have the willingness to accept His presence.

I ask God to grant me the willingness to do His will.

Lol today's daily reflection quite fitting for my question today.

Yes I did read the agnostics part of the big book... A few times haha as I do have some difficulties grasping the lingo in the book. I was recommended the big book dictionary to help with this.

I think I understand abit better now, thanks guys.

Lpg

courage2

Absolutely!

I go by "all is brahma." In which case, your higher power resides in you, and in a crystal, and in the virgin mary etc etc. Go for what works, and keep an open mind to all that heals

Briansy

In meetings the last 3 days it seemed apparent that most people viewed the "fellowship" as the higher power to which they sort of accounted to. For me, an admission that I can't do it on my own and need the help of others (most likely those who have been in my boat) is enough to satisfy that "requirement". But I'm in very early days and have no idea how I'll feel this time next week. I hope better than I do now!

tomsteve

same here. it was wayyyyy over my head.
after being sober for a while and reading it a jillion times i realized something:
the real problem was i thought something to help me get sober had to be extremely complicated, so i wasnt understanding the simplicity of it.
plus, i wasnt used to something written so eloquently with the proper use of grammar.

good on ya for askin question,lpg! thats how we learn.

August252015

I love that you said this, Briansy!

It was so important for me to realize that I didn't have to, and couldn't possibly, know everything or how I would feel in a week, as was said. There is a reason that the word "willing" is used before "to believ" (it also appears again before "to make amends," further on) - we just need to be able to consider is stuff when we are starting AA. That really takes off any pressure I might have self imposed. I did not have to do any of this alone!

Learning and questioning and figuring out how to build a recovery program and life at works for me, based on AA, has been my path to that happy, joyous and free part the Promises forecast for us.

Lpg

Thanks courage that's what I was thinking. It sounds abit airy fairy but I find it really therapeutic and calming. Iv been meditating in the morning and it really sets me up for the day. I want to learn more about the way crystals work too.

Lpg

Thanks for this I love that. The meeting itself can be a higher power. Stick around here brainsy

Lpg

Yes this is exactly me! I make it way more complicated than it needs to be. Yeah I figure now if I'm stuck I need to ask the questions, it's all about learning. I'm grateful u have somewhere to come to ask for help and guidance.

fini

Lpg,
maybe read around some in the Secular 12-step section; i think a lot of folks have struggled with the "god-thing" and that is what took them there to grapple more.

nez

I had trouble with all the God/Higher power talk when i first started trying to get sober. T he crack that developed in the wall I built up happened when I admitted that I was not the highest power in the universe. I could not solve the riddle of of sobriety. There are many things in the universe that are in play that are way beyond my comprehension and understanding. Some are simple. Some are complex. Just admitting that I didn't have all the answers started the crack that developed into an opening through my wall into a journey of discovering powers greater than myself.

MindfulMan

I found the We Agnostic chapter patronizing to the agnostic, and not at all useful to me. There is too much reliance on the idea of faith as used in Christian religions, even though they seem to go to great pains not to call it that. A rose is a rose is a rose no matter what you call it.

I worked with a sponsor for weeks to try and name and find a higher power, I finally realized that I was trying to force a square peg in a round hole, and looked to other methods.

There's an agnostic guy I loved in AA/NA/CA called Spiritual Al that wrestled with these issues for years, and never totally resolved them, even though he was instrumental in forming some of the agnostic AA groups in South LA. We spoke a bit at meetings, he found a way to work his own program, but could understand my difficulty and encouraged me to explore other recovery groups.

What a character. Love that guy.

NYCDoglvr

I'm sober 26 years and still an agnostic. My higher power was a tree in early recovery (it's "god as you understand him/her"). Now God = group of drunks. It works fine.