Step 11: Seek Through Prayer And Meditation To Improve Our Conscious Contact With God As We Understand Him
In Step Nine of the 12 Step process, we begin to experience oneness with all people and all things. In Step Ten, we learn how to enter into the world of the Spirit and live consciously throughout the day. Now in Step Eleven, we must create a system that allows us to live each day by drawing upon our true SELF for answers instead of reacting unconsciously.
Understanding the Role of Step Eleven In the Recovery Process
We have already determined while working Steps One through Ten that living a life based on our own self will has created only a life of chaos for us. As addicts, we have an illness of the body, mind, emotions, and spirit.
Each one of us is preprogrammed by our experienced with a way of thinking and reacting to life that has obviously not worked for us. Continuing to react from the unconscious will only create more chaos and keep us further from living the life our true SELF desires.
In order for us to continuously draw upon our spiritual SELF for answers rather than reacting through our self-serving pre-programmed manner, we must commit to a daily routine of prayer and meditation.
Prayer:
1: A supplication or expression addressed to God or a god.
2: The act or practice of praying to God or a god.
Meditation:
1: To engage in deep mental exercise directed toward a heightened level of spiritual awareness.
Developing a System to Turn To Our Thought SELF For Answers
If we wish to remain conscious of our true SELF, we must continuously take steps to ensure that our reactions to the world are generated from our true SELF, not from the diseased ego state. So that we don’t lose our way, we must connect and strengthen our thought-life by taking the following actions on a daily basis:
- Upon awakening, turn our thoughts directly to the God of our understanding
- Ask for freedom from our self-willed thoughts
- Invite the new Power to direct and guide our thinking throughout the day
- Engage in a 20-30 minute period of meditation
- Write down any thoughts or details that come to mind directly following meditation
Mark's Own Experience with Step 11
"Having just celebrated 25 years without a drink or a drug I can testify from experience the tremendous benefits I have derived from the daily practices described in Step 11. Prayer and meditation on a daily basis give me peace of mind, guidance, dissipate my fears, give me direction of purpose, and an increased sense of well being."
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