Walking Each other Home
When I first got sober, I wasn't clear-headed enough to even consider the Traditions and what they mean. But now that I've got some time and recovery, I think they have the noblest purpose of anything else I've ever seen. The Traditions are what hold the 12 Step programs together, so that there's actually a functional, safe place for all of us to come together as a group.
Sure, there's the first layer of the Traditions, which is that it helps our Society to function as smoothly as possible. But like almost everything else in life, like Yoga and Ayurveda in particular, there are many deeper levels to something as spiritual as the Traditions.
For me personally, the Traditions are about making a decision to treat other people, my life and my problems differently. They're about practicing respect and consciousness in all areas of my life. Not so I can be this perfect Yogini or something, but so I can feel safe and joyous and free from the bondage of worry and confusion.
Now that I'm in recovery, I'm able to access my true inner power, and the Traditions are another way to wield that, just like the other tools and suggestions of the 12 Step programs. When I think about it, it all comes back to connecting to my Higher Power. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Ram Dass: "We are all just walking each other home." Isn't that the truth? The Traditions help to make the whole world my home... They're 12 new ways for us to love each other, our Higher Power, and ourselves!
One of the biggest principles of these Traditions I like to focus on is Principles Before Personalities! I can dislike how I'm acting or how someone else is behaving, but I have to keep going no matter what, and keep turning my anger and fear into LOVE. There's nothing more important than keeping alive the purpose of AA - to stay sober, recover, and help others to do the same, no matter if I let their behavior annoy me or not.
I don't come to the meetings and have relationships solely to feel safe and receive love on this physical plane - I am ultimately here to give. That's what the Traditions and what Yoga does for me - reminds me to keep giving, even when I feel scared and greedy. I don't mean just service work like planting trees or picking up a newcomer - that's easy giving for me! My greatest challenge is to be kind to the people I live with even when I'm scared there won't be enough food or when they forget to do their chores for the tenth time. My struggle is to stay present and neutral with another person when they cry in front of me, and to stay patient when someone is yelling at me. These are generally small daily events, but they add up to something powerful.
I've heard my auntie say often "Consider the big picture and take care of the details." I take this to mean staying neutral and positive by focusing my energy in the center of my head. I haven't talked about this before but it's a huge help to me in my life. Try it yourself - focus your energy in the center of your head. You find the center by drawing a line from between your eyebrows straight down and from the tops of your ears straight across. Where those two lines meet is the center of your head. If you operate from here, you can have neutrality in any situation.
Another thing I've thought of is that now that I'm in recovery my very life is a principle. It doesn't always matter so much what emotions are tumbling through me and what problems plague me - I mean, what else do I expect? That's a part of this human existence, this process of living! What matters is that I am connected to my Higher Power so I can be helpful and considerate. My greatest desire is to live from my heart.
One of the Traditions is about anonymity. Some people in the program really care about staying anonymous and some don't. I don't in a lot of ways because I'm proud to have the disease of addiction and alcoholism and yet be in recovery and growing every day! I like people to know because it's the biggest part of my life, and talking about my recovery has helped other young people to get sober. I don't mention it to everyone right away, more because I want to make sure I don't jeopardize the anonymity of anyone else. But I do understand about people wanting to stay anonymous, particularly doctors and teachers and others with those jobs who could lose their positions if people knew.
Another saving grace of the Traditions is a Group Conscience! This is in place so that God runs the meeting through us, and no newcomer or other less sane person can let their addictions run wild and let their personality take over the meeting. I like that there's meetings so we can all get "sanity checks" from each other. I do them with my roommates all the time (they're also in recovery) and it's a brilliant idea! Try it. Just say, "I need a sanity check." And then talk about what you're thinking and feeling or why you want to make a certain decision. Sanity checks have saved my butt numerous times!
Okay, I feel like my brain is a little bit friend from writing so much about this. I could go on and on, but I will leave you here. Many blessings, my friends!
Sure, there's the first layer of the Traditions, which is that it helps our Society to function as smoothly as possible. But like almost everything else in life, like Yoga and Ayurveda in particular, there are many deeper levels to something as spiritual as the Traditions.
For me personally, the Traditions are about making a decision to treat other people, my life and my problems differently. They're about practicing respect and consciousness in all areas of my life. Not so I can be this perfect Yogini or something, but so I can feel safe and joyous and free from the bondage of worry and confusion.
Now that I'm in recovery, I'm able to access my true inner power, and the Traditions are another way to wield that, just like the other tools and suggestions of the 12 Step programs. When I think about it, it all comes back to connecting to my Higher Power. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes by Ram Dass: "We are all just walking each other home." Isn't that the truth? The Traditions help to make the whole world my home... They're 12 new ways for us to love each other, our Higher Power, and ourselves!
One of the biggest principles of these Traditions I like to focus on is Principles Before Personalities! I can dislike how I'm acting or how someone else is behaving, but I have to keep going no matter what, and keep turning my anger and fear into LOVE. There's nothing more important than keeping alive the purpose of AA - to stay sober, recover, and help others to do the same, no matter if I let their behavior annoy me or not.
I don't come to the meetings and have relationships solely to feel safe and receive love on this physical plane - I am ultimately here to give. That's what the Traditions and what Yoga does for me - reminds me to keep giving, even when I feel scared and greedy. I don't mean just service work like planting trees or picking up a newcomer - that's easy giving for me! My greatest challenge is to be kind to the people I live with even when I'm scared there won't be enough food or when they forget to do their chores for the tenth time. My struggle is to stay present and neutral with another person when they cry in front of me, and to stay patient when someone is yelling at me. These are generally small daily events, but they add up to something powerful.
I've heard my auntie say often "Consider the big picture and take care of the details." I take this to mean staying neutral and positive by focusing my energy in the center of my head. I haven't talked about this before but it's a huge help to me in my life. Try it yourself - focus your energy in the center of your head. You find the center by drawing a line from between your eyebrows straight down and from the tops of your ears straight across. Where those two lines meet is the center of your head. If you operate from here, you can have neutrality in any situation.
Another thing I've thought of is that now that I'm in recovery my very life is a principle. It doesn't always matter so much what emotions are tumbling through me and what problems plague me - I mean, what else do I expect? That's a part of this human existence, this process of living! What matters is that I am connected to my Higher Power so I can be helpful and considerate. My greatest desire is to live from my heart.
One of the Traditions is about anonymity. Some people in the program really care about staying anonymous and some don't. I don't in a lot of ways because I'm proud to have the disease of addiction and alcoholism and yet be in recovery and growing every day! I like people to know because it's the biggest part of my life, and talking about my recovery has helped other young people to get sober. I don't mention it to everyone right away, more because I want to make sure I don't jeopardize the anonymity of anyone else. But I do understand about people wanting to stay anonymous, particularly doctors and teachers and others with those jobs who could lose their positions if people knew.
Another saving grace of the Traditions is a Group Conscience! This is in place so that God runs the meeting through us, and no newcomer or other less sane person can let their addictions run wild and let their personality take over the meeting. I like that there's meetings so we can all get "sanity checks" from each other. I do them with my roommates all the time (they're also in recovery) and it's a brilliant idea! Try it. Just say, "I need a sanity check." And then talk about what you're thinking and feeling or why you want to make a certain decision. Sanity checks have saved my butt numerous times!
Okay, I feel like my brain is a little bit friend from writing so much about this. I could go on and on, but I will leave you here. Many blessings, my friends!
