{"id":2876,"date":"2025-02-03T15:20:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T15:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/?p=2876"},"modified":"2025-02-03T18:08:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T18:08:42","slug":"spiritual-awakening-and-the-12-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/2025\/02\/03\/spiritual-awakening-and-the-12-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Awakening and the 12 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n


Spiritual Awakening and the 12 Steps<\/strong>!<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you hear \u201cspiritual experience<\/em>\u201d or \u201cspiritual awakening<\/em>,\u201d what comes to mind? In today\u2019s world of pop spirituality, the term has been stretched so broadly that it might describe anything\u2014going to church, attending a rock concert, burning sage, or even letting a baby goat stand on your back. With so many interpretations, it\u2019s easy to see why people are confused.<\/p>\n\n\n

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No wonder some newcomers hesitate when they read in the Big Book that they \u201cmay be suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will conquer<\/em>.\u201d Some may have no concept of what that means, while others assume it refers to vague, feel-good spirituality with no apparent connection to recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For these individuals, a lesson in 12 Step spirituality is in order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At CORE, when we talk about spirituality-based recovery, we\u2019re not referring to nature walks, rhythmic drumming, or burning incense. While these may be meaningful to some, they aren\u2019t what we mean by the spiritual awakening required for recovery.  The awakening in the 12 Steps isn\u2019t about momentary feelings\u2014it\u2019s about the fundamental change in our thinking and perception that leads to permanent freedom from addiction. That\u2019s something entirely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Big Book describes this as a \u201cpersonality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism<\/em>.\u201d It\u2019s not about a mystical experience for its own sake. It\u2019s about a transformation so deep that alcohol and drugs no longer hold any power over us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best examples of this is the experience of AA co-founder Bill Wilson.  During Bill\u2019s final hospitalization, his old drinking pal Ebby Thatcher\u2014now sober\u2014visited him and urged him to turn himself over to God\u2019s care. Bill, temporarily sober but declared hopeless by his doctor, wrestled with the idea of God, knowing he had run out of options.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In desperation, he cried out “If there is a God, let Him show Himself! I am ready to do anything, anything<\/em>!”  Suddenly, the room lit up with a great white light, and he was overcome with inexplicable joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a dramatic image. But if we stop there, we miss the key elements that are universal to all who recover. The light itself may seem mystical, but what matters is what came after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill later described this moment in his autobiography:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the mind\u2019s eye, there was a mountain. I stood upon its summit where a great wind blew … not of air, but of spirit … blew right through me. Then came the blazing thought, \u2018You are a free man<\/em>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, he describes the precise moment the obsession with alcohol was lifted. This is something every recovered person experiences\u2014not necessarily with visions of mountains or wind, but with the same unmistakable freedom. The compulsion to use vanishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen a great peace stole over me, and … I became acutely conscious of a presence which seemed like a veritable sea of living spirit. …\u2018This,\u2019 I thought, \u2018must be the great reality, The God of the preachers<\/em>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This describes the connection with God that all of us who have recovered come to know. It may not come with dramatic visions, but through working the 12 Steps, we come to rely on God \u2013 not as a vague concept, but as a real presence in our lives. This faith brings a deep, unshakable peace, replacing the fears and anxieties that once fueled our obsession to use drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe curious conviction deepened that no matter how wrong things seemed to be, there would be no question of the ultimate rightness of God\u2019s universe. …Even though a pilgrim upon an uncertain highway, I need be concerned no more<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is acceptance\u2014a hallmark of recovery. Life is no longer something to be fought against. Instead of fears and resentments, we trust that things are as they should be, and no hardship shakes our serenity.  We live life on life\u2019s terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was seized with an ecstasy beyond description. Every joy I had known was pale by comparison. …For the first time I felt that I really belonged. I knew that I was loved and could love in return<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, Bill describes the end of isolation and self-centeredness, replaced instead by connection and love. Every recovered person reaches this realization\u2014we are not alone, we belong, and we are capable of giving and receiving love in a way that was impossible in our addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thanked my God who had given me a glimpse of His absolute Self<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This final realization captures gratitude, which naturally propels us into a purpose-driven life. Bill W.\u2019s awakening led to AA and, eventually, every other 12-Step program. This deep sense of gratitude and purpose becomes a way of life for every recovered person.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bill understood that his personal experience was unique to him and that everyone\u2019s encounter with God would be different in its details. The white light is dramatic, yes, but it isn\u2019t necessary for recovery.  Because what truly matters \u2013 the internal transformation \u2013 is not unique to Bill W. at all.  Anyone who works the 12 Steps and follows this path will reach the same place:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freedom from the obsession
Trust in God
Living life on life\u2019s terms
The ability to love and serve others
Gratitude and purpose<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what we mean by spiritual awakening in recovery. It\u2019s available to anyone willing to do the work, leading to a profound transformation that brings light where there was once only darkness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When this happens, you won\u2019t need to look for the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are the miracle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The light is you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spiritual Awakening and the 12 Steps! When you hear \u201cspiritual experience\u201d or \u201cspiritual awakening,\u201d what comes to mind? In today\u2019s world of pop spirituality, the term has been stretched so broadly that it might describe anything\u2014going to church, attending a rock concert, burning sage, or even letting a baby goat stand on your back. With…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2876"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2876\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2883,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2876\/revisions\/2883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}