HIGHER POWER

One's personal concept of a power greater than oneself arrived at through the working of the steps of the AA program; to some, God; to others, the power of the program itself; to still others, their automobile. AA does not require a belief in God so much as the understanding that one must turn their will and their life over to a power outside of and greater than oneself. That said, the notion of "Higher Power" is left vague enough that other atheists & agnostics comfortably follow A.A.'s approach to recovery.

Bob Wilson’s Higher Power: God as we understood Him.

You will also often hear AA members refer to a "Higher Power" or, as the Second Step puts it, "a Power greater than ourselves." Again this does not imply that all members believe in the same "Higher Power" or that you need to believe in the "Higher Power" that any other member believes in. These phrases were adopted in order to give everyone who wished to recover from alcoholism an equal opportunity to attain that goal. Believe as you wish to believe.

We urge new members to explore whatever beliefs they may have in a Power greater than themselves. There are no religious requirements or beliefs necessary for membership. Some of us either lost our spirituality before we came to A.A. or have never had any spiritual beliefs. As we recovered, many of us experienced new or reawakened spiritual feelings. Be open-minded.
First thing in heading towards spirituality is great renunciation of the self, unconditionally and absolutely in thought and action. But as it is, we are undisciplined and lack self control and poise that senses and desires lead us astray.

Spiritual eye awakening comes to him, who sacrifices his personal life to the great cause of compassion, and who purifies his heart from all the dross of passions and frees his mind from all delusions of vanity and prejudice. It enables us to discern our right path in life and to discriminate true from false.

Ignorant prayer to God that our foolish wishes may be granted is a sign of self centeredness and selfishness- which if not granted will lead to loss in Faith.

Higher Power is the voice of Divine in man or it is the teaching of men who have progressed spiritually and their mind has become One with the higher consciousness of the God with in. Man is a temple of God. The foundation of the BB is in religion and medicine. All religions in varying degrees ministered to the moral and spiritual progress of mankind.

The Divine transcendence (to surpass metaphysically beyond human knowledge) and the Divine immanence (Present every where) are two great complementing conceptions of life. The ancient pagan Greek philosopher Plato said that the highest power was the Good Itself, that transcendent principle by whose light we could tell the difference between good and bad, right and wrong, appropriate and inappropriate. God is, (Truth Itself), which is why people can't get this notion until they get honest with themselves. A true and clear perception of the purpose of life is most essential towards realizing that purpose. It is also of great importance to know ourselves, what we were and how we have become what we are and to know the various principles of our constitution that we may work intelligently towards progressing spiritually of our being. He accepts any person who fears God and worked righteousness. The alcoholic attitude is the neglect of the higher nature of man and become subservient to the lower or selfishness. Materialistic mind might very soon degrade the spiritual to the carnal.

He who is satisfied in both success and failure, never entangled although performing actions. The duality of the material world is felt in terms of misery and happiness. These signs are only visible when one is fully in transcendental knowledge. All living entities are born in to delusion bewildered by dualities arisen from desire and hate. In the minds of those who are attached to the sense of enjoyment and material opulence (very rich), the resolute determination for devotional service does not take place.

Hatred cease not any time by hatred, hatred cease by love. This is an Eternal Law. The descent of the spirit in to the matter is the fall of man. There is also sacrifice of the lower self as it dies to its desires and passions and rises to the higher life of spirit. The object of all this is to return the human Spirit by absorbing in to the Immortal Spirit of Divine by raising the lower nature to higher virtues. It will have transcended in the flame of true love. Wisdom –religion spoke of dying daily and being dead in to the sin but alive to righteousness.

Throughout all ages, the most profound impulse of the human spirit has been the longing for perfect love, understanding, joy, and completeness – for Truth itself. It is considered to be the supreme reality and to have the ultimate meaning and value of existence. The study of Truth is part of philosophical and epistemology (study of the limits of nature). Then alone the man is known as true, if the truth were in his heart.

“Not mine but Thine Will be done with willingness, honesty and an open mind”