SPIRITUAL AWAKENING OF THE MIND

Is sobriety all that we are to expect of a spiritual awakening? No, sobriety is only a bare beginning; it is only the first gift of the first awakening. If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on. As it does go on, we find that bit-by-bit we can discard the old life - the one that did not work - for a new life that can and does work under any conditions whatever. --Bill W

The terms "spiritual experience" and "spiritual awakening” show that the personality change sufficient to bring about recovery from alcoholism has manifested itself among us in many different forms of the "educational variety" because they develop slowly over a period of time. Quite often friends of the newcomer are aware of the difference long before he is himself. The individual finally realizes that he has undergone a profound alteration in his reaction to life that such a change could hardly have been brought about by him alone. What often takes place in a few months could seldom have been accomplished by years of self-discipline. With few exceptions our members have tapped an unsuspected inner resource, which they presently identify with their own conception of a Power greater than themselves.

Most of us think this awareness of a Power greater than ourselves is the essence of spiritual experience. Our more religious members call it "God-consciousness."

Any alcoholic capable of honestly facing his problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided he does not close his mind to all spiritual concepts. He can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial and no one need have difficulty with the spirituality of the program. Willingness, honesty and open mindedness are the indispensable essentials of recovery.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to investigation." ----Herbert Spencer

The mind has to be controlled. The more mastery you have over yourself, over the vagaries of your own mind, the better you are placed for enjoying even this normal world - even if you don't have any spiritual hankering. If all the time you pursue your desires, to bring the mind to a quiet position is difficult. It is necessary, for gaining enjoyable experiences from the world, and also the later spiritual experience, which is the ultimate goal of this life. Many of our problems arise because of a sense of boredom, monotony, pressure, and unfulfilled desires. These are some of the basic causes why the mind is often thrown off its balance, even if there is no major external situation. A change of attitude is necessary to get a grip over the mind to get better results.

In an objective situation you cannot expect that there will be no bad experiences in life. A man has to learn is how not to react at all, to possess inner calmness. Deal with the situation without getting emotionally involved.

It is at this stage that each individual is looking differently at the same situation depending on the stage of his spiritual progress. Most of us spend much of our energy in fretting and fuming. To make decisions we take days and days. When we work we have our worries, our anxieties. A calm, quiet man, once he decides something, can quietly do it without losing his mental poise and balance. This can be achieved with meditation to develop calmness and serenity of the mind. It is the basic training for making the mind purer, along with sitting quietly and calmly daily, and trying to think that thought.

The spiritual attitude is, to find a meaning for every suffering. The moment you have found some explanation, that suffering becomes less and if the spiritual awareness is there, he is a well-rounded, practical, efficient, spiritual man. The real spiritual experience is so profound that it wholly transforms the character of the individual.

Life is a process of growth that is spiritual as well as physical, from one stage to the next.
A person practices truth and develops virtue, self-control, insight, and self-confidence, and finally the stage of maturity.

Signs of Spiritual Awakening:

1. An increased tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
2. Feelings of happiness and enjoying each moment with out any worry.
3. Feelings of being connected with others and nature.
4. Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
5. A tendency to think and act spontaneously.
8. A loss of interest in conflict, judgment, and interpreting others actions.
9. Gaining the ability to love without expecting anything in return.