12 Steps... I've come to begin to love them. I didn't really get them at first. 2 years ago I bought a book about them. But this summer I actually went to a few meetings to learn. Before I did that I heard from a reliable source that Shoghi Effendi was involved with the beginnings of the 12 Step Program. Perhaps he was a member of the "Oxford Group" who first started the forerunner of AA.
And as a Baha'i - I can see that the 12 steps are incredibly helpful to learning to Trust God. To trust that life can be lived consciously, and with more honesty and unity, and many more virtues of God - and that it's a step by step process that you do from inside yourself, but that you can also do along side many others who are consciously working on the same thing.
When I first became an active Baha'i person - I was 18 years old. I had been raised as a Baha'i child from the age of about 6 (although I lived with my father from age 13-18 and was not engaged daily in Baha'i activities during that time - more like just during the Christmas and summer breaks when visiting my mother). At age 18 I was interested in some Guidance in my life. Not from Dad, or boyfriend, or best friends, or Mom, or society. I wanted to be aligned with something big and Perfect and Good for everyone. I looked into my religion books I had collected over the years. At age 18, just before starting community college, I got that religion was Good, and Perfect and Big and All-Inclusive - and I was excited to start trying.
I didn't understand "Process", and I wasn't all that "Conscious" but probably I was perfectly so for that time. Anyway - many years later, I'm open to the 12 steps as a way to improve the consciousness even more. And I share it here with you.
Questions:
1. How did you become more conscious of "removing defects" from character and enjoying life more?
2. What helps you to not feel alone in the process of spiritual growth? What is spiritual growth to you?
3. How do you grow with others in your marriage and/or family life?
4. How do you talk to your spouse about this? How do you encourage him/her in his growth while taking care of your own? How do you let him/her support you in yours?
And as a Baha'i - I can see that the 12 steps are incredibly helpful to learning to Trust God. To trust that life can be lived consciously, and with more honesty and unity, and many more virtues of God - and that it's a step by step process that you do from inside yourself, but that you can also do along side many others who are consciously working on the same thing.
When I first became an active Baha'i person - I was 18 years old. I had been raised as a Baha'i child from the age of about 6 (although I lived with my father from age 13-18 and was not engaged daily in Baha'i activities during that time - more like just during the Christmas and summer breaks when visiting my mother). At age 18 I was interested in some Guidance in my life. Not from Dad, or boyfriend, or best friends, or Mom, or society. I wanted to be aligned with something big and Perfect and Good for everyone. I looked into my religion books I had collected over the years. At age 18, just before starting community college, I got that religion was Good, and Perfect and Big and All-Inclusive - and I was excited to start trying.
I didn't understand "Process", and I wasn't all that "Conscious" but probably I was perfectly so for that time. Anyway - many years later, I'm open to the 12 steps as a way to improve the consciousness even more. And I share it here with you.
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have, with God's help, led millions of
alcoholics, addicts and codependents to recovery for over 70 years. Written by
AA co-founder Bill W., the Twelve Steps are based on the principles of The
Oxford Group, an evangelical Christian movement in the early 20th century
founded by Lutheran minster Dr. Frank Buchman. Interestingly, because the first
AA meetings were actually Oxford Group meetings, those attending to recover from
alcoholism brought their bibles for studying Oxford Group principles. Among the
readings studied and recommended by AA co-sponsor Dr. Bob were the Sermon on the Mount, and the "love chapter" from 1 Corinthians 13, and the Book of James.
Those early AA meetings almost became known as "James meetings" in reference to
the book of the same name.
Questions:
1. How did you become more conscious of "removing defects" from character and enjoying life more?
2. What helps you to not feel alone in the process of spiritual growth? What is spiritual growth to you?
3. How do you grow with others in your marriage and/or family life?
4. How do you talk to your spouse about this? How do you encourage him/her in his growth while taking care of your own? How do you let him/her support you in yours?
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