Often I catch myself saying that I’m a Christian…and more. I never felt that God exclusively revealed Himself/Herself in any one person or any one religion. I ultimately knew, for me, that there are many paths to God.

Please do not misunderstand what I am saying; I’m not saying that Christianity is wrong or in error…although I do believe that some horrible things have been said and done in the name of Jesus Christ. Indeed, I believe that alcoholics wanted to keep their anonymity because so many (in the early days of AA) believed that they were “bad”, “weak” or “sinful”, rather than having a disease. And if the alcoholic believed they had a disease, the rest of society also saw them as “bad”, “weak” or “sinful”.

It is perhaps important to distinguish the teaching of Jesus from the later dictates of the church…nevertheless — certainly in my life — Jesus and the church have played an invaluable role in my spiritual growth, and I will probably remain “Christian …and more”.

And yet I’m also a spiritual seeker. How can I not be stimulated and enriched by the teachings and writings that have emerged from Jewish, Buddhism, Hindu and Muslim philosophers? The poems of Rumi, and the stimulating and provocative questions posed by atheists and agnostics? Spirituality demands that I think and (yes) sometimes change my mind. Nowhere have I discovered that black-and-white solutions are helpful!

I’m also coming to the awareness that our journey into God is also our journey into ourselves. God is manifest in each and every one of us, and it is our duty, as seekers, to reveal the divine in what we say and do. As Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you”.

In this sense, I’ve had to replace the old tape with a new tape. The old tape told me:

• God sent some people to Hell.
• If you didn’t believe the “right” message, you were a heretic.
• Non-Christian believers were in error — and in serious trouble!
• Women were expected to be submissive to their husbands.
• Gays were an abomination.

Oh, and so much more.

• Today, I emphasize Heaven.
• There is no “right” message.
• Women are equal.
• Gays reflect an aspect of God’s love.

It is really hard to believe that so many Christians, who know the love message of Jesus, seem to be able to switch it off when it comes to certain issues. Of course, the real challenge is fundamentalism. If you believe that the Bible or Koran is the literal word of God and no interpretation or evolvement is allowed, then you are stuck with certain judgments. Indeed, the religious-fundamentalist will actually say that it is not they who are condemning anyone, rather are they simply following the dictates of God in Holy-Writ: “Don’t argue with me, take it up with God!”

As you can see, my new tape respects scripture but encourages me to consult with science and psychology; indeed it requires interpretation allowing me to grow, even change my mind.  I no longer waste energy in being what other people want me to be; it’s OK to have a different point of view. I’m comfortable today taking responsibility for what I say and do. Your acceptance with my life is not essential.

I’ve been to Teotihuacán, Mexico, to learn about the power of the Pyramids and study the Toltec spirituality found in Mexico. Interestingly enough, not so many years ago the spiritual culture of the Toltecs would have been considered heretical; today it has become the basis of the best seller The Four Agreements.

And it must also be said that traveling has played a major part in my spiritual development, and I have met other people who feel the same. Places such as Thailand, China, Vietnam, India and Mexico all offer spiritual teachings that feed my spirituality.

Never before has there been such an interest in the Divine Feminine as I’m seeing in workshop after workshop. Spiritually speaking, nothing is written in stone. Even in the recovery world of Twelve Step, I’m seeing more people reading beyond approved material, and their lives are being transformed.

When we read in Step Twelve language, “having had a spiritual awakening”, then we are being encouraged to leap forth into a world of mystery and imagination.

Exciting? I truly think so.

I hope I’m not being “picky” when I say this, but I really do think that it is important to look at what we are saying and be able to explain it.

To say that the recovery journey is spiritual means what?

I personally agree that recovery is spiritual and will share what it means to me. Perhaps you would take some time and consider what it means to you.

Always I begin by asking, what does the word spiritual mean?  It comes from a Latin word “spiritus” meaning breath, inspiration, life or energy.  Now I’m beginning to see the picture because I’m aware that spirituality is about living life not merely existing; it means revealing an energy that is both positive and creative; and for the more religious amongst us it connects us with the breath of God.  It also allows me to be poetic or to see beyond the mere words into meaning, the very essence of the word.

For most of us who are reading this article we can say that we are recovering from alcoholism or a drug addiction; or we know somebody who is suffering or has suffered from addiction.  And we sense that the “spiritual journey” is the opposite to the life lived in addiction.

What is the life of an addict?

Lonely?  Yes.  Depressing?  Yes.  Unhappy to the point that some people attempt suicide?  Yes.  Relationships riddled with violence and dishonesty?  Yes.  Would the word “unmanageably” apply to the addict?  Most assuredly!

The recovery journey is a moment away from all the above.

• We are not alone.
• Our lives become happy and productive.
• We want to live.
• We create healthy relationships.
• We take responsibility for our lives in recovery.
• We help and encourage others suffering from similar problems.

Now the word “spirituality” is coming alive.

Anything else?  Yes, we begin to take risks and embrace opportunities. We are now looking at life differently. Not just our life but the life that exists around us.  We live in a diverse world.

So you may say to yourself, what has that got to do with “spirituality?”  Well, excuse me.  How can we talk about diversity without including other cultures and other religions?  Buddhism and Hinduism are incredibly powerful forces in the world, interconnecting and occasionally influencing what happens in America.

I love America.  I became an American citizen because I value and appreciate the many things that this country has done for me.  But spiritually I also love and appreciate other countries and cultures in this world.

Why do I appreciate other countries?  Because I get to see the incredible ancient temples, shrines, Pagodas and museums that bring to life the ancient customs of an ancient people.    I also enjoy breathtaking scenery, the beautiful beaches and sailing down the fantastic rivers. I feel connected and sustained by God’s energy.

Earlier I said that spirituality allows me to be poetic.  How do I feed that artistic side of me that comes alive as I embrace recovery?

You feed it with creation.  Look around.  See what is in this world.  Taste new food.  Go to places you’ve only heard about or ‘seen’ on television. Experience a different path to God.  Remember, you can always come home.  All that I’m suggesting is that you experience something different that feeds your spirituality.

Isn’t that why we got into recovery in the first place?
We wanted to experience the adventure we saw in other people’s faces.

Years ago I took people on recovery cruises.  Then I arranged land trips to China.  In recent years I’ve taken spiritual seekers to Thailand, Vietnam and India.  Next year, 2010, I’m planning a spiritual journey to Egypt.

When people ask me, how do I find excitement in my life?  My response, do something that is exciting.  Experiencing foreign cultures is for me, exciting!

Spirituality is living with God’s breath inside of us.  Wow!  Think about that for a moment.  Now we can face anything.  Overcome our fears.  Take risks.  Entertain the different.  Change what is not working.

When I first arrived in Vietnam I felt at home.  There was some sort of spiritual connection that I felt. I stood in the airport and had that strange feeling I had been here before.  And sure enough, as the days went by, the Vietnamese people became my people.  I understood them without knowing their language.  A soul connecting with another soul.

This has been my experience.  I’m seeking spirituality not only in my life but in the diversity that surrounds me.  How are you seeking spirituality?

Some years later I was attending The Spirit Conference in Los Angeles and I heard John Bradshaw say, “Poetry is felt thought”.

And so my journey into spirituality began again, it was not unlike revisiting an old friend who I had known for years but had not known completely. I needed to know more.

As an Episcopal priest,  I had always been attracted to metaphysical thinking, and since becoming a Unity minister I was convinced that God, Higher Power, Divine Energy was not separate from my being but very much involved with who I AM.

I had been talking and writing about the difference between spirituality and religion for years and yet I had not captured, in a clear and challenging way, the divine union that existed between the Creator and creation.  I needed to capture the essence of this connection because I know, for me; it was the beginning of my outside of the box thinking.

I also knew this was an old theological and philosophical question that went back to Pelagius, a British monk who felt that a human being was essentially good and Augustine, who believed human beings were essentially evil and without God’s grace they would remain mere animals.

Pelagius was declared a heretic by the church and yet I had always been sympathetic towards his point of view!

Even the greatest minds in the church had struggled with the relationship between God and His creation.

Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274) mused:

“From my breath I extract God and my eye is a shop where I offer Him to the world”.

Meister Eckhart (1260 – 1328) had declared:

“If He let go of my hand, I would weep so loudly,

I would petition with all my might, I would cause so much trouble

that I bet God would come to His senses and never do that again”.

John Bradshaw was right
“Poetry is felt thought”.

Early on in my writing days, when I had written Say Yes to Life, a daily meditation book for alcoholics and addicts, I stressed the opinion that I believed that God wanted people free from drug-addiction, but that they needed to want it too.  God is not co-dependant.  He does not fix people or make them good or healthy, that is truly their responsibility.  In Say Yes to Life, I had declared that often a spiritual person makes the choice to be positive and creative; in this sense spirituality becomes an inside job!

And yet as a Unity minister, I believe something more; wherever I am, God is…and all is well.  My relationship with God is not separate but ONE.  I carry within me the divine and my daily challenge is how I manifest God in the world.  With all this percolating in my mind I began to write Say Yes to Your Spirit. My understanding of the relationship with God and spirituality moved in the direction that we must take responsibility for the life we wish to live. God’s spirit is alive in each and every one of us and our responsibility is to reflect it, and manifest the divine which includes being actively involved in creating a safer and more accepting world for others.

I didn’t want to call the new book, A Daily Dance with God, because that would imply a separateness I did not believe in; rather, I wanted to state clearly, a daily dance in God.  In this sense I was living out Dr Conway Hunter’s challenge… think outside of the box.

My discomfort came from the fact much had been written in the name of spirituality and that it was too religious, too Augustinian…remember the debate between Augustine and Pelagius?  It seemed to me much of the spiritual writings were about asking God for what had already been given.  Looking for a spiritual fix.  Pleading, nay, begging, for what we already had…the power to change our lives and our thinking, yet out of all this turmoil emerged the title for my book, and it became…………Say Yes to Your Spirit

Here are a few examples showing how I take this philosophy and apply it to daily self-help.

March 6
When we say yes to our spirit we acknowledge that there is a thing called time; it is the space that makes up our hours days, weeks, months and years. We are born into time.

Spirituality teaches us to respect time. Take time. Relax. We can rush at life or we can seek balance. I believe that if we are always in a hurry, rushing, never smelling the roses, that we abuse time. The psalmist suggests, “Be still and know that I am God.” Take a breath. If we are to dance in God, then we need time to make the correct steps, gliding into creativity.

Today we know that compulsion, obsession, addiction and fanaticism are all unhealthy behaviors because they are frantic. We all need the gift of balance, if we are really to create anything in our lives.
It’s hard to discuss anything with a fanatic.  When I wrote my book addressing religious addiction and religious abuse, I called it When God Becomes a Drug.  Fanatics seem to be “shooting-up” with their words of hate, becoming ever more delusional.

Say Yes to Your Spirit always seeks inclusion and reconciliation.

I accept the differences in this world and I celebrate diversity.

* * *

On Humanity June 8

Say yes to Your spirit is daring to examine that part of every human being that cannot be seen, touched, or quantified; it is the soul of humanity. Yes, it is life, but it is also mysterious.

This concept is my spirituality today; it is the music between the notes, the poetry that is within every poet, and the vision that drives every artist. What is it? It is the myserterium tremendum: the creativity that fuels our dance in God. Without this insight, life would be dull, basic and animalistic.

November 24
Spirituality is a willingness to serve
-Leo Booth

How many times do we hear it said, “If you want to keep something, you must be prepared to give it away”? In the 12-step program, we are reminded that service enables us to get out of ourselves. We begin to think about others rather than stay a prisoner of self. A friend recently said, “If you feel you need to drink, get out of the house and find somebody to help. It will keep you sober.”

Say Yes to Your Spirit involves services. We dance in God and in the process entertain others.

I feel good when I’m helping somebody. My life is meaningful when I can bring joy into another person’s life. What I give, I receive back in abundance. Service is the loving aspect of investment.

How important is this shift in thinking from the previous ‘self-help’ daily meditations that have gone before?  Extremely powerful, more than powerful…cosmic!  You see, in Say Yes to Your Spirit we are claiming and manifesting the divine gift.  Poetically when Jesus suggested that the Kingdom of God was within each and every one of us, it was the precursor of “Wherever you are, God is…and all is well”.

Spiritual empowerment becomes divine empowerment; we manifest God in the world.

This is what I have come to believe.  And what are the implications?

• For me, a new approach to prayer and meditation.
• A new approach to understanding the nature of healing.
• A completely new approach to theology and the understanding of spirituality.
• And yes, a new understanding of who I am.

Now I’m beginning to understand on a much deeper level the meaning of an old Japanese saying:

“When death finds you, hopefully it will find you alive”.

God is love. Spirituality is the demonstration of that love. And we all have it. Say Yes to Your Spirit is affirming this knowledge in every moment of our day. If we fail, we start again. It is the effort that creates greatness.

Are you ready to dance?