The Power of One Vs. the Power of Oneness

Written by K., my sponsor:

The 12 steps are designed to lead us towards a spiritual awakening - “having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps...”  Essentially, this means we learn to experience life in a new and deeper way. We begin to see beyond the superficial material, physical side of life into its deeper more meaningful aspects. We gain the ability to experience the non-material, intangible, that is to say, to focus on the spiritual side of life. This opens up a great power for change.  

Spiritual living can sound pretty mysterious or ominous, but, it simply recognizes that not all things are things. For example, one cannot see the wind but, we can feel it on our skin and see the leaves rustle in the breeze. Similarly, although love has no physical substance, one can recognize it in action or feel its results.

Becoming consciously aware of non-physical side of life is the essence of spirituality. As we gain insight into it, we see and know ourselves and others from a whole new perspective. The Big Book calls it the “fourth dimension of existence”.  We begin to focus on the similarities between ourselves and others rather than our differences. In other words, we start to connect with our fellows in a new more mature way. As we develop this ability, we begin to see our lives as a small part of a greater whole - a whole of which we are part.  

Developing spiritual awareness brings comfort, peace and harmony into our lives as we are no longer all alone in the limitless universe – we are part of it.  The more we know about the steps and the more we practice them, the greater our connection to the spiritual side of living and the greater our comfort, peace and harmony with ourselves, with others and with our life circumstances.  The 12 steps are specifically designed to make this possible.