Category: Step 6

“We are only operating a spiritual kindergarten in which people are enabled to get over drinking and find the grace to go on living to better effect.” (As Bill Sees It, p. 95)  “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.” – Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014) U.S. poet laureate

 

Where have you felt at home, lately,  and felt spiritually recharged, whether in a meeting or someplace else that warms your heart?

 

Maya Angelou Brief Bio (4:17)

Coming Home Diddy feat. Skylar Grey  (3:55)

Karunesh – Coming Home Meditation (6:28)

 

 

A home in The Sky

an African folk tale –

 

Once upon a time there lived a poor man, Abhilas by name. He was clever and often made jokes at rich people and even at the chief. So they did not like him and wanted to kill him. Once the chief sent for Abhilas and he came to the chief’s house.

“I hear that you are very clever, Abhilas! Can you build me a house in the sky in three days? You may have as many men as you need. If you can’t do that my soldiers will kill you.”

“I shall build it, my Chief,” said Abhilas and went home.

He began to think. Then he made a kite and tied a bell and a long sting to it. When the wind blew, the kite rose high up in the air.

But it did not fly far, because Abhilas tied the string to a tree. The next day all the people of the town heard the bell and saw a dark spot in the sky. The chief saw the spot, too. Abhilas came up to the chief and said” oh, my Chief, the house in the sky will soon be ready. Do you hear the bell? The workers are ringing the bell from the sky. They need some boards for the roof of the house. Please tell your soldiers to climb up to the sky with the boards.”

“But how will my soldiers climb up to the sky?” asked the chief.

“Oh, there is a way up,” said Abhilas.

,,,

So the chief ordered his soldiers to get some boards and to follow Abhilas. They came to the tree and saw the string there. “This is the way to the sky,” Abhilas said. “Climb up the string and you will come to the sky.”

The soldiers tried to climb up the string, but could not do that. “Try again, try again! Our Chief will be very angry if you don’t carry the boards up to his house in the sky!” said Abhilas.

Then the soldiers went to the chief and said, “Oh, Chief, no man can climb up to the sky!”

The chief thought a little and said, “That’s right. Nobody can do that.”

Then Abhilas said to the chief, “Oh, my Chief, if you know that, why do you ask me to build you a house in the sky?”

And the chief could give no answer to that. Abhilas went to the tree, cut the string and took away the kite.

 

“Before we admitted the truth about our addiction, we knew only the darkness of denial. But when we surrendered  … a ray of light broke through the darkness, beginning our spiritual awakening.” (It Works, How & Why, p. 83)

 

Try and describe one of your own “ray of light” moments out of the darkness of your spiritual awakening?

 

Whispering Wind – Moby (6:06) 

*Pale Blue Dot – Carl Sagan (4:00)  

Ambient Flow in the Darkness of the Universe Meditation (9:50)

 

We grow accustomed to the Dark

– Emily Dickinson

We grow accustomed to the Dark –
When Light is put away –
As when the Neighbor holds the Lamp
To witness her Goodbye –

A Moment – We Uncertain step
For newness of the night –
Then – fit our Vision to the Dark –
And meet the Road – erect –

And so of larger – Darknesses –
Those Evenings of the Brain –
When not a Moon disclose a sign –
Or Star – come out – within –

The Bravest – grope a little –
And sometimes hit a Tree
Directly in the Forehead –
But as they learn to see –

Either the Darkness alters –
Or something in the sight
Adjusts itself to Midnight –
And Life steps almost straight.

Every Cloud Had A Silver Lining. :

Thick and dark clouds sometimes obstruct the sun. When it happens, the surroundings darken. It is not a pleasant sight. But if we look at the clouds carefully we can see that their edges are tinted with a silvery glow. This glow tells us that the sun is somewhere there behind the clouds. As time passes, the clouds will move off and the sun will come out of it. This clever metaphor is used in the proverb to denote that sorrows and calamities are only momentary. Wherever there is sorrow, happiness will be somewhere nearby. Whenever there is shadow, light should be nearby. And whenever there is darkness, the bright light is near.

The proverb teaches us not to lose hope in the hours of darkness and sorrow. It reminds us to be optimistic and hopeful. It tells us not to lose heart because it might be just when we are about to quit that victory reveals itself. Like the silver tint on the edges of the dark cloud, happiness always lurks behind the darkest hour. ‘The famous poet Shelley has expressed the idea in one of his poems – ‘The ode to west wind’ in which asks, ‘if winter comes, can spring be far behind?’