The Circle of Life: "Listening to God"

I have been Listening to God more these days. I sit quietly in the morning and in the evening for about ten minutes, calm my muscles and body...then allow my thoughts to flow. I loosen my mind as well and then write down anything I hear...good, bad, and in between. When the thoughts slow down I stop and look at what I wrote down.

I discern what is directions from God by asking if each one is completely Honest, completely Unselfish, completely Loving, and completely Pure (HULP). It usually turns out in miraculous ways. A name will come up to contact or guidance on a particular situation will be given or a direction in my life I need to look into. This is much better than relying on my own thinking. That guidance has evolved to receiving guidance as I go through my day (Conscious Contact). I still meditate in other ways I have learned as well. These different forms of meditation aren't mutually exclusive but very complementary.

The morning ritual helps me to start my day as the 11th Step advises. The evening helps me to write down guidance about my day (10th Step) and see if there is anything I need to look at but both morning and evening Quiet Time can be guidance for anything in my life - whatever comes up. Isn't recovery wonderful. I don't have to rely on me for all of the answers. I sometimes have to run the guidance by others to get more prospective though...when in doubt (fellowship). :>))

I sort of shy away from some of the Oxford ideas and can see why the 12 Step programs distanced themselves from these groups but I won't throw the baby out with the bathwater either. There was some good ideas and practices that came out of the Oxford Group. Quiet time was one but like Bill W. (AA co-founder) indicated that we need to use good judgment about what we hear or think we hear.

I recommend a book called God Calling and also "How to Listen to God" by Wally P.