“People need to wake up. They can’t hear God’s voice if they’re asleep.” -Vernon Cooper, LUMBEE
Black Elk, a Sioux, talks about the hoop of many hoops. He says that above the people is a hoop, a conscience, the total belief of the people. If the hoop is sick, meaning dysfunctional, co-dependent, a lot of alcoholism, family abuse, violence, racism, and sexual abuse, the people can get used to this and think this is normal. In other words, the people are asleep. If we have left the spiritual way of life, the people are asleep. If we are giving our power to another entity, the people are asleep. In most tribes, there are Coyote Clans. The job of the Coyote Clan people is to wake the people up. They need to become a nuisance and irritate the people. We must return to the spiritual walk.
Twelfth Step
“Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
There is no such thing as a “failed” Twelfth Step call. Even if our prospect doesn’t get clean, we have accomplished two purposes. We have planted the seed of recovery in the mind of the addict with whom we have shared our experience, strength, and hope. And we ourselves have stayed clean another day. Rarely does a recovering addict leave a Twelfth Step call with anything but a deep dose of gratitude. Sometimes we are practicing the Twelfth Step without realizing it. When our co-workers or other acquaintances know some of our history and see what kind of person we are today, they know where to go when they have a friend or loved one in need of our help. We are often the best attraction that the Fellowship has to offer. For many addicts, the Twelfth Step is the cornerstone of recovery. We truly believe that “we can only keep what we have by giving it away.” The paradox of the Twelfth Step is evident, for in giving, we receive.
People need to wake up. For when they are awake, they become the living embodiment of the Twelfth Step, carrying the message of recovery and spiritual awakening to others. In this state of being, we help heal the hoop above us, restore our own spirits, and stay clean another day. The journey of spiritual awakening and recovery is one of giving and receiving, a sacred path that connects us all.
Just for Today: I will remember that I am a living example of both the spiritual awakening that calls us to return to the spiritual walk and the Twelfth Step. I cannot “fail” when I try to carry the message to another.