A Better View Through - The Spiritual P.R.I.S.M

Jan 24. Hey everyone, I hope your Sunday was as productive & enjoyable as mine. If not I hope that you caught up on the relaxation that you needed. I was at the Eynon indoor market again today running the Treasure Hunters shop & meeting new people. Being sober makes me feel confident selling merchandise there not only because I have composure but I am proud to sell myself as a person too. I guess the whole experience is refreshing after having avoided contact with others for so long in addiction.

The self confidence that helps me feel so comfortable in these situations comes from what I try to practice daily. Alot of people wonder what exactly I do to maintain my current growth in spirituality & sobriety. In other words, they want to know how I don't receed when I am not gaining progress & in between moments, exercises, & enlightenments that contribute to my spirituality. Basically what I do is a simple acronym that even non-alcohoics/addicts can adopt. It is a general maitenence step for good spiritual life and it goes a little something like this...

Its called P.R.I.S.M. First I will explain what it means as an alcoholic to use this daily maitnence regimine, then I will give some example substitutions for non-addicts that have used this for just spiritual maitenence. The "P" stands for Pray. I believe in a higher power that I can talk to freely & in gratitude, need, weakness, or worry I ask it for certain assistance or support. Praying is not religion specific, I don't dictate or define what religion someone should believe, but we all need to have a higher power that is intangible and immesurable. The praying/meditaiton give me a feeling that regaurdless of where I am at in my journey that I am not alone & that I am not the most important thing at any given moment. I want to add quickly that the letters of this 'practice' don't need to be done in a specific order, I have just found that when I do all of them in a day I tend to feel free from the wordly downgrades & really spiritually well. Next is the "R" which stands for Read. I personally read the 'Big Book' from the 12 step program I am a member of. Others who are not alcoholic might chose to read an inspirational or self help book, or possibly a book about the higher power or faith they believe in. The important thing is to read about what you are trying to accomplish or maintain which for me is Sobriety, Spirituality, & my Higher Power.

Next in the exercises is the "I" which stands for Inventory. This means to take a brief inventory of yourself for that day. Where was I wrong in that dispute last night? Can I do anything to help others or help make my life better today? This is so that daily you are ridding yourself of excess emotional baggage or preparing yourself for a spiritual act. The "S" stands for Speak. As in speak to another alcoholic or addict that is in recovery or wants to be, as well as your sponsor. For non-alcoholics this would be someone you admire spiritually, perhaps a mother, friend from your sunday congregation, or someone who shares the love for relaxation thru yoga as a few examples. The conversation keeps you in tune with that your goals or situation is accomplishable & offers opportunity to learn more from another on how to grow towards your spiritual capacity. The final letter is "M" which is for Meeting. For me & other addicts this is the 12 step meetings that we attend. The exposure at a meeting, even if only two people, is a way to get yourself into spiritual action, get out of yourself for a while, and get exposure to solutions for problems or new ways to grow. For non-addicts this could be a gym membership, a yoga class, going to a bible study, or a coffee shop to talk about life for a while. It is vital to getting outside self-centeredness where spirituality cannot grow.

This simple technique when done daily helps ensure that my spirituality does not take a backslide. When a problem or undesirable event comes up this helps work it out on a daily basis. It gives me a clean slate, a pool of ways to learn more, and opportunities to practice the spiritual life that I will forever strive to perfect. Because I am human I know I will never in a million years have a perfect spiritual life, but its all about progress not perfection. If I just do these few simple things then I am able to grow when the opportunities present themselves & the enlightenment is there. If I am backsliding however, the opportunities only allow me to catch up to where I was before spiritually rather then actually grow. In closing I would like to quote a friend from the program that made the purpose of this exercise so desirable to me.. "We are all spiritual beings on a human body adventure, the more we get outside this adventure, the more we get to exist as our true spiritual selves." "Have we found ourselves on a spiritual backslide, at some points not liking the person that situations or others have made us become? Were there times that prevention & getting outside the flawed human body existance would have helped us better cope or improved our happiness through difficult or sorrowing times? Is spiritual growth one of my goals or am I only worried about the advancement of the things that can be taken away by my higher power?" Thanks for hanging out to read this one in its entirety. I wish everyone who reads this the riches soil and plump seeds to grow their spiritualiy. Friends of sobriety, thank you for your support and may God bless you. Until tomorrow.. Good Night, Good Morning... <3 Jimmy