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Better Living Through Serenity People, places and things: Don't give them permission to control you Most of us may feel that the wealth of our existence centers on things like homes, cars, jobs, or other supplemental income. While we do not ignore the basic human needs of shelter, food, clothing and contact with others, some of our members have realized that the only true wealth that we have is the present moment. This is the great equalizer; every person in this world possesses this same wealth. From infancy on our parents trained us to surrender our personal power to people, places, and things. Most of us continue this pattern well into adulthood. As we contemplate these illusory forces, fretting over what was and what will be, we neglect the present. We have no control over it only because we believe we have no control over it. In our mind we have already decided that his other thing is greater than ourselves. It is a matter of perception. But it doesn't have to be like that. This surrender is optional. It is not inevitable. We don't have to do it. We can deny people, places and things the permission to rule us by understanding that their so-called "power" exists only in our minds. Getting in touch with our Divine Powers will solidify this realization, and staying in touch will break this pattern completely. Once something has happened, it has happened. Nothing can change it. So how do we do that, and when do we start? Well, we can start right now. Feel this book in your hands, the texture of the paper, the staples that are holding it together, the thickness, the weight. Then think about your breathing, and consciously take deeper breaths. After a few moments of this, view yourself from a distance, just as we did in Step Six, and see what this other person is doing, what this other person is thinking. In Practicing The Power of Now, this is what Eckhart Tolle calls "Watching the thinker." You will feel a deeper sense of self, and may even connect with the living flame, your Inner Divine, without even trying. This takes practice, because we are undoing some very solid, hardwired thought patterns that have been ruling us for years. By savoring your now (and it is yours, and no one else's) you have removed yourself from the past and the future by directing your thoughts to the present.
Pagan Sanctum Recovery is new, in its present form, but is based on Pagan 12-step programs that have been around for years. These Pagan alternatives have kept a good many of us clean, sober and serene by putting into context what we have already believed about our "Higher Power" . . . and validating our religious beliefs instead of criticizing and condemning them. Through the power and wisdom of existing 12-step programs we have achieved extended sobriety; one of our members just celebrated 18 years of clean time. Deity is not a He, a She, or an It. Deity simply is. Many of us, and not just Pagans, just do not understand or identify with the male Patriarchal version found in nearly all 12-step programs out there. Nor do we accept the Christian principles that we are expected to accept as gospel, and follow without question. We encourage you to find your own path, whatever it might be. You may find it n Pagan Sanctum Recovery, you may find it elsewhere. What is important is that you do find it, and help someone else find theirs as well. If we don't give it away, we can't keep it.
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