This is a Step 11 Centering Prayer within the 12-Step Recovery Tradition offered to you by the deeperconnection.
Org.
You've made it.
Take these words into the core of your being.
You have made it.
You are alive and moving forward one moment,
One day at a time.
Whether you were trapped in a substance or a non-substance addiction,
It doesn't really matter,
For you're here now,
Having been through more challenges than anyone truly knows.
You already know how hard it is to transform your life on your own.
You struggled long and hard and finally came to the end of yourself to find your God,
Divine Love,
Waiting.
You have received the gift of life,
A new chance,
An opportunity to waken to a truth yet waiting to be born in you.
There was a time that your life felt unmanageable,
Full of chaos.
You couldn't see your way out of the behaviors that kept you imprisoned.
You had secretly hoped more times than you can count that someday you would have the strength to turn from the addiction that wreaked havoc on your life.
Then,
Your higher power,
Through the 12 steps of recovery called,
Called you in and you found the courage to listen and to respond.
Whether you've been clean and sober for days,
Months or years matters not for each day is a new beginning.
In this moment,
Your God,
Your higher power,
Seeks you,
Is yearning for you.
Love beyond your imagination is drawing you in to your healing and transformation.
And as step 11 says,
Through prayer and meditation,
You are connecting with God.
You're seeking the knowledge of God's will for you and the strength and the courage by way of the Holy Spirit within you to carry that out.
Centering prayer is a wonderful way of working with step 11.
It's the integration of prayer and meditation as you relinquish your will over to God's will for you.
It's a way of being open and silent and consenting to God's transforming presence and action within you.
So I will now lead you into a 20 minute time of centering prayer with intermittent guidance throughout the time of silence.
So finding a comfortable yet attentive sitting posture,
Feel yourself in this present moment.
Let us now enter into the prayer.
Most High God Guide us,
Guard us,
And help us to know the gift that is your presence within us.
With your eyes closed,
Take a deep cleansing breath.
Feel your body being supported and held by the chair on which you sit.
Feel your feet resting on the floor.
Feel the warmth of your hands resting on your lap.
Notice your breathing as you inhale and exhale naturally.
Interiorly,
Observe your body from the top of your head down through to your feet.
And notice any muscle tension.
Simply breathe into that area and relax.
It's time you can let go.
In this moment,
You are safe.
You are being healed by the Spirit of the Living God within you.
Now choose a word.
It will be your prayer word or your sacred word.
It's a simple word such as peace,
Love,
Yes,
Shalom,
Christ,
Or hope.
Or you may choose to use your breath or any other word that connects with you.
Your prayer word or your breath is the symbol of your consent.
Your yes to God's will and desire within you.
It is the symbol that holds the meaning,
Not my will,
But your will be done.
So just choose your sacred word and let it rest within you.
It is time for you to lay aside all struggling and striving and to simply allow God to be God and you to be you.
Your willingness to open to the divine presence in this way is perhaps the greatest prayer.
Now let your sacred word rest in your heart and in your mind.
Notice the stillness sinking deeper.
Feel yourself breathing.
Just as the lungs breathe and the heart beats,
So your mind thinks.
You are not trying to control your thinking or to push away thoughts.
Simply let the thoughts come and go by observing what I call the inner movie screen of your mind,
Which is that place on the inside of your forehead.
Place your attention there.
Notice whatever is rising,
Flashing lights,
Colors like static on an old TV screen.
You may even notice images or the screen may be dark.
Just observe gently.
Continue to feel your body breathing.
Let the thoughts come and go,
Like one scene in a movie after another.
Continue to observe them as you focus on the inside of your forehead.
Without warning,
You'll notice that you're engaged in a thought.
Perhaps a noise or a sensation has captured your attention.
Or you may be engaged in a conversation in your mind.
When do you become aware of this?
Very gently,
Without judgment,
Simply turn back to your breath and reintroduce your sacred word.
Very,
Very gently.
No need to repeat your word as you would a mantra.
It is the symbol of your consent.
Simply let that word rest in you,
In your mind and in your heart.
Your breath and your word are the symbols of your yes to the presence of God within you.
Each time that you notice that you are engaged in a thought,
Very gently return to your sacred symbol.
And each time that you do,
You are consenting not my will,
But your will be done.
And now settle into the silent stillness as the spirit beckons.
Thank you for watching!
Be still.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
When you notice that you are engaged in a thought,
Very gently return to your sacred word and remain.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let go of self-judgment.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Be still.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Let go of resistance.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let go of the struggle.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Breathe in the breath of God.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Very gently turn from thought back to this present moment.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Let the stillness settle deeper within you.
Be still.
Be still.
Be still.
All gratitude to you.
All gratitude to God,
Whose presence living within us and around us is doing infinitely more than we could ever ask or imagine.
So may we always remember that we are never alone,
That we are on this great adventure of love and transformation.
Now and forever.
Let it be so.
Amen.
Amen.
