In my daily prayer and meditation practice, I receive comfort in knowing that I am not alone. Often my Higher Power and Spiritual Guides tell me over and over again that they are with me and that whatever I am called to walk through, I need not walk through it, alone.

In 12 step recovery, we learn to live a spiritual program. Whatever the addiction that we are dealing with, we learn it's not about the money or the relationship or the food or the alcohol or the sex. It is a spiritual program and requires a spiritual solution.

Here are just a few ways to build our spiritual resources and deepen our own spiritual intelligence:

1) Honor what comforts and nourishes you. Some of us need quiet time to be filled up. Some of us are filled up in our connection and interactions with others friends in program or with similar spiritual practices and beliefs. It is necessary for us to pay attention to what fulfills us and nourishes our spirits and then to welcome these practices regularly.

2) Develop a daily ceremony symbolizing your spiritual program. This might be taking 5 minutes to breathe deeply and connect with ourselves. Perhaps the ceremony might be reading spiritual material or a daily meditation. It could simply be lighting a candle or burning some sage.

3) One of the greatest practices for enhancing our spiritual program is bold self-care. When we take good care of our bodies, our emotional selves, our social and intellectual selves, we build a trust and love within. Our self esteem will begin to flourish and deepen and grow. This is important as it will enhance our spiritual connection. When we love ourselves with regular self-care and begin to believe that we deserve these loving actions regularly, we increase our capacity to receive. Our Higher Power and the Divine Creator can only bless and give to us what we allow ourselves to receive. Enhancing our capacity to receive abundance through increasing our self-esteem and our belief that we really deserve the blessings mean we will receive more. What we receive, we are then able to give to others as well.

These are just a few examples of how to deepen and enhance our spiritual connection. It is good to honor our individual expression of spirituality. Developing a regular discipline of allowing ourselves this blessing enhances everyone whose life we touch.

With love,

Sally