BREATHING UNDER WATER:

We made direct amends to such people wherever possible,

except when to do so would injure them or others.

~ Step Nine of the Twelve Steps

The Twelve Steps are about two things: making amends and keeping us from wounding one another further. Too much earnest zeal here,  ¢â‚¬Å“spilling the beans ¢â‚¬  on everybody ¢â‚¬â„¢s lap, will usually create a whole new set of problems. Many people simply do not have the proper  ¢â‚¬Å“filters ¢â‚¬  to know how to process ideas or information; they often misuse it without intending to misuse it. Even sincere people can do a lot of damage with information that they are not prepared to handle, and often make rash judgments that are not true or helpful.

One often needs time, discernment, and good advice from others before you know the when, how, who, and where to apologize or make amends. Our amends to others should be  ¢â‚¬Å“direct, ¢â‚¬  that is, specific, personal, and concrete; in other words, probably not an email or a tweet. Jesus invariably physically touched people and met people when he healed them. It is face-to-face encounters, although usually difficult after a hurt, that do the most good in the long run.

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BREATHING UNDER WATER:

Spirituality and the Twelve Steps

We continued to take personal inventory

and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

~ Step Ten of the Twelve Steps

Consciousness is the subtle and all-embracing mystery within and between Everything. It is like the air we breathe, take for granted, and do not appreciate. Consciousness is not the seeing but that which sees me seeing. You must step back from your compulsiveness, and your attachment to yourself, to be truly conscious. Consciousness cannot be  ¢â‚¬Å“just me ¢â‚¬  because it can watch  ¢â‚¬Å“me ¢â‚¬  from a distance.

Wisely, Step Ten does not emphasize a moral inventory, which becomes too self-absorbed and self-critical, but it speaks of a  ¢â‚¬Å“personal inventory. ¢â‚¬  In other words, just watch yourself objectively, calmly, and compassionately. You will be able to do this from your new viewing platform and perspective as a grounded child of God. From this most positive and dignified position you can let go of and even easily  ¢â‚¬Å“admit your wrongs. ¢â‚¬  God forever sees and loves Christ in you; it is only we who doubt our divine identity as children of God.

Don ¢â‚¬â„¢t judge, just look can be your motto ¢â‚¬”and now with the very eyes of God.

From Breathing Underwater: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps, pp. 83, 85, 90

(Richard Rohr)