The Shamanic 12 Steps
Shamanic Recovery & Discovery
The Venus Rising Shamanic Recovery and Discovery Process is grounded in the traditions and principles of all 12-Step Fellowships. Our intention is to create a bridge that incorporates the roots of the 12-Step philosophy and expands to embrace shamanic consciousness. It means walking the shaman’s path with daily awareness of our recovery on all levels and to discover our own unique lived expression of shamanic recovery. Recovery from addictions means a willingness to open to the great mystery that we have experienced as a void. We have tried to fill the void with all manner of substances and obsessive behaviors. Knowing we are not alone, we find that what we thought was a frightening plunge into the void is really a surrender to the dance with the mystery. Obsession alchemically transforms into passion and the dance with our inner Greater Power becomes a union with the divine. By facing and embracing the darkness we sought to avoid, we come home to ourselves.
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This new Shamanic Recovery and Discovery fellowship intends to deal with the whole spectrum of addictions and compulsions and simultaneously access our own inner healer/shaman. We are expanding the boundaries and are no longer limited by individual anonymous programs. We are re-languaging our expression to be all-inclusive. This is an ongoing dynamic work-in-progress and we invite all to help us create and redefine our unique recovery and discovery perspective.
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We accept that we are powerless over our addictive, compulsive and codependent patterns of thought and behavior – that in the attempt to fill the void rather than embrace it, our lives have become unmanageable.
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Came to believe that a Power greater than anything we ever knew we could access within ourselves can open us to love and nurture us through our path of recovery and discovery.
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Knowing that unconditional love is the healer we made a decision to surrender our will and our lives to the care of an inner Greater Power as we understand it.
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Made a loving and fearless inventory of ourselves.
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We share our inventory with our Greater Power and another person without the need for self- recrimination, knowing that in naming our shadow we will open our hearts.
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Were entirely ready to have our Greater Power remove all these obstacles and give up the need to be perfect.
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Humbly asked our Greater Power to help us let go of all our distractions from the divine that manifest in negative and self-destructive patterns of thought and behavior.
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Made a list of all the persons we have harmed while attempting to fill the void, and became willing to make amends to them all, forgiving them and ourselves.
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Made direct amends to those we have harmed except when to do so would injure them or others. When making direct amends would cause harm, we make the amends through a ritual or ceremony that honors the other and ourselves.
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Continuetotakepersonalinventorydaily,asanactofreverence,committingtoourpersonalgrowth and when we are wrong, promptly admit it and lovingly accept responsibility for our mistakes. We also admitted when our boundaries have been violated and choose to fearlessly and lovingly tell the truth to free ourselves from the bondage of inauthentic living.
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Grow through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with our inner Greater Power, praying only for knowledge of our Greater Power’s will for us and the love and strength to carry that out in our daily lives by the practice of acting from love rather than fear.
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As a result of these steps, we reach a greater understanding of our true selves and are able to carry the message of recovery and discovery in our daily lives. We may then live the passionate dance of co-creating our lives through the synthesis of our will and the will and wisdom of our inner Divine Spirit.
Adapted from the teaching of Alcoholics Anonymous, Codependents Anonymous and Humans Anonymous.
This expansion of the 12 Steps is lovingly offered Venus Rising Team to give hope and strength to anyone looking for soulful sobriety.
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