Steps To Self-Discovery
And Empowerment

adapted from  16 STEPS  by J. A. Harnick,
in Life on Brian's Beat
(for his original click here )
 

       This is a framework of steps that GLBT persons can use to understand and live out the spirituality of empowerment.  Obviously, it is based on the 12-step program that originated with Alcoholic Anonymous with some of the adaptations explained  on J.A. Harnick's website. I have further adapted them and placed them in a context of our relationship with God and God's gift of God's Spirit. 

        Each step is a building block for a healthy spirituality for anyone, who like some of our GLBT sisters and brothers, need to grow in self-esteem and self-love.  Like most dynamic models of human and spiritual growth, each step contains all the other steps and the framework as a whole is contained in each part.

       This framework can be used in many different ways: as a way of understanding the whole process of growth in self-empowerment and in a greater openness to life; as a way to guide others in the initial stages of spiritual growth; as a checklist that one can use daily to reflect on one's own growth in honesty with God and oneself; as a guide to mentor others in the counseling or in the spiritual mentoring process. 

        How does this framework fit in with the notes on accompanying GLBT persons on the spiritual journey (Click Here)? It fits in with the second part in that outline and the second part is linked to this section.  As with that section my hope is that, along with others, I will add content and other links for each of these points. This added content can be reached by clicking the links at the end of each point.
 
  • We affirm that we have the power, created in us by God, to take charge of our own lives and to stop being dependent on substances or on other people for our self-esteem or our security.  CLICK HERE to go deeper into this step.

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  • We have come to believe that God's Spirit, within our true self, will reveal to us the healing wisdom that lives within us when we are ready, willing and able to open ourselves up to its healing process.

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  • We made a decision to turn our will and out lives to the care of God. And we continue to make the decision to become our authentic selves by trusting God and by trusting in the healing power of the truth:         "We know that, even if we are unwittingly deceiving ourself, if we follow what truth there is in us, then God will draw us further into God's truth, and that there is no situation, no state, no place we can reach where God will not still be closer to us than we are to ourselves."
    • CLICK HERE to go deeper into this step.

     
  • We made a searching and moral inventory of ourselves. We continue to examine our beliefs, our addictions, and our dependent behaviour in the context of our culture that surrounds us with forces which both help and hinder our growth as wholesome loving persons.

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  • We admitted to ourselves and to God the exact nature of our wrongs. We share with another person all those things inside of us for which we feel shame and guilt.

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  • We ask God for the ability to accept ourselves and to take responsibility for our own lives and the choices we make. We are entirely ready to have God remove all our defects and dysfunctional habits which hinder our lives and those around us.

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  • We ask for God's grace to empower  us to forgive ourselves. In doing this we become willing to let go of our shame, our guilt, and any behaviour that keeps us from loving ourselves and others. Meanwhile we affirm and enjoy our strengths, our talents, and our creativity, striving not to hide these qualities to protect others' egos.

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  • We make a list of people we have harmed and people who have harmed us; and, in a respectful way, we take steps to clear out negative energy by making amends and sharing our grievances.

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  • We promptly acknowledge our mistakes and make amends when appropriate, but we do not say we are sorry for things we have not done and we do not cover up, analyse, or take responsibility for the shortcomings of others.

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  • Through prayer and meditation we seek to improve our conscious contact with God, to find our inward calling, and to develop the will and wisdom to follow this calling in harmony with God's desires for us.

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  • We continually strive to live a spirituality that includes the mystery of our God, the mystery of ourselves and our responsibility within this. Thus:

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  • We grow in awareness that we are interrelated with all living things, and we contribute to restoring peace and balance on the planet. In doing this we are responding gratefully for God's gift of creation.

    • Go to Life on Brian's Beat

    OR
    Go to Life on BRIAN'S BEAT -- the healing CIRCLE

    OR
    Go to  Homepage and Table of Contents