WEEKLY MEDITATION
There are things which must cause you to lose your reason or you have none to lose.
-Lessing
One quality behind most substances or behaviors used addictively is that they create feelings of transcendence. Transcendence is that wonderful sense that one is elevated beyond the tedium and ordinariness of life. Transcendence takes us beyond the confines of egoic existence—it is a glimpse beyond reason. Transcendence is an important feeling to incorporate, but we can’t live in a transcendent state constantly, though addiction is an attempt to do just this. Recovery, especially in the beginning, can feel as though reality has come crashing down, giving us no release from the responsibilities that suddenly stare us in the face with startling immediacy. And meeting reality squarely is an important aspect of recovery as there is often much legitimate damage to be faced and amended. But equally important is to find safe, healthy, and reliable ways to find moments of transcendent relief even while engaging in the process of learning to live without our addictions and putting the pieces of our lives back together in a reasonable way.
