I’ve received a lot of feedback on the Cathedral of the Senses novel and how it helps with “addiction issues.” Here is a sample: “I was at my AA meeting the other night and I shared about what Cathedral of the Senses has done for me. Of course I couldn’t really say the title from the podium but people approached me after the meeting and I told them the title and the website.”
The book doesn’t deal with “addiction” in terms of a specific program, yet it deals with the root causes of addiction and acknowledge them in ways that people with addiction issues can understand. An example is the lyric from the song “Paradox” (part of a music soundtrack accompanying the book). The song is performed by Nathan Saith and can be heard here on this site, or on dozens of popular music download sites like iTunes and Amazon.
It took time to lose yourself/It takes time to be found/
But temptation calls/Across familiar ground/
From places where you used to hide/Places where you used to bleed/
Offering the help you want/But not the help you need/
So grab yourself a long board/And surf into the sea/
Looking for the Lighthouse/Through the fog of time and mystery
I write fiction and I don’t preach to people. That said, I do have a point of view and I’ve lived a real life. In my work I create an environment for people to have their own realizations. I believe that when you have your own realizations–as opposed to adopting what other people tell you you’re supposed to think–then those realization stick with you and become life changing.
Another lyric from the song “Alchemy of Belief” (also on the Cathedral of the Senses album) is pertinent to people dealing with addiction issues:
How much darkness do you need till you see the light/
Ghostly foghorns call you like voices in the night/
Echoing across the midnight sea, such a haunting sound/
How many life lines will you let go before you drown/
Moonlight thrown like dice across the ancient waves/
Your bet comes in like diamonds, you hear someone say that Jesus saves/
Somewhere deep inside you know that it’s true/
Somewhere in between you know it’s not for you/
Oh my darlin’, I know you need relief/
Look around the walls are bare and time’s a subtle thief/
You know there is a better way if you can see it through/
But things that change your life are things that only you can do…/
It’s the alchemy of belief.
I believe that one reason people return to addictive behavior is that, even though they change their behavior–for a while–their beliefs remain the same. Particularly their beliefs about themselves. (“Unworthiness is a virus that infects the soul.”) What you truly believe about yourself is critical not only to recovery, but to every aspect of life. In fact, it’s my opinion that true beliefs determine how we perceive and experience life in general and ourselves specifically.
Cathedral of the Senses examines the nature of beliefs and how to change beliefs that no longer serve us well.