higher powers
Gods above us
Higher powers refers to forces, beings, or authorities greater than oneself—typically gods, the divine, or the universe conceived as having agency.
The phrase appears frequently in twelve-step recovery programs, where participants are encouraged to surrender to a higher power of their own understanding: I've learned to trust in a higher power.
The plural allows for spiritual flexibility without specifying a particular deity.
- godsSupernatural beings worshipped
- deitiesWorshipped supernatural beings
- spiritSoul, mood, or liquor
- supernaturalBeyond natural explanation
- spiritual realmNon-physical plane of existence
celestial · guardian angels · karma · supreme beings · the universe · transcendence · destiny · paradise · fate · Jesus · pantheon · angels · saints · cosmic · cosmic order · creator · prophets · omnipotence
higher powersself-reliance
Depending on oneself alone
the self · free will · personal agency · self-determination · self-sufficiency
higher, powers, high, power, highly, highness, highest, powered, powerful