Ram Dass on Addiction and Attachment

During a lecture on addiction and attachment, a woman described having a co-dependent relationship with God and asked Ram Dass how not to feel that way.
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That was an interesting way to put that question. I thought about having a problematic worship practice or being holier than thou. He thought for a few moments and responded with something profound.

His approach to the question was instructive. He said that she is taking the “psycho-dynamics” from her temporal life and creating her concept of God from those experiences. Ram Dass said that God is everything, so you can use any metaphor you want. Thus, it’s telling that she’s transported that framework from her everyday life to her spiritual life. 
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He said she can embrace the part of herself that notices she’s trying to do that type of transposition—the more she notices it, the more she can respond more intentionally.
Finally, he said that she should move away from the personification of God (she used him) and instead sit by a stream. He suggested that she use more naturalistic metaphors for her conception of God. This struck me because I feel that running outside is a wonderful way to commune with the divine. ​