Inner Guidance
By Peter Farley
Probably the simplest form of this inner guidance comes in the form of the basic inner nudge. We have all experienced some variation of this at one time or another, perhaps as what we call a hunch or maybe that old gut feeling. Whatever we have called it, it is that little nudge which helps us lean more toward one particular answer when making a decision, than to the other. This choice we have made later turns out to be the right choice, but something there was that pushed us in favor of that one answer over another. A simple example of this inner nudge happened recently when a friend of ours got an inner nudge to avoid eating the pasta for lunch one day while she was at work. At the same time, her significant other also got an inner nudge that it was okay for him to go ahead and make pasta for supper, despite all the varied options available to him. In this way, the woman did not have to come home and be faced with eating the same meal twice in one day. Life and our inner guidance work in just such simple little ways. This is even more true when we have formed a strong inner connection with our own Higher Self, because that also allows us to build a strong inner connection with our mates, our loved ones, and also our very close friends as well.
Again, some people might call this kind of happening a coincidence, but when we attune ourselves to our inner source of guidance, these "coincidences" happen so frequently that we almost begin to take them for granted.
The next level of inner guidance is what we know as intuition. This is the faculty of the mind closest to Soul. It is also the aspect of our minds which forms a bridge between our spiritual selves and our higher mental and emotional functions. Many aboriginal peoples believed that humans were constructed with two minds, one in the head, and the other in the heart. Women use their intuition more than men simply because they are more highly attuned to their heart minds, rather than to the logical aspect of their head mind as men are. This intuitive aspect of ourselves is centered in the solar plexus region of the body from where it is we experience a connection to our true higher feelings.
Many men have also been conditioned in the past not to pay attention to the workings of their emotional selves for fear of being thought effeminate. This has built up a denial in them of the fact that each of us contains within us both the masculine and feminine aspect, and that both must be lovingly accepted and balanced as two equal parts of the whole. Soul has no gender. To bring us back to the realization of ourselves as Soul, these twin aspects of ourselves must be reunited.
We believe that as men continue to seek for this greater state of balance within themselves, and as women increasingly come to reclaim their lost power, intuition will be recognized for what it is, and utilized equally by both sexes in general.
Intuition itself is just a stronger version of the "inner nudge." This time, however, the inner nudge is coupled with a greater sense of knowing that what we feel is true, even if we cannot prove it to be so. It is the strong feeling or the small voice which tells us to take one road rather than take another. In doing so, we find out that we have avoided a major accident blocking the road ahead. In taking that particular road, we have saved ourselves several hours. The flipside of this picture might also occur where we find ourselves being led by our intuition to take the road on which the accident has occurred. In this scenario, we find ourselves put in a position of service to someone because of our knowledge of CPR, a knowledge that perhaps helps save the life of one of the accident victims. Occasionally it might happen that we do not even see any beneficial result to the choices we have made by using our intuition. In this case, we need to just trust that we followed our inner guidance, and for whatever reason, we were better off for making the decision that we made.
It often happens that Sharon and I are led by our inner guidance to make a stop at a certain store or motel along our way. Nothing ever comes of these stops as far as we can tell. Perhaps we spoke to someone, perhaps we didn't. But for whatever reason it was needed, we were supposed to make a connection there in that place at that time, and we accept that. Perhaps we will never know why, but we know it was so.
One good example of following a strong sense of intuition came with a friend of ours who was scheduled to drive to San Francisco from Reno on business. Instead of going, she was instead led by her intuition to stay at home and go another day. Coincidentally, that was the day of a major earthquake in the San Francisco Bay area. The earthquake caused a terrible amount of destruction . In reviewing the situation later, this woman realized that not only had she avoided being in San Francisco during the earthquake, but also that her proposed schedule would have placed her somewhere on the Bay Bridge just about the time the earthquake struck. This was the same bridge which had a part of its structure collapse during the quake, with great loss of life.
Like the other ways of connecting with our inner guidance, our intuitive ability only grows stronger the more we use it because our trust also grows stronger as we come to witness the positive results of following what we intuit to be true.
The highest form of intuition is a knowingness that something is true, that something is about to happen, or that we should take this or that direction in any given moment. This knowingness indicates that we have a direct line of communication open to our source of inner guidance. In this instance, this inner source does not have to then use so many devious ways in order to make us listen. We simply know that what we are hearing to do is true.
Deja vu is a sense that we have been in a certain place or position before, even though we know we never have. The person who finds themselves in a deja vu experience has a wonderful opportunity to both realize the non-linear nature of time, and also to co-create their own life by altering the outcome of what it is they are experiencing. Realizing the fact that we are in a deja vu situation before the situation ends, allows us the opportunity to perfect the use of inner guidance as it appears in the moment-to-moment happenings of our life. And the process is simple. Firstly, what we need to do is take the situation in our mind to the prior conclusion we have seen. This is the memory of what happened the first time the situation was experienced, usually in the dreamstate. By knowing how the situation ended the first time, we can then decide to change it if we want to. Of course, we should do this only if we did not like the way in which the situation turned out the first time.
An example of this happened when a person we know had a deja vu experience while eating lunch at a restaurant with his employer. During a heated debate at the conclusion of the meal, this person experienced a strong sense of having been in exactly this same position before. He was quickly able to realize that in the original version of the event, the debate had led to him being fired from the position he currently held with that particular company. Taking control of the situation, he backed off what it was he might normally have said and done. In doing so, he was able to avoid the debate coming to the all-or-nothing conclusion he had previously witnessed, and also avoided him being fired.
Afterwards, the man was able to trace the source of the deja vu experience back to a dream he had a little more than a year prior to the incident happening in "real life." To support his understanding of the experience, it turned out that he was eventually fired a few weeks later anyway because his employer continued to look for an excuse to get rid of him. Deja vu experiences are common. It is only when we are constantly used to working with our dreams that we become able to definitely link the experience of precognition in deja vu with the same experience in our past or present dream experiences.
Golden-tongued wisdom is an incident in which we find a message from our inner guidance through being "triggered" by what it is someone else has to say. This something might not necessarily even have been directed at us, but because we are used to the ways in which our inner guidance works, we definitely know it is. In some cases we might not even know the person who is speaking. They may be someone who just happens to be walking by when we chance to overhear a couple of the words from their conversation. These words then trigger something in us, and somehow lead us to an answer we have been searching for. Clearly these are words we needed to hear at that particular time, words which give us a greater insight to our problem. But how did our guidance get these other people to be there at that particular time and place? And how did it have them say exactly the things we needed to hear? Remember, we are all connected. We are all one. And so to is our inner guidance all connected into one in what is perhaps one of the greater paradoxes of life. Therefore, everything in our worlds can be used to trigger for us a solution-even other people.
Golden-tongued wisdom can, however, also come from a person who we do know and with whom we may be speaking at the time. In this case, the person will often say something "out of the blue," sometimes totally unaware of what it is they have said or why it is they said it. But we do because what they have said directly addresses the heart of one of our current dilemmas. The message has been a little gift to help us along, a gift especially for us from that common source of all inner guidance known as Soul.
One good example of golden-tongued wisdom recently happened to Peter. It is a little-known fact that television has different effects on different people. Some people can actually transmute the energy put out by a television into a positive form of energy for their bodies. In Peter's case, however, television has a harsh effect on his energies, and can actually make his heart feel sore if he watches it for too long. Aware of this, though not fully accepting of it, the golden-tongued wisdom was clear to him when one day three women were exiting an elevator just as he was about to enter. One of the women just happened to pick that time to casually let drop the comment that she didn't know why, but whenever she was watching television alone at night, it made her very angry. Peter knew instantly that this was a comment meant for his hearing, an incident of golden-tongued wisdom directed specifically at him. His spiritual guidance was pointing out that watching television was not only a source of negative energy for him, but also for many other people as well. The woman probably didn't even know why she had said what she did at that exact moment. Peter did, however, and he knew it for what it was, a loving confirmation of what he already suspected.
Even though television has its negative side effects, it can also be useful as a wonderful source of inner guidance messages. Channel-surfing with a remote control can be a great way to pick up on some golden-tongued wisdom being offered at any particular time of day or of night.. A line of dialogue we just happen to catch while surfing the channels might be a clue to something which is bothering us.
Sharon remembers one incident of golden-tongued wisdom that happened to her the day she was moving into a new apartment with a friend. She had been having some doubts about how the arrangement would eventually work out. While checking to see if the television in the new apartment worked, the first words she heard coming from the set as the picture tube warmed up were someone talking about "what a happy home this will be." She had caught the line of dialogue from a sitcom in the middle of a sentence. But to Sharon, this was a positive message from her inner guidance about the correctness of the choice she had made to share the apartment with her friend. The brief period she spent in the apartment was, indeed, a happy time for her, but one which she knew she was destined to have because it had already been foretold for her in the words of the golden-tongued wisdom.
Surrounded as she is by the counseling situation, Sharon believes that the golden-tongued wisdom is working whenever anyone in a group says something which then triggers an emotion or a reaction in another person. Whatever jumps out at us, whatever catches our eye, whatever "triggers" us in some way, if it affects us, then in the words of counseling jargon, "We must own it." This means that we would not have placed any importance on what we had seen or heard unless there was something in the message that brought up something within us. When everything we see and hear can contain a message for us in this way, that gives extra meaning to the saying, "'All life is a waking dream." Triggering also ties in with the concept of mirroring that we have already mentioned earlier in the book. When something triggers us, it means that the other person is mirroring for us a problem we also need to take a look at. This is usually an aspect of ourselves we are not admitting also exists within us. In being triggered, we are being asked to take a deeper look at the way in which that particular problem affects us. Even if it simply seems to be a case of feeling sad for that other person who made the original statement. We need to look at what it is within ourselves that has triggered this emotion. Could we somehow be suffering in the same way as that person? To Sharon, this is the power of working together in groups and of participating in the group process. It helps us to find our own inner response patterns. In doing so, it is also a process by which we can help each other grow and access our own inner resources. Golden-tongued wisdom is everywhere, from the radio and televisions we listen to, to the very conversations which surround us. All we need to do is listen, and to trust.
Prayer, meditation, and contemplation are the most commonly known and used methods of seeking the spiritual help and guidance we also access through waking dreams. Prayer itself is often defined as talking to God, or telling God what it is we want. Many would agree that the most powerful form of prayer is the one that says, "Thy will be done." Larry Dossey has done some wonderful work in examining the powerful part that prayer can play in our lives, especially what he calls the "non-directed" prayer, as mentioned above.
Meditation, on the other hand, is thought of more as the act of listening to God tell us what it is that He wants for us do. Sharon has a clear and simple method of teaching meditation in her group work for those who have never done it. A technique for meditation:
1. Sit in a comfortable position with the spine straight and the head up so that the chin is level. Arms should be resting comfortably on the thighs with hands open and the palms up in what is commonly called the receiving position.
2. Close the eyes, and focus the inner sight on where the tip of the nose would be if they were open, also called "looking cross-eyed." This is what is more commonly referred to as looking into the third-eye, or using the spiritual sight.
3. Calm the monkeys of the mind, those random thoughts which seem to flit across the screens of our mind in an unceasing fashion. If this is difficult to do initially, do not get discouraged, it may help to use a mantra. This is some sacred word or piece of scripture which appeals to us and which we can chant to keep the mind busy and to raise the vibration or energies in our being. HU is an ancient name for God that works for many people. One might also use the name of one's chosen spiritual leader such as Jesus, Buddha, or Krishna, or just select some short familiar phrase from a religious text which we know. Sharon finds many people to be comfortable with either, "Peace be still," or "Thy will be done." These should be sung or chanted slowly to one's self, either inwardly or out aloud depending on the circumstances.
4. After a period of time, soft thoughts may begin to float across the screen of the mind. These will be the thoughts from our inner source of wisdom. These thoughts may manifest themselves either as something we hear, or as something we see. They may come as complete thoughts we hear in our mind, experiences remembered which we see clearly or as if through a veil, or as images of written words or photos. No matter in which form the messages seem to come while in this state, there can be a healing taking place in our being on one level or another as we seek the wisdom they contain.
The purpose of meditation is to center ourselves in that place within our being which is closest to the still small voice from which is derived our inner wisdom and guidance.
Simply put, prayer is telling God what we want in our lives. Meditation is listening to God tell us what he is going to give us. Contemplation is an active form of the meditation described above. In it, we use our God-given powers of imagination and visualization to take ourselves into those places from which we can more directly access the divine inner source of wisdom and of understanding.
When using the contemplation technique, sit as instructed for meditation, then visualize seeing on that same screen of the mind, the third-eye, the place to which you wish to travel, or the person or spiritual guide with whom you wish to meet. Again chant a holy word or line of scripture which is comforting to you.
As a person works with this technique, sooner or later they will find themselves going beyond the limitations of their mind into that place, or into the presence of that person who they had been visualizing. Many other experiences may also happen, including the appearance of colors or sounds, each of which will have their own special meaning.
The major factor in having success with these techniques is to overcome the fears that are so often buried deep within us. If fear starts to arise, ask your spiritual guidance for assistance in removing whatever it is that is the source of this fear. Then visualize or feel the fear being lifted from you. Spiritual assistance is always there for the asking, but we do need to ask.
The effects or experiences gained from either meditation or contemplation are heightened in the beginning by continued daily practice for short periods of time. It is best to start with no longer than ten to twenty minutes. As one becomes more comfortable with using these techniques, the time may then be lengthened. Just keep in mind that the door accessing this source of wisdom and guidance opens inwardly. Pushing only serves to close the door before we can walk through.
Man has still not discovered all the things of which the mind is capable. Guided visualization is everywhere opening new doorways of human potential. It has become an accepted form of increasing performance in just about every field of human endeavor or learning. Its positive effects are well documented. Both Sharon and I have had great success with introducing this technique to our respective clients, Sharon with her patients, and I with my students. Its effect on middle school students has especially been overwhelming. Having the students write about the things they experience during a guided visualization which allows them to use their own imagination, has produced copious notes of startlingly original and imaginative work. This is even true of students from whom it has in the past been difficult to extract even a vague attempt at something like a formal essay.
Prayer, meditation, and contemplation are just three more of the ways in which we can access our own sources of inner wisdom and guidance. Then, as we learn to use them regularly, we can get our lives on track, and fulfill what it is we came here to this planet to do at this crucial time in its existence.
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