“Tapping into Inner Guidance”
The Art of Listening
...how do we find the Voice that is calling us to our most fulfilling life? That tells us which next steps to take to get us there? What does the Voice of our impassioned Soul sound like? Underneath all our acceptable masks and behaviors, our chronic patterns and coping mechanisms, what does our most Authentic Self look like, and what does it dream of?This blog post is taking it back to the basics - how to start tapping into our ever present Intuition by practicing the Art of Listening...
These are interesting and challenging times we are living through, times that continue to stretch and nudge or push us into thinking, acting & planning outside of the box, as the standard norm is crumbling all around us.
Many of us are waking up to the fact that the life we have been living, the job that paid the bills, is no longer fulfilling, no longer sustainable, and maybe never has been. We are faced with uncertainty and a need to find a different way forward, perhaps a way that does not even have a roadmap to go by, a way so far removed from our habitual thinking that we maybe cannot even conceive of it just yet.
Having our own, clear Inner Voice & Guidance system, being able to trust our intuitive instincts & to listen for & discern our own version of Truth to show us our way forward is becoming imperative in a world where the outer voices are becoming ever more antagonistic, un-discerning, angry, confusing, contrary and contradicting. Yet we have been conditioned to disregard and dismiss our Inner Guidance, that subtle Voice, for so long that it can be hard to hear it clearly under the clamor of inner and outer confusion and fear.
So, how do we find the Voice that is calling us to our most fulfilling life? That tells us which next steps to take to get us there? What does the Voice of our impassioned Soul sound like? Underneath all our acceptable masks and behaviors, our chronic patterns and coping mechanisms, what does our most Authentic Self look like, and what does it dream of?
Many of us have lost our Vision, our ability to dream or even remember what it feels like to be passionate about something, what it feels like to be fully alive and in the moment. I’ve been there. Many of my clients have been there.
One of my favorite tools to get back in touch with our greater Vision and Passion for life is to “listen to your Day-Dreams”. But that is not helpful when we are so out of touch with the Art of Dreaming, so deaf to the language of our imagination, so inoculated with the belief that dreaming is for fools and losers - insubstantial, ungrounded and a waste of time.
Sometimes, we have to back it up a bit and re-learn the Art of Listening to our inner messages.
Try this - think about doing something you know you don’t enjoy. Perhaps it is your job, or cleaning the house, having that dreaded conversation with someone you disagree with, or any other thing that comes to mind.
Our body is constantly communicating with us, yet we have learned only too well to ignore it.
Now feel into your body. What is coming up for you? Are you suddenly feeling sluggish & tired? Depressed? Restless & anxious? Is your stomach clenching, your neck tightening, your skin itching perhaps? What thoughts come up automatically? What distractions tempt you?
Just listen and pay attention, without judging what is arising. Just be present with your body and take note of what and how you are feeling.
Now repeat this with a pleasant thought. Perhaps that week-end getaway by the beach you enjoyed years ago, a class you’ve been thinking about taking, a visit with a good friend… how is your body responding now? Do you feel a lightness around your chest? A smile lifting that frown? Perhaps a little excitement in your belly, or a rush of vitality and vibrancy? Another joyful, unexpected thought or idea popping up out of nowhere?
Again, just pay attention, without judgement.
Congratulations! You’ve just had a conversation with your Inner Voice!
You’ve just become aware of some of the communication styles your body uses to get its messages across.
Feelings, emotions, physical sensations, thoughts, sudden ideas…they all represent a subtle language that is constantly speaking to us, if only someone were “home” to listen and pay attention.
What did the messages tell you? Perhaps you just realized & admitted for the fist time how utterly depressing and draining that coveted, high paying job is that you were so proud to land. Perhaps you felt a spark of aliveness, joy and anticipation when you thought about taking that photography class you saw advertised the other day, and you realized it’s been decades since you’ve felt excited about anything you do; maybe you have a sudden revelation that the times you remember feeling excited and most alive in the past all had creativity in common, and that somewhere down the road of becoming a responsible, respectable adult, you forgot how to nurture that creative fire…
Now you have something to work with!
Now you have a guidance system that can give you instant feedback about things in your life that drain your energy and contribute to your stress, as well as giving you a visceral sense of the things that would contribute positively to your life, by making you feel alive, energized, peaceful, inspired etc.
It’s still up to us if we want to do something with the feedback we’ve been getting, off course. It can be scary to make drastic changes to our lives based on “just a feeling”. Though I can tell you from personal experience that ignoring those feelings will come at the high cost of emotional, mental and/or physical dis-ease. Too high a cost! Trust me. I’ve been there, too.
Now you have also touched on the power of Day-Dreams; remember that beach vacation that made you feel so happy, relaxed and alive? Can you still feel it, just thinking about it? You just had yourself a little Day-Dream-Vacation that helped you to instantly feel better, if only for a moment.
You also heard your body’s message, loud and clear, giving you feedback on what would make you feel happy/relaxed/joyful…
Do you care about yourself enough to follow up on it? And if that beach vacation is just out of reach at the moment, what else could you do that is within reach? Perhaps a walk in the park down the street every day? Or a little day-trip to the next town over with your best friend, just for a change of scenery once in a while?
It helps to practice listening to our bodies and re-learning how to day-dream and imagine with little things like this. Ask your body what it would like to eat that day. What it needs to function optimally. Does it want to go for a walk, rest more, be more active, crave alone time or more social interactions?
Daily practice with the little things that don’t hold much charge, i.e. that do not trigger big, challenging responses in us, helps us develop discernment and inner listening skills.
From there, it gets easier to stay centered and receive clear feedback when we ask the high stakes questions, like “is it time to quit my job and follow my passion-career as photographer? And - how do I go about it when I have no savings and no experience?” The more positive experience we get when listening to and following our intuitive guidance with the “little things”, the more confidence we will gain to work up the courage to re-dream and re-write our whole lives. Synchronicity and downright miracles show up frequently when we heed the Inner Voice and follow our Dreams and Guidance!
If you are still wondering what your big Passion in life is, your Mission and Purpose that would make you come alive, you can utilize these same tools.
The more we show ourselves that how we feel matters by following up on our bodies’ cues, the more sensitized we become to our Inner Voice and the less willing to put up with anything that does not nurture us. If we listen and care, our bodies will show us how to live richer, healthier, more fulfilling, exciting and abundant lives.
Our Deepest Passion and Purpose are hiding in plain sight.
We can find cues in our past, in our present, and in our Day-Dreams, once we have learned the high art of discerning the messages finding us through our Visions & Dreams. Our Higher Guidance speaks the language of imagination and feelings fluently. Our intuitive senses are a lot more accessible and common than most people think, yet they are typically subtle and easily missed in our distracted, noisy lives.
The above, simple practice can help us listen to the subtle cues that are constantly communicating with us. Our intuitive senses are very much using the same communication-pathways.
The Inner Voice will get louder and more clear and easy to discern the more we practice listening to our bodies. We can get a sense of our particular intuitive strengths - perhaps you have a real gift for clairvoyance and can easily “see” and “imagine” visual images with your inner eyes and get flashes of “visions” as part of your communication with your Higher Guidance; or maybe you have an aptitude for claircognizance & “just know” things; or your gift of clairaudience shows up via thoughts popping into your head “out of nowhere”. Perhaps your gut has always been great at letting you know what is a good choice for you and what isn’t, whom you can trust and who to stay away from, and you are now finally daring to trust it because you are learning how to hear its messages loud and clear.
If accessing your Higher Guidance and your Intuition still feels a little out of reach for you, start by listening to your body.
If you learn to recognize and respect these messages by following up on the insights you are receiving, you will soon communicate effortlessly with your Inner Guidance through your Intuitive Senses.
Be patient, be consistent, follow through on insights, and most of all, have fun with it! I dare say…if you are not having fun, you have not yet tapped into your true Higher Guidance. Because pure Joy, Love, Laughter and (often irreverent) Humor are the natural side effects of connecting and merging with our Higher Self. And where do you think your Higher Guidance is coming from if not from “your” Spiritual Aspects of Self? Well, that’s a whole other topic for another post…
For now, I’ll leave it here with the promise that, yes, you can absolutely have fun following your Inner Guidance EVEN WHEN you are feeling rather out of your depth, scared and stretched way beyond your comfort zone, not knowing what’s ahead. Your Trust in your Guidance will become so strong, your sense of Connection so empowering, that you start seeing adventure and potential instead of loss and obstacles when you dare step outside the bounds of the mapped terrain of socially recognized pathways.
Practice, have fun with it, and message me with questions, or if you would like assistance on your personal Journey to connecting with your own Intuitive Guidance, your Journey to becoming your most Authentic, Joyful, Empowered Self. We might as well have fun connecting with our Guidance together ;-)
Further Reading:
And of course,
if you feel you’d like some help & assistance with getting in touch with your stories & emotions, ready for a deeper exploration, transformation & healing, I am here for exactly that - check out my Spiritual Guidance & Transformational Coaching Sessions & Courses, my in-depth Soul Purpose Blueprint Readings,
or get in touch with me at brighde@awakenedhearth.com if you have any questions...I am looking forward to connecting with you!
Brighde is a Writer with a love for dark chocolate and the mystical side of life. She firmly believes every aspect of this curious Journey on Earth can be improved with a steaming mug of good tea, an open heart and mind and a grounded connection to the higher vibrational realms of Spirit inherent in everything. With a background of almost 30 years of working in the Healing Arts and Bodywork, her current focus is on facilitating deep inner transformation, growth and healing through one-on-one Intuitive Guidance and Coaching Sessions as well as on-line & in-person Courses and Workshops. Your can find out more about her work at www.AwakenedHearth.com.
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