inner voice
You Are A Bright Star In A Benevolent Universe
We live on a vibrant planet, a microcosm of a vast universe of mysterious galaxies, infinite passages, magnificent star clusters, and more than a zillion types of light we can only touch in the stillness of our souls. I am reminded of this splendor each time I gaze into the night sky.
I am also reminded of our presence in this wondrous universe upon waking in the morning and witnessing the magnificence of the sun rising above the hills. And then there is that pre-dawn twilight period when a sacred stillness envelopes all.
It is at these times that I feel most connected to the Divine Essence of Life that flows through the entire Universe. It affirms that I am also a part of this vast and expanding wonder of abundance, benevolence and unconditional love.
We sometimes lose sight of the fact that we have been created complete and dynamic, with an endless array of spiritual, metaphysical and psychological powers to forge through any goals we might establish for ourselves.
Too often we see ourselves as lacking in the ability to move our lives forward, especially when everything seems to be going wrong. It is during these periods that we must take a step back, breathe deeply, and focus on how magnificently perfect we were created.
Each of us is born with an inner compass and a set of spiritual gifts to guide our lives to celestial heights, even in the most rough moments when it appears that our world is crumbling.
I once had a wise friend who was a revered elder in our community. Throughout her life she has freely shared her wisdom with me. Towards the end of her earthly life, she reminded me that we were each born with the perfect tools in place to navigate through any ordeal, both the positive and the seemingly negative.
She urged me to reflect upon the higher guidance we were born with, and not be afraid of trusting my inner voice, especially during the bleak periods. So, in honor of my dear old friend, I encourage you today to utilize your special set of spiritual tools and trust in the higher guidance it leads you towards.
Let Your Spiritual Gifts Flow Naturally
We are all metaphysical beings born with a variety of spiritual gifts. Some of us intuitively know how to use our special gifts early in our life, while others may have difficulty embracing them.
Expressing our natural spiritual gifts takes a certain mindset. The key is to not try too hard. That’s right! No blood, sweat or tears are necessary. Just relax, surround yourself with calm and positivity, and clear your mind. Our metaphysical gifts and psychic talents flow naturally when we don’t try to force it.
We experience intuitions, signs and synchronicities every day, but often we do not pay enough attention. You may have felt someone was coming to visit today, or a vision of that person flashed through your mind, and then you bump into them later.
Maybe you smelled a sweet scent that reminded you of someone, or you knew the phone was going to ring, and it just did. We may have a feeling not to drive a certain way home today, and later discover that we missed a major traffic jam. We all have an inner voice that talks to us when we have important choices or decisions to make.
Some people have won the lottery, after the numbers just ‘popped into their mind.’ We all have dreams that reveal important information to us about the past, present or future. Some of us feel sadness or despair when we walk by strangers. We feel soul connections with some people we meet for the first time.
So, you see, we are all gifted, but we just need practice learning how to not try so hard, and instead just get comfortable and attuned with our spiritual self.
Embracing The Shadow
When I first began to intentionally and consciously walk a spiritual path, I remember doing so because it just felt so right. Every step I took toward ‘enlightenment’ in this lifetime seemed to bring more brightness into my life, and so many more blessings.
In those early days I was really rolling! I was expecting this to be an easy ride – all joy and light and love. It was wonderful.
What I hadn’t expected was the inevitable emergence of my shadow through as a result of all my spiritual work. And it was not something I was going to be comfortable with – admitting I had places of darkness within me, unloved aspects of myself, disowned pieces of my soul which had been abandoned and in such pain.
Through a series of, what seemed like, unfortunate events, I was given opportunities to face my shadow side. Challenges in relationships with friends and loved ones arose. I couldn’t understand it at first, and felt very alone and misunderstood. I was shifting the blame for this onto the people around me, instead of going inward.
Going inward, into the light, was totally okay, but going inward into the darkness was terrifying. My ego-self raised every defense to keep me from going there. Eventually, I could avoid it no longer.
My life at this point had endured tremendous change in the course of only a few years- so much so, that the entire landscape of my existence and the people in it were now different. While many of the changes were positive, the magnitude of the differences between my ‘old life’ and my ‘new life’ forced me into robust self-reflection.
Where did I want to go with my life? What did I want to do? And who was I going to be? I must admit, these were heavy questions, and I absolutely felt the weight of them. In addition, I was healing from a personal loss, and that was taking more time than I wanted it to.
My ‘aha moment’ came when I was lamenting one day about my relationship with my partner. I had identified that I wanted a deeper level of connection, but felt that he was unwilling to meet me there.
The Healing Embrace Of Mother Nature
Throughout my life, especially during the most difficult times, the one thing I have always been able to count on is Mother Nature. Gaia, the Great Mother, has always served me well.
I grew up in California, where there is an abundance of water: water falls, creeks, rivers, lakes and the spectacular Pacific Ocean. I had quick and easy access to hiking paths, and other adventures and recreational activities in the great outdoors. In fact, next to dance, hiking was my favorite form of exercise in my teenage years.
When times are difficult, I have always sought out nature. It is so much easier to block out other people’s negativity when all you can see is God’s magnificent creation. It’s divine intent, joy, beauty, harmony, balance, and timelessness.
In the arms of Mother Nature, there is the freedom to tune out all the noise and toxic energy of others…and just hear the voice of Go. It helps you to center yourself, and clear out the negative energy and drama other people sometimes bring into your life.
I find that those of us who live in large cities and urban areas are more likely to get swallowed up by the negative energy of others. We can simply not get away from it in our daily lives. Going back to a home every day, where there is still a lot of radiation and traffic noise, will not let you heal or reenergize.
We all need to take the time to hear our inner voice. No cars, no talking, no noise. Just our own thoughts and inner guidance. We must make time to just hear the voice of spirit within. Otherwise, the voice of the ego that we hear in our head becomes toxic with negative self-talk.
God’s natural world is a temple of healing, a shrine of grace, a sanctuary for the burdened soul. This is why nature must also be protected. By protecting nature, we are protecting God. Mature is a gift to us from Source. It belongs to all of us, including future generations.
Tapping Into Your Own Psychic Ability
Have you ever heard your name, when no one else is in the room with you? Have you ever thought of someone unexpectedly, and have that person then suddenly show up a in person, or with a phone call, a text?
Have you ever had that eerie feeling in your gut, just knowing that something bad was about to happen? Have you ever spontaneously known the answer to a question that you were not supposed to know?
All these things are related to your intuition, or innate psychic ability. Every person has some level of psychic ability. We are all using it daily, but many are not consciously aware of it. Learning to tap into your psychic intuition more consciously is not too difficult, as long as you learn to trust where it is coming from.
Do this simple experiment. Just take a moment to ask a question. Sit quietly, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Then ask your question. Just one simple question. It can even be something you already know the answer to. Start with something like, “Is my name (fill in the blank).”
Relax and sense the answer. Do you feel the ‘yes?’ Typically, you might feel it in your gut (solar plexus), or in the area of your heart. It will not come from your brain, or your mind. It will be a sense or a feeling, not a thought. Of course, your mind already knows the answer, but you want to feel a resounding yes coming from your gut.
If you don’t feel it right away, that’s okay. Take the time to do it again later. Never move onto another question until you have sensed that knowing ‘yes’ from the first one. It takes practice and patience to get your energies in alignment.
When you finally do get that gut ‘yes’, then move onto another question. Initially it is best to stick with simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions, that you already know the answers to, until you feel each answer coming from deep within. Do this quietly and slowly. It’s not a race or contest.