It is said that "life is what happens when
we've made other plans." If this is so, then it doesn't make much sense to
keep demanding life be a certain way. It doesn't make sense to go through life
traveling down the same tunnel of expectation when we know that often brings
disappointment. It is an act of self-love to stop hanging on to the way it is
supposed to be. It is this hanging on that causes us to be buffeted about by
the unwelcome surprises in life.
When we jump to the level of the Higher Self, we are
greatly relieved to find the guarantee that we have been looking for. And that
guarantee is this ... No matter what life decides to hand me, I'll handle
it!
Do you see the peace this assurance of our inner
power brings us? We can never control life in any other way. Yes, life is
filled with surprises. But with the inner knowing that we can handle anything
life hands us, we don't have to worry about the future any longer. We can get
on with our life with a feeling of freedom and adventure. We can even begin to
enjoy the mysteries, instead of feeling threatened by them. Wherever life takes
us, we'll be okay!
Developing this kind of trust requires our
constantly using our Spiritual tools. Even when we think we have the hang of
it, new situations arise that bring up our need to control. But the more we
find ways of dwelling in the house of our Higher Self and trusting the Grand
Design, the easier it is for us to let go of our need to control.
There have been many times when I haven't
understood why certain things have happened in my life. Much later, however,
the great miracle of it all was revealed to me. I didn't understand why my
first marriage didn't work out; I later learned that there was much I had to
learn about becoming whole and, for me, being on my own was a necessary step. I
didn't understand why I got cancer; I later learned how much a life-threatening
illness teaches us about enjoying life in the present.
It certainly is up to us to take some action. And,
we can begin taking more appropriate action in life when we learn how to listen
to our innate intelligence, our intuition. Whether we are aware of it or not,
the Higher Self is constantly sending us valuable messages that can guide us to
where we need to go for our highest good. Our task is to learn how to tune into
these messages.
In Western society, we are taught to think
logically, not intuitively. Logical thinking is very important. It helps us get
through our everyday mortal existence. For example, it helps us know that 2 + 2
= 4, an essential concept to understand when we are paying our bills! But
logical thinking is very limited. It uses only part of our brain.
When we add intuitive thinking to logical thinking,
we expand enormously our inherent capability of living life in an incredibly
powerful manner. We realize that we have
available to us much more wisdom and guidance than we thought we had. The
logical mind draws on the teachings of the physical plane; the intuitive mind
draws on the teachings of the Spiritual plane. When the two are combined, the
resources for guiding us into the future are unlimited. We certainly are much
more than we thought we were!
Since we have not been trained to use the intuitive
part of who we are, the question is, "How do we tune into these powerful
messages that are coming through to us?" Every morning as you contemplate
your day, ask your Higher Self three questions...
"Where would you have me go?"
"What would you have me do?"
"What would you have me say, and to
whom?"
Ask these questions with a sense of trust that your
inner wisdom and power will come forth. Then consciously turn it over and go
about your day. As your day progresses, listen to any inner messages that you
are given. These are messages from the intuitive mind. Then start going where
your energy wants to take you. Sometimes you just get the "urge" to
call a friend, or a business contact, or whatever. Those urge is your intuition
speaking. Again, see where these urges are taking you.
In the beginning you may hear nothing. But
eventually, you will pick up on the guidance coming through. Some of it may
make no sense to you consciously. But it will make sense to your Higher Self.
Trust that. I have found that when I listen to my intuition, I am led to places
that I would have never gone had I listened only to the logic of my rational
mind. And the results have been magical.
Remember that our minds, when governed by the Lower
Self, aren't capable of imagining the grand possibilities that are there for
us. It is important that we learn to tune into a part of us that has much
greater vision, the Higher Self.
People ask me how to know if it is their intuition
speaking when they are being guided or when it is the Lower Self disguising
itself as the Higher Self. My answer is that, in the beginning, we need to play
with it a bit. Experiment with little things. If you get an internal message to
call so and so and it makes no sense, call anyway. See what happens. Or go
somewhere where you are being "led" to go. Or read a book that seems
to jump out at you in the bookstore or online. And so on.
One clue that it is a message from the Higher Self
is that it has a purpose for good. When we know that the action we are being
led to take is a positive one, then we know we are probably on the wavelength
of the Higher Self.
Another exercise that has been very helpful to me
comes from Ram Dass, one of my favourite spiritual teachers. When I know I will
be faced with having to make a decision, instead of lamenting, "What
should I do?” the more peaceful approach is simply to say, "I wonder what
Susan is going to do?"
When I say, "I wonder what Susan is going to
do," in a sense I become the observer rather than the decision maker. I
distance myself from the drama. I trust that "Susan" will be led by
the wisdom within her and I put the issue out of my mind. Later I find myself
living into the answer - easily and effortlessly.
Grow, Glow and be Great!
Read, Learn and Flourish!
