Just recently I was feeling a little down. Things had been slow financially the last few weeks and I was feeling the “pinch”. Then one day I was in Santa Cruz and went for a walk in my beloved Pogonip. I love walking in Pogonip. There’s such a sweet energy there and a varied landscape of hills, views, woods, redwoods, meadows and a creek. I had just been sitting in my favorite meadow to meditate and was feeling at peace on rising. I followed the path into the woods and was suddenly struck by a slender, solitary yellow leaf twirling in the distance. I walked right up to it and found myself in a circle of redwoods. The air was still. All other foliage motionless. Yet this one leaf that was actually attached to a dead branch by a thread of cobweb was twirling around like a whirling dervish.
I stood entranced. My mind wasn’t particularly interested in trying to work out why this one leaf, and not even another next to it caught in the cobweb, was moving. What captivated me was an intense feeling of being spoken to. I was receiving a subtle reminder that activity was happening behind the scenes, that I was very much a part of the entire movement of the Universe, that I was not disengaged, out on a limb or forgotten. My sense of communication with this solitary twirling leaf was so intense that I asked it, or whatever was moving it to twirl in the other direction. The leaf slowed down, bounced from side to side and then promptly swung round to now spin in the opposite direction.
My heart flooded with gratitude for this magical interaction. I felt my world open up into something so much more vast and meaningful. As I continued along my path I felt cleansed of all previous concerns and awash in the calming beauty of the dark trickling creek, the tawny fir needles and the graceful, nurturing trees.
The following day a new client called and a former client the day after that. Money was flowing in once again and the feeling of peace, gratitude and connection to the great All That Is hasn’t left me for a second. It’s hard when facing the unknown and the challenges of being in transition to maintain this vibrant sense of trust, peace and wellbeing.
We are more receptive to subtle messages when we become quiet, open and present. Make some room for time to be still and appreciative, so you can respond to the support of your inner guidance. Subtle messages visit us in many different ways; kind words, a rush of gratitude for someone or something you were taking for granted, a phrase that you read that fills you with its meaning, a sudden change of attitude, the landing of a ladybug on your hand wishing you good luck. The power of the message lies in how fully you receive it, how completely it can transform you into an expansive state where you readily believe that the absolute highest outcome is being created right in this very moment.
© 2009 Nicola Walker, Clarity for Life
Want to use this article in your own newsletter or website? You can as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Nicola Walker, transitions coach, helps people who are feeling stuck, unclear or distracted achieve their most cherished goals with her 21-Day Inner Guidance Coaching Program. She offers a free half hour phone coaching consultation. Visit her website, http://www.clarityforlife.com to find out more.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Fast is Not Always Best
Just recently I was driving to a meetup group on social media in Milpitas trying to shorten my journey by 10 minutes despite the fact that it was rush hour traffic. My aim was to get there as fast as I could without getting a speeding ticket. At the same time, I kept taking some deep breaths to stay calm and relaxed. I’d never been to the group before, but had the address and directions from mapquest. Then I noticed that I needed gas. I’d forgotten about that. “Oh well, I’ll just take it all in my stride.” I stopped for gas en route. I was doing pretty well surrendering to the flow as I mixed in with the traffic on the freeway.
The closer I got to the restaurant where we were to meet, the more jammed up the traffic became. Finally I spotted the restaurant, Marie Callenders, on the other side of the intersection of two freeways. I exited the freeway and tried to judge what road I would take to enter the restaurant, which was coming right up. I glimpsed a road on the right and I turned quickly into it only to land up on the freeway heading off in the opposite direction! Now I was getting tense. I got off at the next exit, crossed the freeway and drove back towards the exit where the restaurant was. This time I carefully drove past the entrance onto the freeway and looked out for the next street to the right. I passed the restaurant, with no turning to the right to be seen. The next building was Denny’s. Ah, they’re probably all in the same lot, I thought. I drove into the Denny’s parking lot. There was a wall between Denny’s and the Marie Callenders parking lot.
I turned around, drove out, waiting about 4 minutes to merge with the traffic, and finally I come to the next intersection which I recognized as the street name I had scrawled on a scrap of paper. I followed the road to the right going all the way down its winding route to arrive at the back of Marie Callenders. I sat still for a while in my car gathering my center from the frenzied whirlwind of activity. I marveled at how easy it is to act faster than is truly needed. In my haste, I had forgotten that I had the street address for the restaurant and yet I had tried to seemingly drive through walls and decide for myself what street the restaurant should be on.
If there had been a tortoise in this story, it would have been sitting at the table in Marie Callenders waiting to greet me. In our action-crammed lives, it’s easy to forget just how much we have to slow down for our inner wisdom to catch up with us. Often a simple event like this is a reflection of what happens in other areas of life. I remember how, when I take a journey step by step instead of trying to leap ahead of myself, that I am buoyantly supported by the flow, the current of wisdom that is ever present to us all, that leads me just where I need to be—in perfect timing.
The closer I got to the restaurant where we were to meet, the more jammed up the traffic became. Finally I spotted the restaurant, Marie Callenders, on the other side of the intersection of two freeways. I exited the freeway and tried to judge what road I would take to enter the restaurant, which was coming right up. I glimpsed a road on the right and I turned quickly into it only to land up on the freeway heading off in the opposite direction! Now I was getting tense. I got off at the next exit, crossed the freeway and drove back towards the exit where the restaurant was. This time I carefully drove past the entrance onto the freeway and looked out for the next street to the right. I passed the restaurant, with no turning to the right to be seen. The next building was Denny’s. Ah, they’re probably all in the same lot, I thought. I drove into the Denny’s parking lot. There was a wall between Denny’s and the Marie Callenders parking lot.
I turned around, drove out, waiting about 4 minutes to merge with the traffic, and finally I come to the next intersection which I recognized as the street name I had scrawled on a scrap of paper. I followed the road to the right going all the way down its winding route to arrive at the back of Marie Callenders. I sat still for a while in my car gathering my center from the frenzied whirlwind of activity. I marveled at how easy it is to act faster than is truly needed. In my haste, I had forgotten that I had the street address for the restaurant and yet I had tried to seemingly drive through walls and decide for myself what street the restaurant should be on.
If there had been a tortoise in this story, it would have been sitting at the table in Marie Callenders waiting to greet me. In our action-crammed lives, it’s easy to forget just how much we have to slow down for our inner wisdom to catch up with us. Often a simple event like this is a reflection of what happens in other areas of life. I remember how, when I take a journey step by step instead of trying to leap ahead of myself, that I am buoyantly supported by the flow, the current of wisdom that is ever present to us all, that leads me just where I need to be—in perfect timing.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Inner Guidance is Always Available – But Are You Listening?
Even though I’ve been connecting with my inner wisdom for guidance for over 20 years, there have been times when I’ve been furious because my inner guidance has seemingly deserted me. I want answers but my body is tense with exasperation from the grim silence that I face like a wall. My inner wisdom can help me and is ready and willing to help me, but I am focused on my emotional response to the problem and so I am not open enough to see, hear or sense the answers I seek. It reminds me of a passage in Richard Bach’s book, One, where his guides say we were longing to help you but you were so upset that you couldn’t hear us.
Answers are not always instantly available, but your inner guidance never deserts you. Guidance is a gentle wisdom that reassures you, shows you your next small step or opens you to the peace of your true Nature, that is not dependant on outer circumstances looking a certain way. When you tense up in your efforts to receive guidance, or become too embroiled in the story of your suffering, or move to far ahead of yourself, you are not open and relaxed enough to connect with guidance, to receive guidance.
Inner guidance is always present because it is part of our true Nature. Set down your problems, like you would put down your luggage while waiting for a train. Be willing to wait a while, without trying to work it out. Your problems may even disappear. Try to resist running after them. Simply notice the wisdom and guidance that speaks from your heart and your own sense of knowing.
Answers are not always instantly available, but your inner guidance never deserts you. Guidance is a gentle wisdom that reassures you, shows you your next small step or opens you to the peace of your true Nature, that is not dependant on outer circumstances looking a certain way. When you tense up in your efforts to receive guidance, or become too embroiled in the story of your suffering, or move to far ahead of yourself, you are not open and relaxed enough to connect with guidance, to receive guidance.
Inner guidance is always present because it is part of our true Nature. Set down your problems, like you would put down your luggage while waiting for a train. Be willing to wait a while, without trying to work it out. Your problems may even disappear. Try to resist running after them. Simply notice the wisdom and guidance that speaks from your heart and your own sense of knowing.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Are Your Fears Masquerading as Inner Guidance?
I’ve had a couple of experiences recently, which were great reminders that when desire and attachment to desire are in the picture, I am in no position to discern clear inner guidance. To discern clear guidance, you have to move into the neutral zone. It’s interesting to note that in both experiences, I was being sold something. The theme of one temptation was love, the other was money.
It’s true that when something is right for you, you feel the flush of enthusiasm. Something feels right. Maybe you hear that still small voice within guiding you. Maybe you receive an image that gives you the answer you seek. Yet in the heat of the moment, subtlety goes out the window and all you can see, hear or feel is your mind. Your ego gets very attached to certain outcomes, especially those revolving around love, money and safety. Fears come up that you might not get what you want another way. Sales people play upon such fears. You might not get the same chance tomorrow, they say. The price may be different. What you want may not be there.
Unfortunately, a lot of people feel this same sense of pressure in a recession. “Should I take the job I don’t really want?” “Should I drop my prices?” “Should I give up my dreams?” Have the courage to get really quiet to hear what your inner guidance tells you. Wisdom is guiding us all the time, no matter what our situation is. There’s always a choice that feels right.
Check in with your guidance several times over a period of a few days if possible. Certainly with a night’s sleep in between. Start to notice how different some things look from one day to the next. And notice what always remains true. What endures is the truth deep down in your heart. The truth you cannot run away from. That truth is your inner guidance, the truth that guides you to live the fullness of who you truly are, even if it looks different from how your mind would like it to look.
It’s true that when something is right for you, you feel the flush of enthusiasm. Something feels right. Maybe you hear that still small voice within guiding you. Maybe you receive an image that gives you the answer you seek. Yet in the heat of the moment, subtlety goes out the window and all you can see, hear or feel is your mind. Your ego gets very attached to certain outcomes, especially those revolving around love, money and safety. Fears come up that you might not get what you want another way. Sales people play upon such fears. You might not get the same chance tomorrow, they say. The price may be different. What you want may not be there.
Unfortunately, a lot of people feel this same sense of pressure in a recession. “Should I take the job I don’t really want?” “Should I drop my prices?” “Should I give up my dreams?” Have the courage to get really quiet to hear what your inner guidance tells you. Wisdom is guiding us all the time, no matter what our situation is. There’s always a choice that feels right.
Check in with your guidance several times over a period of a few days if possible. Certainly with a night’s sleep in between. Start to notice how different some things look from one day to the next. And notice what always remains true. What endures is the truth deep down in your heart. The truth you cannot run away from. That truth is your inner guidance, the truth that guides you to live the fullness of who you truly are, even if it looks different from how your mind would like it to look.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Are You Honoring Your Life Purpose?
When you really listen to your heart’s desire to express itself in its own unique way, you know your purpose. The key question is, are you honoring your life purpose? Or, are you burying your joy under a bushel? In these challenging economic times it is tempting to give up on your dreams or sell yourself short. It takes immense courage and focus to stay true to your path. The good news is that your inner guidance will help you every step of the way.
It is always important to keep your feet on the ground and do what you need to cover your financial obligations. Yet, to ignore your life purpose and your heart’s desires would be cruel and unnecessary. Living your life purpose is about living the very core of who you are as a soul. How can you put that on the back burner?
In my experience, I have always felt rewarded for putting my attention on my life purpose path. Even in the days when I did a full-time job, I would find times to visualize, receive guidance, write, or further clarify my offerings by doing internet research. I would work with a coach to help me move through my inner obstacles and receive even more clarity on the direction I was going in. I always felt the light of my inner joy burning brightly.
If you already have a job that’s not exactly your life purpose, ask how can you integrate your life purpose into your work and life? Your inner guidance will tell you how if you really listen. You know when you’re not living your life purpose, because you feel like you’re living half a life. You’re more prone to irritability, hopelessness, or despair.
What would happen if you didn’t move away from your life purpose? All those times when you feel saddened or angry because you think you can’t do what you love would be eliminated, leaving time and energy for you to keep moving forward with what is most important to you. Spirit moves when you move.
When you are living your life purpose, one step at a time, you feel the fullness of your life force, you’re more positive, and at one with your dreams. The more expansive you feel, the easier it is for your inner guidance to move you in the right direction. And the more energy you have for the rest of your life, which naturally improves when you’re happy and fulfilled.
It is always important to keep your feet on the ground and do what you need to cover your financial obligations. Yet, to ignore your life purpose and your heart’s desires would be cruel and unnecessary. Living your life purpose is about living the very core of who you are as a soul. How can you put that on the back burner?
In my experience, I have always felt rewarded for putting my attention on my life purpose path. Even in the days when I did a full-time job, I would find times to visualize, receive guidance, write, or further clarify my offerings by doing internet research. I would work with a coach to help me move through my inner obstacles and receive even more clarity on the direction I was going in. I always felt the light of my inner joy burning brightly.
If you already have a job that’s not exactly your life purpose, ask how can you integrate your life purpose into your work and life? Your inner guidance will tell you how if you really listen. You know when you’re not living your life purpose, because you feel like you’re living half a life. You’re more prone to irritability, hopelessness, or despair.
What would happen if you didn’t move away from your life purpose? All those times when you feel saddened or angry because you think you can’t do what you love would be eliminated, leaving time and energy for you to keep moving forward with what is most important to you. Spirit moves when you move.
When you are living your life purpose, one step at a time, you feel the fullness of your life force, you’re more positive, and at one with your dreams. The more expansive you feel, the easier it is for your inner guidance to move you in the right direction. And the more energy you have for the rest of your life, which naturally improves when you’re happy and fulfilled.
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