Spirit In Gear

Extraordinary Knowing

I'm about a third way through Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer's book, Extraordinary Knowing - Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind. 

She justifies the title, "Extraordinary Knowing," in the first 60+ pages of the book, detailing stories of inexplicable knowings from a multitude of people, many of them in the medical field.  Two of these stories stand out in my mind:

One, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, called upon to operate on heads of state, never loses a patient, even in the riskiest surgery.  His secret?  He does not operate until he sees white light around the patient's head.  He may sit for a few minutes, or a few hours, at the bedside of the patient.  Only when he sees the white light does he believe it's safe to operate.  He never shares this with his students or colleagues, because he doesn't want them to believe he's crazy.

The second example involves a poker player who always wins.  He admitted to the author in a private interview that he "knows" what the other poker players are holding in their hands.  It has nothing to do with keeping track of where the cards are.  He said it is like he can see their hands.  The info, the "knowing," gets downloaded without any understanding of how it happens.  Over time his card "skills" became famous, with a huge following.  One day the "knowing" stopped coming, leaving in the same mysterious way it first appeared.  That same day he stopped playing poker.

Encore - True Guidance vs. False Guidance (Part 3)

Today's post, 3rd and final in a series of 3, describes the remaining four distinctions between true intuitive guidance, and ego-driven guidance (which actually sabotages us). 

Characteristics of True (Higher) Guidance and False (Lower/Ego) Guidance
by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D. (From her book, Divine Guidance)

9.  True Guidance empowers you.  False Guidance weakens you.  True guidance may share news that indicates unexpected change, but will do so in a supportive and loving way.  False guidance sends us messages that leave us feeling helpless, victimized or persecuted.  Doreen Virtue offers this question as a litmus test of sorts - ask yourself - "Do I feel empowered by this message?"  If not, it is not true guidance.

Here is a current personal example. [Jan '06]  My husband has lived under the fear of getting laid off or fired for several months, for reasons that certainly appear logical, including that his entire department was decimated, and 60% of his peers are no longer there.  The intuitive guidance that I have consistently received for months indicates no loss of job.  But as time goes on, and the guidance remains positive and loving, I believe that the issue of his getting fired is a "non-issue," in that no matter what happens, we'll be supported and we'll be fine.

[Those of you who followed my blog last year may recall that my husband did indeed get his walking papers early last year and was unemployed for 5 months.  It was a huge change, with challenges and silver linings, and that change helped to catapult me into my own career change last summer.  Along the way, amazing sources of positive support kept us going and sustained us.  We are in a great place now, and things keep getting better and better.]

Encore - True Guidance vs. False Guidance (Part 2)

Today's post, 2nd in a series of 3, continues the distinctions between true intuitive guidance, and ego-driven guidance (which actually sabotages us). 

Characteristics of True (Higher) Guidance and False (Lower/Ego) Guidance
by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D. (From her book, Divine Guidance)

5.  True Guidance is strong and powerful.  False Guidance is insidious and sneaky.  Sometimes we experience something so loud and powerful we can't ignore it.  Such true guidance often comes when we are afraid of fulfilling a larger purpose. 

I had been experiencing 2 solid years of career restlessness during 1994-1995.  I applied the usual strategies, none which provided permanent relief.  During a meditation on a weekend retreat late in 1995, I asked this question - "Will I ever be able to figure out my career?"  The reply, in a loving tone, blew the wind out of me:

"We can answer your question - we've been patiently waiting for you - are you ready to listen?  Let go of [organization] completely.  It is time to choose a date to leave.  When this happens, much energy will return to you, allowing you to focus on yourself.  You are entitled to define your dreams, your own goals not somebody else's.  You will have the strength, energy and wisdom to deal with the unknown, and with the financial changes.  Your husband understands your needs and will support you.  The time is now."

I chose a date to leave and handed in my resignation right after the weekend.  And I felt awesome!

Encore - True Guidance vs. False Guidance (Part 1)

You've probably had the experience of an idea popping into your mind out of nowhere; or felt a powerful hunch in your gut.  Maybe you "saw" something, as in a vision.  Or you heard an inner voice prompting you.  Do you trust these forms of guidance, dismiss them, feel confused by them, or even worse, not even recognize/acknowledge them?

I've responded in all four ways, at least until I began immersing myself 8 years ago in books and training programs that focused on intuition and Higher Guidance.  As a neophyte life coach, I was looking for a ways to facilitate change more quickly and deeply, both with myself and with my clients. 

Over the years I've moved from hardly being aware when Higher Guidance hit my radar screen to seeing it as a natural part of my day to day life that I can recognize, trust, and act on.  My ego voice does like to get in there to trip me up, and muddle me into confusion.  But it doesn't happen as often.

Doreen Virtue, Ph.D., wrote a book a few years back called Divine Guidance.  It's a plain-speaking, clearly written book that teaches readers two things:  how to distinguish true guidance from false guidance; and how to more fully open up your channels to receive Divine Guidance.

In her book, Doreen Virtue discusses 12 ways you can distinguish true guidance from false guidance.  This post will cover 4 of those ways, and the remaining 8 qualities will be discussed in the next 2 consecutive posts.

Muscle Test Your Truth

Try this exercise when you want to bypass logic and determine the "truth" of your inner knowing.  It's called muscle-testing and it taps into the body's wisdom in detecting energies that are truthful/untruthful.  You can do muscle-testing in at least two ways that I am aware of.  Links follow at end.

The first way requires another person to assist you.  Standing up, you extend the arm out of your dominant side (e.g. right-handed, left-handed).  Extend it out to the side at shoulder height.  Say a statement out loud as a way to detect its truth or accuracy for you.  For example, start with something easy, such as "my name is ...."  As you are saying the statement out loud, have the other person place his/her hand on your forearm and attempt to push your arm down from it's position.

If the statement rings true for you, they will not be able to push your arm down, and you will be able to hold it up with little exertion.  Next, try saying something out loud that you want to know whether its true for you or not.  Perhaps a desire to do, or not do, something.  The less true something is for you deep inside, the weaker your muscle response will be when the other person is pushing down on your forearm with their hand.

Before I share what I learned recently from muscle testing that surprised me, I'll explain the 2nd way you can do muscle-testing, this one by yourself, as taught by my close friend Kathleen.  In my Google search, I see that there is some variation with this 2nd way.

With your non-dominant hand, take your middle finger and thumb and form a circle.  Tip the index finger and thumb of your dominant hand together, placing it under and through the circle formed by your non-dominant hand.

Now pose a question where you already know the answer is "yes."  You'll discover that the circle of the non-dominant hand will stay together, indicating the muscle response is stronger.  When you make another statement, or ask a question, and the circle opens, it indicates a weaker muscle response, and a message from inside that this is not true for you at the time.

Whether you do this exercise with someone else, or with yourself, establish a baseline first.  Do this by asking yourself a couple of questions where you know for certain that the answer is yes (e.g. your name, the city you live in etc).  Then ask yourself questions you know for certain are not true for you.  Then begin experimenting with questions that you are not certain about, or make statements that you want to try on and see if they ring true at the core of your being.

I used the 2nd way to muscle test over the weekend.  I asked typical career questions:
- I love to write (yes - no surprise)
- I love to blog (yes- no surprise)
- I love real estate investment (weaker response - definitely not a passion)

Then I made statements about the different activities within real estate investment.  I learned what I liked and what I hated.  The surprise came when I discovered I liked the marketing aspect of the business!  I was shocked, since I did not like to market my past business in coaching.  That told me that I have grown in confidence but need to update my mental thoughts/self-image to fully align with that.

I also asked some personal questions related to whether my daughters would end up marrying the fellows they were dating, and who would get married first.  I must admit I had at least one surprise there.  But mums the word - can't say more there!  I then ended by asking whether we would retire in the city we were now living in.  Muscle testing indicates we may not, because my response was weaker.

When I did a Google search on the phrase, "muscle testing of truth," almost 2 million citations came up.  Here are a couple links I clicked with short, clear articles, both by the same author:

- Muscle Testing for Subtle Energies
- Muscle Testing and Universal Truth

David Hawkins book, Power vs. Force, was cited frequently as well.

As with most things, it helps to rely on more than one source for truth and information.  Muscle testing can be helpful when we feel conflicted between logic and intuition and need another source to cut through the confusion.

Experiment with this, if you like, to see what results you get.  Feel free to stop by with a comment and let the rest of us know about your experience.

Intuitive Nudges Can Show Up Anywhere

Sometimes I have the sense that I am being guided by the most benevolent beings, in all sorts of unexpected places.  Like the airport.  Atlanta's airport, the nation's busiest, to be specific.

My husband and I had a 3+hour layover in Atlanta last month, coming back from Calgary, and our "Enlightened Warrior Training."  We had finished our dinner and headed for some heavy duty browsing at a large bookstore there. 

As I entered the bookstore, I was drawn to a rack of distinctive Blue Mountain Arts greeting cards.  These are beautiful cards with unusual, creative messages that you can't find in drugstores.  My eye landed on the first card because of the caption on the front:  "Follow Your Destiny, Wherever It Leads You." 

As I opened up the card and read the words, I felt tingles.  This message was directed at me, thanks to some angelic nudging.  I purchased the card, for myself, to use as inspiration and support.  You see, I made the decision, while at Warrior Camp, to close down my coaching practice and free up energy for new directions I had begun.

When I returned home, I placed the card on my nightstand.  The first week, I read the words in the card each morning.  The following week I brought the card into my office, to have close by.  I still read it from time to time and find that it reinforces my own courage.

Perhaps these words will touch you as well:

"There comes a time in your life when
you realize that if you stand still, you
will remain at this point forever.  You
realize that if you fall and stay down,
life will pass you by.

Life's circumstances are not always
what you might wish them to be.  The
pattern of life does not necessarily go as
you plan.  Beyond any understanding,
you may at times be led in different
directions that you never imagined,
dreamed, or designed.  Yet if you had
never put any effort into choosing a
path, or tried to carry out your dream,
then perhaps you would have no
direction at all.

Rather than wondering about or
questioning the direction your life has
taken, accept the fact that there is a path
before you now. Shake off the 'whys'
and 'what ifs,' and rid yourself of
confusion.  Whatever was ~ is in the
past.  Whatever is ~ is what's important.
The past is a brief reflection.  The future
is yet to be realized.  Today is here.

Walk your path one step at a time -
with courage, faith, and determination.
Keep your head up and cast your dream
to the stars.  Soon your steps will become
firm, and your footing will be solid again.
A path that you never imagined will
become the most comfortable direction
you could have ever hoped to follow.

Keep your belief in yourself and walk
into your new journey.  You will find it
magnificent, spectacular, and beyond
your wildest imaginings.

- Vicki Silvers

Intuition - Over Easy

You'll find a clear and simple answer to the question, "What is Intuition?" in a recent post at Intuitive Illuminations.  In short, attention to the inner self is key.  You'll find explanations of how intuition comes through too.  I'd encourage you to click on the blog link just to see the beautiful banner at the top!

You may also find a review primer on how to discern true guidance from false guidance in my archived posts:  part 1, part 2, part 3.

Profit from Intuition Now

Do you suffer for a year, or skip needless agony by heeding intuitive forewarnings at the get-go?  This is a question addressed in an Excalibur article by Lisa Alfano.  It depends on how well your third eye chakra is working for you.  The article concludes with tips on how to enhance and stimulate your chakra centers.

To Thine Own Heart Be True

I'm sitting at my computer Monday afternoon, the day after returning from a 3-day intensive seminar.  Jet lag has kicked in.  My body doesn't much care what the clock says.  It has yet to catch up to the current time zone. 

So I'll keep this brief.  I spent 3 whole days and evenings in the company of about 750 people, all of us on a quest to open our hearts wide, to reach inside and call forth our purpose for serving, and articulate a large vision to carry this forth.  Individual visions that shook most of us to our core, and mind talk that threatened to take us down. 

I'm into heavy processing mode, so I'll share more of my takeaways later.  But I do want to leave you with a couple of thoughts that were heavily reinforced for me during the seminar:

1.  Joy is a clue in our life.  Joy comes from the heart.  What choices and decisions have you made that bring you joy?  That tells you where you have followed your heart.

2.  To know our unique purpose (aka "mission" or "dharma") is to know our heart - our soul.  Our purpose for being here cannot be found in our head.  So don't expect your head to understand what you know in your heart to be true for you.  As Don Blohowiak said in his guest post, when it comes down to a contest between head and heart, choose heart.

Signing off for now . . .

Following Intuitive Guidance - Guest Post by Don Blohowiak

** While I take a brief blogging break to attend a workshop intensive in LA for a few days, I leave you with the wise words of Guest Columnist, Don Blohowiak.  Both he and Amanda Murphy have written Guest Posts as a follow-on to my 3-part series on True Guidance vs. False Guidance.  Don's contact information follows at the end.**

Debbie's series on True Guidance vs. False Guidance rings true with me, even though, like many business people, I'm a serious left-brainer -- more inclined to cognitive, analytical processing than given to an impulsive, feeling way of knowing.

And still, I know that many times in my life, I've made important decisions based on my intuitive sense rather than a logical basis:

• Turning down good job opportunities that made perfect sense but didn't feel right;
• Sensing that I'd marry my wife (of more than a quarter-century) on our first date;
• Leaving a top job with great pay to risk a solo practice shortly after building a big new house -- with two kids about to go off to college.

Now I find myself listening to my intuitive senses again on two fronts, drawing me to work with more clients on a one-to-one basis, and to undertake post-graduate work after an absence from education for a few decades.

Without suppressing or denying my rational bent, I've learned to listen to the wisdom of my intuition, to trust its True Guidance. And I've also learned to heed three related cautions.

First, many years ago, I received this advice: In any contest between your head and heart, always follow your heart. You'll often regret a head-based decision but rarely a heart-based decision.

Second, intuitive yearnings often can't be "proven." In fact, trying to make a case to rationally justify your intuition can often defeat it (like trying to look nonchalant).

Third, False Guidance often masquerades as True Guidance. When False Guidance comes calling, it wears the mask of wisdom, covering its true nature: Ego.

One thing I've learned to do when I hear Intuition whispering its guidance, I ask it: Does this pending action serve me, or my larger purposes? True Guidance serves true purposes.

Intuition is a valid way of knowing, when you trust yourself and assure the truth of your True Guidance.

You can learn more about Don and his work at http://www.LeadWell.com, in addition to his two blogs:  On Leadership and Self-Development.  Email Don here.