Whose Voice is it Anyway?

One of the hardest questions for me to answer is, “How do I discern when my ego is talking or my divine guidance?”  This is a question we all ask at times.  I listened to a wonderful interview with Dr. Joan Borysenko, by Devaa Haley Mitchell of the Shift Network.

Dr. Borysenko and her husband interviewed several spiritual leaders from all faith traditions asking this exact question.  There are no easy answers, but all agreed upon one point, that there is a deep sense of knowing. I’ve definitely experienced times in my life when I felt I was being called to something new, and struggled with letting go of the known.  I left a tenured position at the age of 43, with no idea of where I was heading, but I had a “deep knowing” I had to follow this voice. I closed out a successful business when, again, I had a deep knowing I was being called somewhere but didn’t know where. I don’t want to make it sound like it was easy. The ego wants to be safe. It took two years of bartering, ignoring, denying this “knowing” before I closed my business. Each new experience created an internal battle between my ego and soul. Once I said Yes, new opportunities opened that I had never envisioned, opening a whole new life.

There are signs to look for when you are not sure which voice is talking:

1. Look for synchronicity.  We’ve all experienced events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connect.  I often have books show up just when I need them.  Follow the trail. These show up often one after another and are leading you somewhere.
2. Notice your body sensations.  Notice when you feel a big Yes or a flow of energy when you hear or see something.  I’ve learned to notice when my body constricts or expands, clearly pointing the way.
3. Pay attention to your dream life. I used to keep a dream journal and was amazed at the synchronicity of my dreams to the questions I was pondering. Ask your dreams to give you insight to a question you are grappling with.

Two major blocks that stop divine guidance are: 1) Not having enough time to slow down and pay attention. We can’t pick up the cues if we are rushing from one thing to the next.  2) When we have old traumas not dealt with, we create a box of safety. We see life through the lens of that box. This keeps divine guidance out because guidance comes in the present time.

May you tune into your individual guidance system and learn to discern the difference between your ego and  divine guidance. Trust your internal GPS.