How to Recognize the Whisper of Spiritual Guidance

This month were talking about Spiritual Guidance and Personal Responsibility. Spiritual guidance comes from within and is sometimes call intuition, a hunch or a gut feeling.   We all have a spiritual inner voice, but do we all listen? 

"Follow your instincts. That's where true   wisdom manifests itself." ~ Oprah Winfrey. 

How do you know when your intuition is speaking to you and thru you? With a committee of voices rattling around in our brains offering input on just about everything, how do we know when the Divine is speaking?

My Lesson In Listening

About a year ago I left my $600 Kindle, a gift from my parents, in an airplane's seat-back pocket, never to see it again. Before I walked off the plane, Spirit tried three times to save me from heartbreak and loss.

First, when I put my Kindle in the seat-back pocket, my intuition whispered,

"Leave it in your bag." 

I responded in my head, "But what if I want to read during the flight. I don't want to have to disturb anyone to get it out." I put my Kindle in the seat-back pocket.

Next, I was trying to decide where to put my boarding pass. Spirit softly suggested,

"Put it in your Kindle."

I responded, "No, I don't want to lose my boarding pass. It might slip out." I put my boarding pass into my purse.

Lastly, Spirit coaxed, 

"Hold your Kindle in your lap."

I was so involved in a conversation with my neighbor that I thought, "No. That would be rude."

Two hours later after leaving the plane at my layover destination, I realized my Kindle was not with me and it was still on the first plane. When I returned to the gate to claim it, the Kindle was lost in the Atlanta Delta Lost and Found system, never to be seen again. "Did you have your name in it?" the gate attendant asked. No...too bad I didn't put my boarding pass in it!

As I reflected on what had happened I realized all the ways my intuition tried to save me from loss and hopeless frustration; from not even taking the Kindle out of my bag to putting the boarding pass into the case so it was easy to identify.

When I was retelling the story to a friend and wondering aloud how to train myself to stop and listen to my intuition in the moment rather than recognizing it's wisdom after the fact, she asked me,"What did your intuition sound like?"

The Voice of Wisdom Rather Than Fear

In an instant of reflection I realized, it never argued with me. It never tried to change my mind or plead with me to make a different choice. My intuition offered me a new idea, but it never justified it's suggestion. My seemingly all-knowing ego overruled my intuition with strong ideas backed up by fear-based consequences. I took that as a clue!

What are other ways to know when Spirit is leading the way?

Three Times a Charm

Kathy Story knows when she gets the Divine nudge 3 times for the same thing, that's a clue to pay attention and take action.

"I know. I listen to things that happen to me 3 times, otherwise I get the divine two-by-four," she said recently when explaining how Spirit gave her the Divine elbow to buy a stuffed parrot from Home Depot. She loves parrots and two days after her purchase, a family of live parrots took up residence in a tree next to her home. Now she wakes up every day and looks out at her spirit animal, the parrot, and gives thanks for that great gift.

Know Thy Self 

Take time to listen and know yourself. That's huge! Last Sunday, Dr. Heather suggested meditation, prayer and visioning as three great tools to access the inner wisdom. So often, we move along reacting rather than listening. My yoga teacher reminds me that the power of a yoga practice not only comes from the physical movement, but also from monitoring the reactions of the mind. When we attempt a new posture or reach a physical limitation, that's a tremendous opportunity to observe how the mind reacts to challenge and stress. From that place we get to practice calming the reaction and creating a new thought. To go from "oh know this is too hard" to "I'm doing it. I am strong and capable." By knowing how we react in tough moments, we can distinguish the voice of panick and fear from clear wisdom and guidance. 


The wisdom of spiritual guidance can lead the way to enlightenment and greater fulfillment. This month I invite you to reflect on ways you can be a better listener to that still, small voice of spiritual guidance.

How do you recognize your spiritual guidance? Share your stories in the comments. We learn from each other. 

It is Your Fault But You are Not to Blame

Resting my Sunburned Feet

For the month of May we will be exploring the theme "Spiritual Guidance and Personal Responsibility." This theme contains two of the most important principles of the Science of Mind. First, that we believe every person can be a revealer of truth. To me that means that we can, and do, directly connect with Source and It can, and does, guide and direct us. Secondly, that our experiences do not come to us , but rather come through us.

Each one of us has an inner guidance system. This system is always guiding us. It always knows what is  our highest and best good. Sometimes it speaks quietly so that you have to be still to hear it and at other times it screams so loudly that we can not ignore it. 

Over time I have come to be thankful for and expectant of Its guidance. There were many years that I didn't believe in It and could not hear It.  On a recent trip to Costa Rica, I had a private two-hour ride to the resort from the airport. I was guided to ask my driver for Spanish lessons. He was delighted to teach me. It made my trip fly by and gave Roberto, my driver, an opportunity to be in service. Guidance can be a simple idea like that or a feeling of "not going in the right direction." By the way, I also ignored my personal guidance to get out of the sun in Coasta Rica. Hence, sore, swollen, sunburned feet!

The second part is personal responsibility. In the past, I felt that personal responsibility was heavy and unpleasant. The words felt heavy and burdensome. But after studying the Science of Mind, I had a new idea about it. I realized that if everything came through my consciousness and absolutely no other way, then in order to change my life, I simply needed to change my deep beliefs. What a sense of joy and freedom it has given me! I am not a victim any longer. I accept everything in my life exactly as it is and as it is not. "I once was blind, but now I see."

Shakespeare penned these words in the play Julius Caesar, spoken by Cassius, one of the men opposed to Julius Caesar becoming a monarch:

 "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but in ourselves."

If one thinks he is doomed to a certain life, he will be. If he thinks that he is going to prosper happily, he will. Nothing outside ourselves ever creates our experience. Rather it is the choices we make from our deep beliefs that will make life be whatever it is. We learn to notice our results and circumstances with compassion and love. The idea of personal responsibility always inspires me. I know that if my consciousness created a result that is less than satisfying, then shifting my consciousness by changing my mind and heart, can change it into something I do want. Yes, it is my fault but I am not to blame.

What is Meditation?

Many people are intimidated by meditation or do not know how to meditate.

If you are intimidated by the traditional forms of meditation, allow me to suggest ideas of other forms of meditation:

1.  Take a walk in nature and be present to your surroundings.
2.  Sit on the beach and watch the waves crash up on the beach, and receded back into themselves.
3.  Sit on your back porch with a cup of tea and watch the birds flutter by.
4.  Lay with your pet for 10 minutes and be completely present to them.
5.  Watch the sunrise

It really can be as simple as that and, done everyday, even for 5 minutes, will have dramatic affects on your life.

Happy meditating!

 

Key #8 in the 9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life

This week's video is sharing the 8th key in the 9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life!

This one is probably the one that is most desired in people's lives.....

1201 Puerta Del Sol, First Floor
San Clemente, CA 92673

Key #6 in the "9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life"

Today, we are bringing you Key #6 in our 9 week video series for creating a phenomenon in your life.  In this video, we talk about a key component to creating a life you love...meditation:

Adventure in Faith starts in two weeks.  Join us for this celebration of community, commitment and growth!  There are many activities planned for the month of October at the Center for Spiritual Living, so CLICK HERE and grab your calendar so you don't miss a thing!

Adventure in Faith Events

The month of October is host to our celebration of commitment called Adventure in Faith.

Our AIF steering committee has been working for the past few months to bring you an exciting, meaningful and profitable celebration.

For me, being a mom with a business, getting events into my calendar early is the key to keeping organized and not missing a thing that I want to do to fill my soul.  So, get your calendar ready and be sure to mark down the wonderful things we have planned that you want to take part in!

To make it easy, I'll give you dates and descriptions so you know exactly what "floats your boat!"

Sunday, September 30 - Find a Sacred Circle in your area and come together with members of your community to watch and discuss the movie, "Phenomenon."  CLICK HERE to learn more about Sacred Circles. 

Sunday, October 7 - Help us celebrate our first service in our new Center located at 1201 Puerta Del Sol, Ste. 100, San Clemente, CA 92673.  There will only be ONE service held at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, October 14 - Join us at the Center for a wonderful prosperity workshop at 1:00 p.m. hosted by Rev. Karen Russo, author of "The Money Keys."  Learn more about Karen Russo and her signature workshop HERE

Sunday, October 21 - Raffle tickets are on sale for wonderful Adventure in Faith gifts and prizes.  Come to our Sunday Service at 10:30 and be sure to visit the table outside to learn more about the give-aways!

Sunday, November 4 - Join us for a Harvest Festival after our services!  Sign up for a silent auction to win your spot at a special dinner of your choice hosted by members of our Center.  Gourmets for God is a fun fundraising opportunity to bid on the dinner you want to attend and all proceeds go to our beautiful new Center.

Also, there will be a LIVE auction of beautiful artwork given to our Center by members and outside artists who wanted to help our fundraiser. I have gotten a sneak peak of some of the art, and I will tell you, you won't want to miss out on the auction.  There are some fabulous pieces, so if you've got a blank wall in the house, get yourself a beautiful piece of art at our live auction!

Lastly, bring your family to enjoy the wonders of fall and great family activities that will be going on during the Harvest Festival.

As we move through the month of October, we will be announcing upcoming events during the service, however, this is to give you a heads up of the events coming up!


photo courtesy of Kelly's Kindergarden

What's Up with Sacred Circles?

Our Adventure in Faith celebration is quickly approaching in October. 

Adventure in Faith is a celebration of commitment.  Commitment to one's continued growth.  Commitment to our center, both financially and spiritually...and a commitment to our community.


Napolean Hill taught in his book, "Think and Grow Rich" about the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people to continue your own growth.

There are many activities planned for our month-long Adventure in Faith celebration, but one that is most fulfilling are the Sacred Circles.

Sacred Circles meet once a week at a host's home and this year, we will watch parts of the movie, "Phenomenon" starring John Travolta.  Just as in a book club, we will discuss our biggest take-aways from each part, how we can implement what we learn in the movie to our lives, and we can surround ourselves with people who are of like-minds.

For me personally, being new to our Center last year, the Sacred Circles allowed me to get to know a smaller group of members and really create a bond with them.  I formed a great bond with the group that taught me some great tools and principles that have come to create great change in my life.

Join a Sacred Circle.  Get to know our community and create a group of friends who truly have your highest good at heart and want to help you create an amazing life!

You can join one of about 10 Sacred Circles located in all areas of South Orange County.  Visit us for our last service at the Center for Spiritual Living - Capistrano this Sunday, September 30 to sign up for a Sacred Circle near you!

Week 5 in the "9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life"

I caught up with Kathy Story this week and asked her to share key #5 in the 9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life."

Here is what she had to share on Serving....

Be sure to grab your Serving Exercise HERE to find out how to implement this key into your life!

Key #4 in the 9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life

So far, we have covered three keys to creating a phenomenon in your life:

1.  Visioning
2.  Imagination
3.  Gratitude

This week, I caught up with Rev. Pattie Mercado to have her share number 4:  Spiritual Healing

Be sure to grab your Spiritual Healing Exercise HERE and learn about the very areas of your life that you could use some healing to create a phenomenon in your life!

Keep following our blog to find all the spiritual guidance that will allow you to truly build the life you dream of!

The 3rd Key in the 9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life

In this video, we introduce the third key in the 9 keys to creating a phenomenon in one's life.  This 9 week video series leads up to The Center for Spiritual Living - Capistrano Valley's Adventure in Faith Celebration. 

This week, Pam Rock introduces our next key:

Grab your gratitude exercise HERE and start to attract more to be grateful for each day!  Enjoy!

Key #2 in the 9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life

Today, we are sharing key #2 in our "9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life" video series.

With Dr. Heather gone for a week, we are doubling up on the content this week, so help me in sharing this week's post with our guest, Dave Friedman introducing the second key.  This spiritual guidance is sure to help you get in tuned with your own personal gifts and talents!


To expand your imagination, CLICK HERE to download your imagination expansion exercise!

Enjoy and if you experienced an "a-ha" moment within this post, please share it, tweet it, G+1 it.  Help us spread the goodness of creating a phenomenon in one's life!

Act On Your Inspiration 

#1 in the 9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life

Download your supplemental worksheet for this video HERE
 

In this video, we introduce the first key in the 9 keys to creating a phenomenon in one's life.  This 9 week video series leads up to The Center for Spiritual Living - Capistrano Valley's Adventure in Faith Celebration. 

Adventure in Faith is a community celebration of commitment to faith and support of our center.  The CSLCV has an fun-filled month planned for the South OC community! Grab your "9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life," then join us for a fall celebration!

This video is supplemented with a three-page visioning worksheet. You can DOWNLOAD IT HERE