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. 

A Small Home With an Amazing View - What This Dream Really Meant

Live in that small, cozy home with the amazing
view, and your life will expand by leaps
and bounds. 

My home was very small, but as I showed it to friends, I was so proud of it.  

I would take them out to the outdoor deck and show them the breathtaking view.

It always inspired a breathless, "Wow."

The important part of this process was how I felt.

Proud.  At peace and very much in harmony with life.  

That was my dream, and being one who is an avid journaler, I write out my dreams and allow a stream of consciousness to help me interpret them.  The most important part of journaling dreams, I have found, is paying attention to the emotions that it evokes. 

What came in my journaling session was a whole new lesson on practicing the presence...being in the now.

Not a surprise since I am currently taking the Inner Journey class with Dr. Heather and our focus now is practicing the presence of God at every moment, of every day.

The way in which this lesson was communicated with me through this dream was interesting, however.

A small home that had an amazing view.  The peace and harmony I felt about it.

One might think it symbolized a home that I desired or maybe the desire for a nice view from my physical home. 

What came in my stream of consciousness was that this dream did not symbolize a physical home, but my inner home....

...That small space within, that when lived in, brings peace, pride and harmony.

The dream was a message from that One Power that lives within all of us to remember to be in that space, that home, at all times.

It was a reminder that when I find myself not feeling peace, pride and harmony to notice where "I'm living."  

When I have feelings outside of those three, I am living outside in the space of chaos and confusion. 

It's cold.

I'm homeless.

When I find myself homeless, I can easily step back into my warm, small cozy home with the amazing view.

I can change my perspective at any time.

This was a gentle reminder to me of the importance of the present moment.

As a result of this intense Inner Journey class, I am raising my awareness to the present moment.

As long as I am present, I am home.

When I am at home, I feel pride, peace and harmony.

There is never any reason to leave our true home...allow my dream to be a reminder to you to find your peaceful home with an amazing view.

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I would like to hear from you.  How do you interpret your dreams?  Do you ignore them when you awaken thinking they are figments of your imagination?  Or, do you recognize them as messages from God directing you in your life?  

Share in the comments below any dreams that have deeply impacted your life....when one leaves an impression, dreams will become a distinctive event in your daily life.  

They truly are your conversation with God. 

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!

9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life

In the spirit of giving, the CSLCV is offering a 9 - week online series called, "The 9 Keys to Creating a Phenomenon in Your Life."

This video series will lead up to our October Adventure in Faith Celebration, which everyone is invited to...both members of our center and members of South Orange County interested in expanding their spiritual awareness are welcome, but more on that to come! 

We look forward to sharing this series with you, and helping you to create a phenomenon in your life!