International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders » God

4 Steps to Inner Guidance for Business Owners and Women Spiritual Leaders

admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:23:28 +0000

Painting by Marica S. Lauck & Deborah Koff-Chapin

How often have you been in the middle of a dilemma – unable to decide which direction to go in, which step to take next? How to choose? Every day we are confronted with decisions to make – some big, some small. How do you decide? You could make a list of pros and cons, you could ask your neighbor what you should do, or you can follow a Higher Power that has your best interests at heart.

There is a perfect GPS for guiding you through your life and you have access to it at all times. It goes by many names – intuition, gut feeling, higher self. It can also be “externally” directed such as – God, Allah, guardian angel, or spirit guide.

It really doesn’t matter which if these you relate to and choose to you, the methods and techniques for hearing it are the same. Below are several techniques for gaining access to this important tool in your business toolbox.

Technique #1: Get quiet
Sit quietly in meditation or just silently a few minutes each day. Just taking the time to do this, can open up the sensitivity needed to “hear” the guidance you are seeking.

Technique #2: Clear clutter
This can mean physical clutter, such as in your home or office space, but it can also mean mental clutter or time wasters. Get rid of any menial jobs or tasks that can be done by someone else, or perhaps don’t need to be done at all. Guidance needs space to work; and you need space to hear it.

Technique #3: Journal
Keep a daily journal of concerns and questions. Ask questions of your intuition in Q&A format and see what comes to you.

Technique #4: Play
Do something fun that you don’t normally do – plant a flower, go for a hike, play tag with your kids. Doing fun, playful things can disengage the mental chatter that goes on and again, create the space required for the messages to come through.

Once you have received some information, it is very important to validate it. You need to be sure it is coming from this all-knowing source and not from your own mind or ego with all of its wishes, wants, and desires. Here are a few guidelines to help you determine if this is a valid message:

1. It is not fear-based – If you get a feeling of fear from the message, it most likely is NOT valid; if you feel peaceful about the message (even though it might provoke some anxiety), it most likely is valid.

2. “I” versus “You” language – The message came across in the second person. For example, “You need to take the job offer.” versus “I want to take the job offer.”

3. Declarative language – The message came in declarative, strong language – not in weak, unsure language. For example, “You need to take the job offer” versus “Maybe you should take the job.”

4. Surprising – this was not the message you “expected” to hear. If you went into the process expecting to hear a particular message and that’s not the one you heard, it is a good indicator that this is a valid message.

Please note that some of these indicators may or may not be present. The more of them you have, the more likely the message is valid. However, the most important one is the first one – if this one is not present, the odds of the message being valid are pretty slim. God or intuition does not operate using fear-based principles. You will be guided through a feeling of peace – not through fear.

Remember to take advantage of this readily-accessible system for guiding your business and your life through anything that comes your way.

This article was written by Patricia Selmo, an Interfaith seminarian, certified life coach, spiritual healer, teacher and guide. She is the co-founder of the International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders: www.iawsl.com.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you commit to leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and include the following byline: The International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders was founded to support spiritual women in living abundantly while serving their unique missions. We invite you to download-as our GIFT to you-the 5 Secrets to Creating Abundance Through Your Calling. You will also be registered to receive our weekly newsletter full of information and tips for supporting you in your calling. Just click here: www.iawsl.com

Prayer – A Source of Comfort and Miracles

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:04:38 +0000

Prayer has been a part of spiritual worship since the beginning of time. What is prayer? I like to think of it as a conversation with god. As with any conversation, it shouldn’t be one-sided. There are times that we are speaking and there are times that we are listening. Many times, we forget about the listening part. It can be difficult to determine when we are actually hearing the voice of the Divine as opposed to the some other voice such as our Ego.

This is a very basic model and probably not entirely inclusive, but I think there are four basic formats of prayer. These are as follows:

1. Formal

These are the prayers that are part of every organized religion. The Salaat of Islam, the Our Father of Christianity, the formalized Shabat ritual of Judaism. These prayers are suffused with an eternal power and strength from long-use by countless generations. The repetition of them, both by the individual and the communities that perform them, creates a vibrational resonance that creates comfort and performs miracles.

2. Conversational

These are the prayers in which we talk to God. Many times we are asking for something that we want – either for ourselves or for others. Sometimes these are known as intercessory (asking for something for others) or petitional (asking for something for ourselves). Many times they are prayers of Thanksgiving and gratitude for our many blessings. Sometimes they are prayers asking for guidance to do the right thing in a particular situation. They are just as the name conveys, conversations with the Divine, the source of ourselves and all that is.

3. Centering

This is a style of prayer that is common in almost every religion and spiritual practice. Usually it is a meditative-type prayer in which a word is repeated over and over again either silently or aloud. In Sufism, this is called Remembrance and it is the name of God, “Allah” that is repeated or “La ilaha ilallah” – meaning there is no God but God. In the Christian form of Centering prayer, it can be any word of your choosing. The purpose of this type of prayer is to clear all of our mundane thoughts and keep focusing on God, Allah, the Divine. It is a very calming sort of prayer. Wayne Dyer mentions that the “AH” sound is the sound of the Creator, hence, all of the names for God in various religions or sacred sounds of various spiritual paths have this sound in them. For example, “ohm”, “Allah”, “God”,”Yahweh”, etc.

4. Listening

This one is more complex but just as, if not more, important than the others. In the other forms of prayer we are communicating or focusing our intentions on something. However, at some point in the “conversation” we need to remember to step back and listen. This can be done in a myriad of ways including silent meditation, mindfulness practices, journaling, dreamwork. Many of us get those flashes from that still, small voice at the least likely moments, such as in the shower or driving to work!

All of these types of prayer serve different functions. I like to incorporate all of them in my daily spiritual practices. It is much like working out your body. You need to do exercises that are cardiovascular in nature to increase your endurance and heart strength, you need to do weight-bearing exercises to keep your muscles strong and you need to do stretching exercises to remain flexible. Some of these types come easier to some of us than others and yet, they are all important.

See if you can commit to a week of doing at least 5 minutes of each of Formal and Centering prayer; and intersperse Conversational and Listening forms throughout your day. You can set a timer a certain period of time to remind yourself to step back and have a conversation with your Divine source.

Of course, don’t be hard on yourself if you find even these few minutes a day difficult. Just remember the words of Meister Eckhart, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.”

The Art of Letting Go – The Next Step

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:15:07 +0000

As Patricia advised us last week in her article; “The Art of Letting Go…” When the five steps have been followed, and the trapeze released, Patricia refers to the trust that is necessary that the next trapeze will be there. How do we engage that trust? How do we endure when the next trapeze or open door is not in sight?

I am learning more about trust from a book I recommend by Nouk Sanchez and Tomas Vieira, Take Me to Truth. Although it is based on the teachings of A Course in Miracles, its treatment of trust has universal applications.

What is necessary for the development of trust is a journey toward ego release. As many of us have experienced, our egos have a need to control and to know. When we then open to the place of not knowing, which is where the state of trust places us, it throws us into conflict. And… if we have ‘let go’ and we are in mid-air, so to speak, there’s no turning back, even though our egos try to tell us differently.

We know from experience, that the unknown is the most frightening of places! Who would even choose to go there? Who would let go of the comfort of the known for the unknown?

Those of us who are willing to see differently. Those of us who are willing to follow our calling or our purpose. Those of us who are committed to personal growth and self actualization, and those of us who have embarked upon the path toward ego release and the discovery of the Self, the Soul; our true Being; the Knower. That part of us that longs for us to be who we truly are.

As Nouk and Tomas explain, “Our Unified Self… trusts implicitly that all changes are necessarily beneficial, no matter how uncomfortable they may be initially. It knows it is infinitely safe, secure, worthy; hence it has no need for our familiar obsession with the compulsion to control and the need to be loved and protected by outside sources…

It realizes that acknowledging not-knowing provides the space from which Truth reveals itself.”

Therein, it seems to me, lies the solution to the problem of what to do when we encounter the doubt and uncertainty that arises when we are in that “space between”. That space where we are trying to engage our trust and to have the patience to “hang in there” even though the next trapeze or open door seems like it will never be there to rescue us from falling or from looking endlessly at closed doors.

Trust and not knowing are synonymous. Are you willing to be in that state? The place between where you are as a result of ‘letting go’ what was worn out, no longer serving you, keeping you from breaking free, and from knowing who you are and what it is you have to offer and the next open door?

The religions of the world speak to trust and the importance of engaging it and relying on a Source other than who we believe we are.

• Trust calls for us to admit that we do not perceive our own best interests

• Trust asks us to give up what we think we know

• Trust encourages us, even demands that we depend, not on our egos, but on God, Allah, our Guides, our higher Selves; that part of us that Knows

• Trust carries us through the space of not knowing; where Truth reveals itself

• Trust nurtures and strengthens that place in our Minds and Hearts that Knows

This is an experiential rather than an intellectual exercise, and essential to successful navigation of the spiritual path. It also need not be experienced alone.

A trusted friend, partner, or spiritual counselor are important human supports as we go through these experiences of exercising our “trust muscles”.

May you know the freedom and the joy that results from being willing to be in the state of Trust!

This article was written by Ruth Reiner, ordained Interfaith minister, spiritual counselor, certified life coach, and successful business woman. Ruth is the co-founder of www.IAWSL.com.

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