International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders » Guides

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

To Lead… Thoughts for the Woman Spiritual Leader

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:17:37 +0000

How often do I use the word “lead” or “leadership” without really thinking about its meaning? It’s a valid question considering that the organization which I represent, “The International Association of Women Spiritual Leaders” deals with leadership on many levels.
When I initially thought about the subject for this article, it was the word leadership upon which I would focus. Well, I didn’t get much help from ‘Merriam’, ‘Random’, or ‘Google’ relative to the ‘true meaning’ of the word. I was ‘led’ to the phrase, ‘to lead’ which has a plethora of meanings:

To show the way to by going in advance
To guide or direct in a course
To serve as a route for; to take
To be a channel or conduit for
To guide the behavior or opinion of: induce
To direct the performance or activities of
To inspire the conduct of
To play a principal or guiding role in
To go or be at the head of; to be ahead of
To be foremost in or among; to be first
To act as a commander, director, or guide (leader)

We all know women who spring to mind immediately, as we scan the above list. I thought of Joan of Arc, Theresa of Avila, Mary, the mother of Jesus, Rabi’a, Eleanor Roosevelt, Aung San Suu Kyi, Indira Ghandi, Golda Meir, and women I have known and worked with, to name a few. I am curious to know who came to mind for you as you read the above meanings.

Native American Artwork by Susan Seddon Boulet "The Shaman"

Seth Godin, in his book, Tribe, describes Meghan McDonald, whom he calls the world’s best coach… “ hardly awe-inspiring. Mostly, she just talks quietly, one on one, to someone who needs to hear from her. Over the course of a few hours, Meghan will have dozens of conversations like that. She occasionally talks to the entire team, but she never raises her voice. No one cries, no one is belittled, no one is bullied.

After a few weeks, amazing things start to happen. The members of the team start coaching each other. A ten-year-old novice offers a pointer to a veteran recently back from the national competition. Meghan leaves the building, and practice continues.

Sports analogies rarely work for me. They’re too unrealistic, too testosterone filled for the real world. Meghan, however, isn’t just a coach. She’s someone who understands authentic leadership, and she realizes what it means to create a tribe.

She doesn’t lead the way other people lead. And that’s fine, because there isn’t a right technique, a proven tactic, a right way and a wrong way. Deciding to lead, not manage is the critical choice. Meghan connects and inspires. She doesn’t manage.” (italics, mine).

I so agree with Seth’s last few sentences. There are many ways to lead; many methods, techniques, and tactics are employed by good leaders. The common threads, in my opinion, that are evident in them all are humility, the ability to inspire, an authentic connection with their followers (or “tribe”, as Seth calls them), generosity, willingness to serve, and a thorn in their side re: the status quo.

His Holiness, The Dali Lama, during sessions at the Vancouver Peace Summit in 2009 was quoted as saying, “The world will be saved by the Western women”. He was also quoted during the same conference:

“Some people may call me a feminist… but we need more effort to promote basic human values–human compassion, human affection. And in that respect females have more sensitivity to others’ pain and suffering.”

In my opinion, the time has come for women to assume the role of leader with all of the attributes described. The world, our countries, our communities, our institutions, our families, and, yes, our “tribes” are counting on us!

Love and Blessings!

Ruth

This article was written by Rev. Ruth Reiner, an ordained Interfaith minister, spiritual counselor, certified life and relationship coach, registered professional nurse, and successful entrepreneur.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, PUBLICATION, OR ON YOUR WEB-SITE? You may, as long as you commit to leaving the entire article intact, do not alter it in any way, and include the following: “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 a gift to you- THE 5 SECRETS TO CREATING ABUNDANCE THROUGH YOUR CALLING.
You will also be registered to receive our weekly newsletter full of tips and information for supporting you in your mission or quest.

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.