Tuesday, September 22, 2015
A few months ago I wrote a blog post about Letting The Divine Take The Lead as I was striving to stop letting my ego run my life (you can read more about this here). To actually do this (let the Divine take the lead), I practice tuning into that Divine part of myself – the part that is directly connected to the Universe and free of my ego-mind. I do this as much as I can, when coaching, writing, and also when making decisions. I try my best to not make impulsive or rash decisions but, instead, to wait to be led. I wait for the clear and obvious signs from the Universe on the best choice to make and action to take– ones that align with my purpose.
How do I receive these signs? First, by being acutely aware of and present in each moment; the Universe is constantly giving us signs and messages, answering all our prayers, and providing us with pathways to solutions. The question is: are we paying attention? I receive this guidance like I’m sure many of you do – via conversations with other people, email messages, songs on the radio, license plates, bumper stickers, and also an intuitive nudge and knowing that “yes, this is my answer”. But what happens when an answer keeps showing up but isn’t the answer you’re expecting or looking for? Do you even notice it? When this occurs for me, I tend to ignore it. Repeatedly. I continue to see, hear and/or sense the answer but because it’s not what I wanted or expected the answer to be, I look past it.
For example, I was seeking guidance on the best publication path for my latest book and because I began the book writing journey with the idea that I might take the traditional publishing path, that’s where I was stuck. I sought guidance from the Universe and asked to be clearly shown the publication process that would serve the highest and greatest good and ensure my book reached all the readers it was meant to reach. The signs showed up almost instantly in the form of first, a session with my spiritual mentor where we uncovered that my intuitive and physical body feelings about the traditional publication path felt off. They felt constraining, restrictive, and unaligned with my heart and gut. That was followed by repeated information about self-publishing with a company and best selling author (who owns the company) who I deeply admire – a company and person who are fully aligned with my book. And yet, I ignored these answers. I waited for a different answer. I kept re-asking the Universe for the clear signs until I finally realized my ego was still stuck back on the traditional publishing path idea. This would be a very ego-gratifying path to take. When I realized this, it was a big “Duh, Andria” moment. The signs and answer from the Universe were present all along but I ignored them and sought a different answer because the true guidance from the Universe wasn’t what I was expecting or thought was the “right” answer. This was all my ego-mind trying to run the show, which is still habitual for me in many instances.
I reminded myself that the “right” answer means what feels right in my heart, gut, and body. It may not be the answer my mind understands or one that satisfies my ego but as long as it’s aligned with my Divine Self (as evident by how it feels in my heart, gut, and body and how it keeps presenting itself in other varying obvious signs) then it is the “right” answer for me. My job is to follow that guidance, knowing that when I do, I’m in the flow of my Divine path and that’s when things easily and magically fall into place. That is the right answer. Waiting for a different answer that may or may not come can and almost always will result in needless struggle and a less fulfilling, unaligned path. I’ve followed those paths many times in my life and they can “work” but the question to consider is whether the effort and struggle will be worth the end result. For me that answer is almost always no.
So, I stopped waiting for a different answer and pursued the Divine path presented to me, trusting that as I do my part by following the guidance, the Universe will handle the rest.
Have you sought Divine guidance lately and seem to not be getting an answer? If so, step back and look around at what’s come your way since you asked for guidance. You too might have unknowingly already received an answer you weren’t expecting.
