I was trudging down the path – it was dark and steep and I almost couldn’t see the sun.  I heard the faintest whisper telling me that if I could make it over beyond the trail’s edge, I might see something that would give me much-needed hope.  But I didn’t know that life had anything other than this difficult, gloomy path. 

We all have an inner guide whispering in our ears, telling us which way to go to find joy. 

My inner guide has always been with me – I sometimes have been able to hear her very clearly, and sometimes she has been quite drowned out by all of the voices – other people, or my self.  There have been so many turning points that I missed because I didn’t want to hear her.  Hearing her would have meant I needed to make a big, scary change.  And there have been times that I did hear her – she startled me. 

She’s always been with me.  She knows what I need.  She knows what boundaries are appropriate for me in different seasons of my life.  She knows how to console me or comfort me.  She has been around even when I ignored her. 

I believe that the key to living a good life is to be able to tune into her more frequently.

Qualities of Inner Guides

• They are always looking out for you first.
• They always love you first,
• They love other people.
• They will never tell you to hurt yourself.
• They don’t want to hurt anybody else so they will never tell you to hurt someone. 
• They will tell you to protect yourself without telling you to do anything to another person. 
• They are loving and kind. 
• They want peace. 
• They want love. 

Attempts to Listen

She is sometimes just ahead…setting up cairns for me on my journey.  And I often ignore them – much of the time.  Most often I didn’t even see them.  But sometimes I would.  I was often disbelieving her or waiting for permission to listen to her voice. 

Your inner guide will never yell at you for not following the cairns they have set out for you – that isn’t in their nature, not something they would do. 

I could hear her voice telling me things weren’t right, but what I chose to do was complain loudly about circumstances – trying to convince others that something needed to change.  Trying to convince others to change wasn’t the answer – they should be busy listening to their own inner voice.  All I could do is take care of me.

At times the voice became so loud that I couldn’t ignore her.  That is when I alienated many people – sometimes I would hear her voice and do a terrible job of executing what I thought I needed to do.  Hearing her voice – good.  Reacting to and yelling at the people around me – bad.  How could I tell it was her?  How could I distinguish her from my own defenses or the voices of people in my world playing on repeat in my head? 

It’s definitely not easy.  Prayer, journaling and meditation can help to hear the inner voice, the inner guide, as I like to call her. 

You might think your inner guide has left you behind many times.  But she (or he) has been consistent.  She has been there all along. 

Poor attempts to listen to my inner guide:

• I hear her, but I get angry and throw rocks at her.  Beating her up so she stays quiet.
• I hear her, and I misunderstand her.  I think I am taking her advice by getting angry and yelling at people who are hurting me.
• I hear her, and I feel too guilty to act – I don’t want to upset others.
• I hear her and am too scared to believe what she is saying.

Ways I could have listened to my inner guide:

• I hear her, and what she is saying makes me mad, but I listen.  I am not yet ready to act.
• I hear her, and I misunderstand her.  But I recognize that the messages don’t sound like her, so I slow down and seek clarity, taking extra time to hear her.
• I hear her, and I feel guilty, but I choose to act anyway.
• I hear her and I feel scared, but I act anyway.

Other Inner Guides

Remember that everyone has their own inner guide.  And many are failing to listen to their own inner guides. 

Inner guides are not meant to guide anybody else on the path.  Only their person. 

Remember the qualities of an inner guide – they love you, they love others, they are kind and loving.  They are peaceful and would never hurt you or anybody else.  They protect you while not hurting anybody around you.

Imagine a world where we all choose to listen to our own inner voices.  That world would be a beautiful place. 

Words from my Inner Guide:

When she was on that dark and scary path, she wouldn’t listen to me – she really couldn’t.  She was so scared and felt so alone.  She believed all the messages from everybody else that were coming her way.  I kept telling her that they were wrong.  I’d whisper to her who she was.  She was very sensitive and looked for love from the people around her.  And the people around her were struggling to hear their own inner guides.  

I told her that she was loved and told her what she loved, but she was too afraid to listen to me.  She chose to do what she thought they wanted her to do.  They were failing at listening to their own inner guides.  So I kept whispering, while she listened to others.  And that is ok.  Because I will never leave.

Exercise:

Try writing yourself a letter from your inner guide.  Crosscheck the messages with the qualities of inner guides above.  If they don’t line up, try again – that wasn’t your inner guide.