Our Spiritual Connection November 17, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Magick & Mystery, Mindfulness, Spirit & Ego.trackback
When friends and family members want our attention, they have plenty of options to choose from: e-mail, phone calls, text messages, blog comments, Facebook updates, and face to face encounters.
What about Spirit?
How does Spirit get our attention?
While certainly not an exhaustive list, here are a few ways that Spirit has managed to get my attention:
1. Instilled knowingness. We see something and KNOW it’s meant for us ~ a classified ad for a job opening which seems to be blinking in neon, a book on a library shelf which draws our attention as if it’s glowing, or a house up for sale that screams “Buy Me!”
For more on this: Winks, Whispers, and Nudges.
2. Music, Books, and Movies ~ lines jump out at us and we realize their relevance to where we are on the path.
An example: Just Leap . . . And The Net Appears (also discussed in Give Yourself A Pep Talk)
3. Thoughts which arise independently of our present focus, often interrupting the flow of our thoughts.
One night, while I fumed about an expert lying during a deposition, a still silent voice interrupted my agitated thoughts to whisper, Think About This, before reminding me of other unpleasant aspects of practicing law.
Things I had put out of my mind resurfaced as the voice whispered, again and again, Think About This.
Those three simple words transformed my life . . . allowing me to see the spiritual connection with open eyes, mind, and heart for the first time.
In the morning, I couldn’t recall the specific events I’d been prompted to remember, but I remembered the still silent voice that led the way with full knowledge of . . . everything.
A year or so later, when I stalled in my tracks (unable to figure out the next step on my journey or find the courage to stop doing what wasn’t working), the still silent voice interrupted my churning thoughts to whisper, You’re not doing what you came here to do.
Those simple words gave me the courage to resign from the practice of law the next morning.
A few years later, I went to bed devastated about the child abuse I witnessed while running a program to help victims of domestic violence. First thing the next morning, a still silent voice asked, How Do You Feel Now?
Surprised, I realized I felt better. Much better. As I told my sister-in-law later that day: God sucked the bad stuff out while I was sleeping.
For another example of the still, silent voice within: What if? What if? What if?
4. Through Meditation. As we quiet our thoughts, creative impulses arise which inspire us to action.
Or the solution to a problem appears ready for us to implement.
Or we understand something we’ve been struggling to comprehend.
5. Through the wonders of nature ~ one afternoon, I saw several birds struggling with the over-sized crumbs we had tossed out for them, and knew I needed to share information with a friend by breaking it into manageable, bite-sized pieces.
More recently, while watching Skimmers gather breakfast, I sensed the message, Take what you need and leave the rest.
For more on this: A Turning Point
6. Through the words of friends, co-workers, and even strangers. Spirit often uses us to speak to others or others to speak to us. Someone tells us what we need to hear, when we need the information to appear.
One morning, upset about something harsh I’d said to a victim of domestic violence the day before (something that had jumped out of my mouth, unbidden by me), I asked the Universe to let me know if I needed to take corrective action.
A few hours later, the woman in question called someone running a different program and said, “Tell nrhatch that she said EXACTLY what I needed to hear.”
Music to my ears! To read the whole story: Are You Okay Right Now?
7. Through creative inspiration ~ works of art that spring into being of their own accord, songs which appear to write themselves, poems and essays which “appear” fully formed and ready to be transcribed.
By way of example, Art is Not Transparent ~ our muse remains active, even while we lie dormant.
Breathe, Relax, Repeat . . . give the Universe some room to work its magic.
When something “jumps out at you,” pay attention. Be receptive and open to infinite possibilities. Allow yourself to be gently guided to what you need to see, hear, know, or do next.
If we LISTEN, anything in life can be our guide. And, best of all, once Spirit knows we’re listening . . . it “speaks up” more often.
Related posts: A Beacon in the Dark * The Spark of Creativity * Our Field of Dreams * Our Internal Compass * The Power Of Awesome * A Writer’s Life For Me * Doubt * Pursue Distractions * Are You OK Right Now?
Beautiful Nancy. If only we take time to listen.
Synchronicity and Mystery peek out behind so many different facades . . . as the path unfolds before us.
Wonderfully practical Nancy. Your own experience of the Spirit is so revealing. Thanks for sharing that. Super post.
Thanks, Don. Now that I’m paying attention, Spirit tends to be a bit more subtle . . . rarely using words as it lights the way. _/!\_
Your spirits must have prompted you to share this and you LISTEN! Excellent and thank you for sharing. One has to have an OPEN heart to heed that small still voice. I do believe in the spirt world, in my world, i call it the “Holy Spirit”. You are just awesome. Namaste.
Thanks, seeker! Often it is easier for us to hear it . . . than to heed it. Especially when it feels like we are jumping off the edge of a cliff without a safety net.
And this is where Discernment and Trust come. I trusted the spirit to follow you and never been disappointed. Compliments to you. Pax
Thank you! What a lovely compliment. Pax 😀
Absolutely lovely post today, a fantastic thought start to finish…loved it!
Thanks, AP. Glad it resonated with you. Here’s to listening for that small silent voice . . .
So agree, especially with number seven 🙂
Sometimes when we write, we struggle . . . having to wrestle words into literary submission.
Other times, we are in the flow and the words flow with us. 😀
Sometimes people stay too busy to ever get still and quiet long enough to listen to that little voice.
I’ve had many mystical moments thanks to that little voice, and several of them probably saved my life!
whenever i ignore it, i look back later and realize i would not have had problems had i listened to that voice.. instead i listened to others!
thanks for a great post!
z
Thanks, Z! The still silent voice can be a life saver, for sure. It saved BFF’s life at a busy intersection once when it whispered, “Wait.” BFF listened. A second later, a truck ran a red light and barreled through the intersection, right where BFF would have been.
wow.. i believe that, and it triggered memories of two similar things happening. a friend almost stepped out into the path of a car, and i spun and stopped her.. the other, i was in a restaurant and suddenly jumped from my chair and ran to the next table just in time to break the fall from someone in one of those plastic chairs. i wasn’t even aware of what i was doing until it was over.
the one that saved my life was the horrid urge to leave an area, from the moment i set foot on that soil.. about a month later, the pueblito was buried in a mudslide.
whew. yes, we all have the gift of internal nudges if we will grow still and be receptive.
Thanks for sharing those AWESOME examples, Z.
When we are tapped in to the source of all . . . we know what we need to know when (and, sometimes, before) we need to know it.
wow!….thank you…wonderful….
Thanks, Kathy. 🙂
A reminder we need to see every day, Nancy. Thank you.
Thanks, Andra. The quieter the mind becomes . . . the more we understand. _/!\_
I love this. It rings as true as a bell; resonates. For me, silence is the best way to meet spirit. I become more mindful in the rest of my life by leaving a core of silence. I don’t always succeed, but when I neglect that quiet time the rest of my life becomes incredibly tempestuous.
Yes! Exactly my experience. I love music and sounds, especially laughter, but I must have large pockets of silence within which to LISTEN for the whisper of wisdom within.
Oddly enough, it always strikes me how similar we are – in so many ways. I have little to offer to what you say so well here – just MAYBE (and only maybe) a change in syntax or semantics – but those matter little or not at all. I was born a needy person, probably for a very good reason which I have yet to figure out, but I’m convinced I will. I know for one thing that when I stop and really meditate/pray on what it is I think I need, I invariably get an answer, pointing me in the direction of fulfillment of my own or another’s, which is even better, because it then fulfills mine.
Good post, my friend.
Thanks, PTC. I agree. The still silent voice comes from the source of all for all of us ~ no matter which name we assign to it. These days, answers that come to me are no longer spelled out in words ~ unless I’m being particularly obtuse. 😉
You got it all right.Cool how spirit workd the same no matter which path …
Yes, indeed. Same Spirit. Same Source. Different Paths. _/!\_
So much wisdom in this post – great stuff!
Thanks, aawwa. As soon as I heard the still silent voice for the very first time, I knew that “this” is not all that there is . . . even if we only get the occasional glimpse “beyond the veil.”
Great post! I especially liked your personal accounts that went along with your points. The third one is quite fascinating. I’m glad you listened and got to a happy place 🙂
Spirit uses a variety of Spiritual Communication Devices to get our attention . . . depending on where we are on the path. But Spirit always Lights The Way. 😀
Thank you, ever-wise Ms Hatch. You have – again – managed to get me to see what was right under my nose. Namaste. xxx
Awesome! The nose knows. 😀
Yes, I have experienced many times where something has jumped out at me, so clearly, I wondered why I hadn’t noticed it before! Always take heed! Great post, Nancy.
Thanks, Tom. Feeling that connection, getting that wink, hearing that whisper is a delight. Always. Just enough of a glimpse beyond the veil to put a spring in my step as the path unfolds before me. 😀
Just read a post from Darla about spotting her father’s spirit in small ways/ signs. This post seems like a sign to me! I love the notion that the more we open ourselves up to listen, the more opportunity we have to hear what’s being spoken to us.
Yes. LISTENING is key. Your Hallelujah Hat post and coming series reminds me of the Winks, Whispers, and Nudges used by Spirit to keep us “on track.” I shall definitely “tune in.”
Great reading this morning Nancy. I have always listened to my inner voice. I like calling it spirit much better.. 🙂 But seriously my inner voice is very there for me. Can’t tell you how many times it has saved me in various ways and moved me to a better place in my life. #3, that was a whole lotta spirit jumping out at you!
It is a Life Saver . . . and a Time Saver . . . and sometimes a Money Saver.
I call “IT” many things ~ the still silent voice, the voice within, my inner voice, my intuition, my sixth sense, the Universal Internet, the collective conscience, etc.
#3 ~ Maybe I heard “actual words” because Spirit was screaming to get my attention! 😆
These days, it’s a bit more subtle. 😉
Nancy, are you into Native American Totems? I’m extremely curious. I love this post, and loving your page more by the minute. You mention being drawn to things — I experiment with it in a literal sense. Take walking through a book store. I’ll stand in front of a book, focus on it, and if I feel myself being physically drawn to it(tipping forward), I buy it — there’s a message I need to hear. If I’m repelled by it (tipping away), I don’t buy it. It’s either not my time to hear the message, or it doesn’t apply. Thanks, great read!
Thanks! That’s exactly what happens with me and books . . . especially at the library. I walk around. Books draw my attention to them. I take the selections home, stack them up, and am drawn to read them in the precise perfect order.
As for Native American Totems ~ not much familiarity with them . . . although I do photograph them when I bump into one.
By totems, I mean animal “medicines”. You might dig it!
Gotcha. Not Totem Poles, just totems. Thanks, I’ll have a read and see.
Wow, I enjoyed how you inspired by sharing your own experiences. Sometimes, words come to me that I generally don’t use in my daily vocabulary. This is when I know it’s not my imagination. Will be paying more attention as I admit I have lost touch with paying attention…
Sometimes I know it’s not a thought that I thought . . . because I was busy thinking something else and IT interrupted me.
Other times, words/thoughts filter in or surface in a different way than the thoughts I think. Although they are “internal” and not audible to others, it’s more like hearing them than thinking them. I feel more like a member of the audience than a part of the orchestra.
Hi there,
just found this link to your post via Heartsongs Blog on intuition. You have exquisitely communicated many of the ways I frequently receive
Divine communication, especially 1, 2, and 3. I beleive I was led here and also led to reblog. Namaste, Linda
Shree’s post elicited some wonderful comments on the ways that intuition speaks to us. When we LISTEN, anything in life can be our guide. 😀
I totally agree with you. It helps me when this is reinforced by others. Words and phrases and songs leap out to me all the time. Happy to know I am not the only one:)
Hoping many more will read your post – peace, Linda
Thanks. Have a wonder-filled day. _/!\_
Here’s the link for anyone who’s interested:
http://heartsongsblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/got-some-tape-measuring-our-choices/
Reblogged this on litebeing chronicles and commented:
I was led to this post while reading commentary on Shree’s Heartsongs Blog post on intuition. This article describes so many wonderful ways that we are being contacted. I really love this post and encourage everyone to read it with an open mind and open heart. In light, litebeing
Thanks for re-blogging this article. Intuition has prompted me to move in the “right” direction on so many occasions. 💡
[…] “You are not doing what you came here to do.” […]
[…] then one night I experienced a paradigm shift ~ from knowing that God did NOT exist to knowing that a Higher Power exists and connects us all. […]