FIFTEEN WAYS TO IDENTIFY

AND LISTEN TO YOUR INNER VOICE

1. Breathe deeply and get as quiet as you can, stilling the emotions.

2. Practice belly breathing. On the inhale, expand your belly as if you're blowing up a balloon while counting 4-6 times, hold the breath for 4-6 counts, and exhale on 4-6 counts.

3. Ask a question. You can ask God, the Holy Spirit, your guardian angel, your guide, your higher self, your inner voice—whatever you want to call it is ok.

4. Watch for an answer in a variety of forms. The answer may come as a whisper, through a song or something you read, from something someone says, or like a light bulb going on. The answer may come quickly or slowly, but it WILL come. Be patient. The answer usually strikes you as feeling different or deeper than normal.

5. Beware the difference between an answer from the ego (fear) and an answer from the Holy Spirit (love). The answer from the ego will bring you harm, such as to the alcoholic, "Go ahead and have that drink. You deserve to celebrate. It's only one. You'll go back to your sobriety after this one."

6. The answer from the Holy Spirit will have a deep sense of rightness about it, a peace. God's answer always brings more love into our lives. Even if you don't want to hear it, it will feel right and you'll know it.

7. Ask for motivation for things that you don't want to do. As you get help, you'll begin to trust that inner voice. For example, I'd been procrastinating on cleaning out my purse and asked for motivation to do so. I ended up losing some medicine that I inadvertently put in the wrong pocket of the purse. Searching for it led to cleaning my purse out.

8. Pray as if you are talking to a friend. The answers you get may sound like your own voice, but will feel different. When I was angry with a friend I wanted her to admit her role in the problem, and I would admit mine. My inner voice said, "How about seeing both of you as blameless?" I knew that was the inner voice because it certainly wasn't something I would have said.

9. Pay attention to your dreams and coincidences. When something unusual makes you pause, it contains a message. If you notice the same strange thing happening several times in one week, it's trying to get your attention. For example, you may hear or read about surrender in three different places, and it's telling you to surrender.

10. Get comfortable with your own style. Some people see visions, others get sensations or feelings, others hear an answer. There may be a variety of ways in which you get answers.

11. Listen to, and follow, inner urgings or nudges. If some feeling keeps pestering you, it's telling you something.

12. Learn to meditate. This slows down the mind chatter so you can listen better. We cannot hear God's voice when we're in fear. However, in a holy instant we can jump out of fear and hear it.

13. Do a spiritual practice daily. Choose what feels good to you, whether it's reading, meditating, spending time with nature, chakra balancing, rituals, etc.

14. Ask for signs. A word of caution here: sometimes we want what's not good for us and we get signs that seem to suggest that we'll get it. If there is a sense of discomfort or unease, it may be telling you that what you want is not for your highest good.

15. Practice forgiveness. The more we forgive, the more we see things the way God sees them. We will hear the inner voice speak of love more easily.