photo by Sabine Schlegel-Fann

There is a lot of contradictory information out there. Right when you think you’ve discovered some profound truth or insight, some other piece of information contradicts it. That’s why it is so important not to base any of our decisions solely on information that is external to us. Instead, it is necessary to run it by our intuition, our inner “knowing”, our feelings of resonance, so that we may verify its validity.

This is the system of checks and balances provided to the human species. Our ability to reflect on our experiences separates us from other animal species. The problem is that we often settle for and rest our awareness on the face value of the information that we encounter.

To engage deeper with an idea, we must test it against our direct experience. Otherwise, what we know is nothing more than an intellectual knowing, that has no basis in Truth.

All of us have inner resources that include direct access to knowledge that transcends the limits of intellectual knowledge. It is in a sense a link-up to the vast store of knowledge that exists beyond the limitations of the three-dimensional world we live in. This has been referred to as the collective unconscious. Essentially, all knowledge and awareness in existence is available to each of us. We only have to tune into it to have access to it.

How is this done? Much as one would tune into a radio station, to be able to hear it we have to slow down, pay attention and listen.

Even more important, is developing the ability to discern the difference between true knowledge that is coming from within and the mental voices in our heads. A slippery slope until we can fully grasp that there is indeed a difference. The difference is difficult to hear without some degree of practice.

The first thing to look for is the tone. The voice of our inner awareness, which you can call your Higher Self, Source or God, has a calm, quiet, emotionally neutral tone. The voices of the mind or random thoughts, sometimes referred to as the “drunk monkey”, has a chaotic, frenetic, emotionally charged tone. The tone of our inner awareness is consistently grandfatherly and wise, while the tone of our mental thoughts is ever-changing and in a moment’s notice can shift from rebellious child to scolding parent.

The second thing to look at is content. The voice of our inner awareness tends to brings us information, insights and wisdom that we need right now in our lives. It is sometimes very simple and brings clarity to a particular situation. Other times, is it more complex and shifts our perspective entirely or guides us to make a major decision in our life. The content of the mind, on the other hand, is all over the place. The messages are inconsistent and leave us feeling overwhelmed and confused. It has a reactive, impulsive quality to it, that is typically fully of judgment and demands. The information tends to lead us around in circles, rather than offer us solutions.

The third aspect of discernment is the state of being that is evoked. Our inner awareness brings us feelings of expansiveness and relief that comes from finally having the vision to see the bigger picture. It opens our hearts and brings with it compassion and forgiveness and trust. The egoistic mind brings feelings of contraction and limitation. It makes us feel powerless and helpless, which we quickly attempt to cover up with a false sense of power or self-righteousness. Either way, the result is that those thoughts make us feel less than or more than others.

Finally, the best way to know the difference and really see each for what they are comes down to this: our inner awareness has our best interest, our well being at heart, while the mental monkey or ego is only interested in survival at any cost.

Looking at the differences, there’s no question which one we’d rather trust. The tricky part is making the commitment to tune into it. With practice, hearing this inner voice becomes second nature, and it takes on the qualities of a companion that is always with us when we need it, wherever we need it, lighting our way through the unknown.

1. Human beings are asleep and unconscious and suffer from mass amnesia. We are born into the world open, receptive, conscious and close to Source. As we mature, we soak up the genetic, ancestral beliefs of our ancestors and the agreed-upon beliefs of the society we live in…friends, neighbors, school, the media, etc. This process happens over time, and it is so subtle, we are unaware of how the collective consciousness affects all of our thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions. We are trained to focus on the past and the future, never on the present, reinforcing our unconsciousness. We spend most of our time in a chaotic state, reacting to the constant input from the world around us, never realizing that most of our reactions are to thoughts and feelings that aren’t ours but those that we adopted, borrowed and absorbed over time. We have taken such ownership of this state of being that we consider it our normal state of being, not realizing there is a whole other way of being possible.
2. As human beings, we believe we are weak, powerless, limited, and destined to live a life of suffering and quiet desperation. We see ourselves as victims of our lives and the world we live in. Things happen to us and all we can do is react and respond the best way we know how. This is reinforced by the belief system of the world we live in. We think it is normal to experience physical illness and emotional pain and problems in our relationships, our finances, our work, our communities, and our environment. We think this is the way it is and that we have to accept it or at least find ways to cope with it or escape from it. We don’t know that by continuing to adhere to the agreed-upon beliefs and not questioning them, we are perpetuating the very suffering that we’re trying to deal with.
3. We are imprisoned by our unconsciousness and our belief that we are powerless and limited. We are imprisoned by our perception of ourselves as victims. We are imprisoned by the view that suffering is normal.
4. We believe the answer to our suffering lies outside of ourselves. We seek answers in all the wrong places. We can find temporary relief, but nothing that will last, nothing that will empower us, nothing that lifts us out of the unconsciousness, nothing that will set us free and remind us who we are and what we’re capable of.
5. We don’t know that we create our own experience. Every thought, belief, emotion, idea, assumption, expectation, desire, everything we put out from our mind “EVERYTHING” is input into the collective and directly manifests as our perception and experience without fail. Most of what we put out, we put out unconsciously, without monitoring it or observing it, because most of the time we’re on automatic pilot or cruise controlling our way through life and then wondering why things are turning out the way they are. This is a life lived asleep and without accountability or responsibility. This is an imprisoned life with no options; the life of a perpetual victim where life “appears” to be happening to you so all you can do is react.
6. The only way to stop this vicious cycle is to wake up and become conscious of everything that’s coming in and everything that’s going out. Like a firewall you have to stop what you don’t want before it gets into your system and becomes part of you; at the same time, you have to monitor what you’re putting out. This is so that you can take responsibility for creating your experience. To do that, you have to begin to observe what’s going on, both inside and outside of you. To observe, you have to slow down enough to watch and listen. Watch your mind; listen to your body and intuition.
7. Human beings are extraordinary beings capable of extraordinary things, miraculous things. Human beings are strong, powerful and limitless. Human beings are completely free. Human beings can create anything we want to create and do anything we want to do. We can perform the most impossible of miracles, the most mind-blowing feats. We can transcend space and time, experience multi-dimensions, access any information that exists anywhere in the universe, heal any illness, and speak to those who aren’t in the physical and on and on. But in the fog of the mass amnesia, we have convinced ourselves that this isn’t true. We have bought into the collective lie about this and forgotten who we really are. Most of us have had glimpses of the extraordinary, but when it’s over we file it away because we don’t know how to access it at will; so we wait, hopeful that it will happen again or we associate it with a person, place or thing and try to repeat it. We don’t really believe this is something we have any say or control over. We claim that miracles are from God. That they happen to us from somewhere outside of us. This, too, is reinforced by the world we live in. We all agree on it so it must be true? Right? Wrong.
8. The Truth is that what we call paranormal or peak experiences are actually our normal state and can be accessed at will. This is the nature of who we are, and accessing this is as natural as breathing. The problem is that we’ve forgotten how. Or if you want to put it another way, we were born with an incredible instrument called a human form capable of amazing things, but we don’t know how to play it. Our parents didn’t know how to play it, so they couldn’t show us. Our teachers didn’t know how to play it, so they couldn’t show us. Neither could our friends, loved ones, neighbors, co-workers, government officials, religious leaders, etc. Why? Because the instructions cannot be found in the world around us or outside of us. We’ve always had them and had access to them but didn’t know where to look. These instructions are the very thing that will free us from the amnesia and open up the infinite capabilities we all have.
9. There is only one place to find them and that is within. The Truth about who we are and what we’re capable of is within. To access this, you have to shut the world out and listen to the voice that comes from inside of you.
10. The Truth within can only be known by direct experience, not with the intellect or mind, books, techniques, a teacher or guru or words. Only with the visceral (bodily sensations) and the intuitive (information that comes in through by-passing the mind). With a commitment to take the time and space to learn how to do this, the reward is that you will not only be able to consciously create your own extraordinary experiences at will, over time, those experiences will become your normal.
11. The world would be different if each of us discovered that we were only using 10% of our capabilities as humans! And that if we had access to and used the other 90%, we could open our experience up to infinite possibilities. It would be exciting and exhilarating and wonderful! And for most of us, quite frightening. Why? Because it is unknown. We are used to the way things are, even if they are limited and cause us to suffer. But there’s an even greater problem. This freedom and discovery of our divine capabilities within our human instrument is also threatening to those who are attached to and benefiting from things remaining just as they are. This discovery is very threatening (if you don’t believe me think of what happened to Christ), not only to the apparent stability and security of the world we live in, but also to the part of us, the ego, that is used to using only a small part of the instrument of being human and is very attached to the old, and especially the agreed-upon way of doing things. It will become very afraid if you stir things up and try to change it. The world is just a group of egos that feel the same way and want things to remain the way they are because the unknown is frightening, change is scary, and we believe that we may not survive if we can discover how to play our instrument. This discovery would change everything. People would end up making different choices, doing things differently, because they would be freed up, and what would happen to those in positions of power and wealth? And when people feel threatened they will go to any length to stop something from happening.
12. People need to be hooked up by direct experience to the Source within, never linking it to any one person, or technique or environment, so that they can take responsibility for the discovery, and honor it fully as theirs and theirs alone, and something that is accessible no matter what.