Sometimes You Listen – Part 2

 

Photo Credit: Lara Jaye

Sometimes You Listen – Part 2

In continuation of yesterday’s post, today we will look at means by which to recognise our inner voice.

Through several births we have gathered a lot of muck over our inner consciousness thus dulling our inner voice. Anything with time becomes dull – look at an old metal coin for instance, it would have lost it’s shine and to regain its shine, you need to polish it to bring it back to its original form. Similarly, our receptivity has been dulled over several births and we cannot hear that inner voice. That does not mean that it is not there, with some work, our receptivity can be polished, shined, thus making it easier to listen when our inner voice is speaking.

With continuous practice one realises that our doubts and fears are drowning out our true inner voice which is struggling to make itself heard over the cacophony in the mind. You begin to listen to your inner voice when you are feeling good, when your inner being is silent, your mind is calm. By listening to your inner voice, you become a creator of your life rather than a bystander!

Listening to our inner voice is like training a new muscle – it won’t happen overnight, but with consistent effort and dedication, it will become stronger and we then will be able to tune in to the right frequency. As we tune in, we will learn more about ourselves and this will be a transformative experience. This sends a message to our subconscious that we are now ready to make the necessary changes in our life to tune in to the right frequency.

The important practices which one should follow are cultivating present-moment awareness, practicing mindfulness in all activities, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, keeping the company of people who are positive and supportive of our ventures, meditation.

While all the above are beneficial, meditation under the guidance of a realised Master is like jumping onto a fast train. Praying is talking to God; meditation is listening to God – that is your inner voice. We all pray to God asking for something or the other. Meditation is just listening, making our inner world quiet, once we attain that state of quietude, we begin to hear the inner voice – the voice of God.

Remember that answers do not come immediately during meditation – they may appear suddenly during our day-to-day activities, and we get the realisation, “Oh, this is the answer I was seeking this morning!” Meditation sets the stage for the real story to unfold as we learn to discover and listen to our inner voice. We learn to let go and start living in the moment, thus clearing the way for our inner voice to shine through like a beacon in the night!