Is your mind a-whirl? Cluttered with plans & possibilities or fears & frustrations? When the mind is buzzing, it can be very difficult to hear the calm, still voice of intuition. We can scheme & strategize, but, in this mental mode, we have only intellect & past precedent to draw upon. This can severely limit possibilities & hamper problem solving.
Quieting the mind & connecting to our intuition helps us find a smooth path through challenges & optimize luminous forward momentum. Stilling mind & opening to inner wisdom is an evolving art, which takes time & dedication to develop. However, a few simple steps can get you started.
When your mind is racing or you are feeling confused, try one of these tips:
Shift Gears: A wise person once said: When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is: Stop digging. If your mental wheels are spinning, stop pushing. Step back. Take your mind off whatever you are attempting to achieve. If possible, walk away. Change environment. Change focus. Redirect your attention & your energy towards something completely unrelated to the task at hand. Trivial or productive -- just make sure it has no relevance to the issue or initiative that has your gears spinning. Put your quandary on the back burner & focus on something else. You might be amazed what emerges.
Face Fear: Sometimes when you're struggling for resolution, you are trying like hell to keep your worst fear at bay. We often believe that, if we can just avoid bringing that fear into focus, somehow we can prevent it from manifesting. Ironically, the opposite is often true. What we resist, gains power. Those unacknowledged fears have a way of haunting us. Next time you find yourself in a dicey situation -- staving off fear of an undefined, but dreaded outcome, you might try this:
- Turn & face the worst fear you can imagine.
- Allow yourself to look it squarely in the face -- to name it.
- View it as a possibility, not a certainty. Breathe.
- Allow yourself to be present with the imagined ramifications of that fear.
It's amazing how often they reveal themselves to be hyperbolic -- over-blown, exaggerated stalkers that seek to terrorize your psyche. Facing them can help to shrink their scale & bring them back into perspective. When that happens, their grip is loosened & we can widen out to other possibilities.
Seek Counsel: We don't have to have all the answers. When we aren't certain, we can consult other sources: trusted friends, spirit allies, divination, respected teachers & counselors & our own intuition. Of course, it's important to be discerning. If you ask someone more rash or ignorant than yourself, this can either create chaos or bring crystal clarity (through contrast.) Sometimes hearing a bad idea can really bring our wisdom into focus.
If you have not yet surrounded yourself with at least a handful of sage friends & allies, I suggest divination. Chose a divination tool such as tarot, oracle cards or runes and develop your relationship with them. When stymied or confused, you can pull a card for insight. Personally, I like to work with Brian Froud & Jessica MacBeth's Faeries' Oracle or the Norse runes. The key to right use of counsel is checking out all suggestions with your inner sense of knowing. If doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.
Practice Patience: If you aren't clear, wait. Better to defer a decision (whenever possible) than to make a rash choice & have to unravel the consequences. Time often opens a window for your intuition to sneak in.
article by Ananaia O'Leary
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