Listen to that Quiet Voice
“We all have that inner voice that is wise, even if we don't always follow it. It's that voice I'm trying to listen to.” ― Ray LaMontagne
What if it was really simple?
What if all we have to do is listen?
I was sitting in meditation one evening. I had gotten myself into a bit of a state because I felt I had to decide whether I was going to sit in a plant medicine ceremony or not. I was used to the fear (sometimes even terror) of the unknown that typically came up for me, but this time something was different. There was something pushing back inside of me.
I asked the universe - 'Is it in service of my highest self to go?' I sat quietly. I breathed deeply. There was a lot of noise in my head, stories around disappointing others, not being strong enough, not pushing myself hard enough. Then I heard something else. It didn't come from my head, it came from my core - from down in my stomach. It spoke clearly, but low, and it said: 'Wait. Now is not the time.'
Along with it came a rush of knowing something that I already had known. Memories flooded, specific moments when I heard that voice. The moment when I met my now ex-partner and it said 'There is too much trauma there, it's not the right thing.' The moment where I brought in a co-facilitator for a project and it said 'She's not ready.' Inevitably, the voice proved to be right. I had seen the red flags, I had known all along and I had ignored it.
There were also moments when it gave me the green light, 'Go to Argentina.', 'Leave your job and start an incubator supporting refugees.' When I followed that knowing, my life changed in ways I couldn't imagine, always for the better.
We actually know what to do at any given moment, it really is that simple. Why then, is it so hard to listen to?
The voice won't shout, and unless you're lucky it won't repeat itself. Our thoughts can bellow, they can shout in our ear with mind-driven stories that seem so logical, they can drown out the voice. To hear our own inner knowing, we need to learn to detach from our thoughts. We need to get quiet and listen carefully.
We aren't taught to trust our inner knowing. Most of us have been conditioned to reason it out, think it through, make pros and cons lists and that's how we know. All of that is driven by the idea that our minds will lead us to the right answer. It complicates things. When we hear that voice we think - 'Pff, it can't be that simple.' We reject our own knowing because we weren't taught how to value it.
We might not like what it has to say. When I heard no for the ceremony, my mind rebelled. I wanted to go, people expected me to go. I had already made plans. When we are attached to an outcome because of desire or what we think others desire of us, then we are likely to reject the voice. If I am strongly wanting love, I might attach to an unavailable person no matter what the voice says because I can't let go of my own desire. In order to really lean into our intuition and inner knowing, we must be prepared to detach from our version of how things should go.
It requires us to lean into the unknown. When I decided not to go to that ceremony I didn't know why. I did know that I had to accept that I didn't get to know. By choosing to trust fall into the universe's arm, a net opened to catch me. I now know that I wasn't supposed to go because I needed to learn this lesson I am writing for you right now. I needed to learn to trust myself. I needed to learn to hear the voice and follow it. However, we must be open to the fact that we are being guided without getting to know where to.
It's simple, but not easy. We can access our inner knowing by quieting down, tuning in, and trusting. The next time you hear it, let yourself choose to follow it - you may be amazed by where it leads you.