Use your head and trust your heart.
Have you heard, read, or felt something that seemed written or spoken just for you? And it was exactly what you needed to hear? As if someone put it in your path to guide or protect you? I propose that this is not a coincidence.
Our lives are a multifaceted mystery, encompassing both the tangible and intangible. What we see isn’t all that exists. Our thoughts and emotions layer our physical realm with complexity and depth. The ability to tap into our intuitiveness can empower us along a transformation journey.
The problem? We may hear many voices. Combined with our own, some may be counter to our best interests and lead us astray. This can be most challenging when making big decisions and discerning the best path forward.
There are both scholarly and spiritual definitions of intuition. From the textbooks, we would hear the scholarly definition:
“Intuition is a form of knowledge that appears in consciousness without obvious deliberation. It is not magical but rather a faculty in which hunches are generated by the unconscious mind rapidly sifting through past experience and cumulative knowledge.”
The spiritual definition of intuition suggests that we receive guidance from angelic or spiritual beings (guardian angels, loved ones who have passed, the Holy Spirit). Information that arises when we need it may seem like a coincidence. In his book “God’s Voice Within,” Mark E. Thibodeaux, SJ, suggests that to hear God’s voice and receive His guidance, we must first Get Quiet. He describes this as the first phase of discernment.
“The modern world, for all its marvels, is simply too noisy for our own good. We cannot think straight with the cacophony of competing values presented by advertisements, the media, politicians, and the people around us. To hear the sound of God’s voice, we must turn down the sound of the world. We must come to a place of stillness within by separating ourselves from the noise outside. Even for an experienced discerner, the movements of the spirits are simply too subtle to detect without quieting down for a little while each day.”
Many years ago, I was on the crest of a wave of indecision. My marriage and what I thought was my future were crashing all around me, but ultimately, I knew I had a choice and could take action if only I could discern the right direction. I questioned my ability to make the right decision. I prayed, I journaled, I talked with people in my support system, and I went to counseling. I used all available tools to arrive at the right answer. Yet my pivotal moment happened on a quiet sunny day at a local pool, where I chose to spend the afternoon reading and soaking in the sun. I packed a magazine in my pool bag and soon began reading the words of a poem written by a total stranger who knew nothing about my current struggles, yet that resonated so deeply with me that I knew what I must do.
It was time for me to move on. I knew it, but I didn’t want to accept it. Roger Hudson says it so well when he reflects on this poem in his book Ten Poems to Change Your Life.
“The Journey” is a poem of transformation, and as much as any poem Oliver ever wrote, it is a mirror in which you can see a reflection of your own story. It captures that moment when you dare to take your heart in your hands and walk through an invisible wall into a new life.
Call to Action
Your intuitive nature and your awareness of the guidance available to you, perhaps in obscure or unconventional ways, are critical to your transformation journey. Your intuition is shaped by how you receive and process information. It is a skill to hone, and it runs deeper than simply a “gut” feeling. The spirits are speaking to you. Are you listening?
In the foreword of Fr. Mark Thibodeaux, SJ’s book, James Martin, SJ writes:
“All we need to do, besides having a good intention, is not only rely on our (literally) God-given reason but also pay attention to the movements of our heart, which was also given to us by God.”
God can be found in all the different “spirits” that move our lives. God’s voice can be found within.
God wants us to make life-giving decisions, and so God will help us to that end.
..use your head, and trust your heart.”
Decision Making by Heart, Foreword by James Martin, SJ
Resources
Discernment plays a critical role in transformation. Are you evaluating your options to move forward? No progress can happen during stagnation, and moving forward requires motion in some direction. Perhaps you haven’t thought much about how or why you make decisions. Or perhaps you are overthinking your decisions. As proposed above, the first step might be Get Quiet. Listen.
Writer and listener Emily P. Freeman is a New York Times bestselling author and podcaster who can help guide you through decision-making. She calls herself a Soul Minimalist and helps others find “soul space.”
Everything I do is to help create space for your soul to breathe so that you can discern your next right thing.
You may find her words helpful on your journey. I started with her podcast and book The Next Right Thing.
Matthew Kelly is another bestselling author, speaker, and thought leader who has dedicated his life to helping people become the best versions of themselves. In his book, The Three Ordinary Voices of God, Kelly says:
God has been speaking to humanity from the very beginning—and he has been speaking to you…
Learning to listen to the voice of God will change your life powerfully and wonderfully.
If you are considering a change of direction and/or beginning a transformation journey, clear your mind and be open to discernment methods that align with your heart and your goals. Be quiet, listen, pray, discern.