Inner Guidance Page 2
Eventually, it became apparent that keeping my heart open is the way to hear God’s loving voice.
Divine Spirit leads us perfectly, if we surrender to this amazing benevolent power. And this surrender is not like waving a white flag of defeat; it is saying, “I accept my highest good in this lifetime! I accept a greater outcome than any I might ever have envisioned on my own.”
A s a barefoot girl playing on the red earth of South Carolina, living in the quiet farmlands of the South, my future may have seemed somewhat limited.
But my inner guidance told me I would have a beautiful and fulfilling life.
God’s voice reaches us uniquely, often through the people in our lives. My mother knew I needed to go to Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
5
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
6
Inner Guidance: Our Divine Birthright
college, for example. “Life is not easy, and your education will help take you places,” she insisted. So I kept that goal in mind as I grew up. My life was about to present more challenges, more refinement in learning to listen to God.
Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
6
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
2
Leaving the
Church of My Childhood:
Inner Guidance Brings a New
Spiritual Direction
The search for God requires a deep yearning.
Soul hears the Voice of God and wants to return to Its home in heaven. In the meantime, it’s up to Soul, in one way or another, to find a path that gives the help It needs to take this step. When you graduate from one level of education in the spiritual works, God provides a step, then another and another.
No matter what path you are on or what faith you follow, be the best there is in it, be the cream of the crop.
—Harold Klemp
The Secret Teachings³
M y family belonged to a Southern Baptist congregation. As a child, going to church
was a highlight of my life. There, I could
feel a sense of love and bathe in the feeling of being closer to God.
7
Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
7
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
8
Inner Guidance: Our Divine Birthright
But by the time I was a teenager, those teachings no longer rang true for me, and I could feel the call to something else. It was a deep yearning I had to follow.
I remained a single-minded seeker, always striving to find a closer personal connection with God.
When I was sixteen, I lived in Europe with my family. Because I could not speak the language well enough to clearly follow what was going on, I attended church services with a sense of openness to the spiritual feeling within each church I visited.
In some of the places of worship, I noticed a tangible sensation of love that seemed to emanate from the very walls of the buildings. Even before the services began, I could sense it. I was moved by this experience and sought it out in churches wherever I lived and traveled.
After high-school graduation, I returned to the United States to attend college. In the midwestern town where I went to school, I settled into a small congregation in a Methodist church. There were many things I enjoyed about this church. The people were friendly and loving, and the music was joyful and uplifting. I even became friends with the minister, whose words were positive and insightful.
Yet I continued to feel a divine discontent—a nagging feeling, a sense there was something more. I wanted to connect more strongly with my inner guidance. My desire to have a closer, more personal relationship with God was growing. Maybe it is a desire we all have as Soul, to connect more deeply with God and to understand the divine plan.
O ne Sunday morning, while sitting quietly in church, I began to receive an inner message. It was a booming inner proclamation—not a voice exactly, but Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
8
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
Leaving the Church of My Childhood:
Inner Guidance Brings a New Spiritual Direction 9
rather the sense of a voice delivering a distinct message loudly and clearly.
This new inner message shot straight to my heart.
It was a message of pure love, a characteristic of inner guidance that I have come to know and trust.
“There is something much greater than this, and you have earned the right to it. You must rise now and leave the church forever.”
“Leave the church!” I whispered to myself incredulously. I love church! I began to panic.
I might not have liked what I was hearing inwardly, but I was certain of what was being said. This message meant that I was to end attending church as I knew it.
With this realization, I inwardly challenged the voice, asking, “But what will I do if I leave the church?”
The answer came swiftly. “Go sit among the trees, contemplate God, and await further instructions.”
I could hardly believe what was happening, but I found myself rising from my seat. As I looked around, everyone else in the church was standing too. Surely we did not all get this message! Ah, no, I realized—the service had ended.
Happy people streamed out of the church into the bright sunlight of this beautiful day. I trailed behind, savoring what seemed to be the closing moments in a long chapter of my life that had meant so much to me.
Those life-changing words were ringing in my ears. I was being instructed to go and seek God and to “await further instructions.”
An odd message indeed. Yet there were two things I could not deny.
One, I was experiencing a heightened state of awareness. Two, the promise of truth within this message was compelling and inspiring. If there was some-Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
9
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
10
Inner Guidance: Our Divine Birthright
thing greater, and I had earned the right to it, I wanted it! As a result, it was easy to accept what I’d heard. My inner guidance was carrying me above and beyond the clatter of any fear I might otherwise have harbored.
The minister was shaking hands with members of the congregation as they filed from the sanctuary. This Sunday I was the last person in line. The pastor smiled broadly and said that he wished to speak to me privately for a moment.
We stepped away from the others who were milling around at the church doors. He beamed at me and said,
“Anne, I would like you to join me next Sunday, meeting people at the door after the service. You know that from time to time I invite someone to join me to have a word with our church members. I would be pleased if you would like to take part.”
On any other Sunday, his invitation would have delighted me. Now it was too late.
“I just wish you had asked me before, because I would have loved to join you. But now I can’t.” Somehow I had to find the words to explain. “I am really honored,”
I continued. “But, as a matter of fact, I can’t come back to church at all.”
He was completely taken aback by my response.
“Are you moving away? Is that what you mean?” He looked disappointed.
I was reluctant to tell him what had just happened—
embarrassed even. Yet a part of me actually wanted to share it with him. I wondered if he might somehow be able to accept it, though I presumed he would argue heartily.
Gathering my courage, I began.
“I heard an inner voice at the end of the service. It told me that ‘there is something much greater than this,’
Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
10
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
Leaving the Church of My Childhood:
Inner Guidance Brings a New Spiritual Direction 11
and the voice said that I had ‘earned the right to it.’ Then I heard that I must ‘rise now and leave the church forever.’ I was directed to ‘go sit among the trees, contemplate God, and await further instr
uctions.’ I believe I should follow this guidance.”
He would try to talk some sense into me, I was certain.
This kind, God-loving clergyman took my hand and moved us another step or two further away from any prying ears. “I don’t pretend to understand what happened for you today, Anne. I, too, am sorry that I did not ask you to join me earlier. But in truth, I wish that I could join you.”
His response took me by surprise! I opened my mouth to respond. He was quick to clarify.
“I don’t really want to leave the church or this congregation; that’s not it. I know that at this point in my life, I can’t. It’s just that I often wish I could find my own way—and I do believe there is something greater than this. You have a special path that is clearly waiting for you. That’s quite a message you received. Impressive.”
“I thought you would try to talk me out of it—out of leaving the church!” I exclaimed.
He smiled at me. “Some might say that is part of my job,” he said, “but that’s not what I feel in my heart.
If you are being instructed by God, who am I to interfere? I would not want to, and I would not even try. I encourage you and wish you well.”
My final blessing from this admirable man, it was delivered with a hug and a smile.
As I left his side, I realized what a great gift I was being given on this sunny Sunday morning. It was a portal to greater spiritual freedom. When I made the Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
11
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
12
Inner Guidance: Our Divine Birthright
choice to follow the inner direction of Divine Spirit, this powerful inner guidance I had been given, even though it meant leaving behind the comfort of the previous ways and this beloved church, my friend wished me Godspeed and helped me on my way.
“
G o sit among the trees, contemplate God, and await further instructions.” In my ardor for God, I interpreted the inner guidance of that Sunday quite lit-erally.
Every Sunday morning around ten o’clock, I would go out to the park near my home, taking a blanket to sit on and a little book that I kept as a journal. Inwardly, I asked for guidance and direction, and then I closed my eyes to ponder the Creator. Sometimes I would read passages from the Bible and contemplate their meaning. At other times, I would focus on a feeling of gratitude and allow it to take me to a new level of appreciation for life.
And yes, I received insights and awakenings. I would reflect on these and capture further realizations by writing in my journal. I began to connect with a deep sense of calm and happiness.
Perhaps this was the next step for me, learning to ask and then to listen. In the process, I began to learn to trust in God’s divine plan and recognize the gifts in my life.
The awareness I now gained each Sunday was more personal and private than anything I had experienced before. It was like having a sacred appointment with God.
Later that year, when the snow began to fall, I would simply take a long walk in nature. Wearing my warm coat and boots, I strolled along the quiet paths and felt Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
12
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
Leaving the Church of My Childhood:
Inner Guidance Brings a New Spiritual Direction 13
the love that flowed both to me and out from me. The park had become an outdoor cathedral where I could contemplate God and explore my inner guidance. Worship was now synonymous with breathing, walking, and being alive.
Many subtle changes were happening to me as I worshipped this way, month after month. The transformation in my consciousness delighted me, and the wonderful events that began to manifest in my outer life did as well. I knew the two were connected, and I felt that God was truly speaking to me, as I was learning to listen in a much deeper way.
I was discovering that indeed, listening is a powerful form of prayer. It might seem like an easy concept to learn and practice, yet it took time for me to really begin to grasp this lesson.
As I developed this rapport, making it my priority, significant inner and outer changes occurred. The combination of devotion and discipline that I was putting into these Sunday mornings was bringing me great joy.
I was seeking and listening for the Voice of God in my life; and suddenly, everywhere I looked, I could see miracles quietly abounding.
T he synchronicity of life sometimes startled me; sometimes it made me laugh aloud. Now I could certainly see that life was interconnected, with all aspects working for the greatest good.
Sitting in the park one Sunday morning, I watched a family walk by. The young girl asked her father, “Why do birds fly?” He laughed. “Because they can. Wouldn’t you want to fly if you knew you could?” I laughed too.
Well, yes, perhaps that is why birds fly—because they can! I interpreted this little conversation, however, as Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
13
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
14
Inner Guidance: Our Divine Birthright
God speaking to me.
I later learned in Eckankar that this is called the Golden-tongued Wisdom. It is one of the more common ways God speaks to each of us. A key form of inner guidance, it can help us steer a better course for ourselves in both the big and seemingly insignificant moments of life.
Did this little family bring me a spiritual lesson that morning? A robin flew by, and I smiled. Why would we pursue spiritual truth in all things, in all ways, learning to listen and to follow our inner guidance? Because we can! Indeed, who would not want to learn to listen to God if they knew they could?
If we knew inner guidance and truth were all around, most of us would be grateful for the help. I was. To me, it was like the freedom of flying.
Those early days after I left the church of my childhood were all about learning this: how to open my spiritual ears, how to hear the Voice of God in whatever way It came. I was learning how much God loves me, how Divine Spirit was indeed working on my behalf to help me grow spiritually.
Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
14
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
3
Portal to an Inner Library:
Inner Guidance
Reveals Mysterious Quotes
Whenever something out of the ordinary comes up—a deviation from the humdrum, routine activities that account for most of your life—it is bringing you a spiritual lesson. It is up to you to take the trouble to try to recognize what this lesson could be.
—Harold Klemp
The Eternal Dreamer 4
W e come alive when we are passionate about what we do. When I first began teaching
high school, I fell head over heels in love
with my career.
I enjoyed everything about it, from engaging the students in discussion to finding creative ways to capture and hold their attention. Teaching is by no means an easy task. I began my career when I was twenty-one, and most of my students were juniors and seniors in high school, just a few years younger than I was. But I loved it all. Because our ages weren’t so far apart, I could easily relate to the students. I felt full of enthu-15
Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
15
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
16
Inner Guidance: Our Divine Birthright
siasm and energy and wanted to put new ideas into action.
My goal was to be the best teacher I could possibly be. However, since life does not come with an instruction manual, I found it challenging. I leaned heavily on my ability to listen for and receive inner guidance—what I’d been practicing since my early years in South Carolina. I decided to use the inner guidance that came through to enhance my teaching experience.
This decision required me to go well beyond fear into trust. In this stage of my apprenticeship with inner guidance, I gained an increasing awareness of the grand design of my life. And as I did, a great spiritual opportunity came my way.
I t happened during my se
cond year of teaching.
I was employed by a small-town suburban high school in the Midwest, and life was very full. I was teaching during the day, working on my master’s degree at night.
My classroom was large. Chalkboards covered three walls, and the fourth was all windows. Teaching American literature, I emphasized writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
To prepare myself for the challenges of each day, I offered a simple little prayer: “Dear God, please show me what to teach the students. Teach me truth so that I may better teach them.” I then listened carefully to any inner guidance or subtle nudges I might feel as I went through my day.
We often talked about the beliefs of outstanding writers, and that led to periods of animated discussion and debate. I yearned to help these students find elements of philosophy that would assist them in their lives. I also recognized that what I taught them could Inner Guidance_CH 01-05.p65
16
7/3/2013, 7:57 AM
Portal to an Inner Library:
Inner Guidance Reveals Mysterious Quotes
17
shape their thinking for a lifetime. During each class, after we covered the primary material, I would write a quote from some noted philosopher on the board and invite discussion.
One day, the first of many unusual things occurred.
As I put my piece of chalk to the board, a mysterious feeling came over me. My hand moved across the chalkboard, writing a short line of text. I was writing something that I did not recognize. I could not recall ever having read these words before. What appeared on the chalkboard was this:
“My opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world.”
What is this? I thought, staring at the white marks on black. I did not intend to write these words! Whose words have I written?
I backed away from the chalkboard, as much to distance myself from such an oddity as to study it better.
These words had come to me through the inner guidance I had learned to trust so well. Was something wrong, or was something very right?