Do you ever wonder, “How can I tell if I am hearing my inner guidance and not my own ego-based thoughts? Is it my intuition, or am I just making it up?”
If you are still working on hearing your own discernment, you may find yourself challenged at times to decide whether to trust and follow an intuition or ignore it as a misleading thought.
This can happen with little things. You may be driving down the street and receive a random direction that says ‘turn here’; is it on-course for you to follow this guidance or not?
This can happen with big things. You may be planning a wedding and having second-thoughts – there may be a voice inside saying ‘call it off’; is it on-course for you to follow this guidance or not?
The good news is that there is no way to blow it; there is only opportunity for growing at all times whichever way you choose. However, one choice will bring you more peace, and another choice may cause you some level of suffering.
For instance, if you are divinely guided to turn while driving and don’t, you may find yourself suddenly stuck behind an accident and be delayed by 30 minutes, whereas if you’d followed the intuition to make the turnoff, you could have easily navigated around the traffic jam. One way causes suffering; the other way leads you to flow with grace and ease.
If you are divinely guided to cancel the wedding and don’t, you may find yourself in an unhappy marriage, living with a sense of guilt, remorse or obligation to vows you have no true desire to keep. If you followed the inner guidance, you may have felt relieved, calm, accepting and certain that you made the best choice in the long run.
So how do you tell the difference between inner guidance and an ego-based thought?
Again, you can call upon the aid of your feeling barometer. When something comes to you through your inner guidance, it will be riding on the energies of Loving. Inner guidance often feels neutral in nature, causing a feeling of peace or steadiness inside. When something comes to you through your ego-based thoughts, there is usually an emotional energy attached to the thought that will cause your feelings to swing into either good or bad, right or wrong.
Here’s how it might play out: my thought-process might sound something like, ‘I don’t know about this… I wonder if I’m doing the right thing? Call off the wedding. What?! Call off the wedding?!? Now?! I can’t do that! It is too late. The dress is made, the invitations have gone out… what would people think?!”
In this case, the guidance to ‘call off the wedding’ came in a soft, calm, steady manner, where the rest of the thoughts were steeped in fear, doubt, worry and so forth. If I could feel into the peaceful, neutral tone of the guidance, I’d see that it was in my higher good; it would definitely be wise for me to heed this advice.
Another way it might play out: ‘I don’t know about this… I wonder if I’m doing the right thing? Maybe I should just call off the wedding… No… I can’t do that! It is too late. The dress is made, the invitations have gone out… Besides, I’m probably worried for no reason.”
In this case, ‘maybe I should call off the wedding’ came in an anxious, worried manner, and the rest of the thoughts were also steeped in worry or uncertainty. If I could feel into these thoughts, I could see that there was no clarity, no peace, no calm, so I’d see that it would not be in my highest good; it would not be wise to make a fear-induced decision.
Your inner guidance will come through with neutrality; your ego will come through with some sort of fear-based energies. Claim that you can now use your feeling barometer to help you discern what is coming from your inner guidance and what is coming from ego.
Many Blessings of Joy and Vibrant Freedom
Action Step ~ Claim your ability to discern guidance from ego with the help of your feeling barometer. Declaration: “I now have the ability to easily discern the difference between my inner guidance and my ego-based thoughts. My inner guidance is Loving, calm, steady, neutral, and always has my highest good in mind. My ego-thoughts are fearful, unsteady, emotionally-charged and always want to keep me, small, safe, and inside of my comfortable box.”