How Do You Know?
At some point in our lives most of us have pondered on the question of love. What is love? How do you know when you are “really in love”? You might have asked someone who you thought could give you the answer. Perhaps they described the feelings – can't eat, can't sleep, a fluttery feeling in the stomach (always sounded like the 'flu to me!) and perhaps they ended by saying, “You'll just know.”
That is such an annoying answer, isn't it? Not much of an answer at all, “You'll know when it happens to you.” But then, one day, it does happen to you, and you do “just know”. Then someone might ask you, “But how do you know?” And your answer? “Well, you just know.” And end up annoying a new generation!
We get into this same problem with our spiritual guidance, or intuition. How do you know – how do you tell the difference between your own thoughts and desires and the true Voice of Spirit giving you guidance from within? Can you guess the answer?
“It just feels different, you kind of know when it happens.” And, annoying as this answer is, it is nothing more or less than the truth.
The best way I can describe it is to compare it with answering the telephone. When you hear the phone ring you sometimes “just know” who it is – and you are right! Compare this with how you feel when you have been expecting a call. The phone rings and you think to yourself, “That had better be John calling.” And sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't.
If you have had these experiences with answering the telephone, you know exactly what I mean. The 'feeling' of the thought is 'different'. How do you describe it? The voice of intuition seems perhaps softer, it is unforced, it just flows into your mind. It might seem to come from a 'different place” in your mind. This voice of what we call intuition is one way that Spirit speaks to us. When you pay attention to this voice you will find that it will speak a little louder, but with the same feeling to it, and it 'feels different' than your own thoughts.
Developing trust in this inner voice comes over time. You can test it out – you can decide to go with the information it gives and see what happens! Even if it seems a little odd, if it harms no one and feels gentle and loving, consciously decide to follow the guidance for a little while and then judge by the results. If you want to be scientific about it, you can start a journal and write down your impressions, even if you aren't totally sure whether they are your own thoughts or your intuition. Then you can look back later and see what the results were.
To keep in touch with your intuition it is a good idea to set aside some time – perhaps in the morning – and give it a chance to come through. Always ask for the highest and best good and surround yourself with white light, or your own choice of spiritual protection. This way you can be more certain that the information that comes to you is from the Highest Source.
There are other ways that Spirit communicates – through dreams, with pictures, feelings, a chance remark from a stranger! Allow yourself to 'tune in' to your own Inner Guidance. You'll know when it happens to you!
I've have learned over the years, to trust that "little voice" inside of me! I have even tested it to see if "it" was true and of course it was :) I think learning to listen to it, for me anyway, has come with age and the belief that there really is bigger things going on in this universe than we can see with our eyes.
Love can't be described. Imagine you have never tasted salt. How well can I describe the taste to you?
On the lighter side. I love your posts
Not only can't be described but is different for different people. It was the closest thing I could think of to compare it to. :-) Salt is a good one too, and colors.
Actually the best comparison is when my husband was teaching me to fish for trout in a river. He said to feel for the 'riffle' in the water, that's where the fish will be. Riffle? I don't feel any riffle. I kept asking him to describe it better because I sure wasn't getting it. Then I felt something funny with the line, maybe a riffle? And bam, caught a trout!
Describing the indescribable...
Sadly I have come to conclude most mistake the rush of a new relationship with love, when it is really an addiction to that rush. You are correct when you say it is somewhat indescribable in your response to another comment. However, I can say one of the ways that I find telling is when I would rather endure hardship for her than have her go through it. The desire to accept your own unhappiness (which is not to be mistaken as being a pushover) if it made her happy. Like i said, this doesn't mean you compromise who you are, it means you compromise your own happiness at times. And doing so, the burden is not as hard because you see the happiness the other has from your decision, especially if they are unaware there even was a decision for you to make.
Hah, I sure said a lot without boxing the idea in.
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