Things That Will Help
FROM CHAPTER FIVE: THINGS THAT WILL HELP
INNER GUIDANCE
The Buddha said, “Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.” I do not know who said it, but the words, “If you do not go within you go without,” has always stuck in my mind. I do not want to go without, so I go within. I want internal guidance, and like others, I believe meditation is where I get it. Prayer is talking to God. Meditation is listening to God, although it is not like a conversation we have with people. In meditation we listen, but not with the ears on the sides of our heads. We listen, not with sound, but Spirit. And, like prayer, we try to make meditation complicated. Meditation can be as simple as a few moments in silence, being the observer of one’s thoughts without attachment, letting them go without chasing after them with opinion, judgment, or question. In this way, we clear the mind to receive.
INTUITION
Intuition roughly translated means “to look inside.” It is an insight where we know that we know without knowing how or why. Ernest Holmes describes intuition as “God in man, revealing to him the Realities of Being; and just as instinct guides the animal, so would intuition guide man, if he would allow it to do so.” We allow intuition access by keeping our minds centered and ready by expanding our consciousness through meditation, prayer, study, contemplation and self-observance. Intuition is more than a thought; it is a feeling, an instinct, and it comes from deep within our own nature. We can call it conscience – we can call it a hunch, a vision, or dream; but whatever we call it or however we sense it, it is real and unfailing. Albert Einstein said, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” Like all things valuable it is uncommon, not because it is unavailable, but because we do not look inside very often.
from the poem:
The Angels Of Poets Are Upon Me
“They tell me about the secrets of love,
The taste of sweetened wine,
Meadows, gazelles, and daffodils,
And that their hearts are mine.”