The Limits of a Rational Mind
By Laura Loescher
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Albert Einstein
It's been hours or days. Maybe even weeks. You've been mulling over every imaginable angle of a certain choice or decision. You’ve made your pros and cons list. You're exhausted. And you feel no closer to clarity.
Sound familiar? I know I've certainly been there. And from countless conversations with friends and clients, I am aware that many people struggle in this way.
Why do we do this to ourselves - try to think our way into clarity? What if our head is not actually the best part of our body from which to make important decisions?
It’s a provocative proposition, since we’ve been taught to value head-based rational decision-making above all. I’ve discovered over and over that the clearest decisions are often made when we invite the thinking mind take a break and we tap into a deeper place inside of ourselves that already knows the answer - or knows what step to take to discover the answer.
This deeper place is our Inner Knowing or the sacred gift of our Intuitive Mind, as Albert Einstein referred to it. Accessing information through our Inner Knowing can be very simple, but not always easy when were used to running decisions through our thinking minds. It’s totally possible to learn and integrate tools and skills to access Inner Knowing, and in so doing save countless hours of struggle and mental consternation. Accessing our Inner Knowing helps us make the choices that are truly right for us - not decisions based on some idea of who we are supposed to be, or what we are supposed to do.
My client Mike, for example, came to me after several weeks struggling with a decision about making a move. He was extremely stressed out. He had been over and over the details of his choices in his head countless times. Then, in just half an hour of dropping down from his thinking mind into his body, and tapping into his Inner Knowing, clarity emerged! He received guidance about where he most felt drawn to move, what information needed to be gathered before final decision was made, what the appropriate timing was for making that decision, and even what to discuss with his family to make it a good move.
If you want to learn how to guide yourself or your clients to access the amazing resource of Inner Knowing, please join Rochelle and me at our weekend training retreat September 16-18 in Ashland. We will be teaching several processes for accessing your own Inner Knowing, and for guiding others as well. Details here.
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Albert Einstein
It's been hours or days. Maybe even weeks. You've been mulling over every imaginable angle of a certain choice or decision. You’ve made your pros and cons list. You're exhausted. And you feel no closer to clarity.
Sound familiar? I know I've certainly been there. And from countless conversations with friends and clients, I am aware that many people struggle in this way.
Why do we do this to ourselves - try to think our way into clarity? What if our head is not actually the best part of our body from which to make important decisions?
It’s a provocative proposition, since we’ve been taught to value head-based rational decision-making above all. I’ve discovered over and over that the clearest decisions are often made when we invite the thinking mind take a break and we tap into a deeper place inside of ourselves that already knows the answer - or knows what step to take to discover the answer.
This deeper place is our Inner Knowing or the sacred gift of our Intuitive Mind, as Albert Einstein referred to it. Accessing information through our Inner Knowing can be very simple, but not always easy when were used to running decisions through our thinking minds. It’s totally possible to learn and integrate tools and skills to access Inner Knowing, and in so doing save countless hours of struggle and mental consternation. Accessing our Inner Knowing helps us make the choices that are truly right for us - not decisions based on some idea of who we are supposed to be, or what we are supposed to do.
My client Mike, for example, came to me after several weeks struggling with a decision about making a move. He was extremely stressed out. He had been over and over the details of his choices in his head countless times. Then, in just half an hour of dropping down from his thinking mind into his body, and tapping into his Inner Knowing, clarity emerged! He received guidance about where he most felt drawn to move, what information needed to be gathered before final decision was made, what the appropriate timing was for making that decision, and even what to discuss with his family to make it a good move.
If you want to learn how to guide yourself or your clients to access the amazing resource of Inner Knowing, please join Rochelle and me at our weekend training retreat September 16-18 in Ashland. We will be teaching several processes for accessing your own Inner Knowing, and for guiding others as well. Details here.
Upgrading Your Inner Guidance System
By Laura Loescher
We all depend upon some kind of guidance system to direct our lives. The quality of the guidance we receive varies dramatically though! Some of us rely on our thinking (and doubting) mind to try to solve problems and find our way through difficult decisions. Some of us process externally by talking things over (and over and over) with friends. Some of us seek outside guidance or advice by consulting astrologers, psychics or oracles like the IChing or Tarot cards.
I’ve utilized all of these guidance systems myself - and have certainly found value in each of them. But over time, I’ve come to place my trust in an inner guidance system that doesn’t rely on my thinking mind, my friends or an outside source of wisdom or truth. Learning the art of listening to my inner guidance system - my Inner Knowing - has saved me countless hours of mental consternation and regret, and has helped bring a lot of beauty and goodness to my life.
Attuning to our own deepest Inner Knowing can be simple, but it also takes practice to trust the process and integrate it into our lives. Especially for those of us who are “mental” types — where we over-rely on the thinking mind to solve problems and “figure things out” — or those us who have well-practiced grooves for doubt.
One of the most essential skills to learn for accessing Inner Knowing is dropping down from the thinking mind into the body and listening to what it is telling us - through the language of sensations and feelings.
Our Inner Knowing is constantly sending signals that draw us closer to that which is beneficial, and warning us to pull away from that which is harmful. One of the simplest and clearest ways to begin to explore the body’s language of Inner Knowing is with our YES and our NO. Here is a simple exercise:
Think of something in your life around which you have a strong, clear, un-ambivalent YES. It could be a person or place, a deeply held value or an activity you love. What does YES feel like? In your body? In your energy? What are the characteristics of YES?
Common indications of a yes are feelings of open heartedness, softness and comfort in the gut, alignment, increased energy or a sense of joy. Did you notice any of these, or did your body talk to you with other sensations or feelings?
Next, bring to your awareness something in your life around which you have a strong, clear NO. It could be something in the present, or something in the past - something you said no to that was so obviously not for you. What does your NO feel like? In your body/ In your energy? How do you know it’s a NO?
Common indications of a no can be a clenched jaw, a tightened stomach, hunched shoulders, decreased energy or a general feeling of negativity.
Take a moment to shake that off.
Now, to put this into practice, I invite you to call up a decision you are currently facing. A choice that involves a yes or no.
Take a few deep breaths into your belly. Allow your body to soften. Sit up straight, but comfortably. Invite your thinking mind to take a little break.
Now, phrase the choice as a yes or no question and ask it to yourself.
Notice - what happens in your body? What sensations are you aware of? What happens to your energy level? Does it feel more like your YES, or more like your NO?
You’re building your Inner Knowing muscle and upgrading your inner guidance system! Rochelle Jaffe and I will be co-facilitating a weekend workshop September 16th-18th. We actually call it a retreat, because in addition to teaching several processes for accessing Inner Knowing, the weekend is full of guided meditations, and other nourishing, relaxing offerings. It is suitable for those seeking professional development, and anyone simply wanting to grow their capacity for listening to - and aligning with - their deepest inner wisdom. Details can be found here.
We all depend upon some kind of guidance system to direct our lives. The quality of the guidance we receive varies dramatically though! Some of us rely on our thinking (and doubting) mind to try to solve problems and find our way through difficult decisions. Some of us process externally by talking things over (and over and over) with friends. Some of us seek outside guidance or advice by consulting astrologers, psychics or oracles like the IChing or Tarot cards.
I’ve utilized all of these guidance systems myself - and have certainly found value in each of them. But over time, I’ve come to place my trust in an inner guidance system that doesn’t rely on my thinking mind, my friends or an outside source of wisdom or truth. Learning the art of listening to my inner guidance system - my Inner Knowing - has saved me countless hours of mental consternation and regret, and has helped bring a lot of beauty and goodness to my life.
Attuning to our own deepest Inner Knowing can be simple, but it also takes practice to trust the process and integrate it into our lives. Especially for those of us who are “mental” types — where we over-rely on the thinking mind to solve problems and “figure things out” — or those us who have well-practiced grooves for doubt.
One of the most essential skills to learn for accessing Inner Knowing is dropping down from the thinking mind into the body and listening to what it is telling us - through the language of sensations and feelings.
Our Inner Knowing is constantly sending signals that draw us closer to that which is beneficial, and warning us to pull away from that which is harmful. One of the simplest and clearest ways to begin to explore the body’s language of Inner Knowing is with our YES and our NO. Here is a simple exercise:
Think of something in your life around which you have a strong, clear, un-ambivalent YES. It could be a person or place, a deeply held value or an activity you love. What does YES feel like? In your body? In your energy? What are the characteristics of YES?
Common indications of a yes are feelings of open heartedness, softness and comfort in the gut, alignment, increased energy or a sense of joy. Did you notice any of these, or did your body talk to you with other sensations or feelings?
Next, bring to your awareness something in your life around which you have a strong, clear NO. It could be something in the present, or something in the past - something you said no to that was so obviously not for you. What does your NO feel like? In your body/ In your energy? How do you know it’s a NO?
Common indications of a no can be a clenched jaw, a tightened stomach, hunched shoulders, decreased energy or a general feeling of negativity.
Take a moment to shake that off.
Now, to put this into practice, I invite you to call up a decision you are currently facing. A choice that involves a yes or no.
Take a few deep breaths into your belly. Allow your body to soften. Sit up straight, but comfortably. Invite your thinking mind to take a little break.
Now, phrase the choice as a yes or no question and ask it to yourself.
Notice - what happens in your body? What sensations are you aware of? What happens to your energy level? Does it feel more like your YES, or more like your NO?
You’re building your Inner Knowing muscle and upgrading your inner guidance system! Rochelle Jaffe and I will be co-facilitating a weekend workshop September 16th-18th. We actually call it a retreat, because in addition to teaching several processes for accessing Inner Knowing, the weekend is full of guided meditations, and other nourishing, relaxing offerings. It is suitable for those seeking professional development, and anyone simply wanting to grow their capacity for listening to - and aligning with - their deepest inner wisdom. Details can be found here.