Recently I read an article about Sylvia Brown, the famous psychic, which focused on the inaccuracy of many of her predictions and some examples of the negative impact. This commentary reminded me of an interaction with a personal spiritual guide many years ago, when I was advised not to focus on prediction, but rather growth and development. I was told that most people want predictions because they are afraid they are not going to get what they want and that it would be preferable to help people through their fears instead of trying to appease them. We are here on earth to work through fears and learn the interconnection between spiritual principles and worldly application.

Sometimes knowing the future can be helpful. This knowledge may help us be patient, or accepting, or even trusting. Sometimes it is not helpful to know the future, which could activate fear, impatience, or a desire to always control outcomes.

In life there is both destiny and free will choice, some things can be known, while others are yet to be revealed. Also, there are times to know and times where it is best to be veiled.

How do we maintain inner stillness? To really know that whatever has transpired is another opportunity to learn and to look at the situation objectively, to feel the stillness as our identity. Then we can look at an interaction, and say “Ah ha, an opportunity to maintain stillness and to know that if we are not still inside, no matter what we are doing, there is something amiss.” Too often thereʼs a tendency when we have turmoil to blame other people for their actions or their words, but if our stillness is lost, then there is a need to reconnect within ourself.

“Why is it popular to follow the gut?” As a culture we have a tendency to swing from one extreme to the next. When one solution doesnʼt work, we often try the polar opposite. A good example of this can be found in schools, like teaching to the test, and then eliminating tests all together so creativity can flourish.

Staying in the intellect alone does cut us off from our feelings, turning us into insensitive machines. However, if we live from the gut we become feeling individuals in a human experience, often becoming overwhelmed by the complexity of our individual and world circumstance.

I am a proponent of living focused from the third eye in the middle of the forehead. This is the center of wisdom and integrates our intellect and our emotions in the context of a spiritual perspective. We are both Spirit and human!

As I trace people through their incarnations, watching them move back and forth between the material and spiritual realms, I see that there is a tremendous amount of repetition. I observe people making the same errors over and over again, due to focus on attitudes and actions that are not based in spiritual qualities. This creates enormous suffering. However, not at any time do my guides get discouraged or waiver from their belief that all of us shall be successful in the actualization of our spiritual nature, and that all souls eventually will be drawn into light.

I once had a vision of angelic beings in the sky heralding all of humanity into the light. The image reminded me of a medieval painting. In it, masses of people formed a spiral of interconnectedness. As each person moved into light and positivity, they drew all of humanity with them, for they were all linked. No one was separate or isolated. I realized in that moment that when any of us actualizes spiritual qualities, all people are helped and supported in their spiritual journey.

What is universal and what is unique? I often hear about or read about a person who has a personal event and then goes on to make broad generalizations about life and others based on their experience. This can be an imbalanced projection.

When I first started working with my guides they would ask me to compare the difference between conclusions, attitudes, and experiences that where universal and those that were not. They stressed that when people try to turn that which is specific and individual into universal ideas or concepts many problems arise.

Our attitudes form the foundation of our lives and when they are confused we build on shaky ground. One way at discern which attitudes will bring us stability is to recognize attitudes that are universal and apply to all people. These are the building blocks of life.

Unique experiences can be fabulous, but they are ours to enjoy, learn from, and share without projection. We don’t need to make a one size fits all approach to life to find security.

If Spirit, the life force, is omnipresent then it exists in the world of inanimate objects we call things. This means that things have consciousness, which in turn means that we can communicate with them. We can ask and listen to rocks, to our favorite hat, to the teakettle we use every morning to heat water. The presence of Spirit in all things means that each thing is itself and also serves. A chair can be a master. To know that things have Spirit and consciousness brings us appreciation and a gentler way of living. Would you slam a door if you knew it had consciousness?

When we are in the Spiritual realm, we communicate in thought, travel with thought, and manifest with thought. While here on earth we need to make a bigger effort. Without telepathy we need to form our words in voice or in writing. Traveling happens on foot, in a car, a boat, train or plane. Time and money are needed. Manifesting desires takes work and perseverance.

It is important to remember that our learning on earth is linked to strengthening our individual will in alignment with spiritual principles – while putting one foot in front of the other. In other words, working hard to actualize pure desires and potential. This is the realm of work.

Stress is the strain of not being able to accomplish what we want to accomplish. Acceptance can eliminate stress. Ask the question, What can I do given the limitations? Ease comes in when we allow the acceptance of what is. Our culture doesn’t
emphasize this process.

A few attitudes that help with cultivating acceptance. “I am the helper and Spirit does the work.” “Everyone is learning.” “There is cosmic timing.”

Attunement is key. Attunement is the ability to bring into accord our conscious mind and our spiritual nature. Which is why meditation is fundamental. We can’t make hard and fast rules about how to be, or how to respond, or even what is right or wrong. What may be wrong in one situation is extremely appropriate in the next.

Here are two phrases that are opposite and yet both can be true. “Good things happen to those who wait.” and “Those who hesitate are lost.” When we take the time to attune to our inner core we are able to discern and respond with the enlightenment of our spirit’s consciousness to each specific situation, rather than from our cultural conditioning.