How to Seek and Discern Guidance: Part 2
Introduction
In this video, Emily Bennington and Robert Perry discuss how to seek and discern guidance. They cover when to ask, how to ask, how to listen, and how to discern whether what you hear is true guidance or just the voice of your ego.
When to Ask
- The Course in Miracles suggests that we should be asking for guidance all the time.
- We should ask whenever there's a decision to be made and also on the hour.
- The cue for asking is when we're facing a decision.
How to Ask
- There are specific ways that the Course instructs us to ask.
- We can ask at the beginning of the day what to do that day or at the top of every hour throughout the day.
- We need to build a mental muscle of asking for guidance when we're facing a decision.
How to Listen
- As we get more spiritually advanced, we're expected to ask more frequently.
- Listening involves being open and receptive without judgment or preconceived notions.
- Listening requires patience and practice.
How to Discern True Guidance
- True guidance feels peaceful, loving, and helpful.
- False guidance feels fearful, anxious, or self-serving.
-[]( t = 12 : 40 ) Discernment requires honesty with ourselves about our motives and willingness to follow guidance.
Conclusion
Seeking and discerning guidance is a bedrock practice of A Course in Miracles. By asking when facing decisions, listening with openness and receptivity, and discerning true guidance from false, we can live a life guided by wisdom that benefits ourselves and others.
Asking and Listening for Guidance
This section discusses how to ask and listen for guidance. It emphasizes the importance of asking with an open mind, letting go of preconceptions, and listening quietly but attentively. The section also highlights the need to listen with confidence and avoid injecting our own desires into what we hear.
Asking for Guidance
- When asking for guidance, it helps to play around with the question and get specific enough to receive something.
- Ask with an open mind, realizing that you don't want to put a lot of limits on it but you also want to get specific enough that you get something.
- Consciously set aside any preconceived notions or answers while asking.
- Ask with desire but be cautious not to inject your own desires into what you hear.
Listening for Guidance
- Let go of preconceptions about the answer or situation itself.
- Listen quietly but attentively, being very still and opening your mind.
- Listen with confidence as God wants us to have this message.
- Avoid injecting our own desires into what we hear.
How To Ask Questions
This section focuses on how to ask questions effectively in order to receive guidance. It emphasizes the importance of playing around with questions, getting specific enough without putting too many limits on them, and avoiding emotional investment in particular outcomes.
Effective Questioning
- Play around a little bit with the question before asking it.
- Get specific enough to receive something but avoid putting too many limits on the question.
- Avoid emotional investment in particular outcomes when asking for guidance.
- Be cautious of injecting our own desires into what we hear.
How To Listen
This section discusses how to listen effectively in order to receive guidance. It emphasizes the importance of letting go of preconceptions, listening quietly but attentively, and listening with confidence.
Effective Listening
- Let go of preconceptions about the answer or situation itself.
- Listen quietly but attentively, being very still and opening your mind.
- Listen with confidence as God wants us to have this message.
Confidence and Feeling of Rightness
In this section, the speaker discusses two markers of real guidance: confidence and feeling of rightness. The feeling of rightness is further explained as a classic marker where certain bits of guidance just feel right even if it goes against what seems wise from a more normal standpoint.
Confidence
- Jesus has promised confidence in his teachings.
Feeling of Rightness
- A feeling of rightness is one of the markers of real guidance.
- Certain bits of guidance just feel right even if it goes against what seems wise from a more normal standpoint.
- Challenging your ego piece is huge because oftentimes the feeling of rightness is what we said we wanted before we asked for guidance and then you get a feeling of rightness.
- One way to know that the feeling of rightness is God's is when there's something in you that's going to have to flex in the direction of a higher perspective and being more loving and being more egoless.
Tone
In this section, the speaker discusses tone as another marker for real guidance. The tone should be respectful, not snappy or harsh.
Tone
- The tone should be respectful, not snappy or harsh.
- If anything comes through that just feels like it's kind of harsh than you know that can't be from him.
- Jesus will never talk to you in a Snappy tone.
Importance of Guidance
In this section, the speakers discuss the importance of guidance in making better decisions that express higher values.
The Way Guidance Comes
- There are different ways in which guidance comes, such as through a feeling of authenticity, distinct words, or spontaneous images.
- Sharing stories about how guidance has helped turn situations around can inspire others to seek guidance and believe that it works.
Essential Life Skill
- Making better decisions is an essential life skill that allows us to express higher values and determine our lives.
- Acquiring the skill of guidance takes time but is priceless in making smarter decisions.
Tapping into Higher Wisdom
- Asking for guidance means tapping into the wisdom of God through the Holy Spirit or Jesus for a broader, more intelligent perspective.
- Building the muscle of guidance involves believing in its availability and claiming our rights to it.
Overall, this section emphasizes the importance of seeking guidance as a way to make better decisions that align with higher values. It also highlights the role of tapping into higher wisdom and building the skill of guidance over time.