Your Personal Guidance System

Chapter Three TYPES OF MESSENGERS Being aware and then familiarizing yourself with the communications you receive from your personal guidance system is paramount in working with it. Without this knowledge you are apt to miss out on the many gifts and wonders that the universe has to offer you. Your personal guidance system is always working with you giving assistance so that you have the best life possible. Learning to recognize your messages and how they might appear is essential to communication with your personal guidance system. Messages can show up in many forms and often in some very unusual ways. The following list describes some of the circumstances in which they might appear. This list is certainly not all inclusive, but will hopefully get you thinking about the possibilities your personal guidance system might choose to communicate with you. • Feelings • Intuitive thoughts • A chance meeting with someone • Seeing an animal appear in an unusual place • Coming across a relevant book or article • Having a conversation with someone • A random event • Having recurring dreams or experiencing unusual or particularly weird dreams. (Dreams have been known to inspire creative expressions; and carry important messages for the dreamer.) Other kinds of messages you might misinterpret are • Loss of a job • Disappointments • Taking a wrong turn • An unexpected delay in your schedule The trick is recognizing what these things mean for you. At these times you may be looking for a little divine guidance. I believe that help is always available. We only have to ask and then become aware. But how do we identify what are messages in our lives? • Observe • Use all your senses • Experiment with your personal guidance system • Expect to receive answers Observing involves taking a step back from your life and then watching it from a nonjudgmental viewpoint. We can become so entrenched in what we’re doing, that we stop seeing the forest, focusing only on the trees. Our lives fill up with so many “to do’s,” we fail to recognize the guidance we’re being offered. For example, imagine being so busy raising your children—making sure they have food, clothing, taking them to events, getting schoolwork done. You may have underlying fears. Perhaps you worry about your decisions like “Are you doing the right things for yourself and your children?” However, you’ve become so involved in the minutiae of daily life that you fail to recognize the actual support you enjoy. For example, you have the money to provide for them, or the people to help with the small things. Possibly you even fail to appreciate the gift of a good teacher or the kindness of neighbors. Consider the little gifts you may have received. Maybe a word was said that triggered you to remember to pick up something for a child’s special event. Perhaps a special friend showed up just at the right time ready to take over a responsibility for you. If you think about it, your list is probably endless as you consider all the ways you’ve been assisted. When you take a few moments to reflect on life, you’ll be surprised at all of the “little” and “big” events that have taught you, made you wiser, opened up doors or blessed your life in a positive way. You can discover events that happened bringing the help and guidance that flowed forth especially for you. Here’s a simple way to recognize the personal guidance that’s been coming your way. Take a few minutes at the end of each day, to reflect on the day’s events. Were there any chance meetings, provocative conversations? Did you see or hear something that evoked a particular feeling? Were there unexpected opportunities that came your way? Take time to observe your life. Use Your Senses To successfully observe your life, you must incorporate all of your senses. The sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch are equally important. You could, for example, receive a message from a conversation or from listening to a song on the radio. You may read an article or observe a sign or you might see an animal or something in nature, such as a flower or tree. Your sense of smell can alert you to a nearby fire or a familiar smell might remind you of a particular memory. Your sense of touch alerts you when something is too hot or too cold. Or it might send you a message simply with the act of shaking another person’s hand. Or a sense of uneasiness or coldness may come over you alerting you to a potential problem. The above are just a few examples of how our senses communicate important information that can help us navigate through our lives. Experimenting with your messages is vital to understanding the various ways your messages might appear. Have fun. Focus on what is going on and around you. See if there isn’t a message hidden somewhere. Once you get in the habit of identifying your messages, it will become easier to notice the help being sent your way. If you don’t recognize any special messages right away, don’t worry. Sometimes it’s with hindsight that we can see more clearly. Expect to receive answers. If you think you won’t receive any help, chances are you’ll overlook many of the “messages” being sent your way. When you’re willing to release your doubt and skepticism, you’ll begin to see your messages. They may not be the answer you want or expect, but you’ll be given guidance. Experiment with your personal guidance system. Ask for help, knowing that assistance is there.