For many people, there is a great desire to feel and sense the direction one is being guided in by God and one's higher Self, and yet the inner directive is not always clear, and the path ahead not always discernible. In some cases, this is due to the fact that there is fear involved in listening and in hearing, so that what comes through as the gentle message of the soul is received with doubt and timidity. The doubt acts as a counterforce to the whisper of truth that comes to one's waiting heart, creating ambivalence about the direction ahead.



In accessing guidance, it is therefore important to know how to listen without fear, and how to trust what one is hearing, sensing, or feeling. This is often easier said than done, since the upheaval of a life in transition can make the stakes appear to be quite high for making a wrong choice, and where one desires certainty and utmost conviction, it can be disconcerting to feel only the breath of a breeze whispering in the distance, "over here."

Praying for guidance that Divine will may be done and that fear may be released so that it no longer affects one's decision-making is the single most important factor in being able to access inner guidance. The heart that seeks purely to do what God is asking of it, and that seeks to release its own fearful qualifications concerning what the answer might be, is a heart that in one way or another will be instructed from higher planes regarding the path to follow.

At the same time, the wishes and feelings of the heart must be listened to and given credence. The heart's joy upon encountering a particular option or opportunity, or the feeling of "rightness" that one belongs somewhere, even if it is not joy-filled, are sure guidelines to follow when in doubt. The feeling of "rightness," in particular, involves the mind and emotions translating higher Will into a perception of affinity or resonance that one can feel, and so it is an effective interpreter of where and how one is being led.

During a time of transition, there may be difficult periods, even while one is being guided, periods in which waiting is needed in order to see how things will be made possible. If one looks at a precarious or difficult situation merely through outer eyes, it may seem impractical or unable to support one's life and purpose. If one looks at it through inner eyes with a sense of trust, based on the inner perception of "rightness", then it may safely be assumed that what is lacking in a situation, relationship, or set of circumstances, is only temporarily lacking, and will eventually show up.

The heart's inner knowing is an effective guide to Divine will and intention, and when not beset by fear and doubt, can speak to the mind and emotions, conveying the understanding: "yes, this is where I belong." Continued asking and praying will also support one's sense of "rightness," since these reflect the purity of one's motives to be led. And so the heart that seeks an answer to its questions will surely be given one. This is the blessing of living a guided life, a life centered in the heart, namely, that in asking, one receives; in seeking, one finds; and in knocking, the door is opened. Such a relationship is the way of both Heaven and earth, and it is increasingly drawn to the one who asks to serve the purposes of Life and of Heaven with a whole heart