Learning to quiet the mind is a valuable tool that opens you up to guidance from a higher source. Learning to quiet the mind allows you to hear the whispers of your own inner spirit as well as the whispers of spirit all about you. I had a client call me on the phone this week for a phone session. This client was in the process of making an important work related decision. When she called me on the phone, I thought to myself, that I really didn’t want the responsibility of influencing such a big decision so I decided I would practice deep listening with this person and hope that the very act of “listening deeply” would help this person come to their own conclusions about what would be best. (There is a whole school of thought about this actually where the very act of listening deeply to someone helps them get in touch with their own inner wisdom and clarity).

Anyway, this client called and I began the endeavor of listening deeply. She told me the pros and cons of the decision that she needed to make. I listened deeply and heard the panic in my clients voice and felt my own head start to spin. From a purely intellectual point of view we could make a case for either choice.

I talked to my client about the value of deep listening. I told her about how as a culture we have been taught to think through our problems but that there is another way. We can learn to ask for guidance and then listen deeply for an answer. My meditation teacher, Ellen Tadd, calls this asking and listening. I asked my client is she would like to try asking and listening. She said she was open to anything that would help.

Since my client was open I took a moment and walked her through a short-guided mediation exercise. I instructed this client to take a deep breath and remember who she was. I instructed her to remember that at the core of her being is a place of great wisdom and great clarity. I reminded her that there was a place within her that already knew the answer to her problem. I had this client imagine that waves and waves of gold light were shining down upon her and that this gold light was filling her with wisdom and clarity and was shedding light on this situation. I had this client sit in this waterfall of golden light allowing the light to bring illumination and calm and peace and clarity. Once my client was relaxed, I simply instructed her to allow everyday brain chatter to quiet down and to simply ask, her question. I instructed my client to allow her mind to quiet but at the same time to be open to insight and clarity coming from a deeper source. We both then sat in silence together and listened deeply. After a minute or two of listening deeply together, I guided my client to bring her attention back. When she came back I asked her about her experience. She said that she heard the message to not let fear rule her decision making process and in addition, she received an answer to her question. My client was somewhat shocked by how clear the answer was. The explanation she heard in meditation made total sense to her but was something she had not thought of when “thinking through” her problem.

I share this story here with you today because in our culture we have been taught to think through our problems, weigh the pros and cons and analyze the facts. And while this approach to problem solving has some merit, I have been taught another way. I have been taught to ask and listen. I have been taught to connect to a deeper source of wisdom than our analytical brain. The brain is a wonderful resource but it has limited awareness. On the other hand, when we ask the universe to guide us we open to deeper levels of awareness and understanding that transcend the limited mind alone.

Practice today opening to something bigger. If there is a decision that you need to make consider the facts but then ask the universe for assistance and guidance and then quiet your mind so that you can hear the whispers of spirit that are all about you.

Life becomes quite interesting when you learn to ask and listen and allow yourself to be guided down the path that is most appropriate for you. Again, the analytical mind is useful but has its limitations. My client had gone as far as she could weighing the pros and cons. She found she needed to open to something deeper. When she got quiet and listened rather than continually think about her problem she quickly received the guidance she needed to make her decision.

Practice today the simple task of asking and listening. Practice pausing between events to simply listen. What is the universe trying to tell you? Open to guidance and you will receive a plethora of insights about every aspect of your life. All of life is speaking to us, all we need to do is learn to listen so we can reap the benefits of a source of wisdom that goes beyond our limited intellect.

If you would like help with learning to ask and listen feel free to join our weekly Thursday night meditation class where we practice this skill frequently or contact me directly to schedule a private phone session that will greatly assist in deepening this capacity.

I look forward to hearing from you! Have a good week!

Hayley Mermelstein