We are always being guided. By our intuition and higher self, and by the unseen forces of God or the Universe. We are always being shown signs of what is in our highest good in order to move forward in our evolutionary process.
We are always being guided, but much of the time we are not available to see, hear, feel or know the guidance that is being offered to us. We have many defense mechanisms up all the time that block us from our truth.
One common way we block our guidance is by keeping ourselves really busy. Who has time to hear the quiet whisper of the universe when they are so busy working 60 hours a week and parenting two toddlers? How can we hear our intuition when we fill every spare moment with to do lists, chores and social engagements we may or may not even enjoy?
Another way we get in the way of hearing what is true for us is by thinking too much. I’m not saying our brains are a bad thing, I’m just saying that they are not where real wisdom lies. Most of what happens in our brains is planning the future or analyzing the past. Looking for things to be afraid of in order to protect us from danger. While this is useful, if we don’t balance this out by getting out of our thinking minds often and consistently, we will not be able to really sense the guidance that is all around us all of the time.
I’m sure if you are able to slow down for just a little bit, you will be able to recall a time when you were in the flow, and some guidance came through for you that helped you enormously. Our body is an energetic sensing machine, designed to tune in to its surroundings and respond accordingly. We have gotten so disconnected from this throughout the years. In modern society we are not as in touch with nature, our tribe and the natural rhythms of life as we were designed to be. This creates more of a reliance on our thoughts to help us navigate life, which can often lead us in directions that aren’t really helpful for the evolution of our soul.
We chose to come here in order to love, expand and evolve our consciousness. We didn’t come here to accumulate, dominate or control. Those are mind created constructs that do not help us evolve but instead keep us locked inside the lower vibrational illusion of lack, separation and fear.
Our guidance system knows this and is always directing us towards our highest good. It cares much more about us learning such lessons as: owning our power, speaking our truth, compassionately treating others, connecting in relationships, and living a joyful life. Our soul doesn’t care about owning another BMW, or which private school your children attend. It wants to wake us up to the truth that we are all one, we come from a loving source energy, and we are here to evolve our consciousness in order to help humanity evolve.
So what does this whole “listen to the signs thing mean?” I’m talking about when you think about something, and then a few minutes later a friend texts you about it. Or when you are considering a choice between two things, and then keep seeing or hearing about one of the options. Or when, out of the blue during a hike in nature, when you thoughts are finally quiet, you receive the answer to a question you had been using your brain to try and figure out for weeks.
For example, I have a client who was going through a difficult period. She described feeling “stuck” in her life. Some of her friendships weren’t working, she still enjoyed her job but was not feeling fulfilled, and a couple of her dear friends were nearing the ends of their lives.
She heard a voice internally one day that told her to watch a YouTube video about a certain type of art. She was drawn to it, kept watching, and started creating her own art for fun and a creative outlet for herself. She had studied and practiced art earlier in her life, but had been disconnected from it for many years.
As one friend of hers passed away, the drive to do art, and the beauty that she was creating continued to grow. She felt her friend helping and guiding her from the other side to keep going, keep creating, so she did.
She started feeling lighter and more vibrant. Every time she would come to see me she was feeling better and better, more inspired and creative, and more in touch with her true happiness. Through the passing of her other friend, though it was of course very sad, she was able to connect through her art, and use it to help her through the grieving process.
She is now contemplating when she will be ready to switch from her full time job to doing art full time. She is selling art, has done many art shows, and now has her own studio space. She is listening to herself so much more, and is happier in her relationships. She is definitely no longer feeling stuck and is excited about where she is now and what’s in her future.
She was able to hear the signs from the universe and follow them. If she had used her logical fear based mind through this process it would have told her “you don’t have time to watch that video” and “you don’t have time to do art” or “art will never be a practical career for you.” By dropping the fear and opening up to the guidance that was all around her, she has changed the course of her life for the better forever. She will now be able to use this experience to trust the signs in her life in the future.
For me, I was born very sensitive and intuitive and have used this guidance system consciously for much of my life so it is perfectly natural for me to pay close attention to what the universe is communicating to me.
A small recent example for me was on the way to work recently. I am super fortunate to only have a usually about 10 minute commute to the office. On this day I was running just a little behind, and someone very slow was in front of me (I tend to drive fast sometimesJ). I was noticing my body want to go faster so was telling it “we’re ok, we have plenty of time to get there, it’s ok”. We then came to a stoplight and I noticed that the slow car in front of me had a license plate frame from Walnut Creek, California. That is where my dad was born. I then realized that it was my dad coming through from the other side to comfort me and remind me to slow down. I was so grateful and excited that I was able to notice this sign.
How can you tell if it is a sign or not? Pay attention to how it feels in your body. Signs to pay attention to will help you move forward, and will feel positive and calm. They will be cheerleading you to evolve in the way your soul really wants to. They may feel challenging or difficult, and your brain may come up with all kinds of fear based thoughts that will try to keep you from really listening and taking action on your internal guidance.
This fear that the brain cooks up is not to be listened to, however. Growth can feel a little bit scary, but in reality there is nothing to fear. Just remember it is False Evidence Appearing Real. Not the truth. The signs and guidance are your real truth.
Making sure to take time in quiet every day is a good practice to get into in order to start the process of listening to guidance. Practicing mindful presence in the moment as much as you can throughout the day will also help quiet the mind enough to hear, see and feel the signs from the universe. Just paying mindful attention to what is happening around you, rather than thinking and analyzing in your mind is the gateway to conscious evolution.
There is spiritual enlightenment communication around is all the time, just waiting for you to notice and jump into the flow. You are a beautiful collection of energy, meant to use your senses and your multisensory intuition to guide your life. That whisper from a friend, guiding you towards a seemingly impossible goal, that billboard on your way to work with the name of the person you need to call, the small voice inside guiding you to study something that you have never heard of before.
It’s so exciting to realize that this is not effort. It takes so much more effort to feel like we are in charge. To live in the illusion that we have to figure everything out with our mind. It is such a relief to know that all we need to do is get quiet and listen. To be still and surrender. To pay attention to the magic that is always surrounding us and guiding us to our highest potential.
Read more about Spiritual Counseling with Shana Olmstead.
Shana Olmstead, Intuitive Consultant
I see my life purpose as helping people to awaken to the truth of their divine nature, the powerful spiritual beings that they are. I have assisted hundreds of clients in my therapy practice to wake up to the understanding that we are all made of source energy, and are here to increase our consciousness and joy to help the evolution everyone on the planet. I am so excited and inspired to continue helping people through their own awakening! Contact me to schedule an appointment in person in Kirkland, Washington or for a phone or video consultation wherever you are located.
