21 Responses to “Listening to Your Inner Guru”

1. Jim Dee said:
   

   Wow, Ariel, I’m so very interested in this topic! I was just writing about this recently, as it’s a rather new way of living for me. I used to be so cold and calculating and adamantly rational. But I’ve gone through some wonderful changes that have made me more of an intuitive person. The more I commit to making decisions based on my heart, the more I seem to find affirmations that I’m on the right path in life, for once. (For a huge example of this, I had an enormously momentous spiritual experience back in January, the main point or message of which seemed to be just that – to look within. It’s a long tale, but for anyone interested, it’s recorded here: http://bsuwg.blogspot.com/2009.....-meme.html .)

   So, I’m naturally very interested in tapping into this inner guru, and my feeling that I *should* be doing this has been reinforced by the universe many times.

   HOWEVER… for me, it’s a new thing, a new way of life. I’d love to be able to tell you that my heart is always easy to follow. But, in attempting to embrace this, I have run into a few instances where I thought I was listening to my heart, but later realized that I was still listening to my ego. In other words, I’ve experienced times when it became apparent to me that my ego was masquerading as intuition! (If this is unclear, I’d be happy to comment further with an example.) So, what I’m currently focusing on learning is: How can one be sure that the voice one is hearing — i.e., one’s heart, one’s intuition, one’s inner guru — is authentic and not some other aspect of your psyche? I’ve got a *few* thoughts on this already, but they’re really complicated and would require lengthy commentary. But, I’m extremely interested in reading others’ experiences with this!

   Best,
   -Jim

   Jim Dees last blog post..A Synchronicity Story for Jim B.

   

   Violette Reply:
   March 6th, 2009 at 12:05 pm

   Hello, I’ve been reading your posts lately and must say they very helpful to me and I would like to share an experience I had with you and your readers, I sat down to meditate one time and I was not a spiritual person at the time (I’m not sure I am now!) but I was sitting in my living room looking at closed blinds all of the sudden and within one minute of sitting the blinds appeared to be bubbly as opposed to flat and became of cloud like material and I felt my body become a million particles and it was as if it had no boundaries did not feel my physical body at all!and at the same time I felt that something inside me was rolling out of me the experience was soooooooooo terrifying to me that I got up right away and start walking around to shake it off cause I thought I was dying and my soul was leaving my body! lol! and again one time I was trying to take a nap and clearing my head of thoughts and I think I was between sleep and awake when I felt the rolling action again out of my body and felt like I was flying between stars!!!!!! which was the most amazing feeling I ever had!!! I don’t understand what happened to me all I know is these where out of this world experiences and I was wondering if anyone has had these kind of experiences and know what they are and maybe explain them to me.
   Thanks.

   

   Jim Dee Reply:
   March 6th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

   Voilette-

   VERY interesting! That link in my earlier comment, above, goes to a description of a highly similar exprience I had. Here’s the relevant part: “It was intense to the point of being frightening. I felt as though my energy had dissipated into a million tiny points of light and was being reabsorbed into some kind of universal pool of energy, every last grain of ego dissolving into some great sea.”

   This brings me to another question, which maybe Ariel can field. Is it common for people like myself and Violette — i.e., those in whom spiritual awakenings are new experiences — to be frightened by them? I have to say, my experience was almost exactly like Violette’s — it scared the holy hell out of me. Oddly, though, I think I just wasn’t ready for it to happen at the time. I’d now like it to happen again, and hopefully have the courage to see where it takes me.

   And, to Julie, below: Thanks, that’s an excellent suggestion!

   Jim Dees last blog post..A Synchronicity Story for Jim B.

2. ~ Julie said:
   

   I know for me, I’m more modest in my thinking now. I try not to assume that my thoughts are correct since they are subjective and can never be totally accurate anyhow. I think one way to determine whether a thought is intuitive or egoic is to ask whether the ego has anything to gain from the thought. If there is no gain for the ego, then perhaps the thought came from a more pure source.

3. Lissa said:
   

   Thank you Ariel. This was very beautiful and helpful!

4. The Journey Within said:
   

   Hi Ariel,
   Wonderful satsang. I feel that the role of outer guru is like a catalyst. You will find someone stand by your side, guiding you, and most importantly, love you as you are and pours his heart to your growth.What a blessing! However, the role of outer guru is,in essence, to introduce the inner guru and finally make you free from him.

   The presence and the guidance of living guru makes the spiritual journey possible for average people (like me ). Without their presence, the spiritual journey practically becomes in the reach of very few ‘gifted person’.

   There is one lovely instance of choosing guru and inner-guru (Govinda) in the life of Kabir. He had sung a song.

   Guru and Govind are standing side by side,
   With whom I should surrender!
   Guru introduced the Govind,
   I therefore surrender to Guru.

   Love

   The Journey Withins last blog post..Jalauddin Rumi and His disciples

5. BINNOY said:
   

   Thank you Ariel
   For the credit.
   Since the topic of the Inner-guide has come out,would like to share some knowledge for the enthusiastic readers considering the huge response they gave.These words were the words of the inner guide itself.

   1]Life is a small test to either follow your heart or succumb to the outside voices.
   The voice of your heart and the things taught to you by the society are never the same and are 95% of the time contradictary to each other.The society and its beliefs are as if created
   as a part of a huge cosmic play in which God came down to the world only to forget himself by the stories taught to him by the society about himself and life in general and life is as if a game as happens in some films in which a person suffering from amnesia moves throughout the city wandering to find out his true identity.We are all the same being(God) in amnesia.

   2]The inner guru is not what is seperate for each and every person.There is only one INNERGURU (GOD)

   3]The perfect life people crave is never in the future.This is the illusion created by the ego which believes time to be linear.
   The perfect life is as if a lane of time running parallel to the current lane of ours and one is always free to enter that lane(PaTH PaVED BY THE HEaRT).

   In this lane there are is no movement, no effort.It is as if the Inner guru acting by iself making the mind feel that it is not working at all thus releiving it from a burden.

   aLL the things that one needs in life from the perfect partner to the abundance of money to the right people come at the right time and at the right place.The Inner guru as if sets up the stage before hand for one and all that one does is enter the stage.
   The right words,the right actions as if flow out effortlessly.
   aLL That the Inner guide demands is to listen to its language and HERE’S THE CaTCH’.
   The society speaks the language of noise and hence is easier for the mind to catch and also this noise tries its level best to gain our attention.
   Ironically the Inner voice speaks the language of silence.One actually can get stunned in the clear way in which it speaks.This voice never comes forth and demands your attention.

   aLL arts,sports,music,craft research,masterpieces were built by genuises who somehow mastered the art of accesing this Inner silence.The mind is just a tool used by us to interpet this voice and make the implementation of it easier;very similiar to the computer we use in our day to day life.We send emails,read-stuffs,make projects and all using this wonderful machine yet the computer is not the one who decides which project we should be working on,which site we should be visting and so on.

   Similarly all indegeneous works contradictory to the popular belieF, never come from the mind, they come from a place beyond the mind.
   The mind is your god- gifted computer the job of which is to store data and help you live in a world of time and space.
   It is the wrong attachments to the stuffs in the computer i.e data(our beliefs,stories,experiences etc),
   to take day to take our lifes decisions that is the root of all life’s suffering.

   The best part of the Inner guide is that the moment you start listening to it it starts blooming and the language becomes clearer and clearer.
   Only those actions taken by the Inner guide can bring true satisfaction and fullfillment to the heart.

   What we popularly know as free-will is nothing but actions taken under the trigger of the stories built by the mind the roots of which are usually in fear or greed and ironically these actions instead or parching ones thirst increase it.It is as if trying to find the end point of a circular road by walking faster,running, taking shortcuts etc
   WITH LOVE aLWaYS
   BINNOY

   

   Lissa Reply:
   March 7th, 2009 at 7:01 pm

   Thank you for that update Binnoy.

   I think I have finally accessed something. I think what has been my inner guide before was ego beliefs…this is much quiter, and it actually is saying nothing to me..just being. It feels like my ego wants to break away…and my ego also feels like it wants to do all this stuff…it feels it wants to break away and do and be and fix…How has others experiences been on calming down the doing and the being something other than? My ego feels frightened not to do and be.

   Thanks!

   Lissas last blog post..

   

   Piotr B. Reply:
   March 7th, 2009 at 10:41 pm

   Well..I will practise sitting with a silent mind for days and hopefully something will happen. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to ask for guidance or whether it comes automatically, or whether I should be writing my thoughts freely, and how I’m supposed to trust my thoughts when they are so random..

   Honestly its kind of confusing because there doesn’t seem to be any process, all of this doesn’t involve any form of control or mental understanding. Binnoy, if you’re still there..if there’s a procedure or something basic I should follow, someway to validate that I am doing things correctly, please inform me :). I’m going to keep trying to be silent, because I think I can do it if I just tell my mind to be silent..its kind of unusual

   

   Psiplex Reply:
   March 8th, 2009 at 4:28 pm

   Binnoy,

   Really like your descriptions and pointing of direct experience.

   Ariel,

   As always thanks for making all this wonderful dialogue and discovery possible.

   One Love

   Psiplexs last blog post..Burstpiration

6. On Common Ground said:
   

   Nicely put, Ariel. Very nicely put.

   -Roldan

   http://on-common-ground.com/20.....-guidance/

   On Common Grounds last blog post..Expression of Love/Life

7. Piotr B. said:
   

   To Violette: I think what you were experiencing could have been the start of an astral projection – often when people are about to seperate from their body they experience very loud noises or intense vibrations/sensations. When I was practising, I always felt a really strong spinning sensation. One time I managed to project and was thrown out of my body and was standing waist-deep into my desk!

   And also generally…so basically, to access my “inner guide” I have to be silent and let the answers come? I guess I can do that. Binnoy how did you first come across your inner guide? What is the process/steps I need to take specifically? I discovered how to sit with absolutely no thoughts for about 15 minutes, and I’m planning on continuing. Hopefully this leads to something

8. BINNOY said:
   

   DEaR Piotr B,
   I am glad to hear this sincere and honest question.
   Here is a practise you can be following which i myself followed.
   AS I SaID all of lifes problems are due to NOT LISTENING to life and succumbing to stories and societies beliefs(again stories).

   These stories are stored in the mind and in the dna of an individual in the form of freezed emotional garbage,
   very similar to icebergs formed from water itself in a
   lake.

   These NOISES when just simply listened to without reacting would slowly and steadily burn themselves out.
   ALL you have to do is just keep listening to these stories as they keep on coming.

   AS you keep listening you would notice that every story which emerges with a great intensity of NOISE when fed with AWARENESS its intensity reduces considerably until they go away permanently and completely.CHANCES are that you would never encounter that story now in your real life since its purpose has been served(YOU HaVE TRaNCSENDED THE STORY,SITUaTION OR EXPERIENCE).

   It is important to note here not to hate these stories or NOISES since they were never the roots of your problem.It was ‘THE TREATMENT GIVEN’ to them that made them stick to your body for years together.
   By feeding them(TRAPPED NOISES)with your AWARENESS,
   you are provinding them the vital energy required for them to go back into their natural state(somewhat similar to an iceberg becoming water when fed by the heat of the sun).

   It will also be interesting for you to note that as these NOISES start leaving you the voice of the INNERGUIDE would become much and much clearer.
   ALSO more interesting for you to note would be that the voice of the INNERGUIDE when listened to increases in its magnitude and the NOISES when listened to start leaving you.Then at one point of time the voice of your INNERGUIDE would surpass all other noises and all your actions will be spontaneously taken from that aspect of yours.

   But ofcourse before your INNERGUIDE would take up there would be a transition phase in which the NOISES keep leaving and the INNERGUIDE keeps on blooming.

   Maintaing silence will help you a lot.But you dont necessarily have to go into a cuccoon for it.
   Just listen to NOISES AS THEY ARE WITHOUT IGNORING,INDULGING OR RELATING TO THEM’.

   ON the other hand the innervoice when treated in the same above manner starts showing its presence more and more.
   YOU can be silent even in the noisiest crowd.
   Silence in this case would only mean LISTENING TO SOMETHING AS IT IS WITHOUT RELATING TO IT(as a third person).

   WITH LOVE ALWAYS
   BINNOY

   

   Piotr B. Reply:
   March 8th, 2009 at 11:41 am

   Excellent, I will listen to my thoughts then. This should be the last spiritual practise that I will ever have to do, and I can finally relax when its over

   

   Piotr B. Reply:
   March 8th, 2009 at 11:43 am

   -thank you..

   

   Piotr B. Reply:
   March 8th, 2009 at 1:14 pm

   Wait a minute – actually I have one more question. I understand listening to stories, such as all of my beliefs, why things should be this way and not that way, and similar things like that that my mind complains or comments on.

   But usually my brain talks about totally random and irrelevant things. Like I see the illuminated walk sign when I’m crossing the street, and I think to myself “and…WALK”. Or I notice some cars, and I think to myself “hmm, lots of honking today.” or “that car is turning a bit too early”. Stuff like that, that isn’t really a “story” but is more like a constant running mental commentary.

   I think I can watch this (although its hard) but when I do I feel like I am simultaneously perpetuating it and watching it at the same time, like my mind watching my mind.

   But I wanted to clarify that point..so it is really about..regardless of how small the commentary is, no matter what “I” say (or the mind says), I should just watch it all?

9. Jonathan said:
   

   Thx Ariel and Binnoy, lovely stuff!

   Makes me feel something, like something that is true is nodding within.

10. Jocelyn of ITAKEOFFTHEMASK said:
    

    I believe problems and difficulties in life have a role in awakening our inner wisdom. In facing them, we discover something within, some strength, some voice, telling us what to do, and what’s the sense in all these things we’re experiencing. :-)

    Jocelyn of ITAKEOFFTHEMASKs last blog post..Insomnia and Letting Go

11. BINNOY said:
    

    DEaR Piotr B aND JOCELYN,
    There were certain parameters to the above process that somehow i left-out to warn you

    with in this entire process of listening.IT struck to me from the above comment of Jocelyn

    and JOCELYN, this one may be of use to you too.

    The above process of LISTENING explained brings about some changes in your daily

    routine life.Usually most of the emotions we came across in life we labelled by us as bad

    and were resisted which freezed them down into our cellular memory(dna).
    Now the process of foccusing awareness onto them ofcourse takes them back to their

    original state but simultaneously brings up the consecutive underlying layers of dumped

    emotional garbages above.

    People usually expect that the process of LISTENING aND aLLOWING NOISES will quiten

    their minds and bring peace into their daily life .In the LONG RUN ofcourse it will after

    awareness completely takes charge of your life.
    However interestingly the spontaneous effect of this process is quite the OPPOSITE.

    SYMPTOMS INCLUDE

    1]HYPER IRRITaBILITY
    the propable reason is all those angers and irritation kept in the cellular memory as if

    justs out.Chances of you feeling irritated or angry without reason.This process is similar to

    a poisonous snake spitting out all of its venom before dying.aLL you have to do is allow

    and watch whatever comes forth.
    REMEMBER
    THE MORE YOU aLLOW THE MORE OF THE STUCK UP STUFF YOU GET TO BE

    RELEaSED.Donot label the stuff as bad since it was never bad.What was actually bad was

    only the treatment that you gave to it and by allowing and loving this you are reversing the

    whole process.

    2]CHaLLENGING CIRCUMSTaNCES IN LIFE
    You would usually experience unusual challenges in your daily life during this period.
    LIFE IS INTELLIGENT.It always throws in front of you the right circumstances to be

    resloved.Instead of getting entanged in these circumstance allow them to come and go

    without resistance of any kind.SaY you were a person afraid of speaking to the opposite

    sex.During this period you would come across more and more circumstances where you

    would be exposed to these fears(its an opportunity).As you willing just look into the eyes of

    these fears they completely leave you at a point and you automatically transcend the

    situation.NOW life throws the next underlying unresolved situation in front of you.YOUR

    ONLY JOB IS TO aLLOW.

    3]CHaNGING ROUTINE aND HEaLTH DIFFERENCES
    you may need extra hours of sleep in this period.
    THERE can be sudden pains and burning sensations in some parts of your body.YOUR

    body automatically at times may take some yogic postures.Breathing patterns may change
    INHaLING becomes slower since there can be a larger intake of oxygen to cope up with the

    increased levels of energy in the cells.On the other hand exhaling comes out with a

    force.Your Diaphagram does it efforless without any effort frome our side.The hidden

    reason is it becomes easier for the body to throw out toxins THROUGH your breath.

    4]HEaD SWINGS
    THE process of LISTENING gradually reduces your DEPENDENCY ON THINKING.
    This atlast relieves the nerves of your head .HOWEVER these nerves have been so used to work and wear-tear that when made to rest they as if give you head swings.You as if feel that you are a wheel slowly coming to a halt(and this is actually what is happening,the wheel-cycle of KaRMa is halting at last).
    YOU may also have bitterness of mouth because of some of the emotional garbage mixing up with your saliva.

    5]INCREaSED THIRST.
    YOU CaN GUESS THE REaSON FOR YOURSELF.

    PLEaSE REaD aLL aRTICLES UNDER THE TaG ‘HEaLING’ ON THIS SITE.
    MaY HELP YOU a LOT.
    WITH LOVE aLWaYS
    BINNOY

12. Marko said:
    

    Ariel,

    I would say that just relying on your own inner wisdom guru is not always necessarily the wisest route to take.

    This is especially true if you believe we are all one. That God exist everywhere.

    Meaning. that sometimes your inner wisdom and Life itself expresses it’s answers outside of you. As another person, a billboard, a vanity license plate, a book title, or seeing a loving act performed by another etc.

    If you rely only just on yourself it won’t happen, not yet. You won’t fly the space shuttle by yourself you will need help. True, an inner voice or knowing could help guide your or not. That depends on your own state of being.

    I would question that all answers lie within. That means you leave out that other part of you seen as the rest of the world that seems to be separate from you.

    I don’t necessarily disagree with you, yet I guess this needs qualifications. Life now is more than just us, it’s all of us as one, but we are here specifically to grow into that belief in order to experience it more.

    I get the wisdom of silence and that still waters run deep. Yet, that is not the only avenue life’s wisdom reaches us.

    

    Ariel Bravy Reply:
    March 10th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    Awesome point, Marko.

    This site is running under the context of remembering who you truly are and the flowering of unconditional love, not in getting an eduction in the traditional sense. The two are very different things.

    It’s kinda like now learning to ride a bike when we’ve all already mastered walking. We’re seeing how to access our inner guru which already knows rather than learning new things we don’t already know by understanding concepts with the mind.

    We don’t necessarily have to do ONLY one or the other for each is appropriate within a particular context.

    Can you fly a space shuttle off of pure knowingness? I’m sure we could, but that would take more faith that most of us are used to. Plus, the path of least resistance may be simply to ask someone for help.

    When it comes to flying a space shuttle, we can get the understandings we need through education. When it comes to spiritual truth, we must experience it directly. It can not be taught. Two different ballgames.

    Regarding external synchronicities, life does express itself outside of us in the conventional sense, but what the expressions mean to us and the experience we have of life is something we create.

    The examples you gave of other people, billboards, license places, and so on are some of my favorite sources of synchronicity. I use ‘em all the time as well. What’s really going on there?

    If you think about it, the license plate is actually meaningless. Song lyrics are just words that could mean many different things to different people. What’s going on is that our energy is setting up situations which mean something specific to us, something that we will interpret in a particular way, give meaning to in our own personal way, so that we get out of it what we need.

    When you see a synchronistic event, the question is “What does this mean to ME?” The answer to this question comes from within, from the mind or from the inner guru, but the point is that even though the event may happen externally, what the event points to is more important than the prop pointing to the meaning.

    But yeah, we’re not trying to segregate the internal world from the external world, for it truly is one. We’re merely pointing people back within so that they can realize this directly and not limit themselves to “believing” in spiritual truth instead of actually knowing it.

    Look into the world or into the mind and you can accomplish a great many things, but waking up ain’t one of ‘em.

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