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Have you ever received guidance from someone else about what is going to happen in your life and then it didn’t pan out? Perhaps you were guided to write a book or start a web site and then everything stalled. Did it leave you wondering what really happened there?
 
If you are like most people, you may have started doubting your guidance and wondered if your lucky break will ever come. When the answers to your prayers arrived, you may even have dismissed them because they didn’t fit your expectations.

I would like to present you with another point of view: whatever shows up in your life, IS your answer. If you have prayed, planned and performed, yet nothing seems to come together, the evidence presents you with your answer… even if that is not what you want to hear. The answer to your prayer lies in what is happening in your life now, not in the fantasy of what anybody may tell you is coming.
 
Dreams and “guidance” that are not based on truth, can act like viruses of the mind. They will infect you with wishful fantasies and false expectations, blinding you to the truth of what is really happening in your life. These fantasies and dreams, while alluring, can get you so caught up in illusion that you miss the real answers that show up in your life.

True guidance may come in many ways, but it will never create a separation between where you are and where you are going. In other words, true guidance is always congruent with your path and purpose. There will be a natural flow of synchronicity between where you are at and the guidance you are receiving. True guidance will resonate with your heart’s deep knowing. It may also bring up unfinished emotional business that you need to clear in order to make space for the desired outcome.

True guidance flows with congruence; false guidance deceives. If there is no congruency between the guidance you received and what shows up in your life, it should raise a red flag. As captain of your soul, your job is to discern between true guidance and deception; between guidance that stirs your soul and static that strokes your ego. True guidance will not stroke your ego or feed its expectations; it will always challenge you to fulfill your highest potential.

When someone does not discern between true guidance and illusion, they will start using illusion as a defense against reality. They’ll get trapped in the world of dreams, fantasies and expectations. You have probably encountered some of these unfortunate souls: the ones who have taken every workshop and mastered every modality, holding themselves up as some advanced guru, while in reality they are leeching off the kindness of parents, family and friends because they are so self-deceived. Or perhaps you know some individuals who have lost their way to the illusion of some woo-woo philosophy that promised them an easy life with lots of love and riches, and they cannot come to grips with the reality of what shows up in their lives.

The Buddha taught that reality is your friend. Dialogue with reality and you will come to terms with what is, rather than the illusions of what your ego self craves, wishes for or desires. Another common example of the delusional nature of false guidance often occurs in relationships. Have you ever dated someone because of what you dreamt and hoped for them to become, instead of who they are in the moment? Recognize the red flag of delusion and drop it, or you’ll set yourself up for endless disappointment and hurt!

To stay connected to truth, it is important to look at what shows up in your life and work daily, because change happens continuously. You are in this dense energy for a reason: to grow. There is learning to master, relationships to experience, and growth to embrace. You soul is here for experience, not for security. And you are a co-creator in this process. You are not here to be some transcendent ethereal being who speaks to angels and masters as an escape from the realities of life; you are here to experience life on the earth plane. You are here to impact earth through you conscious participation in this process!

How do you activate your intuition to discern and tune into that process? You pray about things and then use what shows up in your life as a map to align with truth daily. Prayer can truly transform your destiny, and so it is important to discern between prayer that comes from the ego and prayer that emanates from the soul.

Prayer that comes from ego will outline to God what to do and how to solve the problem so your ego needs can be met. Such prayer caters to your ego desires to be loved, comfortable, secure, titillated and catered to. It invokes the interference of ego games, and you will get caught up in attachment and seduction, bargaining with the Universe. When the bottom drops out – as it inevitably will - you need to realign with the truth of your soul instead of the desires of your ego.

Prayer from the soul simply asks for the process to unfold free from agenda; it sees asking and surrendering to the answer as one and the same. It comes from a desire for service and a willingness to surrender. When you have prayed from your soul, you will feel the sense of peace and alignment immediately.

When praying for guidance about something, recognize that true, congruent guidance comes organically and naturally. If you wonder about what you should be doing with your life, ask the question and then watch for answers to show up. If you are looking at something and the doors are not opening, stop wasting your energy on it – the answer is clear. It may not be the right time or direction, so instead of resisting the reality of what is, let it go so you can focus your energy on being open to the guidance that is available to you.

Face the facts and work with what is; it will bring you serenity. If you continue holding out for a miracle, recognize that you are wasting time and energy. If you are meant to be and do something, everything will fall into place to help you accomplish it – you don’t have to doubt or stay in a holding pattern.  Instead of struggling with reality, align with Spirit and surrender the outcome. If things are meant to be, they will unfold and nothing will stop them. If they are not meant to be, your resistance is an ineffective use of energy.

Finally, recognize that Divine timing is not in your control. If you are meant to do something, it will fall into place for you. Stop putting your life on hold for an empty dream; recognize that if reality is not supporting it, it is an illusion. You will have a much more peaceful and serene life if you recognize that you are not in control of timing.  Align with Divine timing instead of trying to force the process.

Accept what shows up, surrender attachment to the outcome, and align with Divine timing. Whatever shows up in your life, is indeed the answer to your prayers!

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com  This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.

Everyone wants to be able to improve their lives in some way: to heal something, to start something new, to find their soul purpose. As long as we are alive, this process continues. Everyone has a next step waiting to be taken, and everyone – absolutely everyone – has trouble accomplishing it. In fact, we spend an inordinate amount of time making up reasons and excuses for not moving forward!

Being stuck can be extremely painful. The desire you have to change a habit or improve your life comes from your soul. When you do not move forward with it, you block the very expression of your soul. The frustration that accumulates over time because of dysfunctional patterns of self-sabotage merely represents the surface issue.

Here are five practical guidelines to help you step into the greatness of your true potential:

1. Get Over The Fear Of Humiliation.

Most people are controlled by the fear of being humiliated. How do you get over the paralyzing fear of being humiliated and worrying about what others will say? By recognizing that your true locus of control is inside you. Looking outside yourself for approval, acceptance and love, is an ego trap. The fear of being humiliated by external forces is really based on pride. True commitment to the journey of your soul brings with it a deep sense of humility, along with the realization that your best is enough. When you no longer look outside yourself for approval and affirmation, you align with the true Source of your being. That relationship moves you to a place of deep inner honesty, humility and power because you identify with your true identity as a soul.

2. Recognize Which Reality You Live In.

Do you find yourself bargaining that you will get on with what you need to do as soon as the children are grown, or after you are out of debt, or once you get a new job? Are you dreaming of the life you’d love to have if only you had the money, time or resources? If so, you may be living in a fantasy world! On this planet, results come from matching vision with action, step by step. Instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity, the question to ask yourself is, “What I am I doing in the meantime?”

Appeasing the yearning of your soul with empty rationalization and promises, is not enough. You need to start taking action to bring your life into alignment with the guidance you are being given, or else you are living in a fantasy world. If not, you may end up in guidance overload – overwhelmed, stuck or frustrated – and you’ll have nobody to blame but yourself!

3. Guidance Overload.

Guidance overload comes from asking for help from too many people yet not acting on any of the information that you've stuffed into your energy field. When planning a change, it is normal to start gathering information for ways to move forward.

The trap lies in over-analyzing each piece of information or waiting for another, and another, piece to appear before taking action. This can move you into analysis paralysis or guidance overload, where there is too much information floating around in your mind, all triggering your fears, anxieties, limiting beliefs and memories of past trauma - and you don't know where to start. Guidance overload is also an indication of having given your power away to others instead of taking full responsibility for your life. It is not a happy place!

To break free from guidance overload, you need to go back to the beginning and start with the very first step that needs to be taken. When fear arises in response to that step, deal with it! Your greatest power lies in choosing your truth in the face of your fears. After you have taken the first step, you can ask for more guidance.

4. Become A Mystic In The Marketplace.

For many centuries, mystics lived on the fringe of society. They did not mix with the masses or participate in affairs of the world. This has all changed. Today, the level of consciousness on the planet has tipped the scales to offer potential for unprecedented growth and change. Spiritually awakened beings are being called to participate in this worldwide shift by becoming mystics in the marketplace - not on the mountain or in the monastery.

To answer the call, you need to learn how to commune with your soul to access the inner guidance that is stirring there. Every change that you wish to see in society, starts with you and the field of consciousness that you are holding. You are called to be the change you desire to see in the world, and you change the world around you through the power of your evolving soul as you hold the energy field of love wherein consciousness can evolve. In a world crying for healing, there is no greater service you can offer.

5. Find Appropriate Support For Each Stage of Growth.

Successful personal growth depends on being able to determine where your learning needs fine-tuning and then to support that with appropriate correction and feedback. Whether you need a new skill or a compassionate ear, listen to your needs and find appropriate support to ensure your success.

Collectively, these five guidelines can be very helpful to identify where progress may be stagnated in any area of your life, and to help you step into the greatness of your true potential.

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com
This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.

Finding Spiritual Guidance

By Ada Porat

There is spiritual guidance all around us… are you listening for it?
Spiritual guidance is not restricted to any specific time or space.  It is available at all times, everywhere.  It is found in casual conversation, in books that fall into our hands, in "wrong" numbers dialed… always available when we listen. After all, we believe that the Divine presence is everywhere, so why would the Divine voice of guidance not be everywhere, too?  And it is, provided we are not too busy to listen!
I find that listening to my inner guidance can save a lot of time and effort. Being goal-oriented, I used to have a tendency to move ahead before clear guidance has been given.  I soon learned that trying to hasten the outcome only inhibits my ability to receive true guidance and may even delay the outcome.
I found that the wisest move is to simply step back from the frenetic activity and to return to center.  From that place of inner balance, guidance gently emerges to lead my steps, and life flows with synchronicity and ease.
Maintaining neutrality is also important for receiving inner guidance. In kinesiology testing, attitudes of judgment or skepticism are found to calibrate at a level that undermines the expression of truth and can be destructive.  When we ask for confirmation of guidance, it is important to do so from an attitude of desiring to know and align with truth, and to be detached from the outcome.
When we are open and receptive, we are more inclined to recognize guidance we are given throughout the day.  If someone tells you about something, ask yourself, "How does this apply to me?" or, "Is there something I need to learn here?"
Inner guidance can come in many ways, some of which may surprise you!  I have had people tell me how they were asking for guidance in a difficult situation, only to have the business card of someone who could help, fall from a wallet.  At times, I have asked for clarity on an issue, and when the phone rang a few minutes later, the caller presented the solution to the issue without any prior knowledge of my predicament!

Guidance often arrives in synchronistic ways.  One of the funniest examples happened to me on a first date.  Throughout the evening, I felt vaguely uncomfortable with the person I was with:  he was doing and saying all the appropriate things, yet I could not shake a vague sense that I there was something amiss.  I silently asked for guidance and clarity.

Soon after, my companion decided to perform a karaoke song and as he was singing, the words of the song hit me like a ton of bricks: “…these boots are made for walking, I’m gonna walk all over you!”  The instant I heard the words, a sense of profound clarity came over me and I knew they expressed a deeper meaning about the person’s intent.  I found out later that the person indeed had a reputation for taking advantage of others.

At times, we may not feel comfortable enough to act on the initial guidance given and so we may ask for confirmation. Doubting ourselves is very human and we may feel a need for confirmation before acting on the guidance received.  I am always encouraged by the Biblical story of Gideon who put out a fleece at night and asked for his guidance to be confirmed by the dew falling everywhere except for on the fleece.  At the appropriate time, the guidance was confirmed.

While driving home one day, I noticed that someone had posted bright cardboard signs along the road, directing traffic to a yard sale on my street. There were signs posted at all the major intersections approaching my neighborhood – every place where drivers had to choose which way to go.

I realized that spiritual guidance comes to us the same way – there are always signs to guide us at the important intersections in life.  When we don’t see the signs we’re looking for, we are perhaps just not in need of those directions yet, and we can go with the flow.  When it is time, the necessary guidance will appear!

I use a very practical method to receive guidance. Whenever I am not sure what to do, I say to the Universe, "Just show me what I am to do here. I’m willing to do whatever is in the best interest of everyone involved. Give me a clue, and I will follow." Then I release the situation. I give up any preconceived notion about how things are supposed to turn out, and when I am supposed to know. Sometimes the answer comes instantly and sometimes it takes a while, but it always comes.

Spiritual guidance always arrives at the appropriate time, although recognizing it may require some adjustment in our expectations.  To understand this, we can look at the two different words used for “time” in Greek.  The first is chronos, which is equivalent to our concept of time as a chronological sequence of seconds, minutes, and hours. The second word is kairos, which can best be translated as "Divine timing" or "appropriate timing."

In our culture, we tend to live in chronological time, yet guidance emerges outside of chronos with the synchronicity of Divine timing. When we shift our perspective away from the linear paradigm of chronological time, we discover that guidance and answers always arrive at the perfect time.

When seeking direction, simply ask for guidance. Then allow the answer to show up in its appropriate way, place, and time.  If, upon voicing your request, you do not hear a voice from heaven bellowing, "This is what you must do!" don’t freak out. Allow for Divine timing to deliver your answer at the appropriate time. It will surely come!  

©Copyright Ada Porat.

This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. Further information about Ada's integrative approach to body-mind-spirit healing may be found at www.adaporat.com or by dialing US 602-283-4628 (MST).