BEING IN Silence to Receive

[dancingwind]

BEING IN Silence to Receive
by Stephanie Yeh

We've recently been discussing dowsing, divination, and gaining information through non-physical means-in other words, receiving information from the Universe. If you practiced any of these arts, or simply ever asked for information from the Universe, you know that you need to be in a receiving mode before you can hear what the Universe has to say.

The Universe always delivers what we ask for, but we sometimes forget to listen. In fact, in the midst of our busy noisy lives, it's amazing that we're able to hear anything at all! Between cell phones, pagers, television, and radio, we're buried in a cacophony of physical sounds, which tends to shut down our ability to hear our inner voices of guidance.

So how can you increase and develop your ability to hear the Universe and its messages? Practice inner and outer silence. Outer silence is perhaps the easier of the two to achieve. Just pick a segment of the day, say 2 hours, and choose to be silent during that period. It's best if you can choose an active part of the day, such as mid-morning or mid-afternoon. You might have to do this exercise on a weekend or during a holiday, when you won't be forced to interact with anyone at work or school. Maintain outer silence by not speaking. It's also best if you avoid taking in too much noise from other sources, such as radio or television. You can sit quietly, meditate, read something uplifting, or even do chores. The goal here is to actively listen or watch for messages from the Universe.

If you can't maintain outer silence during your day, you can work on inner silence instead. Inner silence means quieting the internal mind chatter that is with us almost all the time. As you're walking around, for instance, notice how many thoughts cross your mind, triggered by the things you see and hear. Then, start quieting that stream of thought by putting your attention on your breathing or some physical sensation, such as the sensation of your feet striking the ground. Whenever a thought comes up, just return your attention to the physical sensation. If you work consistently with this exercise, you'll soon be able quiet your internal chatter quickly and listen to your inner voice of guidance.

As you work on both inner and outer silence, you'll notice that one begins to affect the other. As you get more and more silent outside, you'll become more silent inside, and vice versa. Enjoy!