Following Bigger Guidance vs Following Your Mind

Following Bigger Guidance vs. Following Your Mind
The mind knows no answers, the heart knows no questions.
– Buddhist saying

Each book we read in our book club is really about exploring who we are, what our minds and thinking are, and the nature of The Something Bigger.  Right now we’re reading The Surrender Experiment, by Michael Singer.  Our conversation has been about what the heck surrendering is, anyway. Why is it a good idea? What is it in us that feels really uncomfortable with that?  What is it we’re surrender TO?

We realize that the mind has an agenda and preferences from its small vantage point, but there is a Bigger Force that sees the big picture and can orchestrate all life in an obviously more intelligent, beautiful way.  In our group, we’re realizing that “surrendering” really means allowing ourselves to move with that larger, natural flow of life force energy. So surrendering is really about moving with whatever is life affirming.  Sometimes the mind, in its limited ideas, tries to force things, control things or restrict things because it feels safer. Our minds are innocently trying to protect us, but from a very limited point of view. Because of that, our minds will tell us to do all kinds of things that aren’t so helpful.  

Someone in the group recently asked, “But how can I tell if the guidance I am getting is from my mind or from that Flow of Life?” Ahh!  One of my favorite topics! 

The truth is always in the feeling.   And you can sense that energy in your body.  If we move below the neck and give our attention to the quality of the energy moving through us, it will tell us what is life affirming and what is our mind trying to get us to do something from a small, protective perspective. 

As a group, we started to form a list of indicators that would help us surrender to Life (God, The Universe, Wellbeing, Nature, Source, Love) rather than follow the misguidance of our well-meaning minds.  

Here’s a partial list in case it might be helpful to you too!  And of course we’ll all experience this differently at different times and in different situations. But these might be some helpful clues and indicators for you!

It’s coming from our little mind’s preferences and comfort zones if:
It feels like tension
You’re upset and agitated
You feel defensive.
You feel like you need to “draw the line,” “set your boundaries,” or “not get pushed around.”
You’re confused.
It feels complicated.
It feels like pressure (mentally or even physically)
You feel a sense of urgency and like you have to take action RIGHT NOW! 😉 
You might be torn between two or more options.
You want to take some action or make some decision because it feels so uncomfortable to have things be “up in the air, “undecided, and unknown.  The mind hates this and will push to make any decision just so it can know. 
It feels like contraction.
It feels really familiar.
               E.g.: “Oh, I recognize this theme or pattern, even though the details look different.”

Guidance that is coming from a Bigger, Loving Perspective, feels more like:
Peace
Ease
Calm
You feel open
You feel clear.
It feels really simple, natural and like that’s just how life is obviously moving
You feel relaxed
You feel spacious and like there is no urgency. If there is action to take, there is no rush and there is an obvious, common sense time to take that action.
You don’t really have a question or feel torn.  A single action or direction just is.
It feels like expansion.
It feels fresh, bringing a sense of newness or opening.

It was helpful for us as a group to talk about these differences, and to realize that we really can feel the difference in our bodies. We are all equipped with the ability to relax into the flow life, because we all feel the physical sensations, tensions and easing in our body that shows us the way. We all intuitively know that if it feels awful and like contraction, it’s not the natural way of Life.  Blessings in your feeling journey, everyone!  Blessings in your relaxed, innate alignment with Life!