Chapter 29 - Faith, Intuition & Courage - Strength for the Journey
We can become paralyzed trying to determine the next best course of action for our lives. It is typically better to make a decent choice and take action, than to delay while analyzing to find a perfect solution, thereby missing an opportunity. Intuition can provide us a great deal of guidance, but in order to hone it well enough to employ it, we must become less risk-averse in our personal decision-making.
Intuition is learned through a trial and error process. It is not 'book-learning' in any sense of the term. It often communicates via a type of feeling that is distinct from, although often confused with the emotions. When someone says that they 'follow their gut feeling', they may be referring to this inner guidance, or they may be erroneously listening to bodily sensations.
Nature will ultimately demonstrate a perfect path, but only after a choice has been made. By making a choice, I am referring to a case where an amount of energy has been put in a certain direction, often in the form of physical action. Nature does not view mental determinations to be final, as we tend to believe.
If we find we have made a terribly unwise decision, we can always change it. While we may have some lingering consequences, we need not continue digging ourselves further into what we are certain is a disaster. The moment we know we were wrong, we can begin working to extricate ourselves.
Switching the metaphorical horses in midstream should be an emergency option, and not our standard procedure. Much energy is lost whenever we change our course, and this may delay results. In fact, if we make a habit of indecision, we may never manifest anything at all!
Developing Intuition requires a great deal of Courage & Faith. In the beginning, we can begin to learn through small, relatively 'safe' scenarios, but eventually we will be forced outside our comfort zone. We will likely encounter increasingly hair-raising situations on the path to the Perfection of our Faith. The question we are constantly faced with is this: Do we trust in the Divine to handle things in this instance, or do we hesitate due to our fears?
Early on, hesitation may simply cause us to miss opportunities, but as we progress and our Faith becomes greater, the stakes raise to challenge us. We can rapidly find ourselves mired in a quagmire after a mere moment's acquiescence to emotional uncertainty. The quicker we learn to trust our inner resources (Intuition/guidance), the smoother our lives will become.
Pick a path and stick with it! Don't wait for things to start working out, or for a sign to magically appear in front of you. Intuition does not customarily offer us any external assurance (barring an initial period of education), and it rarely gives us any strong & obvious internal indications. Sometimes, there are no detectable signs at all!
Intuition is teaching us that while she is an excellent guide on our journey, she is not the final destination. We must come to rely upon that inner peace that passes all understanding, for that is what finally gives us assurance in our Faith.