Ask The Council

Feelings are Guidance from the Pure Spirit We Truly Are

Feeling a Need for Change, but Uncertain about a Career Move to the Arts

In this post The Council offers guidance on decision making. The post is a response to Sandy’s request for guidance about a career decision. He’s between jobs and wonders if he should stick to a career path he’s familiar with or try something completely outside of the box. He likes the idea of being involved in the Arts, but he tends to think of himself as a math and science person.

What Do I Do With My Life

The Council observes that many of us stress over making decisions, and this stress can make it difficult to achieve the outcomes we desire. They suggest when it comes to making decisions about the path to take in our life, the more relaxed we can be about the process, the more satisfying the outcome will be. For Sandy, The Council suggests making an effort to enjoy this time between jobs and to consider his desires.

“What brings you happiness? Which thought? Which imaginary situation brings you joy…a smile to your face? There are many things you can choose from.”

–The Council

Your Feelings Will Let You Know

“And so again we suggest seeing…visualizing yourself in these different roles. And always one will know the right direction to go into when they experience what they feel as they visualize…as they imagine what their lives can be like.”

–The Council

This is one of The Council’s core teachings: our feelings are our continually available guidance from the part of us that is pure spirit. This can be a difficult concept to understand. Assuming our pure spirit is a continuous source of love and well-being, how is it possible to feel miserable sometimes?

Think of it this way. When we feel good, it’s because the focus of our attention is on something that’s in harmony with the well-being continually radiating from our pure spirit. When we feel lousy, it’s not because our pure spirit is sending us lousy feelings. It’s because we’re paying attention to something that’s not in harmony with our spirit. The Sun in the sky is continuously shining, but if it’s night time and we’re only paying attention to what our physical senses tell us, we can be oblivious to the reality of the Sun’s continuous radiance.

The Council teaches us it’s the same with our spirit. Good feelings are our spirit’s radiant sunshine. Lousy feelings are our indication we’re not paying enough attention to the infinite source of good feeling that’s always flowing from spirit. That’s how inner guidance works.

No Rule That Choices Must Be Forever

“When you choose one particular path for your career, there is no rule that says: this must be it for you. How about experiencing this…finding the joy in that particular job, and moving on? And moving on again…and again…if that is necessary?”

“The choice is always yours. And when you choose and there is something you create…you live…and find on that particular choice it is not as satisfying or creative as you wish…the answer is simply: choose again, and again, and again. Every minute of your life is a new beginning.”

–The Council

This may seem like heresy to those of us taught to persist with our choices even if they become very dissatisfying. A lot of people believe: no pain, no gain. And while The Council often points out the benefits of appreciating our difficult circumstances, they also stress that the primary purpose of these unpleasant experiences is to inspire us to make new choices that have more pleasant outcomes.

Why Not Both?

Sandy’s request for guidance in the “right” direction seems to imply there’s a wrong direction. The Council’s idea of thinking outside the box is for Sandy to understand both paths can be taken. It doesn’t have to be either/or. If he chooses to stay in a familiar career that’s more math and science focused, and he keeps his desire to be in the Arts active in his mind and imagination, The Council suggests both will develop.

The Council sees how Sandy’s choice of a familiar career path offers the potential to travel in foreign lands and meet many new and different types of people in different types of communities. The Council also observes that Sandy has an interest and a talent for writing and taking pictures and that travel can provide many opportunities to write about different kinds of life experiences and take many interesting pictures.

“The math and science will bring Sandy on a path of meeting many new people. And in this way, with meeting many people, stories will become available. So one career will lead to another. Both will be available.”

“And there is the story of your life. Perhaps what you share with others…the questions you ask yourself…that would be a good subject to write about. And then again, there is a great creative part of you where you can design. You can create with pictures. And that is also an art.”

–The Council

Imagination isn’t Only for Children

“Always remember that wherever you are on your life path, there is creativity in front of you…within you…and every situation can be changed. And the answer to what you think you should do is: go within and imagine it, as a little child would imagine swimming, or playing in a sandbox, or riding a horse. Which one brings that smile to your face? Which one gives that good feeling within? That’s the one that you choose, even if you choose it just for a little while. How much fun can you have knowing that any time in life you can choose again and the universe will always send you what you wish to create. It is there. Open up to it. The imagination is not only for children.

“There are many talents that Sandy has. So to go within…to imagine…to play with it as if in a dream. We ask Sandy to imagine the wildest of dreams…the wildest of imaginations…something that would bring joy, even if you don’t know how this would be accomplished…only knowing you don’t need to know how it will be accomplished…only that that is a desire…that is a wish. And to be playful with it, and laugh with it, and feel good. And as that feeling good stays with you, you will then live this dream that you have.”

–The Council

Feeling a Desire for Safety and Security is Highly Relevant Inner Guidance

“Where is the comfort that is felt, once again we ask? All is available. And so if you need to take the career in the math and the science because at this particular point one would feel safe and secure in doing that, by all means take that road if you’re feeling about this brings you joy. And yet know, because there so much creative ability in the other Arts, one will lead to the other.”

–The Council

Cynthia and I find this guidance very reassuring. Suggestions to let our imagination run wild can be disconcerting to many of us, but The Council isn’t suggesting that we act out all that we imagine. They suggest we use our imagination as a way of becoming more aware of the guidance that comes from our spirit in the form of our feelings. The Council’s recommendation to Sandy to pay attention to where the comfort is felt serves as a reminder that when we’re in touch with all our feelings, our spirit will always let us know when we’re imagining something with unsafe or undesirable consequences.

What About Doubts We Don’t Deserve Our Heart’s Desires?

It occurred to me during our session with The Council that many of us might find it difficult taking The Council’s advice to focus on our heart’s desire. Many of us have felt painful disappointment when our heart’s desire seemed denied to us on other occasions and we’re reluctant to invite a similar re-occurrence. When I asked The Council about this, they replied:

“There are many of us who believe somewhere that we are not deserving. And when you connect to who you really are…this wonderful spirit in the human body…how can spirit not be deserving of anything? And that is why we would like people to play in their imaginations…to picture all the things one would like to create in their life. And as they see this, little things will start to change. You will experience some of what you are thinking about.

“And so as you experience more and more of what you can create, that thought of not being deserving of these wonderful gifts…this wonderful life as you imagine it…those doubts will disappear. You will have no choice but to see this happen, and identify with what you’ve created, and how happy you feel. And so that alone…this feeling of joy, which is a very large part of who you are, will begin to radiate again in yourselves. How joyful that is…to connect with the joy…to connect with who you really are.”

–The Council

At first, a prerequisite of connecting “to who you really are…this wonderful spirit in a human body…” seemed equally as challenging as focusing on our heart’s desire and I wondered if I’d feel comfortable with The Council’s answer. As it turns out, I’m glad I asked the question.

The Council seems to suggest that if we’re willing to even slightly increase the use of our imagination in ways that feel safe and desirable to us, then we can expect to experience more of what we imagine and desire, and doubts about our worthiness will begin to fade.

Sometimes there’s a concern we may find ourselves imagining unwanted outcomes and attracting these into our lives. It’s been our experience that desire is the safety net. What we imagine combined with desire has much more creative power than imagination without desire. As always, by paying attention to our feelings we are able to determine if what we’re imagining is allowing or resisting the radiant well-being of our pure spirit. And each of us has the power in any moment to change the focus of our attention to something that gives us a better feeling.

Life is Meant to be Playful

“Life is meant to be playful. Watch children around you with their imaginations, playing different games. How happy they are. There are no limits to what they imagine. And so, unfortunately as we grow, we ignore that ability. And yet it is still there to tap into. And as we begin to play again as adults, we will see exactly who we are and how much power we have to create again, and again, and again.”

–The Council

Guidance is Always There. Meditation is Always Recommended.

When I asked The Council if they had any suggestions to help Sandy with ongoing guidance, they responded:

“It is there all the time. You only have to open up to it. And we always suggest meditation is a wonderful way to connect with this. And in Sandy’s case, the heart meditation would be very good. And yet, if that is not doable at the present, then quiet time just to sit perhaps 15 minutes a day and play with his imagination. He will receive guidance in ways that are not expected. Opportunities will come. Things will be overheard. Perhaps listening to the TV, an idea will surface…something that is read in a book…he will be led. Guidance is always there. You only need to open to it, to ask for it, and then to be aware.”

–The Council

April 24, 2010 - Posted by Cynthia & Bob | Connecting With Spirit, Decision Making, Questions & Answers | Advice, Career, Decision Making, Desire, Doubt, Feelings, Guidance, Happiness, Imagination, Life, Meditation, Spirit, Well-Being