First Week of Advent, Saturday: Opening to Divine Guidance

In the Heart of Winter: A Meditator’s Guide to Advent

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. -Luke 2:15

The shepherds of the Christmas story personify intuitive feeling and the quality of humility that allows us to be receptive to divine guidance. Our consciousness, our body, mind, spirit, and heart—the totality of our being—is the dwelling place of God. It is in the realm of our own conscious awareness that we will find the divine guidance we need. At times we may paradoxically yearn for this guidance and ignore its presence. When the voice of fear drowns out the voice of love, we find it difficult to do what we know in our heart is right for us. Why do we sometimes ignore or fear divine guidance? Perhaps we are afraid that what God will require of us is not what we want for ourselves.

When we choose to invite God to direct our life, we also become willing to follow God's guidance. This is a moment of surrendering the illusional sense that we are separate from the Source. We are then no longer at odds with our Higher Power but can recognize that God's will for us is what we ourselves truly desire, because God is our life, there is no other.

Practice: Use a mantra, or prayer phrase, throughout the day to anchor your attention and awareness in the one Reality expressing as all that is. A simple phrase such as “not two,” or “only God” can suffice to erode the tendency to think of our life and God’s life as something separate. There are many moments throughout the day where soul consciousness rises and we are lifted into a new way of seeing and being. We can cooperate with this natural tendency to have our awareness restored to wholeness by engaging in this practice, using the mantra to affirm truth. Breathe in “not two.” Breath out “only God.”

Contemplate:

I am always with all beings; I abandon no one.

And however great your inner darkness, you are never separate from Me.

Let your thoughts flow past you, calmly;

keep Me near, at every moment;

trust Me with your life,

because I am you,

more than you yourself are.

    -the Bhagavad Gita

Reflect: Am I willing to really receive inner guidance by acting upon it? Can I take one step without knowing everything about where it will lead? Can I stay open, knowing that I will be divinely guided one step at a time?