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Clear Communication with Your Spirit By Joanna Cherry (I acknowledge and honor the Teaching of the Inner Christ, based in San Diego, which teaches these processes. All the writing and many of the ideas are my own.) "I'd like my contact with my inner Self to be clearer. How can I improve it?" "When I hear messages, I can't tell if they're real or not. How do I know they're from my spirit?" "This job feels so right to me--I feel excited about it--but how can I be sure I'm following my guidance?" Many of us feel a profound need to receive accurate messages from our divine essence. The essence of our being is so very great, so incredibly vast and magnificent, that it can feel difficult to "get a handle" on. Yet the universal presence I Am, in each one of us, is fully capable of being quite personal; it can answer our questions and give concrete guidance. A clear, personal relationship with our higher self is not only wondrously beneficial, it is practical! Here are steps, proven over decades, for connecting more deeply and clearly with your inner or higher self, your I Am Presence, God, your angels, or however you choose to term your divine essence. Step One: A Clear Space
A clear psychic space is vital for accurate communication with your divinity. All of us have been influenced from time to time by our own or others' inhibiting thought, psychic cording to or from another person, or even a disembodied spirit. These things happen through an overly open aura that allows (and may unconsciously invite) disruptive energies to come in. I suggest that even the most sincere and practiced of us need to give a clear receiving space frequent attention. The way to do this is usually very simple. Speak these words, silently or aloud, with conviction: My aura is now only the love and light of the Christ, I Am, and above (or, of my divine Presence I Am, or God, etc.) This is usually all that's needed. If you have such a strong connection with a foreign energy that these words don't work for you, you will probably want to take care of this and guarantee yourself a clear pathway to spirit. A minister of a metaphysical teaching should be able to assist you. If you have created a clear space in which to commune with your divinity, you are well on your way! Step Two: The Basic Meditation
There needs to be some space, in the busy-ness of daily thought, which opens the door to our true nature and invites the higher self to step through. For most of us meditation is essential, at least in the beginning, for connecting and merging with our divine presence. It's the basis for receiving genuine guidance from within. Here is a basic meditation: Sit comfortably, with your spine straight. This can be cross-legged or on a chair. Close your eyes and begin to breathe deeply and gently. Bring yourself into the present moment, letting go as best you can of the activities and problems of life. Send a grounding energy or cord from your root chakra (the base of your spine) down into the center of the earth. Invite divine love energy to flow through every atom and cell, and feel your whole body fill with love. If you wish, see this love energy flow from Divine Mother, up your left foot and leg, up the left side and back down the right. You can also invite light energy from Divine Father to flow from the top of your head down the right side of the body, circle down to the root chakra, and back up the left. Feel these two circles merging as one. Continue to breathe deeply as you release tension from all body parts, relaxing more and more. Bless your body. You might say to yourself, silently or aloud, something like this: I bless this beloved divine body. This body is formed and maintained every moment by God/Goddess love, light and intelligence. If you wish to go into more detail about your body, in resonance with ascension, here are additional words: This body is God's wondrous, eternal Energy, and ever-expanding life. It is God intelligence and God perfection. It is God beauty. My body is meant to express its godliness: to live as long as I am guided on this plane, in ever-increasing health, strength and beauty. It can ascend into light when I am complete with this plane. I accept these truths. Tune more deeply now, into awareness of mind and feeling. Love and bless any thought or feeling you notice, no matter what it is. Our thoughts and feelings are like our children: we created them, and they need our love and understanding, or at least our acceptance, in order to expand into divine freedom. If you have a judgment, for instance, or a fear, what helps to lift it is to accept or love it, and accept or love yourself for having it. If you wish, locate now a thought pattern that no longer serves you. You can say: I love (or accept) myself for thinking this thought, and feeling this feeling. I embrace it now. (Take time and do this.) I bless all of my mind and feelings. They are moving into my natural divine expression of love, joy, light, wisdom, knowing, oneness and power. So be it. Tune still more deeply now, into the awareness of your spirit. Call upon it to come. You may want to call in a guide(s) or master(s) you are connected with, or that you feel drawn to. One of the few complaints masters have is that not many call upon their services! A master or angel you know stories about, or have a picture of, can be a point of focus and a wonderful aid to deeper connection with spirit. (I find when I look at Babaji's picture, into his eyes, that he is present and I often receive a gift or a change I am ready for.) Or simply ask God or your inner self to be with you, be as you. You might affirm some truths about yourself, and feel each one, such as: I Am the love of Goddess/God. I Am the light of Goddess/God. I Am a divine master, remembering who I Am. I Am beautiful. I Am innocent and good, as I was created eternally. I have done my best, each moment, with what I have truly known, and God has never judged me but only loved me. I forgive myself for anything I have held against myself. I Am infinitely supported and loved. I Am the knowing and wisdom of God-I-Am. I Am the freedom and the power. I Am the joy! I Am divine, unlimited abundance. I Am one with all. So be it. Now, become as a listening ear, intent upon hearing, feeling, and/or seeing from within. You may feel a yearning toward your divinity, to feel its love for you, its wisdom, its light. If thoughts arise, do your best to let them pass by without giving them your attention. You may simply remain in this space for twenty minutes minutes to half an hour. Meditation twice a day is beneficial. Receive a Name, if Desired
If you would like to receive an inner name (sound) for one aspect of your divine nature, you may ask for this now. (Any favorite master is already merged with your divine self). An inner name may be a familiar one, such as the master Jesus, Babaji, Buddha, or Archangel Michael wanting to connect with you; or it may be entirely new to you such as Ama or Rata-Joriah. In listening for the name, you may get it all at once, or piece by piece. Begin to listen for this name. Be relaxed, patient, open, trusting, and focused on love. Give it some time. Breathe. If there seems to be difficulty, you can ask for it letter by letter. It is easy here to start fooling ourselves and hear names from our mind. If what you receive feels right to the core of your heart, it's likely to be from your true Self. If it doesn't, it is probably not. Be discriminating in your openness. A name can be wonderful, but you do not need to have it to attune to your divine Self. You can simply use God, my I Am Presence, my inner self, my guide(s), my Council of Light or Council of Twelve, or whatever feels most natural for you. Receive a Signal, if Desired
Whether or not you are working with a name, you can ask for and receive a "signal" through your physical body. Many people receive these spontaneously, such as rocking gently back and forth in meditation, a thrill up the spine when you hear a truth, etc. The benefit of a signal is that you are receiving spirit directly through and as your body. This helps you to be more clear about a message you are receiving. It also helps your body! A signal can be almost anything. You might see light in your third eye (between your eyebrows), or colors or a vision; you may smell a beautiful fragrance of flowers. A signal can be movement of some part of your body (head, thumb, arm, etc.), a feeling of love or well-being in your heart, a tingling or energy - even a change in your breathing. It is often accompanied by deeper feelings of love and joy, the essence of you! If you like, ask for a signal. Again, be patient, relaxed, and focused on love. If you receive something, test it out. Ask for it to become stronger. Ask for it to stop and start again. If it is really a signal from your spirit, these tests should be met. If you are not getting anything, remember that spirit never withholds; as you develop greater trust and openness, a signal can come. In your sincere asking, you are opening the door. A movement signal has the benefit of being definite and clear. If you would like one, ask for it. (My head turning - and more recently a delighted smile! - have been movement signals for me.) The one drawback of a movement signal is that your mind can get in there, more easily than with subtler signals, and move your body. I got quite a lesson in this once, thinking I was getting all kinds of fancy new information, only to discover it was from my mind. The single most important thing in receiving guidance from your spirit, is be attuned to LOVE. Step Three: Receiving Guidance
Whether or not you receive a name or signal, you may ask for and receive messages, answers to your questions, and other guidance from your higher self. Messages from your spirit are usually given in abstractions, rather than words or pictures. We translate these abstractions into the way we can best receive them. That is why two people who receive the same message express it in different ways. Following are the three most common ways we translate the abstractions of spirit into what makes sense to us: 1. Words. You can "hear" words in your mind from your spirit. These can be just like someone talking to you, word for word. (A message may sometimes be heard with your physical ears.) You can also hear key words, bridged with a sense of the meaning that connects them. For instance, suppose the full message in words were "This relationship is right for you. You have been waiting to come together until both of you were ready. You are ancient soulmates." You could receive the words "Relationship . . . right . . . waiting . . . soulmates," and feel the meaning that connects them. 2. Pictures, or a vision. Here you see within your mind's eye a picture that communicates a message. The only catch: you may not understand the meaning of the picture! If you don't, simply ask, "What does this mean?" and get clear on it. 3. Feeling, or knowing. This is a way of sensing that needs no words. It is a knowing or feeling of truth in the moment. It is direct intuition, closer to the abstraction you are receiving than either pictures or words. It is a wonderful way to receive from spirit. 4. A combination of any or all of these. This occurs frequently, and adds depth and verification to what is received. If you ask for a general message, you'll likely receive one of love for you, how wondrous you are, to love yourself more, etc. Answers to Questions
Knowing what and how to ask is part of a loving, effective relationship with your inner self. You want to ask questions important to your heart, to the big scheme of your life. Trivial questions are generally not the most appropriate use for your divine connection. Occasionally, if I've lost something and have looked everywhere, I've cried in frustration "Where is it, God?!" and usually it's in my hands within 30 seconds. Anything you really want to know or address, even if it seems small - understanding an event you were part of, the health of your cat, need for financial input - is all fine. There isn't any judgment about what to ask, it's just that with such a loving, powerful energy present, you want to make the most respectful and appropriate use of it. How to ask reflects the nature of God/universe and life. You are not a puppet with God pulling the strings; and life as you experience it is created from your thought and feeling (hopefully from conscious choice). Questions such as "Am I to do this?" or "Is a relationship coming to me?" imply that you are being done to, or are a pawn in the hands of fate - not your truth. Even questions like "Is there going to be a big earthquake here this year?" deny one's own creative power. Here are some examples of questions asked from a deeper understanding: I Am a co-creator with God/universe, one with everything and everyone, and what is truly best for me is best for all: 1. Is it my true desire (the desire of my heart, most right for me at this time), to (change or leave my job, check on my health, or ___________)? 2. Is it in my best interest to call a relationship to me at this time? (If yes): How shall I go about this? 3. Is an earthquake here likely this year? (If yes): Is it wise to work to divert this energy? (If yes): How shall it be done? If you are one who desires to serve the masters, God, life, then a question like "What can I do now?" can be good. Even then, a spirit of co-creation which honors your human self, and allows you to say "No" if that feels needed, is healthy and balanced. Feeling, Spirit and You
Your feeling is very much united with your spirit. In this sense it is simple to feel your oneness with your spirit, and know your guidance is correct. What do you truly want? What do you truly not want? The desires of your heart are from your spirit! If you long to live by the sea, or study massage, or chuck your job for something more creative, that is your spirit saying "Yes!! Do this!" I've enjoyed a chuckle to myself here and there when someone asks in a session, "I so want to do this! It thrills me to think of it! But is it my right path?" Of course it is. You might ask your spirit only for suggestions on how to proceed with it. Feeling is also one with a body response to a life choice, pro or con. If you get a shrinking or contracting feeling in your body, for instance, it's usually simultaneous with negative feelings and is obviously part of a "No" answer. (Always discernment, however! It may be a "feel the fear and do it anyway!" scenario.) If there is a sense of expansion and joy - you guessed it. Is This Message From Spirit?
Spirit is for your emancipation: your freedom, enlightenment, joy, creativity, play, abundance, peace, power, godliness! - and nothing less! Does your message come from love, unmistakable love? Does your heart resonate with it? Does it inspire you? Bring you joy? Empower you? Open you to new possibilities? Awaken your creativity? Does it feel right to you, all the way down to your gut? Is it completely devoid of judgment of you or anyone else? Then it is likely to be from your true self. A message can take a stern tone, "tough love," but even then you will know the truth of it. It is easy to think that messages from your mind are coming from spirit. This happens to experienced people too. For instance if you ask a question and the answer is what you thought it would be, you want to be especially cautious about it. Determine to get the truth. Tune more purposefully to your spirit, feel the love-light-clarity of it, and ask again (waiting a couple of days before re-asking can help), making sure the answer comes from that space. Messages can even come from "higher mind," closer to spirit but not spirit; this difference is harder to discern. And be aware that it's possible for another energy to come in and give you a false message. Just be determined to accept messages only from your spirit, and you will succeed. Often, especially in the beginning, you may get both spirit and mind messages together. I was working with a woman whose great desire was to study art. She got this message: "Yes, be an artist! But first go to law school to please your parents." She didn't realize that the "do it!" was from spirit, and the "law school" part was from her mind, her sense of "should." There are no shoulds in spirit. It knows that parental and social expectations are not usually your truth. If you get a message or answer that is unexpected, confusing, spectacular, etc., put it on the shelf and ask again later. The truth will out. Back in 1988, I was living in San Francisco and expected to be there a long time. That summer I spent a week camping in Squaw Meadow, 8,000 feet up on Mt. Shasta. When I got back home, a great sense of confusion set in. Finally I asked, "All right! What is this about?" and immediately I saw myself living in Mt. Shasta. "No, that can't be right!" I thought. "After all, spirit brought me to San Francisco!" Over the next several days I tuned in again and again, and each time I got the same vision. I knew then that it was right, against all expectation. And I moved to this beautiful place. So be open to the new! Your spirit knows what is best. Other Ways to Get Messages
You don't have to be in meditation to get messages from your spirit. Everything is a great oneness, and messages come in many forms. At any time, day or night, you can receive a message, have a sudden revelation or a direct knowing. Many business people get correct "hunches." I've heard scientists and others say they "sleep on" a problem, and when they awaken the answer is there. You may get a message through a dream. Someone may speak a truth for you, a human messenger. You may read something in a book you are browsing through, receive an answer from a bird or animal - the possibilities are endless. The helpful thing is to be open and aware. Oneness
After you have been receiving messages for awhile, you may notice that it seems hard at times to get one - an odd development! I have noticed this for myself, and I've realized it is because my spirit wants me to BE itself, to simply know from being the divinity I Am. This is the merging we are all headed for, being our divine self. Every blessing to your deeper connection and merging with your divine Self! Copyright Joanna Cherry,
2007 www.AscensionMastery.com
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Joanna Cherry • Ascension Mastery
International • P.O. Box 1018 • Mount Shasta, California 96067 USA
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©2002, Joanna Cherry. Please do copy and distribute this vision of
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