Do you feel like you have all the inner wisdom you need, if only you could figure out how to tap into it? It’s quite common to have an instant gut feeling about things that confront us in life. The gut feeling is the immediate reaction we have when we’re faced with a decision. Someone asks:
- Would you like to join us?
- Can you loan me some money?
- Do you have time for coffee?
- Can you help me with this project?
- Got a minute?
The problem, however, is that you’ve been conditioned to adapt to social graces, cultural norms, family traditions, workplace standards and so on, for many years. Over time you become numb to your gut feeling that springs from inner wisdom.
It’s easy to become what you think others want you to become instead of expressing the genuine version of you. If someone were to ask you who you are, what would you say?
I am one who . . .
Seena Frost, the Founder of SoulCollage®, developed a process whereby participants collage together images that represent a particular energy or meaning for them. Each card is symbolic of an inner voice or a part of your life: a person you know, a pet, a place, a major life event, a cultural standard, and other powers that make up the experience of being you.
SoulCollage® offers a powerful method to help you tap into your life experiences in a new way. By recognizing and naming various parts of your greater self, you begin to tap into your inner wisdom. As you gaze at a collaged card that you created, you begin by saying out loud or writing in your journal, “I am one who . . . ” and from here you learn to listen to your inner voice that is always with you.
To learn more about this powerful method, read SoulCollage Evolving: An Intuitive Collage Process for Self-Discovery and Community by Seena B. Frost
How to recognize the voices in your head . . .
You think “out loud” in your mind all day long. Think about that for a moment. What you write, or say out loud, is simply a censored version of what you think. You edit what you say depending on who you’re talking to. This is normal.
By tuning in to the various thoughts in your mind and reflecting on their source, you gain awareness of what’s driving your decisions. The more you actively pay attention to your thoughts, the easier it becomes to identify their source. As you do this you can learn to recognize their presence and what triggers them to pop up.
Do you recognize a “you should” voice that tells you what you should be doing. You might notice a childlike voice that blurts out to tease people. Or you might recognize the voice of someone who had a big influence on you such as a parent who made you feel like you were never good enough, or a teacher who encouraged you to pursue your dream of becoming a musician. Perhaps you experienced a tragedy that changed the course of your life and activated a loud voice that triggers fear.
Learn to listen without judgment.
Once you gain awareness of the different personalities of the different voices, you’ll have a tendency to want to judge some as good and others as bad. The truth is that they all play a part in who you are. They have coached you to become who you are all your life right up to this very moment. In essence, they’re your best friends that you’ve chosen to keep around.
Even those that seem annoying are truly trying to do their best to protect you and your ego. They help you justify all the choices you make all day long. They help you come up with clever excuses.
They remind you of your fears. They hold you back in comfort when you’re faced with a new and exciting opportunity. They nudge you forward with logic, even when your gut feeling is telling you to back out.
Being attentive to your thoughts is a step toward accessing your inner wisdom.
As you gain a deeper understanding of these various voices, you can counteract with other voices. This process takes time. Keep in mind that you’ve spent years accumulating all sorts of thought processes from countless people, and you’ve played a major role in directing and interpreting all these experiences.
It would be exhausting and nearly impossible to go through every day noting all your thoughts. But through the SoulCollage® process, you can quickly gain insight into your inner wisdom by recognizing the value that your inner voices have to offer. As you learn to tone down the chatter of many voices, you begin to hear the one true Voice. This one Voice you hear speaks for all. This all-knowing Voice will always choose what’s best for all. This all-knowing Voice shares your will. This all-knowing Voice is your source of inner wisdom.
I’ve experimented with lots of journaling methods, but I’ve found SoulCollage® to be one of the most powerful means of tapping into my inner wisdom.
Should you do SoulCollage®? Check out this video to see if you think it might be something for you:
