Consulting one's intuiton or guidance

Hi Susan,
I wanted to respond to your request to write about how one consults one's intuition to strengthen our internal perceptions of a situation.

This has been a really important question for me. Especially around the issue of following your dreams or following your heart. I have sometimes felt like I didn't know what my dreams were, or what my heart was expressing, or how to distinguish what was my heart and what was my head, because I have a great mind that likes to be in control and I often override subtle signals from my inner voice or intuition.

I have worked with many process and practices. The one I am learning and using now is a Sufi practice called "remembrance". It is very straight forward, easy and can be done anytime and any place. Remembrance is essentially a process of sitting and reflecting. It is similar to meditation, in that you use a word that has a positive connotation for you and you repeat it. But it is different from meditation in that the focus is to locate yourself in your heart and to listen and observe what emerges.

I have found that doing this practice regularly, even for a few minutes, helps reinforce the ease of accessing that place of quiet wisdom, even when I am in a crises. Usually, when in a crises, I feel myself tighten and constrict in the stress of the situation. But, in practicing remembrance, I am able to relax into an expansion of myself and to access perspective and guidance that comes form a wiser aspect of myself. I have often received guidance on what to do that I would never have 'thought' of, yet it is surprisingly simple, straightforward and obviously appropriate.

I have attached a link to an article about Remembrance that is posted at the Lion Heart Consulting web site. I learned the practice through them in a year long leadership program. http://www.lionhrt.com/theremembrance.htm

I hope this is useful. Please let me know if you would like additional information, or want to talk about this, we could set up a phone call.
Warmly,
Patricia