Feelings Are Your Guide
by Susyn Reeve
 Using
your feelings as your guide is the most direct indicator of whether or not you
are being peace and happiness. Our feelings are a foolproof guidance system,
letting us know if we are experiencing heaven or hell, love or fear, well being
or disease. This does not mean we are good people if we have "positive" feelings
and bad people if we have "negative" feelings. The truth of who we are is always
that we are expressions of God, Source Energy made manifest. We are made in the
image of the creator and just because we forget that, it doesn't mean it is not
true! Quantum physics has now demonstrated what ancient wisdom has taught
through all time, we are energy. Another way of expressing this idea is that we
are spiritual beings having a human experience.
Think of your body as an instrument, and just as musical instruments come in
all sizes, shapes, and colors, so does our human instrument. All instruments
have a wide range of sounds, some on key and some off. It is the same with
people. When our instrument is being played with the greatest ease and flow, we
are vibrating at a frequency of well being, and our sound is a joy to hear. Our
feelings let us know when we are in tune or out of tune. When a musical
instrument is out of tune, it is adjusted, and while some time might be spent on
the "story" of why the instrument is out of tune, the major focus is on the
sound and returning to being a finely tuned instrument. It seems as if human
beings spend much more time on the "story" of why their instrument is out of
tune than simply doing a "tune-up."
Have you noticed that when someone asks you how you're feeling, or you ask
others how they are feeling, a usual response is a detailed explanation of what
is going on in their lives, often a retelling of stories long over, dramas, some
tales of woe that may actually have been resolved? Since our experience is
shaped through the law of attraction, the more we repeat, retell, reactivate
stories of woe, the more we use them as the seeds of our future and the fruits
of our present. Another common response is when people say they are fine, when
their inner experience is one of anxiety and dismay. In terms of the law of
attraction, we attract according to our energetic vibration, and if there is a
discrepancy between our words and our vibration, vibration wins and is the
attracting magnet.
You maybe thinking, "Sure, sure, sure this is easy to talk about but my
feelings are real." Precisely -- your feelings are real. It is the meaning that
you give to them, the stories that you tell and believe that is putting the cart
before the horse. The cart is the story, and since we are meaning-making
machines, we make up our stories based on the patterns of thought and stories we
have learned from our parents, teachers, and the collective consciousness of the
planet. We can make up new stories in each and every moment. Our feelings, which
never lie, tell us in the moment how we are vibrating.
When you are suffering, in hell, feeling anxious, frustrated, angry,
impatient, hopeless, or helpless, your feelings, the sensations you feel in your
body, are simply letting you know you are out of tune. Not whether you are good
or bad or worthy or unworthy -- these are human interpretations, stories you are
making up! It is, therefore, very important to feel your feelings, whatever they
are, and once you feel them, I repeat ONCE you feel them, use them as a
springboard to tune your instrument. There is no need to judge yourself if you
have what is called a "negative" feeling. It is simply a reminder that you are
out of tune. Positive feelings are indicators that you are finely tuned. Simply
put, we are either in flow with Source Energy (instruments of love) or out of
connection with Source Energy (off-key, off-center, out of tune). Which would
you rather be? Use your feelings as your guide and peace and happiness as the
point of view in the stories you create, and notice your heart song vibrating
through you. Not only does this enhance a personal experience of well being, it
has a direct impact on our contribution to the collective consciousness of the
world. So let your feelings be your guide.
HOW TO DO IT
DAY 1: Notice what you are feeling. Check in with yourself once an hour. What
are you experiencing? What sensations are you feeling in your body? Remember
this is not what you are telling yourself about what you are feeling, simply
what you are feeling. "I feel comfortable in my body, my breathing is full and
deep, I have a smile on my face, I feel a tightness in my chest, there is a dull
pain in my the lower right side of my back."
Today is your day to become aware of how your body feels. Any time you notice
tension in your body, breathe into that part of your body and allow the tension
to be released into the earth as you exhale.
DAY 2: Notice what you are feeling regarding your emotions. Check in with
yourself once an hour. Are you calm, content, joyful, overwhelmed, anxious,
angry, or scared? Notice what you feel and simply feel the feeling.
DAY 3: Allow your feelings to be your guide, and when you are off-center, out
of tune, experiencing hell, use the following technique:
- Acknowledge what you are feeling in the moment (I am feeling frustrated
and overwhelmed, with sweaty palms and tension in my stomach).
- Choose what you would prefer to be feeling (I choose to feel calm and
focused, comfortable in my body).
- For thirty seconds, imagine something that evokes the feeling you want to
feel ("It's 3:00 P.M. I am lounging on a comfortable beach chair on the beach
in East Hampton. I am watching the gentle flow of the waves, feeling the
sun-drenched breeze on my body.") It is usually easier to imagine a scene
unrelated to the content of what is causing your agitation. The purpose of
this exercise is to develop your ability to change your vibration at the point
of your greatest power -- NOW. Continue on with your life (cooking dinner,
paying your bills, taking a bath, driving to work, and so forth).
DAY 4: Allow your feelings to be your guide, and when you are off-center, out
of tune, experiencing hell, use the following technique:
- Acknowledge what you are feeling in the moment (angry, tension in my
temples, a frown on my face, my heart is pounding in my chest).
- Choose what you would prefer to be feeling (calm, my heart beating gently,
a smile on my face, at ease, confident).
- Ask yourself what you believe about the current situation that is creating
the feeling you are having ("I am afraid I'm not going to get to my job
interview on time, and I will screw up getting this new job before I even get
there," or "I believe I am helpless in dealing with my health problems," or "I
believe I am never going to be in a satisfying relationship," and so forth).
- Make up a belief that supports the way you want to feel and focus your
attention on your new belief (I have a great job interview, I deserve having
the job of my dreams. I have support and excellent care in experiencing well
being in my life. I am in a loving marriage.")
- Continue with your day.
DAY 5: During the day, whenever you notice you are feeling like a victim or
that you are a victimizer, make up a new story about the circumstances you are
in. For example, try a story in which you are a finely-tuned instrument and
everything is perfect the way it is. I was recently feeling like a victim and
plotting revenge about something going on in my home. I noticed I had a desire
to tell others the drama. So I vented to a friend, who did not get seduced by
the story, and once I did that, I remembered that continued focus on the story
was simply that, continued focus on the story. I asked myself, "What would love
do here?" I kept being pulled back in my mind to the drama, and I kept asking,
"What would Love do here?" Within moments I felt calmer and thought, "We all did
the best we could do."
Later on, as I was sitting quietly, I had memories of similar circumstances
in my life, and I was tempted to use them to get back into the drama. Instead I
asked, "What would love do here?" And I followed the advice I heard from my
still small voice. I was loving, in the tone of my voice and in my thoughts.
Within a few hours I had moved through this experience and had also let go of
past baggage. I let my feelings be my guide, and when my feelings indicated I
was off-key, I did a tune-up. I needed many tune-ups during those hours, so I
got them! During the next two days. I was repeatedly tempted to tell the story
about what had happened and what I had learned. I knew the temptation was more
about habit than anything else and there was no need to tell the story, only to
express my love.
DAY 6: Create your own set of procedures to use when you need a tune-up. What
are operating instructions you can follow? Put these instructions in a place
where you can see them and then use them. Every time you use them, give yourself
a pat on the back. Know you are creating a new pattern, one that includes
regular check-ups and maintenance to keep your instrument finely tuned. Update
your operating instructions as necessary.
DAY 7: Write your reflections of using your feelings as your guide.
- What did you learn?
- How can you use what you learned so that peace and happiness is the
dominant tune you sing?
This
article was excerpted from:
 Choose Peace & Happiness
by Susyn
Reeve.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. ©2003.
www.redwheelweiser.com
Info/Order this book
About the Author
Susyn
Reeve is an ordained Interfaith Minister whose work includes organizational and
personal development consulting with such organizations as NYU Medical Center,
Mount Sinai Medical Center. The Plaza Hotel, Exxon, and UJA Federation. In her
workshops, Susyn creates opportunities for people to identify, reconnect with,
use and honor their natural resources-skills, talents, and abilities. She is
co-founder of
CelebrateSomebody.com. Visit her website at
www.susynreeve.com.
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