News + New Good Things from Tia Norman

The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. It is wordless. It is beyond words. It is beyond speech. It is beyond concept. Not that we discover a new unity, but we discover an old unity. My dear brothers and sisters, we are already one. But we imagine we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be, is what we are.

-Thomas Merton

Peaceful, Centered + Connected

When global confusion rises I often receive an increase from individuals seeking to grow, trust, and be aware of their inner guidance.

Maintaining unity within tends to ripple out.

Here are 7 Ways to Nurture Your Intuition

❥ Trust that you are connected to Loving Guidance.

The only thing that separates us from God is the thought that we are separate from God. Our ideas about God’s nature are developed in early childhood. Those early experiences often have some hint (or an abundance) of being let down by those who care for us, teach us, or that we look up to and those letdowns can become projections we place on God later in life. They translate into a lack of trust in God and therefore a lack of trust in the Divine guidance that lives within us. One of the benefits of Centering Prayer is that it helps to heal our emotional wounds, affirms our basic goodness, and grows our intuition. As Fr. Richard Rohr says, "...I encourage you to find some term of endearment that inspires your trust because you will never fall in love with a mere idea..."

This is important as no one wants to rest with, consult, listen to, or follow guidance from a source they don’t trust.

❥ Accept that it comes in glimpses and practice surrendering the outcome.

We think what brings us joy is the finished puzzle and overlook the pleasure in the mystery of our journey and our participation in the unfolding that lights us up! We may have some idea of the overall long-term vision but the movement nudging us forward will always come from glimpses found in the present moment.

❥ Pay attention to the nudges that won’t leave you alone. If you keep dismissing the tug, nudge, or idea and it keeps returning there’s probably information there for you.

This doesn’t mean you have to make any sudden moves or decisions. Move into your heart space, ask the tug questions (yes...you can practice engaging in dialogue with your intuition), and see what comes up for you in the stillness.

❥ Engage in practices that nurture your passive intellect.

We are born with various ways of knowing. Our active intellect engages our ability to reason, our memory, imagination, feelings, and our will. If I tell you that I ate a piece of fruit with a yellow peel, a strong citrus odor, and was so sour when I tasted it my eyes immediately squeezed shut your active intellect helps you conclude that I'm talking about a lemon.

Fr. Keating teaches that passive intellect is also our intuitive intellect. We can perceive truth directly without the mediation of reason. It is the seat of our will to God...our desire to seek that which can only be filled by God. Centering Prayer helps us close the door on all our faculties except our intuitive level through our passive intellect.

❥ Experiment with trusting and acting on smaller intuitive nudges.

Follow a different route home...call that person you’ve been thinking about...start that project you’ve been delaying because it’s “a ridiculous idea.” Build your trust in the small steps and you will eventually feel comfortable taking longer strides.

❥ Listen to your body.

Some things you know because you feel them. There's no reasonable explanation. (Refer back to that active and passive intellect stuff shared earlier)

❥ Remember it’s a practice.

Everyone’s intuition is expressed in a way that is unique to them. Building our intuitive muscles can take some getting used to. Be kind to yourself as you experiment and nurture this gift.

A New Way to See the Good News

A new way to see the Good News is a short passage that may offer a fresh perspective or insight into the ancient collection of poems, letters, and stories known as the Bible.

"And God spoke all these words...

- Exodus 20:1

There is some debate and several interpretations within Jewish spirituality about what God spoke at Sinai.

One interpretation says, "All God said was the first letter of the first word of the first utterance - which in Hebrew is also the first letter of the alphabet, alef.

Alef is the softest yet still audible noise there can be. It is the sound the larynx makes as it clicks into gear. It is the mother of all articulate speech. At Sinai, all the people of Israel needed to hear was the sound of alef. It meant that God and the Jewish people could have a conversation.

The Zohar - the primary text of the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition - teaches that not everyone hears the gentle sound of alef. People are able to hear only what they are ready to hear. God speaks to each of us in a personal way, taking into consideration our strength, wisdom, and preparation"

Until next time.

Grace + Ease,

Tia