Choose Soul-based decision-making

My child is unhappy at daycare, growing noticably more anxious, and getting sick more often. I will regret it forever if I don’t leave my job, change my livelihood, to care for my child at home.

“I feel stressed in my workspace. There is so much negative energy among colleagues, even discrimination. I don’t know where to go for grievances. Just know that I can’t stay.”

“ I feel an urgency to pursue my dream. I have a vision but lack full clarity.”

I can relate to quandries about parenting and work-life balance, as well as roles in public and private sectors.  As a coach, clients consult me for guidance about life change without always knowing the next steps on their journey. What they and we all come to realize if open and receptive, is that our body-mind is constantly giving us signs and signals. We can learn to read them. Part of us knows what is not aligned with our soul. The messages are loud and persistent, to where they are difficult to ignore.  The voices invite us to give up the needs of our ego – earned job title, predictable income, security, maybe how and where we live and take leaps of faith without knowing how things will turn out! Its an exercise in trust. Can you relate to that inner urge to change?

With the onslaught of the global health concerns, wildfires, environmental calamities, political upheavals, and far more, we are repeatedly to prompted to act differently.  The inner voice is getting louder. As we begin to see our lives in terms of energy, the stakes are high when we are out of alignment! How can we learn to make decisions that are aligned with collective wisdom and that reliable intuition?

Six Modes of Decision-Making

In the book The New Leadership Paradigm, Richard Barrett talks about Six Modes of Decision Making.

1. Instinct-Based
2. Subconscious Belief-Based
3. Conscious Belief Based
4. Values-Based
5. Intuition-Based
6. Inspiration-Based

Question is, in day-to-day life, what sort of decision-making evokes more joy and freedom? If we are guided by internal feelings, or the soul, then these modes take us closer or further away from the best choice on our path.

1.    Instinct-Based Decisions 

This is about biological survival. For example, babies instinctively know how to suckle and cry when they are born, in order to help them gain the food and attention they need to survive. As adults, your instincts kick in when you are in danger, such as the fight or flight response.  In this realm, actions proceed thought. You are not consciously in control of your decisions.

2.    Subconscious Belief-Based Decisions 

This is about personal memories and experiences from the past and are often driven by emotions rather than rational thought. When you make subconscious decisions based on beliefs from the past, you are often responding to unmet ego needs.  In this realm, action still proceeds thought and you are still not consciously in control of your decisions. The key decision driver is your personal experience rather than your biology.

3.    Conscious Belief-Based 

This is where the realm of rational decision-making based on conscious thought, information, and experience.In this type of decision-making you switch to thinking before you act. You are in control. Yet, you still tend to make decisions based on past experiences and feelings, rather than on your future and infinite potential.

4.    Values-Based decision-making

This involves examining your past beliefs and experiences and letting go of what no longer serves you anymore. When you move into values-based decision-making, you can create a future that resonates with who you truly are and want to become.  Values-based decision-making is based on your personal values and the future you want to create. You are in control of your actions and consult with others to consciously create the best outcome.

5.    Intuition-Based decisions

This is about allowing you to tap into a deeper and collective wisdom of a larger group. This may involve giving up your personal preference in service of the whole. You shift away from your ego-system into a larger eco-system view.

With intuition-based decisions, you expand our awareness of the whole, suspend your judgment, empty your mind, and are open to thoughts that arise and reflect a wisdom that is greater than your own.

6.    Inspiration-Based decision-making is responding to the promptings of our soul. This decision-making enables your soul to fulfill its purpose in this world. Barrett mentions that some forms of depression arise from ignoring these insistent promptings of the soul.

In this realm, thoughts seem to appear from nowhere, they are persistent, and there are emotional consequences for not listening to them.

Three Ways to Align Decisions with the Needs of Your Soul

Here are some tips you can practice to begin shifting to making decisions aligned to the needs of your soul:

1. Be Aware of the Level at Which You are Making Decisions 

• Do you tend to get stuck in rational decision-making based on your past experience, without considering values? When is that appropriate? And when might you need to shift to exploring the involved in the situations.

2. Consult others 

• Through consulting with others and becoming more aware of diverse perspectives, you begin to expand your own knowledge, gain deeper levels of understanding, and tap into a collective wisdom that is greater than your own.

3. Meditation, Prayer, Spiritual Practice

• Tapping into values, intuition, and inspiration is a spiritual practice. Take 5 minutes per day to quiet your mind, be present, and seek wisdom from your ancestors in the spiritual realm and the wisdom of the universe. Ask for guidance in decision-making. It may come in a dream, while immersed in nature or in a quiet moment. Listen carefully and pay attention.

At what level do you tend to make decisions? At what level would you like to make decisions?  What is most effective for you in different life areas?  Would you benefit from coaching along these lines? Contact us.

Let go of limitation

Notice as we let go of limited ideas of who we are, the fluid truth reveals itself. The more mysterious something is, the more we come to think we understand it until we are humbled by what the universe reveals though us. It dawns that a constant decoding process of the brain and sensory systems allows us to experience perception, create a reality based on illusions happening outside us.

Turns out, based on color spectrum, the colours that we are not are projected back into the world around us for us to see. Our perception is between 360 to 720 nanometers. We have 88 octaves of experience across spectrum of sound, thought. Light is the 55 octave above sound. This is the only octave of visible spectrum. Beyond that is the non-visible spectrum. The pineal gland is that part of us that translates light beyond the visible spectrum. The pixels we thought are us, are not us but only reflect the light signature of us in motion. Each time we think we move, a whole other group of pixels are reflecting us. The only limitations are the beliefs we hold consistently, such as time. Otherwise, the real is energy in constant motion.

Based on Hermetics, the entire universe is mental not material. What we perceive in the external world is not material, its energy. How we decode it changes based on level of consciousness. Our beliefs, expectations create a reality unless something shifts and wider awareness takes over. Linear time only exists in the mind. Actually everything happens now, every reincarnation exists simultaneously. Let go of all that you have been taught. Feel the way into the next stage of remembering. Shatter your own myths.

So, from an infinite point of view, no such thing as past lives exist, only parallel lives we jump into, at will. As we move into higher dimensions of vibration, the world around us starts to shift into this new vibration in resonance. This creates changes in our perceptions and has effects retro-causally. This means we live in a different timeline and certain changes are noticed like the spelling of a brand name or pattern of glasses.

As we elevate consciousness, all dimensions of time also change. We notice the result of the change of consciousness rather than how this happens or what we must do to get here. The urge to analyze falls away. This process is all about transcendence of judgement and duality. We are the designer of our own game for the benefit of our one conscious expansion. The reason we exist is to remember how to love and receive love. Choosing love accelerates the motion of energy, allows us to activate dormant systems. The things we do not like about ourselves simply project in the world around us and take shape in ways that perpetuate a visious circle so we continue to believe lies.

As authenticity arises, we fall in love with Self, and everything else as well. This is the path to illuminate from within, to recognize one is and has always been enlightened. In duality, we simply do not see see things as they are, but how we judge ourselves until judgment ceases and love is all that remains. What we assume is bad or not working as we had hoped in our lives, eventually turns out to be a blessing and precipitates shifts.

Consider the analogy of musical intervals. Musical chords can be played in ascending or descending order and change the vibrational effect. The seed of sadness has within it the seed of love and joy. Depending on the order of notes played, different emotions are evoked. Inverse relationships of music are profound. As consciousness expands, big connections stand out. 

For example, research reveals thirteen musical intervals (full spectrum of sound) are perfectly represented by the geometric pyramids of Giza Plateau. Sound is the absorption of light. Its representaation in wave form is a rainbow spectrum of light. This suggests the pyramid complex is a musical key. In 3D, we are taught time only moves forward. Yet from a higher dimension, time flows backward and forward. It is retrocausal. Turns out, time is a torus that loops on itself.

So, we have a view of the universe that is grounded in our unique perception and observation bias. Step outside of that, and see that our sense of reality has been grounded on a recurrent pattern. We incarnate to recognize and get past our self-created patterns to remember who we truly are beyond all that. Engaging in conscious alchemy takes the experience to whole new levels.

Restlessness is a sign of transformation

Notice at the perfect moment, light penetrates like a catalyst to clarify what disconnects from all that is real and matters in heart. By affirming our dignity and allowing others theirs, we are able to honor ourselves, connect as equals, move forward with insight.

Earlier in life, I often heard myself saying things like;

"Everything happens for a reason"

"It was for the best"

"It was a blessing in disguise"

(all of which were relevant in context...)

In passing, such phrases sound optimistic and seem harmless. Yet, with maturity, I realized I had been taught to dismiss very real concerns and feelings worthy of considerable attention. People would cross my boundaries, be hurtful, or behave in ways that went against my core values or intuition and I would be overly tolerant and accepting or too easily forgiving. Making light of difficult situations was a superficial way of glossing over issues. This felt better in the short-term, but ultimately, it solved nothing and left hidden issues to linger. In fact, as I go down the rabbit hole, it appears I mastered the art of pretending things were fine when they were clearly not.

Part of my awakening has involved recognizing I would hide or avoid anger that deserved to be felt and expressed, Rather than working through hard emotions or confronting unresolved issues, I used to simply downplay or dismiss them. Believing traumatic events must serve as “learning experiences” or focusing on the silver lining behind every negative experience, did not allow me to experience the fullness of the wisdom they held. Assuming I had a handle on it was how I hid from insecurities. It was a clever way I pulled the wool over my eyes until I was ready to go deeper.

I went through stages where I was convinced spiritual practices I engage in are always positive. Feeling detached also came to mean I was not fully conscious or present. I was very good at focusing on the positive or being overly optimistic. Had no idea I was projecting negative feelings. At some stage, it dawned positive thinking is not the way to overcome problems. Facing shadows is far more effective. Rather than attempting to “rise above” emotions, I learned to feel, heal and move through them.

Pride is difficult to detect in ourselves because it is a refusal to admit wrong or see a need to change. As the light of our dignity shines more brightly, we realize that we don’t have to be perfect. Showing vulnerability and humility invites stronger connection. We move from the superficial into soul-level relationships. We grow approachable rather than seem intimidating. We don’t see ourselves as better or worse than anyone else. We are the same.

It is freeing to hold ourselves with the dignity that comes from simply being human. We don’t need to achieve “greatness” to have worth and value. Greatness is innate . We might be inclined to seek excellence because it feels meaningful, energizing and expansive, but not because it defines who we are.

It dawns pride that drives us at certain stages of life prevents us from acknowledging our human vulnerabilities. When driven by shame or illusion of inferiority, its uncomfortable to say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong, I made a mistake.” When pride rules, we believe we’re always right or we fear backing down. This makes it difficult to know and sustain intimacy.

A self-centred culture teaches we must achieve self-actualization (enlightenment) to be truly happy. This quest also contributes to a tendency to avoid difficult or painful emotions. Rather than trying to solve problems in environments that cause suffering, self-centred culture teaches people that they alone are responsible for their destiny. At certain stages, maybe you relate?

What stands out is that negative thoughts and feelings serve a purpose. They do not exist so we avoid them. Rather, they point to a diminshed self image, deep hurt, sadness and that emotions that require acceptance and validation. Negative thoughts exist so we use those thoughts to propel positive actions. Simply putting on rose-colored glasses and ignoring deeper issues does not make them go away. Choosing instead to forge friendships, look people directly in the eye, be candid and share vulnerability, are keys to being more assertive, self-loving and decisive when it counts.

Ultimately, discomfort is a soul-level sign that something is not right and needs to change. If you think you lessen discomfort by simply avoiding it, or normalizing abnormal behaviour, situations causing distress will remain. Yet, to recognize the nature of our unconscious behaviours, is to see restlessness is itself a sign of our ongoing quantum transformation. We are catching up with the light.

Come Full Circle

(Image by  Mareh Kohen)

Notice at a given moment, you can only ever do "your best" based on your current insight, level or stream of consciousness. A focal point of awareness knows there is never anything wrong with you or how you do anything. How and what we see is simply a matter of perspective. Purpose and circle of compassion simply change (expand or contract) based on sense of self. So long as you view yourself as a separate individual, purpose is related to time and distance imagined to reach "success," in forms of a job, life role, sense of community or experience. As you tune into the Soul, and reframe 'coming full circle,' the only purpose is to love everything and everyone equally not only in mind, but also consistently in practice. There is nowhere to go, nothing to become. As it dawns love and acceptance are here now, one's circle of compassion expands. One gently stops recognizing difference or attempting to prove oneself, stops comparing and judging. Imagined boundaries dissolve. The ego mind could never understand for it cannot comprehend unity, equality or interconnectedness. The more you notice fear and/or love speaking through you, the more you come to notice the ego comes and goes whereas true divine Being is ever-present. As timeless Being takes the helm and navigates the ship (human body-mind), then choices change and love is the ultimate purpose and motivation in every area of your life. Trust and surrender are the compass. This does not often happen instantly, but it does happen. We are each like a stone skipping across the cosmic ocean, leaving ripples, deciding what stacks up, changing vibration in due course.

Snap out of the Trance

Notice discomfort (what doesn't taste right) comes up to the surface to be purged or let go. Let awareness do what it wants to do. It will be drawn into the feelings and experiences outside and then on the inside of the skin. The inward environment has things to listen to. If you get hijacked by a thought, make no effort to get rid of it, change, alter or control it. Deep listening is simply noticing things as they are. The more you relax, the more the spaciousness grows obvious. What you miss before stands out. Awareness loses fixation on things so to rest in its natural state. Thoughts, feelings, objects arise. Amidst all this, tune into what openness feels like. In this sense of opennness, every moment, awareness is present. We need not exert effort to grow more aware. Space itself is highly awake. Entities are not "aware." Awarness does not originate at any particular point. Awareness itself is already in a profound state of listening. It is open, not picking or choosing, judging, fearing or manipulating. It is simply being itself. As awareness happens, you are no longer in the trance of thought. See and feel for yourself what its like to be awareness. No answer exists to questions of how to get here. This is not about a goal, not about controlling thought or feeling. Awareness itself is not aiming to change you. Everything happens spontaneously. Its simply drawing you into True Nature.