We all have a choir of voices in our heads, but only one of them truly matters.
We have the voices of society, the voices of our friends and family, the voices of our limiting beliefs, the voices of our passions, the voices of our insecurities, the voices of our hopes, and even the voices of our fears. It can get kind of overwhelming, having to constantly listen to the symphony of opinions and thoughts and beliefs that sometimes aren't even ours.
It's confusing and draining and it’s hard to shut it all off.
But with practice, there is a way to make all the voices quieter, so quiet in fact, that it is almost as if they shut up completely.
And that is by listening to the voice of your intuition, which is less of a voice and more of a silent feeling of peace, of knowing, of truth.
The intuition does not yell, or judge, or reprimand, or inquire, or suggest. The intuition simply just is. It is that which resonates, that which speaks to the soul through the feeling of connection to one’s own truth and purpose. The intuition is the quiet.
So, how do you start to listen to your intuition, your inner compass that always points you in the direction of your soul's divine path?
Well, first you need to practice deciphering which voices are ego driven.
The Ego
I want to start off by saying that the ego is not entirely bad. The ego is the animalistic part of us. It is our biological alarm system that has kept us alive for millions of years. The ego exists to protect us, to ensure our survival.
For example, the voice in our head that is fearful of judgement, of being looked upon in a negative light by others, that is the voice of the ego. That voice exists, in part, because back when we were nomads, if we were not liked by our tribe and kicked out, we would not have been able to survive. Therefore, we have a biological defense mechanism in our subconscious to keep us alive in the form of wanting to be liked by others.
Despite the ego’s misguided well intentions, it is ultimately the voice in our heads that is of fear and lack. Like many other ways in which the ego drives our thoughts, actions, and behaviors, it is outdated and no longer needed. We no longer live in an environment in which we need our fight or flight instincts to be on high alert. We live a safer and more comfortable human existence. Unfortunately, our biological alarm system, the ego, has yet to comprehend that.
The ego continues to over analyze the past, hyper focus on the endless possibilities of the future, and keep us trapped in a cycle of “what ifs” and “should haves” instead of the present moment. It creates illusions such as “I’m not good enough.” “I’m too short.” "I can’t because I have no money.” “I am alone, no one understands me.” All of these illusions are false and hold us back from living true, joyful, authentic, and blissful lives.
The ego, despite being a helpful human resource, is a complete and utter buzz kill. And it tends to be the front seat driver in the minds of most people, which is a leading contributor to low vibrational feelings such as anxiety, depression, stress, and perfectionism.
The Intuition
The intuition on the other hand is separate from our human, physical existence. The intuition is tied to our soul.
In reality, we are all energy (souls) living a physical existence in human bodies on planet earth. Why we are here, I cannot tell you for 100% certainty, but we are all here for a reason. I at least know that.
Our higher self, our inner knowing, the voice of our soul (whatever you want to call it), guides us through our intuition.
Where the ego has the best interest of our animalistic needs in mind, our intuition has the best interest of our souls in mind.
Our intuition can only send us messages of light and love. It is of the highest good and only wants to see us on our true path of purpose and enlightenment.
How To Tell The Difference
The ego is fear based and drenched with emotion, whereas our intuition is more neutral and resonates with our truth.
At first, it can be tricky trying to decipher the voices in our head and feelings in our body. For example, is the pit in your stomach a message from your intuition warning you as a form of protection from something that will not serve you well? Or is that sensation actually just anxiety sent by the ego to keep you “safe” from an imaginary threat such as embarrassment?
With practice you will be able to decipher between the two with ease. Below is an exercise I use to tap into my intuition and figure out where certain thoughts, ideas, emotions, and actions are coming from.
How to Tune In? Feel into the emotions in your body:
Center yourself. Take a few deep breaths. If you have time, go for a walk or stretch to clear your head. Once you are in a more grounded headspace, observe your thoughts and emotions. Do not judge or analyze, just objectively observe what you are thinking and feeling.
In this space, ask yourself these questions. I personally like to journal the answers, but I encourage you to do what feels right. Simply thinking of the responses during your morning commute is beneficial enough.
Are these thoughts coming from a place of gratitude and abundance, or lack and fear?
Your intuition is of the brightest light. It is never negative. It is the voice of your soul and your essence of being. It is one with the Universe. Your intuition will only speak to you through emotions of gratitude and abundance. It is never laced with fear, anxiety, or judgement. If a thought or feeling ever has those low vibrational emotions, it is 100% coming from your ego. Even in a situation in which you could potentially be in danger, your intuition will guide you through feelings of safety and thoughts of intellect, not fear.
How do I feel in my body; do I feel light and expansive, or heavy and contractive?
Your ego does not encourage your divine purpose, so it will feel wrong; it will feel uncomfortable. The best word to describe it would be heavy. It will feel misplaced, because advice from the ego is misguided and should not be followed. When you are listening and following the voice of your intuition, you will feel aligned and light and expansive. You will feel emotions such as bliss, gratitude, excitement, contentment, etc.
Does this feel true?
Intuition is truth. That is all it will ever be. It is divine, and it will only ever guide you in the direction of your soul’s path. Your ego is always false. Its main goal is to hold you back and keep you “safe,” but that is not why we are here, and the “danger” is only imaginary.
Okay, so now what?
Once you have discovered which voices in your head are the ego and recognize the feelings and intentions of your intuition, you simply must proceed to live your life without judgement and use your newfound guidance system in everything that you do.
It is extremely important that you do not judge or criticize the ego, because then you are just further reaffirming the ego’s power. The ego will continue to exist. The key is to recognize when it is speaking and not act based on those limiting thoughts. Ignore the negative and lean into what feels true and light and expansive.
Remember when you were little and you played that game where you had to find something and the person who knew where it was would say “hot” when you were close and scream “cold” when you were walking away from the item? Well, think of following your intuition as a lifelong game of “Hot and Cold,” hot being your intuition and cold being your ego.
When we are walking through life unaware of what to do next or unsure of where the right direction even is, we can tune in and follow the voice of our intuition, while trying our very hardest to ignore the negative, obnoxious voice of the ego.
With love and light,
Dee xo
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