Tracy's first question via email

Tracy asks:
1. How do I know when I am getting guidance from my higher self / intuition / god (whatever label people put on it) as opposed to my mind / ego thinking, pushing?

Hi Tracey. Blessings. Thank you for you post. In answer and open for discussion: When the mind is perfectly still and quietness takes over, there is no mistaking true guidance. Taking the moment to be still so the thinking processes and thoughts are stilled, allows the truth to come through. Meditation doesn’t have to be sitting in the lotus position, chanting mantras. Meditation can be as simple as sitting in stillness in the quiet peace of the mind and just breathing and taking notice of your breath. If you want to know the answer to something you need to stop the thinking process, be still, ask the question and then sit in perfect stillness, silence. You will know the truth and difference between the ego and the truth the more you quiet the mind and practice stillness. This not only teaches you more of yourself but also where you can trust yourself.

What answers would help you most?

If a genie were to offer you three wishes and grant them, you would take a moment to reflect on the things that you would wish for, not wanting to waste the opportunity. Unlike the genie, I can't offer you fulfillment of your wishes. I can however, ask you if you could know the answer to three questions that would bring about a change in your life to have more peace, what would your three questions be?

Some things to consider...
What takes from your peace? What would you like to change about yourself the most? What would you like to change about your life the most? What do you perceive a state of peace to be?

What would your three questions be?
Please feel free to either comment here or email me personally.

The future, the past, the present.

We spend so much time either in the future or the past, so little time on this day, this hour, this minute, this moment. We hold close to ourselves memories of the past including the memory of bad experiences. This state of mind keeps us living in fear and therefore in the state of fight or flight mode. We may have had one bad experience but through keeping the memory of it alive, rather than letting it go and allowing ourselves to have peace, we continue to live it. The experience becomes part of our present in keeping it alive, reliving it, reinventing it, making it our story. Someone may have hurt you once but you hurt yourself again and again by reliving the experience in your mind. It is the past and when you let it go, you also let go the fight or flight mode you've been holding yourself in. You can relax and enjoy life more. You can begin to embrace life and yourself in the present moment. When all we do is look to the future our present passes us by all too quickly and we've missed the moment to enjoy ourselves now. Don't let life pass you by. Enjoy it now for all there is, is now. Embrace you in the moment.

What is your perception of yourself?

Who do you perceive yourself to be?

Ask yourself these questions:
Am I the reflection I see in the mirror? Am I the body I see and feel? Am I the colour of the hair, the character of the face? Am I the skin I'm in?
Am I the name/s given to me? Am I my occupation? Is who I am the sibling/father/mother/aunt/uncle/grandparent/child of 'my' family?
Am I what I see, think and feel?
Am I the emotions I have?
Am I what I do and therefore what I don't do?

I'd love to hear your answers.