by Vanessa Wesley
first published on Apr 28, 2008

The biggest concern we receive when talking to others about listening to inner guidance is about—knowing inner guidance is “speaking,” but resisting its gentle voice and direction. Following inner guidance, for many, feels so much like “giving up control”.

The ironic part of this is that following guidance gives you the biggest control over your life. Surrendering to your inner knowing and your inner power is giving yourself control over the fears and stress that arise when you just don’t know what to do, or what decisions to make.

To add insult to injury, the word surrender conjures up images of waving the white flag and giving up or quitting. We are not taught to surrender gladly, to allow something else to win. So it’s real important here to define what we are talking about when using the word surrendering. What exactly are you surrendering to? And how does surrendering give you more control and not less? These are the questions that either consciously or unconsciously is being asked by you when you are trying to determine if you can trust your inner power, what we call your essential Whisper.

It is first helpful to know what resistance (non-surrendering) feels like. Most people we talk to really want to trust and follow inner guidance, but aren’t aware of the subtle (and not so subtle) ways the ego will resist the sensations of the Whisper. Let’s recap the inner sensations of guidance: openness or non-constriction and expansion usually felt in the solar plexus area or heart area; general feeling of peace or “okay-ness”; high level of awareness or alertness, also known as presence; the feeling of certainty or resonance; and any of the six distinct experiences of Snapshot Click, Collapsed Time and Space, Urge, Wonderment, Knowing, and Inspiration.

Resistance comes with its own set of feelings as well, and once you know what these are it will be a lot easier to know with certainty when you are resisting inner guidance and perhaps refusing to surrender to your inner knowing. Here are a few of the symptoms of resistance: constriction or tightness in the heart area or “gut”; lethargy or sudden tiredness; stressful feelings such as tightness or tension; and confusion.

Recognize any of these? You may not have known that oftentimes these distinct feelings of discomfort are signals to you that you are in resistance. So what exactly is resistance and why does it feel like we are losing control to surrender and give up resistance? You’ll be glad to know that there’s nothing wrong here, and that you are operating according to the “laws of your mind”.

We sometimes fight ourselves or sabotage our best efforts simply because we don’t fully understand that our minds operate in very systematic ways. The mind (the thinking rational part) is brilliantly fast and not much more than a slew of millions of chemical reactions. Yet, it has its role; nice to know that stopping at a red light will probably keep you from colliding with another vehicle; nice to know how to break down the components of something and analyze its constituent parts; nice to know which plane to board when flying to New York.

Here’s the key: Know what the mind can KNOW and what it cannot KNOW, and you are way ahead of the game!

Did you get that? Go ahead and read it again.

We feel out of control because we give the “mind” (our beliefs and thoughts/ego) powers it simply doesn’t have. The ego doesn’t know who the best person is for you to partner with in your business venture. The ego doesn’t know how you will manifest your heartfelt desires. The ego doesn’t know the best way for you to actualize your dreams. The ego doesn’t even know the food you “should” eat!! Ever go on a diet that seemed to be just the “right” one for you only to discover it didn’t work?

You see, it isn’t that you lose control when you listen to inner guidance; it’s that you don’t have control when you don’t listen and follow guidance. In other words, the thinking mind can brilliantly assess and manipulate the data it has, but it has no control over outcomes. It never did. The intuitive mind, however, the part of us that puts together whole pictures and is tied to sensations can tell you information that otherwise seems irrational and “dubious” to the thinking ego self. This is your inner knowing, and this is what you surrender to.

The very next time you feel one or more of the symptoms of resistance try to take a few moments and go within. Ask yourself, “What did I not do that I was told to do?” What did I do that I wasn’t told to do?” Stay still and breathe, and allow your inner knowing and power to show you the answer. If you do this over the next week or so, whenever you feel resistance, you will come to know in what way you believe you will lose control. Gently release the resistance by breathing it out and thanking guidance for showing you how to surrender. Doing just this simple act will give you the greatest control you ever had!

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This entry is filed under Vanessa Wesley, Weekly Whisper Articles.