Affirmation: I am in tune with Spirit’s guidance.


I’m not asking for much. All I want is a little guidance. A burning bush would be nice. A few words written in the sky. Some days, I’d even settle for a particularly relevant fortune cookie. Please, God, just give me clarity in the midst of my confusion.

But alas, I’ve yet to discover a message emblazoned on the horizon, I’ve never seen a burning bush, and my last fortune cookie instructed me to learn Chinese.

The truth is that we live in Spirit’s wisdom. Like the fish in search of water, we are swimming in wisdom all the time but just don’t see it.

Guidance is not something for which we have to grasp. It is something to which we attune.

Be Willing to Ask.

Attuning to Spirit’s guidance starts with asking. I confess that sometimes I forget the obvious. When I am struggling with a puzzling situation, occasionally a trusted friend will say, “Have you prayed about it?” Truth be told, often I haven’t. Asking for Spirit’s guidance is important because it is a statement of faith. It immediately declares our sincere intention to hear Spirit, and it sets us up to listen. 

Be Willing to Be Still.

Listening is the next step. We live in a fast-moving, multitasking world. In her book The Seven Whispers (New World Library, 2003), Christina Baldwin says we need to slow down and move at the “pace of guidance.”

Speed is some guy running through the airport shouting into a cell phone. Pace is going around the block with a 3-year-old and noticing everything the child is noticing. When we move at pace, we have time to question and time to listen for answers before moving on. When we move at the pace of guidance, it occurs to us to wonder what plans the Divine might have for us, in the midst of the plans we have for ourselves. 

Baldwin says speed tends to cancel out our guidance and keeps us out of touch with Spirit. 

The best way to move at the pace of guidance is to maintain a regular meditation practice. Meditation teaches us to listen, hones our awareness of our inner wisdom, and inspires us to see Spirit everywhere.

Be Willing to Be Present.

Perhaps the most important action we can take is to be present and aware. In his book One Minute Wisdom (Doubleday, 1985), Anthony de Mello tells a story of a student who asked his spiritual master, “Where shall I look for enlightenment?” The master responded simply, “Here.”

The student was not satisfied and asked the master what he should look for and how exactly he should look. The master told him just to look at anything and look in the ordinary way. The frustrated student asked, “But don’t I always look in the ordinary way?” The master said, “No … because to look you must be here. You’re mostly somewhere else.”

We really do live in a field of infinite intelligence, and it is not hiding itself from us. It’s up to us to decide to be present.

Right here in this moment is where the guidance is. To notice the metaphorical burning bush, we must be as observant as a 3-year-old, or we will walk right past it.

Be Willing to Be Open.

Finally, attuning to Spirit’s wisdom requires us to be open—open to the timing and open to the guidance. The answer we receive may not be one we’ve ever considered.  I vividly recall the night I prayed fervently to know the next step on my career path.  Boy, was I surprised when I awoke the next morning to the guidance that I was to become a Unity minister. It was not something I’d ever dreamed of, nor was it something I wanted. Nevertheless, the inner knowing was irrefutable.

Guidance comes in many forms. It can be a feather on the path. A book falling from the shelf. A profound inner knowing. A persistent idea.

We cannot predict the form, the timing, or the content, but we can set a clear intention to stay open, awake, and attuned. The message will come in the perfect way and at the perfect time as long as we remain open.

The Courage to Imagine.

Seeking guidance is an act of courage and faith. So let’s take this moment to imagine and affirm some of the truths we know:

  • We are immersed in a field of infinite wisdom.
  • All the wisdom we need is already within us.
  • Each of our cells is alive with divine intelligence.
  • We can ask anything of this wisdom and we will be guided.
  • No question is too large and no situation too complex.
  • We are in tune with Spirit’s guidance. Right here. Right now.

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