TRACI TRIMBLE: I am new to the feelings thing. Well, maybe not new – I am, in my forties, after all. I mean that I am new to listening to and respecting my feelings. In the past four years I have come to trust that my intuition is actually guided by my 'feelings' – especially my heart and my stomach. It turns out that good things feel good in my heart – like a warm tingling that builds up to a comforting hug and bad things feel bad in my stomach – like stabbing nausea overwhelming me. Who knew? No, really! Who knew?
The funny thing is, this realization came very shortly after I escaped from the corporate world. It was almost as though I had shut off my intuition and buried my feelings in order to climb the corporate ladder. Weird, right? Well maybe not so weird since my escape came in the form of a health care crisis that ejected me, unwillingly, from the uncomfortably miserable and stressful rat race that I was addicted to. At first it was devastating. As it turned out it was my velvet hammer.
The velvet hammer is the Universe's way of delivering the final message when you are not in the position to listen to the messages that your heart has been sending (sometimes for years). It is the only way that you listen, mostly because you have now been given no other choice. The velvet hammer knocks you off of your feet with a blow so forceful you cannot help but be left affected. Yet it is gentle enough that you will recover, given both the time to heal your wounds and some quiet contemplation. The velvet hammer usually happens to people who are not living in alignment with their true selves. We are often ego centric and unwilling to listen to the wisdom that our hearts whisper to us. Therefore, the Universe is left with no other tool sufficient enough to move us out of our own way.
Through my (several) velvet hammer experiences over the past forty years I have come to discover that the secret to a truly joyful and fulfilling life – plain and simple – is learning to listen to my own heart whisperings, to trust in what I hear even if, at first I do not comprehend, and then to follow the path as directed. When it feels good I am warm and tingly... I am on the path. When it feels bad, like a stabbing nausea, I am straying from the path.
This is a cultivated skill if you have the desire, are willing to allow the messages and to accept guidance along the way. Guidance comes from the inside via emotions and from the outside via resources. One of my resources is my good friend and colleague at The Tranquil Garden, Christine Kowal 'the Truth Whisperer'. She hears the whispering of your heart and shares with you what she hears. She always tells people,“You have whatever you need inside of you.”
If Christine is right, then why is it that many of us search everywhere else but within for the answers to our challenges? Instead, we listen to friends, family and even strangers. We often neglect the most influential and important voice ~ our own heart whispering to us.
I believe that it's because we fear the power of our emotions and misunderstand the value of our own intuition. We are often confused by the whisper, especially if the message seems illogical, difficult or scary. This is because we have yet to comprehend the incredibly powerful navigation system built into our bodies meant specifically for the purposes of guiding us to that which is most in alignment with our true self.
I also believe it is possible to cultivate the skills required to use our feelings and emotions to guide us to our true path. If only we desire to listen. If only we would ask. If only we are interested in investing the time and energy in taking a few moments out of each day for quiet contemplation – a conversation with our heart centre.
How would one do this? Simple, find a comfortable, safe and quiet place to sit, lay down or recline. Gently close your eyes. Take a deep yet unforced breath in – through your nose, filling you heart space, lungs and stomach. Let it out in a gentle slow release following the opposite path. Try this several times until you feel relaxed, at peace and open to allow the message within you. Clear your mind and ask the question you long to know the answer to. If you do not have a specific question, then ask a general one such as “What do I need to know right now?” First, pay attention to how you feel physically and the emotions that wave through you. Then pay attention to what you are thinking, the images that come to your mind. Finally, remain relaxed and listen to your heart.
Be patient with yourself both during and after such a meditation. If you need help seek out your own resource – there are many amazing leaders and guides of meditation groups. Most importantly do not give up. We all have what we need inside us. It is worth taking the time to learn how to listen to the whispering of our own heart!
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