What you need to live the Intuitive Life
Willingness
to open yourself to a new way of living
Commitment
to reduced suffering and increased joy for all sentient beings
A few Beliefs about reality.
Hopefully, many of you have the capacity for skepticism. An admirable quality in this world of philosopher charlatans. Skeptics can have some difficulty with taking on beliefs. The remedy for this is suspending disbelief. In the very act of suspending disbelief, a tiny crack is opened for spirit to enter your life. You do NOT have to believe.
You only have to not disbelieve. Once there is an opening, life will provide the experiences you need to convert suspended disbelief to genuine knowledge (not belief).
Swami Muktananda was an Indian SadGuru—one with the ability to transmit spiritual experience through touch. Many years ago I received this blessing and for the first time I knew, not thought, that I was connected to something greater.
Over time, this feeling faded. My ego used all its tricks—denial, logic, skepticism—and within months I felt nothing. I kept attending his centers, doing the chanting, listening to the lectures. Nothing.
One day I pulled an older devotee aside and confessed my doubt. And in one of those moments when the right person says the right thing at exactly the right time, she said with such kindness: “You do not have to believe. Just pretend. Act out with all your heart what it would be like to believe.”
So I did. I watched the other participants and mimicked their words, their gestures, their deep faith. And slowly, I was connected again—fully, genuinely—while my skeptic still doubted in the background.
The lesson I want to share: when seeking truth, you do not have to believe. Suspend your disbelief. Pretend with all your heart. You will soon know if this path has value for you.
One can have faith and still be skeptical.
Practicing an intuitive life does rest upon taking on a small number of beliefs. We might then question: if evolution is the letting go of beliefs, why would we need beliefs to eliminate them?
The answer is that we will always carry some beliefs until all sentient beings become enlightened. The workaround for this dilemma is to use your beliefs like clothing. Wear them for the duration of their need—when you are done, put them aside.
Different beliefs may best serve your evolution at different times. Never forget that all will become unnecessary sooner or later.
To get the most out of living intuitively, I have found the following beliefs to be helpful:
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There is a God
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Your Deity of Choice
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This God has the qualities of being: boundless, omnipotent, omniscient; unconditionally loving; limitless in compassion; and perfect—as are you, the world, and ALL of creation.
This “GOD” can be in any form or formless, named or unnamed, within, without, or both. At this point, for most of us, it is a belief—one we choose that best serves our life purpose.
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The Purpose of life is to Evolve
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Not this, Not this—Rinse and Repeat.
Evolution is the process of letting go of those things we are not—the history of our lives. Evolution is the manifesting of our true nature—the God within.
A belief in Reincarnation
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Hmmmmmm
Not really necessary, but an excellent metaphor for practicing detachment.
No Separation
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Science Says So
The science behind the unity of all things is well documented. At the most basic level, we are all part of one energetic field. Any change affects us all. Just because you don’t feel it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
Whether aware or not, all beings feel every act of darkness, as well as every kindness. We suffer as one, we evolve as one, and we will only return to the embrace of the one true God together.
Enlightenment is a group sport!
The Perfection of All Things
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Step way back and see
Every moment perfectly placed
Creation revealed
The universe is inherently perfect and benevolent. All that has happened, is happening, and will happen to you—the ideal environment to evolve. Step way back. When you view the history of your life, or lives, as a well-orchestrated assembly of opportunities to become your best self, the incredible perfection of creation reveals itself.
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There are NO Victims
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Your soul is in charge
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No person, no thing, no luck, no fate does anything TO you. As an integral part of the perfection of all things, you are responsible for everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen to you. Your spirit—an integral part of you—is dedicated to creating a reality that helps you become your best possible self.
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The Mind Always Lies
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The Body Speaks Only the Truth
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A friend of mine reflected on how the little “i” looks like a head detached from its body—the Big “I,” a body anchored between Earth and Heaven. Intuitive living is about learning to be the Big I—standing firmly between heaven and Earth, their wisdom translated through the body.
The mind is the great deceiver. It defines its existence by suffering. When we transcend the mind, our true nature observes the ego’s antics with detachment—and we no longer are driven into the future by our past.
“Suffering was the only thing that made me feel I was alive.” —Carly Simon
The Mind is NOT your friend
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I Don’t Know How To Believe
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At Least Be Consistent
What to do if that internal skeptic or cynic resists belief? Recognize first that the voice of doubt is also a belief. If you choose not to believe, at least be consistent.
Then SUSPEND DISBELIEF. The mantra is “I don’t know.” The action is to take on the beliefs above and see if the intuitive life adds quality to your life. Try it for a 3 or 6 months, be objective, then decide.
So what does it take to live this intuitive life? Willingness, commitment, and an openness to try on a few beliefs. Next up—how do you actually do it?
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