this is part of a multi-part series on discernment. what are my ways of discerning what some traditions would call “god’s will” and what others might call in alignment with highest good for me or what deepak chopra calls communication from our nonlocal intelligence? i will use the terms “god’s will,” “highest good” “nonlocal communication” interchangeably throughout the series so look alive. click through the first post —how do i discern what is in alignment with my highest good (and why might i want to)? to see what lies ahead or what we’ve already brought forth.
today’s topic snuck up on me and added itself to the list. it has come to my attention that i sometimes “inexplicably” put off getting clarity on my highest good. my spiritual mentors have schooled me that when i only procrastinate when i am getting something out of it. today i realized that my consciousness holds onto a huge obstacle to discernment: what if i don’t like what’s in my highest good? what if i don’t want to do what spirit “wants” me to do? (i put quotes on that because as you’ll see in other posts, i don’t believe in a god in the sky with a beard pulling puppet strings. i believe that spirit as me has a highest good that it will reveal in as and through me. i always have a choice as to whether i align with that good or not. often when i do not things are harder for me than when i do. yet, somehow i still choose to question the part of myself that has access to vastly more information than my ego does.
i’m here to tell you that i don’t always like the communication i get from my nonlocal intelligence. very frequently, god will not sign off on my plans to be given credit for saving the world. often, i get communication that
what i am to do is really very small. often it is just what is right in front of me.
maybe what seems highest/lightest/best for me is just not something i want to do. my child self wants what it wants when it wants it. sometimes it is throwing a little tantrum about what i am being asked to do. it is lying on its back in the middle of a supermarket kicking its legs and screaming, “i don’t wanna! i want an ice cream sandwich!”
another version of this story stands sideways to the above. sometimes what my soul/higher self/god/nonlocal intelligence wants for me is actually way bigger and more audacious than the structural constraints of my current situation seem to allow for. in that case my “reality-based” adult self is saying “that’s not practical. that can’t be done. that’s crazy talk.”
all of these ideas/thoughts are best checked out with a trusted spiritual mentor. although i can trust my inner wisdom, the whole point of this series is that it can be difficult to discern what is my highest good and what is something else. it can be challenging sometimes to choose the right person to talk to about these questions. i personally would never talk this through with anyone who is strongly invested in my current reality constraints (in english, i mean, don’t talk to a family member or coworker or close friend who really wants and needs you to stay exactly the same—this doesn’t mean they don’t love you or have your best interests at heart but most people have trouble separating out their own interests from the person they are counseling. that’s why we have counselors. talking to a spiritual practitioner or member of the clergy, life coach, therapist, or 12 step sponsor would probably be a safer bet. if its tricky, talk it through with them how you will approach family, coworkers, friends with it).