I'm (obviously) biased towards the Quaker way since it feeds my spirit so well, but may I recommend some sort of practice of holy silence? Quaker, Buddhist, Catholic...doesn't matter. Holy silence. Vulnerable space within yourself shared with the universe.
Having thought about this for a day or so, I think I'm also hesitant to listen to my inner voice because it tends to be very impulsive and destructive. I feel that I can't trust it to give me an honest answer, due at least in part to my brain quirks. I tend to default to logical analysis to solve most of ny life issues because of this.
(This is mostly me trying to process through your suggestion, rather than trying to solicit free therapy. Thank you so much for weighing in. <3)
That is actually a valid concern. That's why every tradition of silent worship involves appealing to something bigger than we are. Holy silence is about either setting ourselves aside (Buddhist/Hindu meditation) or calling out to a larger force (Quaker/Catholic tradition).
Non-theistic Friends often talk about appealing to their higher selves, the universe, or the broader sense of human good. It's not just about exposing ourselves to Godde, you know?
There is an old Quaker anecdote about how we could know that the word we have received is actually from the Divine/beyond us rather than just our own fancy: Friends are encouraged to push a message down and deny it three times. If it returns, speak. But often, Friends will find that the message they have pushed down comes out of the mouth of another in the room. That is a sure way to know there is more.
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Date: 2016-01-14 11:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-01-15 12:39 am (UTC)I don't know if that's a thing I ever do. :/
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Date: 2016-01-15 02:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-01-15 03:03 pm (UTC)Having thought about this for a day or so, I think I'm also hesitant to listen to my inner voice because it tends to be very impulsive and destructive. I feel that I can't trust it to give me an honest answer, due at least in part to my brain quirks. I tend to default to logical analysis to solve most of ny life issues because of this.
(This is mostly me trying to process through your suggestion, rather than trying to solicit free therapy. Thank you so much for weighing in. <3)
no subject
Date: 2016-01-17 05:49 pm (UTC)Non-theistic Friends often talk about appealing to their higher selves, the universe, or the broader sense of human good. It's not just about exposing ourselves to Godde, you know?
There is an old Quaker anecdote about how we could know that the word we have received is actually from the Divine/beyond us rather than just our own fancy: Friends are encouraged to push a message down and deny it three times. If it returns, speak. But often, Friends will find that the message they have pushed down comes out of the mouth of another in the room. That is a sure way to know there is more.