As human beings, we all have access to guidance. It is around us all the time, and  in constant communication with our intuition. It’s possible though that we haven’t been taught to quiet our minds and to look inward for guidance in our daily lives.

As you dive deeper into your mediation practice, you learn how to connect with your guidance much faster and much more easily. After completing Gateway Voyage, the Monroe Institute offers a program, Guidelines, that will help you connect more easily with your guidance in daily life. Through this experiential program you'll learn to recognize guidance in it's many forms, what it feels like and how to use it.

Why is this important? When we are hit with an important or immediate decision that requires attention in our daily lives, we can over analyze, freeze up and forget to "get quiet" and connect with our guidance. It’s important to remember to consult your guidance and there are many practical ways to connect. Here are a few of them.

When there's no rush to decide

Of course, the best-case scenario when you want to use your guidance or your natural intuition to make a big decision is when you have plenty of time. Hopefully, this happens often enough for you. The first step is to be informed! Don’t rely solely on your guidance or intuition. Just because I’m focusing on that here doesn’t mean you should forget to do the practical research. Investigate all sides of what you are trying to decide on so you can make the most informed decision possible. Once you feel well informed, plan several meditation sessions over a few days. When you go into these meditation sessions, go to the Monroe Focus level where you feel the strongest connection to your guidance and/or to your intuition. Ask your guidance and/or your Higher-Self to show you the most beneficial outcome. It also doesn’t hurt to spend your sessions playing through different outcomes and envisioning which could be the most beneficial. The more you become familiar with the question you are bringing into your meditation, the more easily the best path for you will present itself.  

Another great way to connect with your guidance when you have a night to sleep on a problem or question is to dream it.

Or, there's time to "sleep on it"

Another great way to connect with your guidance when you have a night to sleep on a problem or question is to dream it. Meditate before bed and set your intention for your sleep that night. Tell yourself and the universe that you will be dreaming about the best outcome for your problem or question that night and go to sleep open to receiving any information. If you wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning having dreamed something, then immediately write it down. Take a break to eat breakfast or unwind, and then go back to reflect on your dream content.

...create a “pros” and “cons” list. Do this, and then meditate with your list in mind. 

Another practical way to deal with your problems is to create a “pros” and “cons” list. Do this, and then meditate with your list in mind. Reviewing this list in a different Focus level may provide you with answers or elements that you weren’t seeing in Focus 1 waking consciousness.

When you have to come up with an immediate answer

Now, life isn’t always easy on us, and there will definitely be moments where you need to deal with a problem or answer a question relatively quickly. If you need to make an important decision quickly, the most important thing you can do is remain calm. The calmer you are, the more easily you will be able to look inward and expand your consciousness.

In these situations, it’s important to take a minute to breath. ... take a moment to check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Chances are, you will have a feeling that is pushing you to go one way or another.

In these situations, it’s important to take a minute to breath. Ask if you can come back in ten minutes, and it’s okay to tell someone you need to take a break to think on it. Use this short period of time to connect with your guidance. Find a quiet place to shake away all thoughts and concerns and go into Focus 10 or Focus 12 with a blank mind ready to receive guidance. If there’s not enough time for even that, take a moment to check in with yourself. How are you feeling? Chances are, you will have a feeling that is pushing you to go one way or another. Try to follow it.

Even the most rationally-minded businessmen talk about listening to their “gut.” This is their way of saying they followed their intuition.

Don’t ever be afraid to listen to your gut. Even the most rationally-minded businessmen talk about listening to their “gut.” This is their way of saying they followed their intuition. Sometimes, you just have to go with your gut, and that isn’t a bad thing to rely on. The odds are, no matter how little time you have, if you quiet your mind for a moment or two and see what it’s telling you, your guidance will push you in the right direction.

Your guidance is with you all the time, you just need to learn to listen to it. The more practice you have with this, the more you will be able to hear it even when the world around you is very loud.

                                  --------------------------------------------------

If you're a Gateway graduate, try the Guidelines program. The benefits to using your guidance are unending!