Free will means that we have full control over our choices.

We have little control over the outcome.  Every action has a reaction and that reaction is on automatic.

That is why it is so important to think carefully about our options.  It is unrealistic to make a poor decision and hope for the best.

To help us, I believe we have a small inner signal which guides us toward the right thing.  An Internal Teacher.  Perhaps, a Guardian Angel.  The Voice of Intuition.

A friend who is a spiritual teacher says that we can train ourselves to hear the answer to a problem.

She feels we can feel the answer somewhere in our bodies.  The first step is to ask for guidance when we are calm.  If we are afraid, it distorts the answer.

Then, pick the Higher Power that is most comfortable for you and ask.  Universal Intelligence is available to all of us.

A man I know told me that he did not believe in any form of Higher Power.  So, as an experiment, he picked the ceiling in his room.  He said the ceiling answered him.

Everyone’s signal system is different.  Mine is in the region of my heart.  If I ask a question and the answer is NO, I get a feeling of restriction in that area.  Something closing up.  If it is YES, the feeling is calm and seems open.

Others can sit quietly and their head actually nods downward for yes, and side to side for the opposite.

This teacher suggests that each person must find their own signal.  Start with something small and ask for the answer.  Practice with something where the answer is obvious.  For example, “Is my name —-? “ Then, watch and feel your body.  It could be a signal almost anywhere. 

Another way is to get very calm before you ask and write the answer on a piece of paper.  Don’t think about it.  Just write the first thing that comes into your mind.

Ask minor questions until you feel secure enough to tackle a big problem.  I wouldn’t start with things like, “Shall I sell my house and move to California?” or “Shall I file for divorce?”

Recently, I was in the process of making a decision that would send me off on a big detour. At a deep level, I knew it was a setback to old behavior but it felt good.   It was tempting.  I was being stubborn about asking for Inner Guidance.  I could handle it myself!

Still pondering, I went into the kitchen to make some salad and nearly cut my thumb off!  That part of my Intuition was sick and tired of my making the same mistake over and over and said, “Stop! Enough already!”

Sometimes, our Guidance comes from something we accidentally read, a billboard, a child – an accident - a stranger on a plane.

And occasionally, we are chosen to be the Guardian Angel for someone else.

Recently, I was seated next to an elderly man on a plane. A very religious man. He had lost his wife only a few months ago but was contemplating getting married again right away.

He told me a lot about this “wonderful woman.”  It was a four hour trip so he had plenty of time to talk to me.

He seemed to be quite well off financially and told me how he helped his daughter after she lost her job.  Her house was going into foreclosure.

He also mentioned that his ex-daughter in law had been let down by his son, who was a drug addict, and he was paying her rent and expenses so she could support his young granddaughter.

Then, he dropped the bomb.  He said this “wonderful woman” objected to his generosity and they had “things to work out in that department.” She felt they were old enough to take care of themselves and he should save his money.  (For her?)

I didn’t even know the man’s name.  The plane was about to land.  But the words just popped out of my mouth.

I said, “I have a message for you from the Holy Spirit.  You are not to marry that woman.  You deserve a kind person in your later years.  She is a mean woman.”

This gentle man looked stunned as we were getting off the plane.  Then, he turned to me and said, “God seated next to me so I could hear that message.  I knew it but I wasn’t listening.  Thank you.” 

Things like that are not always coincidences.  The last thing on my mind that day was to be a Messenger.  I was tired and I just wanted to get home.

When doors are shutting in front of us, it could be a signal we are not listening.  Perhaps we should look the situation again with new eyes.  It could be a bad idea, or an idea whose time has not come.

Maybe it is it’s a matter of waiting for something, or someone to be ready for us.

Or, a path we should not be on at all.

I’d like to hear your experiences with your intuition.  And so would everyone else who is reading these words.  The comment form is below.