3 SUBTLE WAYS OUR HIGHER SELVES COMMUNICATE WITH US

We are constantly in contact with our higher selves; they are an infinite aspect of us. It is an interconnected aspect of our consciousness that sends and receives information from us at all times. It takes the practice of concentration and deeply listening to hear your higher self directly.

A lot of the time, the ways they send messages are subtle and it’s our job to figure out the meaning behind them. Our higher selves want us to learn and ask questions, not to just be given the answer.  Here are some of the subtle ways our higher selves communicate with us.

1. Through our own thoughts

A common question asked within the spiritual community is when will I receive direct contact? For a lot of us, the answer is you already are.

Many of us are ready to experience a more tangible form of communication from our higher selves or separate entities but are disappointed with the lack of ‘concrete’ communication.

The point of these energies being subtle is for us to learn how to navigate through them.

When we can feel subtle shifts in energy, we can know the difference between multiple entities sending us messages and what specifically feels different about each energy.

If a thought comes in that seems out of place or really sticks out; pay attention to it. Thoughts are a constant stream in our mental river; they are always flowing but we can control the direction.

We need to remember that a thought exists as a ‘physical’ or ‘real’ thing, just in a slightly higher frequency.

The other day I was trying to meditate when a line from a song kept repeating SO intensely in my head. It was like it was on full blast, fast forward and repeat, constantly playing the line: Life is what you make it.

I kept trying to ignore it and got frustrated with myself for having this song replay like this. It was like overlapping itself it was playing so fast.

The second I acknowledged the message, the repeating instantly stopped and it felt like this dense energy was lifted off me. I was ignoring the message until I realized how incredibly important it was for me to hear it in that moment. I knew without a doubt it was a message from an external source.

With things like this, you just know. You don’t need to guess or speculate when you can trust your feelings.

2. Through media

This one’s interesting and fun when you are really paying attention. Something that has happened to me throughout my whole life is when a lyrical song, movie or some kind of media with dialogue is playing, my thoughts or conversations ALWAYS sync up with it.

This happened earlier today even. I was talking to a friend when she started to say “I love the ocean” but stalled on saying Higher-Self 6‘ocean’ and the song playing in the background lined up perfectly and the singer said the word ocean.

This is the easiest synchronicity to brush off because it’s so ‘mundane’. It’s also the most subtly beautiful way to receive direct messages from the other side of the veil.  

Almost everyday, I’ll be thinking a thought or saying something and at the exact same time a word from a song will be said the exact same time I think of it. This happened the other day too, when I was feeling upset about a relationship issue and this song came on the radio.

It kept repeating lines that said something like let it go, don’t dwell, and move on. The core message was exactly what I needed to hear and I couldn’t help but cry and then shift my vibration to a lighter one.

When things like this happen, I don’t need to question if it’s a coincidence or not – I know it’s a message because it creates connections in my brain.

3. Through People

Your-Higher-Self

So, what if some people were extensions of your higher self?

What I mean is, say, you’re crying on a park bench and a lovely man or woman approaches you and asks if you’re alright. Maybe the strike up a conversation and momentarily bring you peace.

This happened to my friend a few weeks ago as she visited her dad’s grave. A man approached her and brought such a loving, comforting energy that she said she knew was her dads.

Source energy is infinite; there is so much more than this physical reality.
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Rewire Your Brain for Greater Happiness

Complaining.

We do it all the time. Most of the time, we don't even realize we're doing it. We may have no idea that there's any reason not to do it. We say, "I need to get something off my chest," or call it "personal sharing." Sometimes it's a one off; sometimes we repeat our stories again and again -- sometimes to the same person, sometimes to different people. We tell our stories to people we don't even know. We even tell other people's stories.

We tell the details of experiences that have not met with our satisfaction -- that frustrate us, thwart us, disappoint us, rob us, humiliate us or cause us regret, anger, sadness or some kind of stress. These stories are about our experiences with colleagues, bosses and jobs. They include our neighbors; the agencies meant to serve us; friends and lovers; wives and husbands; our parents; the schools our children attend; the weather and traffic. Time after time, over time we do this. Sound familiar?!

We think that relaying these stories to ourselves and others make us feel better. If others care about our stories, value the details as we do, see our point of view, agree with us, we are heard; we can be known and appreciated for what it takes to be us, we can be validated and sometimes even vindicated. On occasion, this does happen. But this redemption happens far, far less than we realize and need.

Yet, we keep at it.

We're here to tell you: Stop it. Really. Stop it.

Why? Because human beings and organizations wither and collapse in negative environments. And when we talk about ourselves and our views, to ourselves and to others, in so many of the most common and familiar ways we do, what comes out of our mouths is absolutely negative. We are haters in that moment.

There are costs to complaining. There IS something to downloading our experience and there IS something juicy about sharing your human experience with another human who can appreciate it. It can even feel like it brings you closer to someone. Yet complaining is ultimately a cheap take-out meal, on a late work night, when you should have been in bed an hour ago but it's what you crave and it tastes SO good. Soon, you don't feel well at all. Though we often don't notice, complaining doesn't nourish us in any sustainable way. We may have a feeling of deep justification or power as we tell our stories, but it's a false and fleeting power, and it undermines our real experience of feeling alive.

Like a mantra, we continue to hear our negative circumstances play over and over. The more we verbalize our point of view, the more real it becomes. Fewer opportunities for interpretation or other points of view have room to emerge. So we see what happened in one way, only in that way and, probably, always in that way. This is especially potent because, as the victim in our stories, we only reiterate the data relevant to affirm our point of view, validating to ourselves that this is as good as it's going to get for us. This thing is stuck, and our complaining keeps it exactly so. This judgment we listen to again and again costs us joy, our sense of freedom and our power over our choices and future.

Complaining about what happened five minutes ago or yesterday or 20 years ago also robs us of the presence of being either with ourselves or another person, in this moment. We lose this moment in time and it's gone forever. Many, many moments get used this way, though. How many times have your conversations been more than just a few moments?

Recommendations:

1. PAUSE 
The next time you are faced with the chance to tell a story of this kind, see if you can take a moment before you do. This will cut down on the automaticity that can come along with it. Let what you see in that extra moment inform what you do next. Do you need to say what you are about to? Will it support you? Will it make a difference for the person to whom you are about to tell it? Will it forward anything truly meaningful?

2. LOOSEN YOUR GRIP ON YOUR VERSION OF REALITY
See if you can focus on and let yourself relate to the facts about what happened vs. the spin or interpretation you've applied. We know there are many valid points of view about any set of facts. Your point of view is valid but if it's not one that empowers you or the people around you, if it keeps you stuck, lighten up about that point of view or shift it to a more empowering one. Because the meanings we give our stories actually come to dictate our thoughts and actions, simply starting with the understanding that you have a point of view can give you some power.

Here is an example of what we mean: Your brother-in-law emails the family that he can't make it to your house for the holidays, but leaves you off the email. Instead of repeating to yourself, your family allies and your friends that your brother-in-law is going behind your back to undermine and diminish you in the family, take a moment to notice the difference between the facts and your story.

Facts: Your brother-in-law Greg emailed some family members about not being able to spend the holidays at your house and didn't include you in the email.

Your story: Greg is sneaky and jealous of you (or some version of this).

Once you can see this set of facts merely as facts, you can choose a way of viewing them that is more flexible. In this case, it might mean considering Greg left you off the email by accident or that he was looking for feedback and reached out to your family first. Maybe he felt terrible and couldn't bring himself to tell you. It's the stories we make up, and get other people to agree with, that keep us stuck. When you are willing to give up being right about your complaints, and see the chance for a new view, you have freedom.

3. UNDERSTAND: YOUR EXPERIENCE, NOT THE STORY, IS MOST IMPORTANT
See if you can discover how you actually feel. Instead of relaying your story, try to get to the feeling you felt. In the case of Greg, you might say to yourself, "I can't believe Greg sent an email and didn't include me. I feel hurt and threatened." This is how you get in touch with what's really driving your upset. This is a valuable place. Here, you can choose to be hurt and threatened (vs. blaming) or choose to let it go. Here, you can take action. For example, you could call Greg and let him know how hurt you felt. When you can contact your felt experience, should you then decide to share your story, you have a much greater chance to be heard and validated than when you merely download to a receptacle.

These recommendations are not about positive thinking a negative circumstance, though you may start feeling less negatively, as a result. What we are suggesting is being more purposeful about where you apply your attention and energy. We think this gets rid of the bad take-out feeling. When you do, you better connect with yourself and your needs vs. requiring someone else to handle them, have a greater chance to arise from difficult feelings and truly negotiate life far better.

Written by: Meredith Haberfeld
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Science Shows What Meditation Really Does to Your Brain

Meditation, according to its spiritual gurus, is a universal panacea. Enthusiasts have long preached its benefits, which include its ability to lower anxiety, improve concentration, help treat those with HIV and even extend one's life expectancy.

While it's undeniable meditation contributes to a sense of inner piece, its physiological benefits remain less certain. That is, until a team of researchers confirmed them. What they uncovered is more than surprising.

"We found several brain regions that had changed," Sara Lazar, an associate research scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Mic. Lazar conducted a major study on meditation in 2011 and was one of the earliest scientists to take a serious look at the practice, according to the Washington Post.

Some of the changes she saw took place in the posterior cingulate cortex, which helps control one's ability to focus on the task at hand, the left hippocampus, which helps in learning, cognition and memory and the temporo parietal junction, which helps manage empathy and compassion. Brain scans of people who meditate reveal they have more gray matter than non-meditators.

Increased gray matter in areas of the brain often correlates to heightened abilities in a range of skills. "Musicians," said Lazar as an example "have more gray matter in music areas than non-musicians." The logical conclusion, therefore, is that skills touched by areas of the brain that benefit from meditation will undergo a similar improvement.

Meditation is like a super-vitamin for your brain. It targets and boosts the parts that are already strong, and improves their functionality to make them even stronger.

Lazar said when people began meditating, their amygdala got smaller. That is the area of the brain most closely associated with fear and aggression.

Of course, meditating is not a universal panacea, but there are distinctive benefits to the practice. "There is something more to meditation than just sitting," Lazar said.

Nationally, 50% of Americans report working more than 40 hours a week. Unsurprisingly, all the added time at the office has come amid shrinking vacation for employees as well. A 2013 study by the global forecasting agency Oxford Economics found workers have taken less vacation than at any time in four decades.

Given all the unique challenges faced today by young and old, anything safe that helps people chill out is worth a look. Given how easy meditation can be, it's something everyone should give serious consideration.
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