"How can I be more spiritually connected? How can I hear the voice of my spiritual guidance?"

I frequently hear these questions from my clients and from people who attend my workshops and intensives. Everyone who is on a spiritual path wants to experience the presence of Spirit in his or her life. We want to know that we are not alone. We want to know that we are being loved and guided in our highest good each and every moment of our lives.

How can we have this experience?

Sometimes we have this experience accidentally. We might be feeling particularly open - like when we are walking in nature or hugging a child or a pet. At those times, we might feel a wonderful warmth within our heart and a deep sense of wellbeing. Creative ideas or profound wisdom might pop into our mind when we are in this state. This is an experience of the Presence of Spirit.

But it is not enough for many of us for this to happen occasionally. We want this in our lives all the time. What can we do to consciously open ourselves to an experience of the Presence of Spirit?

The love, compassion, peace, joy, and truth that is Spirit is here all the time. It is what we live in and is the essence of what lives within us. But in order to experience it, we have to be open to it. Our heart, mind, and body have to be open to receiving the Presence of Spirit.

Whether or not we have an experience of the Presence of Spirit depends primarily upon our INTENT. When our intent is to protect against pain by trying to control ourselves, others, and outcomes, our heart closes. When our intent is to learn about loving ourselves and others - which is central to the practice of Inner Bonding - our heart opens. We cannot experience the Presence of Spirit when our heart is closed.

We also need to keep the energy of our body high by eating clean, fresh non-processed foods, preferable organic. Junk food lowers our energy and makes it much harder to access our higher guidance.

Our desire to learn with our spiritual guidance about loving ourselves and others opens the heart and invites in the Presence of Spirit. Our intent to learn is the most powerful doorway to the Presence of Spirit. Once you have chosen the intent to learn, there are other doorways that can facilitate the opening of the heart.

Gratitude and Appreciation

The choice to express gratitude and appreciation for the everyday blessings in our lives opens the heart. A sincere prayer of gratitude for the food you eat or the beauty of nature, or a sincere "thank you" for another's kindness will open your heart and bring in the feeling of fullness and wellbeing that is the experience of the Presence of Spirit.

If you are having trouble opening to learning, you might try focusing on what you are grateful for and what you deeply appreciate. This may open your heart enough for you to then open to learning about love.

Acceptance

When you choose to accept what is rather than continue to attempt to control things over which you have no control - such as how others feel about you or the outcome of things - you will feel a sense of inner peace. This opens the door to being able to learn about the part of you that keeps trying to control. Learning about the controlling part of you rather than judging this part of you opens the heart and allows in the love and compassion of Spirit.

Kindness

Kind acts toward your self and others will open the heart. Kindness is an invitation to the Presence of Spirit to fill your heart. Choosing kindness is a powerful doorway to the Presence of Spirit.

When you choose to express gratitude and appreciation, and you choose to accept yourself and others, and you choose to be kind to yourself and others, and you choose to practice Inner Bonding and open to learning about loving yourself and others - you will experience peace and joy, which are clear indications of the Presence of Spirit.

Learn to connect with your spiritual Guidance with Unlocking Your Inner Wisdom, A 30-Day at-home Experience with Dr. Margaret Paul.

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