We are beings of free will. We can choose to allow our ego wounded self to guide us, or we can choose to allow our higher guidance to guide us. An important aspect of the spiritual path is the path of healing the wounded self, so that we are able to release our ego will to our higher will.

This is a simple concept, yet doing it is one of the major challenges of our lives. This is because we have been practicing allowing our wounded, programmed mind, with all the fears and false beliefs that we have acquired over the years, to be in charge. Our programmed mind thinks it knows what to do to keep us safe. It thinks it has the knowledge to make good decisions. Yet the wounded self cannot distinguish between what is in our highest good and what hurts us, or between what is true and what is not. The mind tells us things like, "I am taking care of myself when I blame someone for my hurt feelings," or "I am taking care of myself when I reward myself with a doughnut," or "I am taking care of myself when I relax with a six-pack," or "I am taking care of myself when I yell at someone who is not doing what I want them to do," or "I am taking care of myself when I shut down and withdraw." Yet all of these behaviors are ways of trying to control others or our own feelings, rather than taking loving care of ourselves.
 

Our Ego Programmed Wounded Self Knows Nothing.

Until we get that our wounded self doesn't know anything about what is good and right for us, and what is not, we will continue to rely on our programmed mind to guide us. Yet the real source of truth can never come from our limited mind with all its programmed beliefs. The real source of truth exists only in our higher mind, our guidance.

Because we have been practicing being guided by our wounded self, our ego mind has come to believe that it is responsible for our wellbeing. In fact, the mind is so arrogant as to believe that it actually keeps us alive and safe. That is why the mind so often obsesses about things. It believes that "If I can just figure out the right thing to do, then I can have control over having what I want and being safe." Whether what we want is more money, more love and attention, or to avoid rejection, engulfment and failure, the mind thinks it can control getting what we want and avoiding what we don't want - if only we can figure out the right way to be.
 

We move ourselves toward truly feeling inwardly safe when we choose to release our will to our higher will.

This means releasing to Spirit what others do and how they feel about us, rather than trying to control those things. It means releasing the outcome of actions and events instead of trying to control them. It means opening to our guidance to guide us in our highest good, in each moment, instead of thinking about what we want and how to get it.

I find it helpful to consciously surrender throughout the day by saying:

• I will thy will in me and through me.
• I let go and let God.
• I will to will thy will.
• I release my will to your will.
• This, too, I let go of and give to God.
• Not my will, but Thine.
   

The decision to release and surrender to our guidance is a moment-by-moment choice.

The more we practice making this decision and tuning into guidance, the easier it becomes to access the truth and the loving actions. We each get to choose who we want to be in each moment. We can choose to maintain the illusion of separateness by trying to control ourselves, others, and outcomes, or we can choose oneness, by opening to learning with spirit about what is in our highest good, moment-by-moment.

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

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay