Inner Guidance Training

What is Love?

Print-friendly version This will print with only the text of the lessons

Download the PDF This will print with each step of the training on a new page

Introduction

Expected benefits include:

• The attainment of abiding peace
• An awareness of The Presence (of Love)
• An ending to internal conflict and stress
• An acceptance of life as it is
• Perceiving Spirit or God as all there is
• Uncovering within yourself a deep all pervading joy

L = LEARNING Sacrifice
O = OPPOSITES Balancing
V = VOICE of Spirit
E = EVOLUTION and Expansion

This training program empowers you to have 4 major philosophical insights. Such insights are potentially life changing because they support truth - therefore they can be rightly understood as realizations, a powerful form of inner guidance.

Your task, should you choose to accept it, is to carry out the LOVE program, allowing yourself to be transformed by it - let these 4 realizations be the doors to heightened perception, releasing unitary consciousness.

Wallace Huey and Peter Shepherd wish you every success as you embark on this program of personal transformation.

Inner Guidance Training

Realization 1 - Starting Point, Day 1

Holding your intention to change your perception and become aware of the all pervading Presence of Love.
Before we start to learn about the wonders of working with inner guidance we need to have a focus. Inner guidance only works when we focus it - to achieve that we need to set our intention.

So today's first task is to set your intention to change your perception and become aware of the all pervading Presence of Love - then to hold your intention.
Holding this intention commits you to bring about changes in your perception creating a deeper intimacy with Spirit or God.To hold an intention, keep the issue and your intention to address it, in your awareness. Sometimes it helps to write your intention down and carry it with you until your intention has been fulfilled to your satisfaction. Now move on to Realization 1 below. 

Realization 1 of LOVE

L = LEARNING Sacrifice

Changing your perception, so that you become aware of the role of sacrifice in nature, in humankind and within yourself.

In Nature
In the spring the apple tree sends forth leaves to collect the light of the sun and provide the energy for its growth. Then, with that growth, the apple tree blooms so that it may offer flowers to the bees who use the nectar to make honey. When autumn comes the flowers turn to apples, which ripen ready to be picked and eaten by humans and animals. Next the leaves wither and fall to the ground offering themselves to the earthworms. This is the cycle of life - the apple tree takes in light and with the energy from that light, grows and offers itself unconditionally to bees, animals, humans and earthworms. Through its offerings, given with love, the apple tree is enjoined with the fabric of life. In performing these services the apple tree is fertilized, has its seeds scattered and its soil enriched. How can the apple tree prosper, when it demands nothing in return? Today your first task is to notice and reflect on similar examples in nature.

In Humankind
Think of the most important human activities - those with the highest value - feeding the starving in places where there is no food, caring for the sick in places where there are no medical services, providing education where none is to be had - in human civilization the most needed tasks are carried out through offerings, freely given, of people's time, skills and money. Without such offerings great swathes of humanity would be utterly destitute. Today your second task is to observe and reflect on such examples and on the character of people who exemplify them. You will find examples on the Internet. How do they prosper when they demand nothing in return?

Within Oneself
Every human being has three aspects, animal, human and divine. It is the purpose of human life to offer oneself up to God, to transform the animal nature driven by desires, to human nature, inspired by high values and eventually to attain the divine - a perfected state beyond all striving. In the animal aspect the person is focused on getting, in the human state the person gives but expects something in return, in the divine state the human hand only gives and never takes. In each stage of unfolding the lesser nature is sacrificed to the higher nature until divinity is attained. Today your third task is to notice how you are prompted to care more, to have higher values, to surrender and to give up. Why does your lower nature resist making these sacrifices?

Example
Margaret wanted more love in her life. On day 1 she set her intention to learn about sacrifice. At the end of the day she was beginning to realize the power of love, by becoming more aware of the importance and role of sacrifice, reflecting on it in nature, in the life and work of people she admired and within herself.

Changing Perception - Realization 1

Becoming aware of sacrifice, in nature, in humankind and within oneself.

Realization 2 - Starting Point, Day 2

Continue with:

• Holding your intention to become aware of the all pervading Presence of Love
• Working with Realization 1 - LEARNING Sacrifice - seeing sacrifice everywhere

and add Realization 2 - see below.

Realization 2 of LOVE

O = OPPOSITES Balancing

Seeing how opposites are held together and extremes are limited by the power of attraction contained within an invisible and central Point of Love.

In Nature
Growth and rest, summer and winter, day and night, rain and drought, these and other opposites exist in nature and balance one another, giving rise to the nature and character of our local environment. For example day and night are nearly always equal on the Equator, contributing to the type of environment and expression of nature found there, but in the Arctic and Antarctic they change in duration contributing to different kinds of natural expression. Today your task is to reflect on the opposites in nature and see how they balance each other. Ask yourself - What holds these opposites in balance? And - How does the presence of these opposites contribute to the diversity of expression in nature?

In Humankind
Male and female, young and old, rich and poor, knowledgeable and ignorant - these and other opposites are present in the human family, contributing to the diversity of human civilization. For example a man and woman marry and have a family - a union known as a love match. The knowledgeable often reach out to assist the ignorant, out of love and concern for their welfare. Today's second task is to look for and reflect on the opposites in humankind and see how they balance each other, by giving rise to acts of love and kindness. Ask yourself - why do these opposites need each other? How do they contribute to the formation of human society? How do the negatives in human society, like ignorance, serve to promote the positives, like knowledge?

In Oneself
We often experience inner conflict, to spend money or to save it, to speak up or to stay silent, to change job or to remain where we are. These conflicts often cause stress because we want the answer to be one or the other, black or white. The best path is often among the palate of colors between black and white. For example I may agonize over whether to buy the recording device in the Sony shop or save my money, when I realize that the best course of action is to buy a similar device on the internet where I can get it for half price! When we have an insight like that it is usually accompanied by feelings of joy and gratitude. Today's third task is to watch these opposites arise within and to resist the temptation to run with one or the other, but instead to find the point in the color palate that is the optimum course of action and experience the feelings of love that flow from such insight.

Example
Margaret found it tricky - looking for and reflecting on the balance of opposites, but once she got the hang of it she was able to see them everywhere. In her local park she saw how recent rain had ended the dry spell and given birth to wildflowers. Her elderly mother visited that afternoon and noticed how she felt drawn to teach her young daughter to cook omelettes. She even saw the play of opposites in herself when she didn't know whether to scold or comfort her son for falling out of a tree.

Changing Perception - Realization 2

During the day look for and reflect on how opposites are balanced by an invisible Point of Love and in that balancing give rise to appropriate expression in nature, humankind and oneself.

Realization 3 - Starting Point, Day 3

Continue with:

• Holding your intention to become aware of the all pervading Presence of Love
• Working with Realization 1 - LEARNING Sacrifice - seeing sacrifice everywhere
• Working with Realization 2 - OPPOSITES Balancing - seeing the attractive power of Love

and add Realization 3 - see below.

Realization 3 of LOVE

V = “VOICE” of Spirit

Perceiving the “Voice” of Spirit calling everything home to God

In Nature
This “Voice” or “Call” is present as an invisible prompting within every aspect of life. It is this “Inner Motivator” that causes the apple tree to seek the light and to have the urge toward maximum expression. Every apple tree wants to produce as many flowers, apples and leaves as possible. It will use every opportunity to get closer to attaining its full potential. If there is more sunlight available in the forest canopy, it will grow to fill that opening with fresh new leaves. What is the source of this urge to fulfill potential? Today your first task is to notice and reflect on how every living thing seeks maximum expression.

In Humankind
The aim of every business is to grow. Businesses are constantly looking to fill new human needs, from air travel destinations, to housing developments, to magazines. The aim of every government body is to improve its quality of service, from health services, to education, to transport infrastructure. The aim of every charity is to be more effective in addressing needs unfulfilled by government or business. Where does this inner urge come from? Your second task today is to observe and reflect on this inner urge toward more expression in humankind.

In Oneself
Every day, along with every other person, (unless laid low by illness), you want to rise in the morning and address the concerns of the day. In addressing those concerns you feel the “Voice” of Spirit calling you to improve, lead a more abundant life, become happier, achieve more, have more friends and be more connected to other human beings. What is this “Voice” - this “Inner Motivator” calling you to become? Your third task today is to recognize this “Voice” in yourself - to hear it, to acknowledge it and to surrender to it.

Example
Margaret had always wondered what caused life to “become”. Scientists, she knew, had long pondered this question and in looking for something they could measure and calculate, had never found it. As Margaret watched everything become and everything change from what it is to what it could be, she became very excited. It's a fool's paradise. She thought, “Everything is becoming and in its becoming is giving birth to something else, something more. Even what I had supposed to be nasty things, only cause the becoming to grow stronger.” What everything was becoming she wasn't quite sure, but that everything was busy becoming, and busy becoming something more, she was certain. She couldn't see or hear the “Voice” that was calling everything to become more, but she was sure it was there and she could certainly feel it at work in herself. After all wasn't it that “Voice” that had prompted her to do this inner guidance training program in the first place!

Changing Perception - Realization 3

As you go about your day see how everything is becoming something more than it is already. Become sensitive to the “Voice” that is calling everything to become and resolve to work with it.

Realization 4 - Starting Point, Day 4

Continue with:

• Holding your intention to become aware of the all pervading Presence of Love
• Working with Realization 1 - LEARNING Sacrifice - seeing sacrifice everywhere
• Working with Realization 2 - OPPOSITES Balancing - seeing the attractive power of Love
• Working with Realization 3 - “VOICE” of Spirit - calling everything home to God

and add Realization 4 - see below.

Realization 4 of LOVE

E = EVOLUTION and Expansion

Perceiving increasing complexity and growth as the expression of Love

In Nature
The transformation of one element in nature into another one through sacrifice, opposites giving rise to the expression of nature found in our local environment and the “Voice” or inner motivator prompting all living things to seek maximum expression, all come together in the twin phenomena of evolution and expansion. These are the forces that work together to create biodiversity and the increasing abundance of life on Earth. Today's task is to contemplate the evolution and expansion of the natural world. You may find it helpful to refer to information about the path of natural evolution in a book or on the Internet. See how the rock evolved into plant life. and the plant life into animals, and the animals into human, and the humans into…..? Reflect on the expansion of life as it progressed from a rock in some primeval ocean to almost every corner of the globe. Ponder the power of love behind all this abundant creativity and expression.

In Humankind
Similarly today's second task is to ponder the evolution and expansion of humankind - the development of civilization, from the earliest cave drawings to the UN Declaration of Human Rights and the Internet. Once again you may find it helpful to refer to a book or the Internet to chart the development of civilization and discover how the three aspects of love - sacrifice, opposites balancing and the “Voice” or inner motivator, come together to draw civilization onward.

In Oneself
Finally you are to reflect on your own evolution and expansion. Trace how you have grown from child to adult to your current point of development. Become aware of how the three aspects of love - sacrifice, opposites balancing and the inner “Voice” have worked together to create evolution in your personal development and the expansion of your consciousness. On this training program you are now being invited to expand your consciousness further by integrating all this awareness into one totality - LOVE.

Example
As Margaret reflected on the evolution and expansion of nature, human civilization and her own consciousness suddenly she saw completely clearly that it was all one force - LOVE IN ACTION. There was nothing else and there never had been anything else. This realization shocked her at first - and then she began to laugh. She laughed and laughed. There is only LOVE. It's so simple - yet so profound. She rose from her seat and felt that she had discovered the magic secret with which she could unlock the door of suffering, ignorance and stress. It's amazing she exclaimed to herself. There is only LOVE. She shut the door behind her and went out for a walk - while walking she found herself humming the famous Beatles song - Love is all there is.

Changing Perception - Realization 4

Seeing clearly that Love is all there is.

Addendum

Living with awareness that love is all there is results in a personal transformation and the birth of Unitary Consciousness. Like any newborn infant, this realization is fragile and vulnerable. It needs nurtured and cared for so that it will take root as your heart and soul.

If you protect this realization and nurture it by constantly recognizing Love everywhere and in everything, you will gradually be blessed with a life free from stress. Eventually you will become aware of Presence that walks where you walk and sits with you when you rest.

What is this Presence? Many spiritual masters have said that Love is all there is and that God is Love.

The final realization is that God is Love and that Love is Everywhere and in Everything.

This leads then to the final question - WHO AM I?

Further Help and Resources

The reference book Unfold Your Wings and Watch Life Take Off that accompanies Heart to Heart Coaching, will guide you further on returning home to Love. You can read the entire book online, download the PDF or order the paperback.

~ What is Love? ~

More Heart to Heart Information & Services on this Topic

You can Print this page (this link opens a new window, with just the text you need) or
Download a PDF of this Training, which will print with each day of the training on a new page.

Inner Guidance Training - Home Page

Start a New Life! has been developed by Peter Shepherd, psychotherapist & psychologist.

• Make difficult decisions easily
• Manage stress and upsets in your life
• Become a master of problems and their solution
• Improve your personal relationships
• Dramatically boost self-esteem
• Learn to organize your life better
• And lots more!