January 2024 Museletter: The Gentle Guide - Learning to tune into your Voice of Wisdom underneath your fear
Supporting you to free your mind so you can live from your heart!
“Fear is loud, peace is quiet. Listen to the softest voice.”
-Robin Stebbins
The Gentle Guide: Learning to tune into your Voice of Wisdom underneath your fear
We all have two distinct voices within us: one loud and insistent, the other soft and quiet. Learning to discern, listen and follow the quieter voice supports us to live the life our heart and spirit would have us live.
The Loud Voice: Fear and the Negativity Bias
Within our brain lies a primal mechanism called the negativity bias. It's sole purpose is to keep us alive by scanning for threats—real or perceived—and alerting us to danger. This bias has helped humanity survive for millennia and is totally normal, and, it also means we often ruminate in fear and doubt.
The voice of the negativity bias is:
• Insistent and urgent
• Critical and humorless
• Anxious and reactive
While it can protect us from harm, this voice can overwhelm us with unnecessary worry and pessimism. It demands our attention, and when focused on can make it hard to hear the gentler wisdom that resides within us.
The Soft Voice: Intuition and The Voice of Wisdom
Underneath the noise of fear is a much quieter presence, that is rooted in the heart rather than the mind. This is the voice of our higher self—our intuition, or soul connection. Unlike the negativity bias, this voice sees the bigger picture and gently guides us toward growth, truth, and empowerment.
The Voice of Wisdom is:
• Gentle, calm, and kind
• Empowering and clear
• Playful, with a sense of humor
• Reasoned and makes obvious sense
How to Hear the Softest Voice
1. Pause and Breathe: When fear shouts for your attention, take a moment to pause and observe your thoughts without trying to change them just an acknowledgement. Take a few deep breaths and create space for the quieter voice to emerge.
2. Tune into the Heart: Acknowledge your fear thoughts with compassion, after all it's just your brain doing its job. Then shift your focus from your racing thoughts to your heart center. Place your hand over your heart if it helps. Ask your heart, what would you have me be, do or know right now?
3. Notice the Tone: The loud voice often feels heavy, critical, or panicked. The soft voice feels lighter, compassionate, and reassuring.
4. Practice Stillness: Meditate, journal, or spend time in nature. These practices quiet the mind and make it easier to recognize the voice of wisdom.
5. Trust the Gentle Guidance: At first, it may feel risky to trust the quieter voice, especially when fear insists it knows best. As you begin to act on this voice of wisdom, you’ll see how it consistently leads you toward peace, action and clarity.
Moving from Fear to Peace
Fear will always exist, it’s part of being human. But when we understand its role and learn to balance it with the wisdom of our intuition, we gain the power to live with greater peace and purpose. And peace and purpose is what the world needs most right now.
I Affirm: Today I am willing to create the space to listen for the quiet voice within and take action if I am guided to.
Step by Step,
Jessie
