Dear Reader,
The week-long blitz of posts continues! Today I am following up from a previous post where I described my intuitive hit about “Wellies.”
I can’t tell you how important it is to expect that your intuition will come through for you when you ask!
I cultivate what I call a state of expectancy, where I am relaxed, but also focused, alert and expecting guidance. With practice, you can maintain this state much of the time, so that you get messages not only when you ask, but when they appear unsolicited – in the shower, walking down the street, on an airplane…
Being in this state helps you stay open without forcing.
Often at first, especially when asking for guidance about something very important or emotionally charged, it is easy to force or push for answers. To avoid this temptation, it is also important to let go of attachment to getting a specific answer.
Simply receive whatever guidance sends your way, without judgment.
You can think of intuition as a muscle – so work it!
I honor your loving heart,
John
John Morris
“To avoid this temptation, it is also important to let go of attachment to getting a specific answer.”
John, I believe that the question, “How are you?” is often simply an acknowledgement of your presence, especially when asked by someone who is an acquaintance by default… the bank teller, the grocery clerk, etc. Even at my workplace of 200 employees, someone may ask this question in passing and not even wait for a response. For these reasons I seldom give anyone the satisfaction of “I’m fine.” My response for the last several years has been “I feel much better now that I’ve given up all hope.” I know what you’re thinking… and this response usually results in a pitying look, or an “I’m so sorry,” to which I reply, “Don’t be sorry, it’s the secret of life! No hope, no expectations… no expectation, no disappointment. When you start at the bottom, there really is nowhere to go but UP! Besides, there are too many variables beyond the scope of my control, so I’m going to live my life one day at a time, and let every day be a surprise, good or bad. It’s all about the Law of Detachment… when you detach yourself from the outcome, it takes away all the stress.”
I would never imply that goals or plans are a bad thing… but another reason I detach myself from the outcome is, if I’m at point A and my goal is point B, and I set a straight-line course to get to point B, I could be overlooking or even ignoring opportunities that come across my path that could take me in a completely different direction. My definition of quantum physics is the physics of unlimited possibilities… so I know that with every step I take, a door could be opened to a new path.
Exciting, isn’t it?!
The other JM
John
Hi John – I can tell from your favorite response to “How are you” that you’re a bit of a prankster, in the best sense of the word… could it be that all people named John Morris are alike?! I’m sure you snap people out of their daily routine with that response. I wonder if “How are you?” also sometimes comes from a hidden longing for connection that a simple “Hi John” doesn’t satisfy, co-existing with a hidden fear of connection. Us humans can be full of contradictions after all.
I like the Law of Detachment. I do think that expectation when used correctly can be a powerful positive tool though; for example, I expect my intuition to come through for me, and having that expectation often helps the process. It’s the attachment part that is the problem! Sharon Salzberg put it well when she was talking about the Buddha’s teachings on desire. She said that desire is not the problem; it’s attachment to desire that gets us in trouble. So, it’s ok to desire something – if we didn’t, we probably wouldn’t live very long – but it’s also important to keep in mind that if we don’t get what we desire, we will be ok anyway.
Unlimited possibilities – we are barely scratching the surface – very exciting indeed!
Thanks for such a thoughtful response John.
John