{"id":84,"date":"2010-09-21T21:02:03","date_gmt":"2010-09-22T04:02:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/?p=84"},"modified":"2010-09-21T21:28:21","modified_gmt":"2010-09-22T04:28:21","slug":"making-light-work-of-getting-unstuck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/?p=84","title":{"rendered":"Making Light Work of Getting Unstuck"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sun
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I recently had the great pleasure of seeing my friend Kate Sutherland<\/a> bask in the glow of a wonderful personal achievement. Kate has just published her book, Make Light Work: Ten Tools for Inner Knowing<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, <\/em><\/strong>and last week she celebrated both the official launch of the book and her appreciation for all the people in her life who made and held the space for this wonderful book\u2014or body of work as she prefers to call it.\u00a0 Kate is a walking testimonial for the effectiveness of the inner knowing tools and practices that she writes about and teaches. She is also a delightful role model for showing how it looks to consciously live in alignment with purpose.\u00a0 She is totally committed to facilitating personal and social change through grassroots community engagement projects, as well as Be The Change action circles<\/a> and What\u2019s Your Tree<\/a> circles.<\/p>\n

This post is a brief overview and a wholehearted endorsement of her book. I will freely disclose that I paid full-price for my copy of the book and loved it so much that I purchased another copy as a birthday gift for a friend of mine. I\u2019m being paid strictly in good karma points and the satisfaction of getting the word out into the world about a great set of tools that are available to each and every one of us\u2014when we know how to access them.<\/p>\n

Kate\u2019s book starts from the point of view that (1) life doesn\u2019t have to be difficult and (2) we all have access to a vast source of inner knowing that is immediately available and accessible to us.\u00a0 If this is so, then why do so many of us\u00a0 find ourselves struggling or spinning our wheels around some issues, frantically looking for answers or solutions everywhere in the world except<\/strong> within ourselves?\u00a0 If we have this inner wisdom, how come we forget to tap into it or why don\u2019t hear it when we need it?\u00a0 According to Kate,<\/p>\n

… too often we have forgotten what we know, not listened to the whispers and<\/p>\n

nudges, or been too enthralled by the whirl of modern life to recognize signs. Many<\/p>\n

of us do not know how to gain access to inner knowing and, lacking practice, have<\/p>\n

little trust in what comes from within. (2010, p.5)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How the Servant (Rational Mind) Got the Upper Hand<\/strong><\/p>\n

To my way of thinking, Kate\u2019s observations that we don\u2019t know how to gain access to inner knowing and that we tend to put little trust in what comes from within are closely linked. \u00a0Most of the developed western nations share an intellectual history of empirical thinking that had its roots in the separation of the study of religious and spiritual issues from science in the Renaissance. \u00a0The fascination with logical thinking and empiricism built up to a crescendo of scientific chauvinism<\/a> in the positivist thinking of the nineteenth century and reverberated into a blind fascination with science and the scientific method throughout the twentieth century.\u00a0 This chauvinist thinking, according to Paul Feyerabend<\/a>, has manifested as a type of intellectual elitism that is condescending toward and dismissive of alternative traditions of gaining knowledge, or any methods of accessing knowledge\u2014i.e., inner knowing or intuition\u2014that cannot be tested empirically or reproduced in an experimental setting.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no real surprise, then, that most of us don\u2019t trust, or know how to access, our own inner knowing, even though it\u2019s a valuable complement to logical thinking and scientific knowledge.\u00a0 Einstein recognized this when he commented that \u201c<\/strong>The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.\u201d<\/strong> (“What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by George Sylvester Viereck,” for the October 26, 1929 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Cited by <\/span>http:\/\/www.some-guy.com\/quotes\/einstein.html<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Restoring the Sacred Gift of Intuition<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kate\u2019s book is a wonderful resource for remembering and reconnecting with the sacred gift of our inner knowing\u2014and for providing readers with the inner work tools that will make it easier to respond to both the little and big things that life brings us.\u00a0 She outlines ten different tools for inner knowing and even provides readers with a handy-dandy chart (p. 99) outlining which tools she\u2019s found to be most helpful for different situations.<\/p>\n

Kate is\u00a0 forthright in reminding readers that if they are going to use the tools and hope to benefit from them, they must be prepared to act on the gifts or insights that show up.\u00a0 She also reminds us that it takes some preparation and practice to create a space where we can hear our inner wisdom (Self or soul) speaking and distinguish it from the voice of ego (self).\u00a0 Whether you are new to using inner work tools, have used them in the past, or currently use your own variants of these tools to access intuition, the chapter on preparing to use inner tools is a great way to start or re-establish a mindfulness\/grounding practice on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

Setting Intentions and Laying the Foundations for Inner Work<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inner work is not just about the doing <\/em>or the form, it is also a state of being<\/em>\u2014the field or background.\u00a0 We need both the form and the field to do inner work effectively, otherwise, as Kate points out, \u201c…it would be like sharing a recipe that was missing key ingredients\u201d (p. 20).\u00a0 The three key ingredients of setting the groundwork for inner work tools are:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Centering through self awareness.<\/em><\/strong> In essence, we are bringing our attention to where we are in the moment.\u00a0 A simple way to center ourselves is through noticing and paying attention to our breathing.\u00a0 Kate even provides the instructions for a simple yet powerful breathing exercise that she calls \u201cfigure of eight\u201d breathing\u2014so called because you are visualizing the energy of each breath moving in a figure 8 pattern\u2014on pages 24 and 25 of the book. Tuning into how you are feeling in a certain part of your body, chanting, singing, or even walking (from a mental place of awareness of the present moment) are other ways of getting centered.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Setting the intention.<\/em><\/strong> In this step we are asking that the wisdom we receive comes from our Self (the \u201chigher\u201d self or soul\u2014that part of us that is bigger than our ego concerns and needs) and serves the highest (e.g., God, Goddess, truth, love).\u00a0 For me, this step is a reminder that we\u2019re asking, from a place of humility, to tap into a place of greater wisdom and a bigger picture for information or insights that will help us to more effectively serve the greater good in the world.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Opening and becoming receptive to the gifts we receive from our inner wisdom.<\/em><\/strong> Being willing to act on the gifts we receive is a crucial part of developing and nurturing the connection to our inner wisdom.\u00a0 Kate is very clear about only engaging in inner work if she\u2019s willing to follow through and acting on the gifts she was given.\u00a0 She suggests checking in with yourself to make sure you\u2019re open to receiving and acting on what you get from your inner wisdom.\u00a0 She points out that it\u2019s an act of faith to trust that tuning into your inner knowing is a good thing to do.<\/p>\n

Taking the Tools for a Test Drive<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kate describes and gives instructions for ten different inner knowing tools, including automatic writing, unpacking flirts, setting the energy, muscle testing, working with guiding images and inner guides, and multiple options<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 For each tool she describes, she also provides a couple of personal examples, the finer points of using the tool and potential pitfalls.\u00a0 Some of the tools such as automatic writing and multiple options require some time and a quiet space to use them effectively, but using muscle testing to make a decision (Kate uses the example of deciding what dish to order from a menu in a restaurant.) or setting the energy before going into a situation are quick and easy tools.\u00a0 I\u2019ve used automatic writing <\/em><\/strong>with great success when I\u2019m feeling stuck or frustrated and can\u2019t see my way forward.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also found that muscle testing<\/em><\/strong> to clarify the truth of a decision and setting energy <\/em><\/strong>before specific events\u2014not to mention just setting energy for the day\u2014have made a positive difference in my day to day activities.<\/p>\n

Multiple options<\/em><\/strong> is a great tool for deciding what to do next or for discerning priorities when you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed by a monster-sized \u201cto do\u201d list or complex project. The tool involves brainstorming a list of actions or possibilities, then using your intuition to sort and rank the priority of each option.\u00a0 I\u2019ve found it\u2019s a good way to help me plan my weekly activities and find the balance between the \u201cmust dos\u201d with intractable deadlines and other activities that either support my personal growth and development or actions that are tied to how I express my commitment to bringing about positive change in the world.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve saved one of the most intriguing sounding tools\u2014unpacking flirts<\/em><\/strong>\u2014for last.\u00a0 At its essence, unpacking flirts is about \u201cnoticing what you notice\u201d, to use one of Kate\u2019s favourite expressions. Flirts are the objects, qualities, or sounds throughout your day that catch your attention and seem to be a signal related to another issue in your life.\u00a0 They are subtle cues that can offer powerful insights into our questions.\u00a0 At first, working with flirts requires a bit of a mind-shift about how we attend to and perceive the word around us, but they can be a lot of fun when you get the hang of working with them.\u00a0 Kate points out that the main danger of working with flirts is a tendency to descend into seeing everything as an omen for good or bad.\u00a0 If you\u2019re really curious to learn more about flirts, you might want to check out the sample chapter<\/a> on Kate\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Aligning with the Power and Integrity of the Tools<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our intuition and ability to tap into a deep pool of inner knowing is, as Einstein pointed out, a sacred gift. Using the tools can be a lot of fun and their gifts can even help to bring more joy, as well as understanding, into our lives.\u00a0 It seems that the two golden rules for working with the tools are (1) be sure you are using them to help you align with the truth of a situation and (2) be sure that you are open to the responses and that you trust the process.\u00a0 The best way to build trust in the tools and strengthen your confidence in your inner knowing is to work with small issues first and then move up to questions or issues with higher stakes.<\/p>\n

If you are interested in learning more about the tools and want to read the book, it is available on Amazon or through Incite Press<\/a>, on Kate\u2019s site. If you are already using inner work tools, I hope you\u2019ll share your experiences both on this site and on Kate\u2019s blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s to looking for an easier way, trusting in our inner wisdom, and shining more joy and light on our lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life doesn\u2019t have to be difficult and we all have access to a vast source of inner knowing that is immediately available and accessible to us. If this is so, then why is it that so many of us find ourselves struggling or spinning our wheels around some issues, frantically looking for answers or solutions everywhere in the world except within ourselves? Kate Sutherland sheds some light on these questions and offers up some valuable tools so we can stop struggling and start listening to our inner wisdom in her recently published book, Make Light Work. 10 Tools for Inner Knowing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=84"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions\/90"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=84"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=84"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=84"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}