Hearing Voices

Here's a familiar plot: someone says, "I'm hearing voices." Another responds with shock, judgment and wariness, "Voices? Inside your head?" The former is assumed to be crazy, and the latter puts out a stiff arm, not wanting any of the weirdness to rub off.

It is, if nothing else, a great way to discourage people from sharing about their experiences.

The truth is: We all have inner voices.

Not everyone knows to listen. Or how.

Fewer still can distinguish which messages to trust, and the source from which they have come.

There are four keys to learning.

The first is acceptance.

First, we have to admit that there are voices speaking to us from within. Only then can we actually hear what is being said, how it feels, and what to do with the information.

The second is exploration.

If we approach the voices from the perspective of a curious explorer, asking questions, avoiding assumptions, and getting to the root of 'why' a thought or reaction arises, we can take a broad assessment of the territory. A voice is not only a resonant sound, but an inner formulation and set of expressions that govern action. We each have a multitude of voices rising from within.

The inner critic, one many of us know, tends to have a pessimistic, negative view of reality, and our presence or actions within. It often has a sharp, painful quality, that can fade into a dull annoyance or general apathy, after it has persistently beaten down our choices and judgments. This voice tends to come from the mind, and creates a sensation of tension throughout the body.

The heart has a distinct voice and feeling. This is different than emotional reactions, which could be expressed through the heart, mind, or a combination. The heart mind is a field of consciousness resonating with unconditional love, and this natural state is one of ease, grace and connection. Tuning into this frequency is done by dropping from the mind, and resting in heart awareness.

Which brings us to the third, loving awareness.

Loving awareness is a vital key in learning about our voices. It allows us to explore without judgment, and give space to the quiet voices, the voices who know no words, and the voices that have been hiding in the basements of our hearts and labyrinths of our minds. Loving awareness says that every experience is okay to be there, that everything is perfect in its' expression within this field of all that is. It provides safe passage for the resolution of our experiences.

Fourth is discernment.

Each step is necessary, and discernment is where true power lies.

This is what determines the dominant creation of our lives.

The loud voice is often the one we assume is "I" ~ yet these thoughts are often a disguise for ideas that someone else has surmised and programmed into our mental spaces without us being wise.

Discernment is what enables us to sort through all the information we gleaned by accepting and exploring with loving awareness. All the data collected is displayed in our field of sensation, and then we can begin attuning to the feelings each evokes, how it lands within the body, and how to trust in our natural ability to create and mimic experiences. By asking the body to respond to a thought or idea, we can pick up on the mood and frequency of each possibility.

One response might feel tight, restrained, perhaps even angry.

Another might feel uncomfortable, yet forgiving, and ultimately more peaceful.

Or nervous excitement that presses one forward.

Each feeling has its' own set of stories, and origins. Another piece of discernment is finding out where the voice has come from. If it is happening in your mental space, do you know how it got there? Did it naturally generate in a poof of a thought cloud in your mind bubble? Was it yelled at you over and over again? Was it drilled in through rote memorization and repetition? Was it cleverly packaged in a multi-billion dollar advertising campaign and streamed on televisions into the eyes and brains of millions of children across the world? Was it something you heard in a podcast, or read in a Substack, or saw on a meme? Is it something that your body feels good about believing? Does it exhaust you, inspire you, provoke you, or distract you from digging any further into it?

It is one thing to ask all these questions, and another to be sensitive, trusting and grounded to receive them, or to have the wisdom to hold all the answers, including the uncomfortable, shameful and confusing ones.

While every voice needs a space to be expressed, we can calibrate their impact on our life experiences. For example, dialing up the sound of our heart mind, and turning down the incessant thoughts. Or attending to the sensations of the body, the power center of the womb, or the instincts of the gut. We can bring all of the unconscious programs and influences on our minds into the light of awareness and decide to hold it, return it, or alchemize it.

Having multiple voices within is not a bad thing. It is not wrong, or unusual. It does not make you crazy. It does invite deeper attunement with your vessel, and intentional choice about which voice to act upon and use to create your reality.

It is now available to you on YouTube! Dive deeper into these concepts and receive wisdom + presence from an essential and magical part of my soul. This powerful aspect of my multidimensional self is Meira Elana, one who illuminates, and they have requested a space to share content.

Watch "Hearing Voices"