The Gift Of Inner Listening

There's a great gift in listening. You can listen to what is going on around you in the outer world and to your inner soul. This gift is the key to connecting to the guidance and understanding that can come when you learn to listen.

Transcript

Aloha. I'm Rev. Cindy Pallas, And I wanted to talk about the gift of listening. And there's two parts of listening. There's listening to the outside, And there's listening from the inside. Now, Listening on the outside is very interesting, Because I think these days we may be bombarded by sounds. I sometimes am amazed at the noise that happens that I hear from people in New York or big cities in New York. And, You know, Any major city has a lot of noise. Now, It's a music of sorts, But it's also, To me, A little bit sometimes an invasion. It's very different than listening out in nature or some space where you don't have a lot of cars going and trucks going and noise. I really love living right now in Maui in the hills, And I'm hearing the sound of the wind blowing through some very large tree outside. And it just, It speaks, You know, It has its own language. When I walk in nature out in the park, I really feel that the trees will communicate, That they'll talk. And I think they're aware also if you listen, And you have to be very sensitive to that. So, That's a gift, To be able to learn the language of the forest, Of the trees, Of the birds. All of life has a way of communicating. Now, There's a different kind of listening and communicating that you get when you go within, In the silence. You have to be able to breathe deeply, To really go to that place inside where you're not worrying about your mind and the wanderings, And you just can go into that sacred place there within you that is within all of us. It's always right there inside. Sometimes I think it's waiting for you to say, Okay, I'm ready, I'm listening. And it will then reach you in interesting ways. I listen and then I write down a poem, A message, Every single day. I've been doing it since I've been about 13 years old. So, There's this relationship that you build with your inner self, This beautiful friendship, This communication. But it doesn't speak very loudly if you're not listening. So, You won't listen and then it won't speak. But if you really wish to hear your inner voice speak to you, It's very helpful to be ready and to believe and to know that it's there and to just go into that place of silence within, That sacred place, That beautiful, Sacred spot within. And it really helps if you do it in the morning before it gets loud outside and before there's sirens and things that are going on, You know, In everyday living. And if you go to that place in that sacred silence, In the morning, In the early dawn, And just commune, Just listen and commune, You'll find that there's an amazing wealth of teachings waiting there. Your inner self, Your soul is always present, But often it's silenced because you're not used to believing that it's there. Now, I know you often will get little messages like, Watch out or whatever, Or, You know, Whatever may come. It could be very interesting in the way that it comes to you. And once you develop that inner capacity to listen and to understand and to care, It will speak more often. Now, It can also speak through other people, You know, Things that may be exactly what you need to hear. Or it may be a song that you hear that you went, Wow, That's my favorite song. Something that will ring true. And isn't that a beautiful phrase, To ring true? Have you had that experience where something just rings true? To ring true through you is a great, Great gift. And there is that inner ringing, Like an inner bell. I've had many songs, Many words, Many messages, Many gifts, And sometimes I get outer resonance of people that understand that and will say something that relates to that inner message that I've gotten. And that's another form of communication. When you listen deeply within, Then someone else can also resonate with that energy that is present. And something in them that needs to connect might connect in an interesting way. It's this nonverbal communication often, But it can be spoken or it could be a smile. You know, It could be many things that connect you in a nonverbal way. I really have learned to honor those messages that come. I've learned to honor the guidance that is given. I've learned to recognize when others recognize that guidance. It's a beautiful, Beautiful exchange that can happen. And once you start to open that door, You'll find that your life can really, Truly, It can change. And I have to say, I've realized that there's maybe that time in your life when you need this. Maybe everything's buzzing along and things are good, And you don't, You know how it is when you're busy doing things. You've got kids, You've got this, You've got to do this, You've got to do that, You've got work and you've got to finish a project. You know, When you're on a mission to do whatever you've got to do, A lot of times you don't want to be disturbed. And your inner self recognizes that and won't disturb you. But when you stop and really take that inner time and open that door, Then there is this exchange that can happen. And it's such a valuable, Beautiful thing. And I've learned to really trust it, To develop great gratitude for how it works in such strange and mysterious ways, And how it teaches me, How it guides me, How it protects me. It's a beautiful teacher that comes to and through you from your inner self and your soul. And of course, I believe that God is there working through that highest part of you as well. You know, It's something that you have to be open to. I mean, There's many people these days that have an issue. It's unfortunate, But there's a lot of times that you don't even want to mention the word God, Because there's people that, I won't even go down that road. I mean, But you've experienced that, Right? But I'm not at the point in my life where I want to forget or ever completely block out that God is the greatest resource of all. And God guides our inner teacher as well, When you're open and when you're willing to listen and to communicate and to pray and to meditate. This gift, This greatest gift of all is free. And it just takes awareness and a little bit of time, You know, Recognition that this is an important part of your life, That you give it that bow of gratitude. And I bow in the deepest gratitude to you for being there, For listening, For allowing the space inside you to be present. Much love.