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You have an inner voice — and it can save your life.
By Roland Legge — Written on Feb 17, 2021
You have wisdom within you — this is the voice of your true self. With practice, you can learn to notice your intelligence centers and listen to your inner voice.
You have an inner voice, whether you're a practicing member of a religion or not. It's given to all people, regardless of their ethnicity, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or personal philosophy.
Your inner voice arises from a direct connection with the energy that connects everything in the universe together.
Some people call this God. Some people call this spirit. Some people call this oneness.
No matter what you call this higher power that connects all of life — animate or inanimate — together, it's real, and it's accessible to us all.
When you listen to your inner voice, you will find your purpose.
The three centers of intelligence, according to the Enneagram.
The Enneagram teachings remind you that there are three centers of intelligence:
The Instinctive Center (Body Center)
The Feeling Center (Heart Center)
The Thinking Center (Head Center)
Your goal is to be healthy as you can in all three centers. Most people are out of balance. And when you're out of balance, you get stuck in your personality type.
There are nine different personality types, according to the Enneagram, and you receive your primary type soon after you are born — this is called the ego.
When you're stuck in your type, you have poor access to your intelligence centers.
The healthier you get in your Enneagram type, the greater the access you have to your centers of intelligence.
Here's how to strengthen your ability to name and listen to your inner voice, based on your 3 intelligence centers.
1. Instinctive Center.
This center is all about paying attention to the sensations in your body. Your body helps you to notice what is going on in the moment.
The best way to notice what's going on in your body is through practices such as yoga, meditation, walking, dancing, gardening, and anything else that helps you be aware of your body's sensations.
Listen to your inner voice. Get curious and start exploring what's going on. Your body is sending you a message through the sensations.
You might experience this as pain, discomfort, tightness, or a general feeling of malaise.
Your body may be telling you that you need to get another job, end a relationship, or go to the doctor.
The worst thing you can do is ignore what's going on. The more you ignore your pain, the worse it will get.
Wisdom is a gift from the universe, and when you pay attention to your body's sensations, you will experience greater flow in your life.
2. The Feeling Center.
This center is all about helping you know what's going on deep within you and those around you.
Your emotions and your body can help you know what is going on the moment to help you understand where to focus your energy.
You can connect to your emotions by keeping a journal of how you feel. The more you notice what's going on in you, the more you will experience what other people are going through.
Try putting your hand over your heart to check if your heart is present. Is your heart warm and open? Are you aware of your heartbeat?
If your heart is feeling closed, think of something that helps you to experience your emotions, like a favorite movie or song?
Look at a photo of a loved one. If you feel a tear coming, don't be afraid to cry.
Listen to your inner voice and you will find inner peace. With time, you will learn to notice the difference between what you think you feel and what you feel in your heart.
If you've faced great emotional pain in your life, you may have shut down your emotions because they became too painful. The trouble is if you keep them hidden, they will come out in ways that don't serve you and those you love.
What do your feelings tell you about your emotional state? Are you happy, sad, angry, joyful, playful, confused, or much more? What kind of energy are you projecting out into the world?
You have emotions all the time. When you're healthy, you can notice and name your feelings, which continuously change throughout the day.
The more you practice naming your emotions, the more wisdom you will have available to make short- and long-term decisions.
3. The Thinking Center.
The thinking center is about connecting with Essence — a.k.a., God. When your mind is quiet, you can connect with the wisdom that connects with all.
The best way to open this part of you is through some form of prayer or meditation. There are so many ways to quiet your mind.
If you're used to having a busy mind, it will take time and practice to calm your head's conversations.
If you have never meditated before, start gradually. Begin with five minutes of meditation daily, and gradually increase over time.
You can join meditation groups online. There are many great apps available for Apple and Android phones.
You can incorporate meditation into walking or dancing — you might appreciate beginning with a guided meditation that will help you listen to your inner voice.
When your head is quiet, you will always know what you need to say and do as long as you know your area of expertise.
There's nothing wrong with thinking. Thinking helps you to do daily tasks.
However, you can benefit from learning to be present and only thinking about what you need to be concerned about, right in that moment.
Your goal is to keep the three body centers open and in good health. When your instincts, emotions, and mind are in sync, you will find a greater flow in life.
It's not that life will always be happy and comfortable. You will still have challenging times, but you will know you are on the right path.
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Roland Legge is a life coach who offers coaching through REL Consultants for individuals, couples, families, and executives to help them to be the best they can be. Join his private newsletter list for advice and access your Free Online Enneagram Test.
This article was originally published at REL Consultants . Reprinted with permission from the author.