Photo: Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP/Getty Images

A Vietnamese motorcycle-taxi driver in Ho Chi Minh City reads his newspaper in front of a book store with a large poster promoting U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton’s memoir “Living History.”

I just received an email from my second cousin with the details of our trip to Romania in September. I - am - blown - away…

My family immigrated to Canada from Romania in 1907. It’s our 100 year anniversary!!! Not just the Tonita’s (Badea at the time) but also the Adamache’s, Stefan’s, Lipon’s and the Yorga’s. I am a direct descendant of all of these families. Romania runs deep… she courses through my Vancouver veins.
A Dracula loving gypsy I am… with a splash of viking to taunt the tempest. HA!

I have been over seas once. I was six years old… my parents, my clever, charming and beautiful sister (hi Joanne ) and I traveled to Vienna. I remember being loved, the ferris wheel, this really sweet elderly couple that gave us unusual dolls, and falling hard for a 9 year old boy from Kansas. He was sooooooo cute. Maybe even my first boy crush? An American? That’s deep.

I am awed by the privilege of traveling home. There is a very surreal quality to it. A timelessness… My ancestors traversed cultures, continents, and planes of existence to build a shelter and a future on the shores of twelve mile lake in Saskatchewan. They forged a new existence in a foreign land…

What a gift to be able to experience the pilgrimage home, to honour their journey, to appreciate the circle of life. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

We will be visiting the village, Cuza Voda, where my family is from. I have some relatives there!!!! We will meet!!!! Words fail me here… sheer exuberance is as close as I get…

So far, it looks like there will be approximately TWENTY TONITA’S ON TOUR! Shocking! Now that is just out - of - control. CAN YOU IMAGINE????!!!! Some of the elders coming along speak Romanian. My precious aunt Rachelle is coming (organizer), my auntie Sharon, my uncle Myron, my great aunt Aurelia, my evil male twin/cousin Troy (yes there are two of us ~ recipe for disasta!) and his amazing wife, and maybe even MY GRANDMA if she is well enough!!!! ~I am praying~ The rest are cousins of some sort. A whole brood. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

My heart is filled with humble gratitude.

Blessed be.

My great, great Tonita (Badea) Grandparents.

Photo: Tom Hanson/CP

Maher Arar smiles as he discusses the governments apology and compensation package at a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario.

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Where is this work with inner knowing all heading?

Here’s a “secret.”
There is no inner knowing.

Help!
Then what have we been doing these weeks of practice?

What I mean is, there is no little inner guru sitting on a lotus petal in our heart.
We are not separate from our inner wisdom.
We ARE our inner wisdom.

Much of our everyday experience is dominated by what we might call our “conditioned mind.”
There is a stimulus… and we respond.
We respond with emotions and thoughts that to a large degree are the product of our childhood experiences, our culture, our social conditioning, our genetic inheritance, our hormones, even deep-seeded reptilian impulses that pre-date the development of the fore brain in human beings.
To a large extent, we live inside a bubble of identity called “Me.”
Some use the term “ego” (“ego” in the sense of our entire personality—not just the negative quality of self-importance).
Many spiritual teachers tell us that this bubble of “me” is not all that we are.
In fact, it is suggested that what passes for everyday waking consciousness in is actually like being partly asleep.
That our complete identification with this bubble of “me-ness” and all of our conditioned associations inhibits our ability to be present with life as it is.
Keeps us unnecessarily separate and cut-off from life.
And cut-off from fully realizing of our true nature.

In practicing inner knowing, we are relaxing the grip of our conditioned mind.
It’s a form of meditation in which we let settle the ripples of what we might call “small mind.”
We wake up out of the trance of everyday consciousness.
And allow the wisdom that is our true nature to arise.

We ARE our inner wisdom.
Reflect on this…

I imagine that those of you who have been practicing regularly are beginning to notice that more and more, your inner knowing is active without having to “ask.”

This is how it should be.
This is the point of the practice.

Today, we practice accessing our knowing mid-stream…
We practice “waking-up” even while fully engaged with activity.

PRACTICE VARIATION FOR TODAY:
During each of your primary activities today: a meeting, a significant telephone call, writing a piece on your computer: stop at least once, and ask for guidance about the activity at hand.

Adapted from the practices of Robert Gass.

Photo: AP

Pakistani police officers beat journalists to stop them from covering a suicide bombing in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The practice continues>>> Inner Knowing. Consult and listen to your inner wisdom before making each and every decision—large and small.

Yes, but how do we know for sure?
How do we know that we are hearing the real inner voice?
We don’t.

So sorry.
Would you like your money back for the inner knowing module?
Much as we may sometimes crave the illusion of control….
There’s no certainty in meeting the Great Mystery that is life.
Were just human beings.
Fallible.
We may think we know.
And end up with egg on our face.
All we can do is… go with the clearest energy.

Suggestion:
Be humble about what you think you know.
Even while you act with power.
Even while you act with a whole heart.
Be open to not knowing.
Embrace the unknown.

Adapted from the practices of Robert Gass.

“Just Do it!”

Have we talked about this?
It’s all very well and good to go mining the gold of inner knowing.
But you actually need to act on what you hear and know.

The Practice>>> Inner Knowing. Consult and listen to your inner wisdom before making each and every decision—large and small.

Oh…right!
This is why the Practice reads, Consult and listen.
It’s the one consultant whose advice you really should take.
And this can sometimes be a bit scary.

One thing I have noticed is the well of intuition tends to dry up when
I’m not acting on what I have already heard.

“I feel there are two people inside me - me and my intuition. If I go against her, she’ll screw me every time, and if I follow her, we get along quite nicely.” Kim Basinger

I’m not sure it’s exactly the case that inner knowing gets cranky.
Nor is it the case that the well runs dry.
It feels more like we turn off the tap of inner wisdom when we’re not
ready to take responsibility for what we know.

When you hear/feel/know to do something….
Just do it!

This is why I recommend practicing every day on the small decisions that make up your daily life—
- what to eat
- what to do
- where to go
- who to see

The repeated experiences of seeing good results follow from acting on inner knowing helps build our confidence so that, when big decisions come, we will have the courage and faith to trust our inner guidance.

Practice today.
Many times.
Consult your inner knowing on small decisions…
And whatever you hear…
Just do it!

Adapted from the practices of Robert Gass.

For many people, journaling is one of the most effective ways of connecting with intuition.

In the act of free and uncensored writing, very often our inner wisdom offers information and guidance that we are needing to hear.

However, we can also use journaling as a tool to focus our intuition to address specific matters that need tending, similar to the 4-step process.

Method:
1. Sit in a quiet place.

2. On the top of a blank piece of paper write the topic or specific
question about which you seek information or guidance.
(It is possible to use a computer, though many people prefer writing
by hand for this purpose.)
Unlike the 4-step process which is a methodical series of questions, here you simply name generally what it is you want to know.
for example:
What about the ____campaign?
What about my relationship challenges with ______?
How can I best serve my new client ______?
What changes am I needing in my diet?

3. Begin (as we do in the 4-step process) by centering.

4. Hold the topic or question in your consciousness.

5. Begin writing.
The key here is to write freely, without any censoring or even thinking before you write. Like turning on a faucet and letting the water pour out uninterrupted. Don’t look at what you’ve written until you are completely done.

6. When you feel complete, read back what you have written. Some people like to read the words aloud.

7. By applying the guidelines in #3-5, it’s actually quite easy to discern your inner knowing from other material that may (or may not) be on the
page.

PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT for today:
Do this journaling process with at least two topics or questions.

Adapted from the practices of Robert Gass.

Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Doves are released during the funeral of slain Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink in Istanbul.

A journalist who faced constant threats and protests as one of the most prominent voices of Turkey’s shrinking Armenian community was shot to death Friday at the entrance to his newspaper’s offices, police said.

Hrant Dink, a 53-year-old Turkish citizen of Armenian descent, had gone on trial numerous times for speaking out about the mass killings of Armenians by Turks at the beginning of the 20th century. He had also received threats from nationalists, who viewed him as a traitor.

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Being a river guide is a beautiful metaphor for learning how to work in harmony with the forces of life.

The master boatsman watches, listens and feels the currents of the river.
Always working with the force of the river.
Whenever possible, harnessing the power that is, rather than fighting the flow.
Always alert for hazards or obstacles downriver.
Working his/her paddle with a graceful economy of effort.

If we listen, our inner knowing brings us in tune with life.
Like a master boatman, we can begin to read the currents of life.
We stay aware of which way energy is flowing.
We flow with river when possible…
Saving our energy for those moments when real effort is actually required.
We learn to avoid when possible the obstacles life throws in our way, rather than blindingly
crashing into them (sometimes the same ones again and again.)
We begin to take rest in those moments when there are quiet pools and eddies.
By being attuned to the moment, more and more we achieve an economy
of effort, responding with what’s needed—no more—no less.
And draw strength from a power far greater than our own.

Learning to stay attuned to our environment is worth another day (or lifetime) of practice.

Practice Variation for today:
Stay attuned to your environment today.
Practice “reading” the moment.
What is the moment telling you?
Be the master boatsman reading the tides and currents.
Stay especially alert today.
Watch how life is continually giving you signs and feedback about all
that you might need to know.

Special assignment for today:
Take 15+ minutes to do the following intuition exercise.
It is practice for reading the currents of life.
I suggest taking some notes as you reflect on each of the following questions.

Think of your life as a river.

1) What direction are you paddling?
This may sound obvious, but it’s far easier going downstream.
In short bursts, if it’s really important, we can maybe work hard enough to push a little upstream. But it uses up a lot of energy, so we want to be very thoughtful in choosing to travel in that direction.
Where are you pushing against the current in your life?
Where are you trying to move in opposition to the general flow of those with whom you work?
Where are you trying to move in opposition to the general movement of your
larger environment?
Where are you trying to move in opposition to your own desires and energy?
Again, there are times we may need to paddle upriver.
But if you are, check to make sure your course is well-considered?
(vs. habitual or reactive)

2) Where’s the “V”?
In running rivers, we always search for the V—a series of v-shaped ripples that show us where the water is running deepest and the freest, safest path for passage.

Where is the V in your life?
Where is the swift moving current—that place where the work flows easiest?
That part of your life where you feel free, unencumbered, most alive and successful?
How could you spent more time here? Take better advantage of this current?

3) Boulders
Boulders are major obstacles for boaters to avoid. They can impede our passage, we can get battered, perhaps wrapped and hung up, or even sunk. With warning however, we can usually evade full-on impact by choosing a wiser route.

What are the boulders in your life?
Immovable obstacles in your way?
What are some of the simple realities that it would be better not to hit head-on?
How might you work more skillfully with these?

4) Suckholes
As their name so graphically suggests, suckholes are a hydraulic phenomenon in rivers where water violently recirculates again and again, sucking anything that enters its currents down into an entrapping water hole, again and again.

What are the suckholes in your life?
What are the things in your environment that drag you down, sap your energy, again and again?
On the river, we do everything we can do avoid suckholes.
What might you do with the suckholes in your life?

5) Eddies
After paddling hard in white water, we need to “eddy out”—to slip into places of calm at the side of the river– to enjoy the beauty around us, and to relax and renew our energies.

Where are the eddies in your life, those places and occasions of relaxation that renew your life force?
From whom and from where do you draw energy?
How could you spend more time in and make better use of these oases.

6) Dams and Forks
There are dams and places in the river which are simply unrunnable. We want to see these coming as far ahead as possible, to give us ample time to plan. Also, when the river forks, it’s helpful to have done some prior scouting before making big choices.
Are there any dams likely ahead in your life?

Any blockages, internal or external, that are signaling a time for change? We often ignore early warning signs that energy is blocked until things build to a crisis.

Any major choice points coming? Large decisions about your work or other
aspects of life?
If so, how can you scout the channels ahead?

7) What else?
Think of your life as a river.
Other images?…sensings?… gut feelings?

Reflecting back on this process, beyond the specific content, what are you learning about inner knowing and about reading energy?

Adapted from the practices of Robert Gass.