Jay MikeMy body needs to be nourished with good food, air, and water.  Every night while I sleep my body remakes itself using what I’ve fed it.  Molecules come together to form new tissue; genetics governs the whole process.

If this ongoing cell replacement is so effective, why am I aging and moving toward physical death?  Genetics again; it governs even the process of dying.  And we can do very little to control these genes, at least at this time.

Just as nature turns genes on and off, so too does nurture.  What we ingest through food, air, and water, insecticides, fertilizers, drugs, hydrocarbons, radiation, tobacco, hormones in meat, manufactured “foods”, can influence some of our genes.  These can cause diseases such as cancers, heart disease, arthritis, and auto-immune diseases, all of which can shut down our systems and our bodies.

Yet it’s not just about our bodies.  We also possess unseen elements that make us human which we lump into words like spirit or soul.  We possess an electromagnetic energy field, a complex set of emotions and temperaments, an ability to think in the abstract, a sense of right and wrong, and a consciousness that transcends our immediate time and place.  Nurturing these elements of our existence is just as vital as the nourishing our bodies.

So what nourishes our spirit or soul so that we can find triumph in adversity, judge less and love more, and celebrate being “enough”?  What do we need to feel happier, more hopeful, and more content?  I have found that the key spiritual food I need is to listen to and understand my internal voice.

Each of us has an inner voice and we access it in a myriad of ways.  My internal voice speaks most clearly through my relationships, through the beauty of nature and art, and when I am attentive to self-care.  When I listen to and understand my internal voice I hear messages such as:

“All will be well.”
“You are enough.”
“I love you.”
“There is nothing to fear.”
“I will never leave you.”
“You are wonderful just as you are.”

I call my internal voice intuition, which seems to reside in my heart region.  When I consciously place my palm over my heart I can hear my internal voice more clearly.  I let go of attachment and just listen, as my heart comes alive with the message I need to hear in that moment.  When my heart speaks, and I listen, I sense a deep and calming contentment throughout my body.

The times I most need to listen to my internal voice is after I’ve received challenging messages through my relationships at home or at work. These challenges often question my worth, my sense of purpose, or my effectiveness.  If I leaven them unexamined I feel discontented and unhappy.  While I have no control over these messages, I can place a detour in their path as they travel from my brain into my body.  That detour is my heart’s message, my internal voice, which can neutralize discontent.

True happiness and contentment are mine when I listen to and understand my internal voice.  What makes you truly content?  How does your internal voice manifest itself?  What messages does it tell you?

Read more at my Life & Soul-Shifting FB page:  https://www.facebook.com/HeartCenterCoaching/