Go 'Into the woods' ... and listen....

"The problem is not the problem, the problem is your attitude about the problem"... this quote really made me smile yesterday - as it popped up on my dynamic Chrome browser - and in my opinion its (1) very true and (2) applies to many situations.

Have you ever noticed that once you change your perception about a scenario, your feelings and attitude changes with it?

But before you can allow yourself the space to make this change you have to get to a sense of clarity about the situation / problem / task at hand, otherwise you are battling the issue with an old thinking mindset.

Trying to get to clarity can sometimes feel like undoing "tied up cables" (it's an absolute nuisance). You know those cables which you have to first untie (one by one) before you can find the one cable that you are looking for? Sometimes I feel that a similar process of "undoing" is required with your thoughts when you are trying to make sense of something. But, what do you do if you just can't seem to untangle the thought process?

One method - that I have found works for me - is to first find that element of peace within, before allowing the mind to think, and the way I do that is by a process I am calling "going into the woods".

What I mean by this is two fold. This could be a literal meaning of you going somewhere, like the national forest, peak district, to a park or even by a river. So you are taking yourself out of your day to day environment, and into nature. Hence why when I am in a city I love to find parks or anything that resembles nature. The second method - though more symbolical - is to do this through a range of relaxation methods. Such as, listening to calming music (I find piano tunes the most effective), breathing techniques (slowing down your breath, and taking deep breaths brings calmness in to your body) to even doing an exercise routine (running, swimming, dancing) that will pump up your heart. Yet one final method that I highly recommend is watching a sunrise.

Combining this (watching a sunrise) with the breathing techniques really allows me to get closer to what my intuition is trying to convey to me. During this process random thoughts come and go , but I just let these do just that, come and go, without holding on to any one particular thought.

So at this point you will now reach a more calmer sense of being, and the "fog" or "messed up cables" are in the process of being sorted, and you will slowly start to have a clearer channel and soon be ready to make a decision with clarity.

Though to be honest I find that answers don't come to me at that time when I am in that state of relaxation. I find that I allow myself to reach a level of calmness and be receptive to give myself the mental space to feel my gut and intuition during the day. It is then - during the day or maybe a few days later - that I get a strong sense of direction about the query (usually through signs and synchronicity) and how I need to proceed. And I know that this direction/choice is right because more often than not I tend to feel excited, or joyful, and I can sense my mind and body being at peace.

This is a technique that I learnt to put into place over the past few years. Earlier I used to re-act to situations without much "feeling" and more a reaction to other people's actions. Over time I have realised that this isn't right for me. So by going "into the woods," I am also literally plugging myself in to the energetic field around me, and try to get my own vibration to rise up in the process.

When vibrations are higher, you are more open to synchronicity, and experiencing the magic of this universe! I mean, how cool is that?! The key also is to remember to do this activity frequently. In a way it's like "cleaning your aura," and not doing it means that you get yourself back in to the 'messed up cable" state or remain their longer, and things just get messier and messier from here on in.

Try it. Either go to the woods, into nature, or try and zone-out through meditation, watching a sunrise, listening to instrumental music, or exercise. But before you do these, pose that question / and query to your mind that you are looking to resolve or understand. Post one of these activities, within hours or days, wait and see how an answer or direction comes to you, clear as daylight.