Inspiration: the cure for what ails us

Here we are! The economy is in a big mess; banking is collapsing, health care is in crisis, education is a joke, and almost everywhere one can look, old structures and established ways of doing things are crumbling before our eyes. That’s just the “big picture”. What about your individual life? Where are you right now and where would you like to be?

The very act of wanting something new starts the process of transforming a life, an organization, a nation or a planet. We have wanted a lot, for sure. We wish prosperity; complete and perfect health, new avenues of income, new modes of energy and transportation, education that works, happy people, clean environment, ad infinitum. There is certainly no shortage of powerful questions.

When we pray, we are asking. We are asking for protection, money, health, ideas, guidance, etc. In a sense, we are broadcasting, sending our message to the Universe, to God, or to whoever may be listening.

If you’ve ever seen a CB radio operator, he or she sends the message and then says, “Over.” At that point, she clicks on the earpiece and changes the internal orientation from “send” to “receive” by adopting a listening position. within. In that internal posture, they are allowing the other to send so they can to receive.

In the same way, when we have requested or desired something new, we have sent our message to the Big U. It has received our request. Our next step is to click the receive button internally, switch to receive mode, and allow Big U to deliver the answer to our prayer or request. It is received in inspiration.

By definition according to the Miriam Webster Dictionary, inspiration is:
1) a: a divine influence or action on a person that is believed to qualify him for to receive and communicate the sacred revelation
b: the action or power of moving the intellect golden emotions
c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions
2) the act of drawing; specifically : the entry of air into the lungs
3) a: the quality or state of being inspired
b: something that is inspired inspiration
4) an inspiring agent or influence

Now let’s look at the etymology of the word itself, inspiration:

c.1303, “immediate influence of God or a god”, especially under which the holy books were written, from O.Fr. inspiration, from LL inspirationem (nom. inspiration), from L. inspiratus, pp. from inspirare “inspire, inflame, blow into”, from in-“in” + spirare “to breathe” (see spirit). Inspire in this sense is c.1340, by O.Fr. inspire, from L. inspire, a loan-transl. of gr. pnein in the Bible. The general sense of “influencing or animating with an idea or purpose” is from 1390. Inspiring is 1839 as “influenced by inspiration”; 1884 as “tends to inspire”.

Therefore, if we look at the definition and then the roots of that word, we will again understand the literal and intended meaning of the word. Inspiration is with the spirit, with the breath, influenced by the spirit with our breath on our intellect and emotions. Inspiration, therefore, has a practical, “real” world effect on our lives.

Have you ever noticed that when you’re stressed, you’re not breathing deeply? You are not only restricting the flow of oxygen to your physical body, but you are also restricting the flow from Source, carried by your breath, to your mind and soul. When you are stressed, you are usually “sending” urgent messages to the Big U. When you are stressed, you are not receiving or allowing the responses that have been sent to you. When you are relaxed, breathe deeply and allow Life to flow through you, you are in receiving mode.

Meditation has been used by many religions and cultures for the purpose of calming our internal state, as well as to contact the Divine Mind. The Divine Mind, where this inspiration comes from, is also Your Mind. You just can’t hear it over the buzzing and screaming of your human mind. This is where we in Western Cultures have to follow the example of Eastern Cultures and learn to still the human mind long enough to receive our inspirations, our answers. We can also breathe deeply, relax and in this way we are also in reception mode.

This is practical advice. We ask and ask and ask and then wonder why our prayers have not been answered, when they have been. We just haven’t been in the listen, receive and allow mode. We talk, we talk, we talk; but we have not been trained to be very good listeners.

To achieve all that we would like – clean air, new modes of energy, new ideas for education, how to be well, how to thrive, not just survive – we must let inspiration in. From our human mind we will only regurgitate the same old ideas and get more of the same results. It’s time for new ideas, inspired solutions and creativity.

Each of us is connected to the same Source. Each of us can receive the inspired solutions not only for the immediate requests of our own lives, but also for the most important jobs facing our nation and the world.

Be quiet. To receive. The Big U already know what you want, you’ve asked for it a million times. Now relax and listen, inwardly. Inspiration is your birthright and an integral part of your Being. Now, let’s learn how to use it, apply our spirit to everyday problems, and receive our guidance for our inspired solutions.