Words are thoughts expressed which carry the message of our intentions. Our external speech can be thought of as a reflection of external manifestations of inner programming. The words we use can tell us a lot about how or what we think. Words are charged with either the positive energy of love, that helps us expand, or they are charged with the energy of fear, that causes us to shrink away from who we truly are.

Words have power, and our speech has the ability to set the energy or directions we choose. If we say good and positive things, good and positive experiences happen. If, on the other hand, we come from negativity we will reap negative responses and our life experiences may be filled with many trials and disappointments.

While familiar with our external speech, there is another voice we interact with. This is our "inner voice" (or "higher self"). our inner voice, that small utterance that comes from deep within, helps to guide us.

It is a different kind of communication than our normal waking consciousness, which I call our analyzer. When our analyzer is talking, the communication we receive seems nonstop.

It is through the mechanism of our inner voice that "spirit" communicates with us. It can be likened to the images of a little angel standing on our shoulder telling us the "right" thing to do, while our brain or analyzer stands on the other side (the little devil character), telling us what we "should" do, regardless of integrity or merit. Our inner voice can be thought of as our conscious, poking and prodding us into action or inaction as the case may be.

How many times have you been prompted to do something, only to ignore it only to find out the consequences were not to your liking. I’ll bet, in that moment, you say to yourself, "I should have listened to myself". Not paying attention to your higher self can be a cause of stress in one’s life.

Remember, the inner voice, which often times is quite subtle, is there to help guide you along the path of life. So when you get the nudge to pay a bill or call a friend, listen. You’ll be glad you did. Other times the voice can be more insistent. It may seem as if it is reminding us over and over of some unfinished business.

Many confuse the information provided by our brains or analyzers for the inner promptings of spirit. However, if you quiet your mind, you can tap into that small, quiet voice and distinguish where the messages are from. This can be accomplished through meditation, quiet contemplation, exercise, art, dance and even music. Each of these activities helps turn off our analyzer, allowing us to commune with our higher self, our spirit or the universe.