You are greater than you ever imagined. The source and essence of the universe abides in you. And there is only one. The world's great spiritual teachings have been saying this for thousands of years. Here is a beautiful example, taken from the Upanishads:

In the beginning was only Being,
One without a second.
Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos
And entered into everything in it.
There is nothing that does not come from him.
Of everything he is the inmost Self.

The contents of your mind may differ from mine, but the consciousness that illuminates both is one and the same. This is the fundamental realization that lies at the heart of what we call "enlightenment" or "spiritual awakening." And you cannot just grasp it cognitively. This realization has to be felt in every cell of your body. To quote one of my favorite film characters, the Oracle from The Matrix (see above), "Being The One is just like being in love. No one can tell you you're in love. You just know it, through and through, balls to bones."

Nothing is more challenging to accept than the notion that The One abides in you. That is why spiritual teachers keep converging on the same message. The core wisdom on which the spiritual evolution of our species depends has to be earned, and that does not come easily. Joseph Campbell expressed the potentially frustrating nature of this venture with a rhetorical question: "How teach again what has been taught correctly and incorrectly learned a thousand thousand times, throughout the millenniums of mankind's prudent folly?"

In the past, humanity had the luxury of forgetting who we are, where we came from, and what connects us at the deepest level. Now, time is of the essence. We can hardly afford to squander the opportunity to REALLY remember this simple yet profound truth: "I am one with The One that created me." Once enough of us get it, everything changes--families, communities, government, economics, and religion. We will have to reinvent every aspect of our lives to move closer to an age of peace, sustainability, and balance. This is doable, but we must act quickly.

So, what can you do? The answer is simple: Remember who you are. Here and now, baby! You owe it not just to yourself but to all the other denizens of this Earth. Just follow the advice offered in this verse from The Radiance Sutras: 

There is no image you can hold,
No thought you can think,
That encompasses the Great Self.

Your essence
Is immortal and unchanging,
Yet it is the foundation for all that moves.

Rest in the shimmering emptiness
That is the source of this world,
And remember who you are.

I leave you with this message because I don't know what kind of internet connectivity I will have the rest of July. In case you do not hear from me for a while, I want to share what I consider to be the most important message of this era. Given that this could be my last blog post for a while, I offer you my deep unconditional love, along with this blessing: May you remember who you are, and may you inspire others to do the same.

When I sit down to write, entire sections of books come to me intuitively. Sometimes, it feels like I am taking dictation or as if my fingers are moving themselves on the keyboard with no effort on my part. Those moments feel magical and they lead to some of my most inspired writing. But there is no magic involved. This is not a trick. You can tap into your intuition just as well as I can. Here is how:

1. Get a clean signal. Make sure that the information coming to you intuitively is accurate and reliable. This can be done by stating the following three intentions before accessing your intuitive guidance: a) I demand that any connections I make today be with the entities I request and not with any imposters; b) I demand that any connections I make today be free of outside interference; c) I demand that any connections I make today be opened the moment I ask that they be opened and stay open and clear until I ask that they be closed. If you are really committed to maximizing your intuition, state these intentions first thing every morning. For more details, please read Chapter 2 of The Chanter’s Guide.
2. Trust your intuition. Assuming that you have a clean signal, the next step is to trust the information that comes through it. Nothing interferes with intuition as much as doubt. You may have all kinds of questions about your intuition, which is natural. In Deep Creativity, I address some of them: What is the source of our intuition? How does it work? How accurate and reliable is it? Find your own answers. If you remain skeptical about the nature or trustworthiness of your intuition, then wait to try these exercises until something changes for you. Otherwise, the benefit you derive from them will be limited at best.
3. Start simple. Begin with a question that can be answered with a YES or a N0. Here are a few muscle testing techniques you can use to arrive at the answer. The answer you receive is an intuitive one if the muscle movement that occurs is unforced. You should get the strong sensation that the muscles are moving of their own accord without the imposition of your will. Personally, I prefer to use the YES finger and NO finger technique: “Show me my YES finger” (wait for a twitch or movement of some kind in one of your fingers). “Now show me my NO finger” (wait for a different finger movement; if the same finger moves for both YES and NO, try again until you have two distinct finger movements). Your first question should be one to which you know the answer: “Is my name…?” Try your own name and also someone else’s. This way, you can see if your muscle testing gives you clear recognizable answers before you start exploring questions that are less familiar, such as, “Is this the safest route for me to take on my commute today?”
4. Observe. As you explore your intuition, you will find that intuitive messages are everywhere: nature sounds; seemingly random thoughts and images; unexpected events; apparent coincidences; moments of beauty. Your intuition is drawing your attention to all kinds of salient information. It is up to you to heighten your sensitivity to this information, tune into it, and take the time to just observe what is happening in and around you.
5. Stay open. Welcome any information that comes through your intuition. If you are heavily invested in a specific answer, you are probably not ready to even ask the question. In such cases, your preference will tend to override and drown out your intuition anyway. So there is no point in calling upon your intuition until you are prepared to receive and accept whatever it has to offer. This means remaining open to anything, even an outcome that you consider less than ideal.  Your intuition will sometimes point you in a direction that you were hoping to avoid. At such times, you can choose to disregard the information you get, but by doing so, you will probably end up missing out on important lessons and experiences. 

As with any other ability, developing your intuition takes patience and practice. Start small and work your way up from there. Eventually, you will get to the point where entire works of art may come to you in an intuitive manner. When that happens, it can be an absolute thrill!