We all have an “inner knower” that knows the truth about all things—for us individually, and for all of creation. It knows the way forward at all times and under all circumstances.

This inner knower isn’t separate from us. On the contrary, it’s our true self. Some refer to it as their higher self, others as the indwelling Holy Spirit, among other terms.

This insightful center in each of us is more easily accessed when we are in a state of stillness. This is why it has often been referred to as a “still small voice,” which we are urged to listen for and listen to.

Stillness is the modus operandi of our inner knower, which contains no thought. Because it’s free of thought, it isn’t conditioned by past experiences. For this reason, it’s from this source that authentic, original insight arises, which is the riverhead of all true creativity.

Our inner knower’s home is the unified field of consciousness. Because it isn’t limited by the confines of time, it sees the whole picture. Our consciousness isn’t separate from this unified field. Rather, we embody it. Consequently, there’s nothing you and I face in our private life, or that we face as a world, to which consciousness doesn’t have the answer.

The insight we experience from our inner knower comes as a “felt knowing,” a quiet inner certainty that can’t necessarily be explained.

It’s important to emphasize the word quiet. This is the characteristic that distinguishes true felt knowing from what many of us think of as our “intuition,” our “gut feelings,” or a “red flag.”

Insight from our inner knower isn’t the same as the rather fearful, hesitant, reactive feelings that often accompany what we call our intuition or gut feelings. It’s not the same as the fear that powers a red flag.

True intuition—which is insight from consciousness, not from old brain patterns—never produces anxiety. It's perhaps better therefore to speak of insight, instead of intuition, since the latter can be so misunderstood.

Our inner knower speaks with a “peace that surpasses understanding.” It has the characteristic of a love of the truth it's showing us, not of fearfulness or anxiety. There’s no clenching, as there often is with a gut feeling, a red flag, or the sort of intuitive reaction that comes from the conditioned mind.

Often, what we call intuition, gut feelings, or red flags are simply the result of a challenge to the established programming of our brain. Because we are used to thinking and emoting in certain ways, anything different—anything truly creative—can provoke anxiety. We then back off from the very direction our inner knower is inviting us to take, as it asks us to enter into new territory.

In discerning the difference between a fear-based reaction from old programming, and real insight from inner knowing, it's crucial to remember that perfect love casts out all fear, because fear—whether felt as anxiety, angst, an emotional charge, or distress—is always at some level tormenting.

The "still small voice" that speaks with such deep peace can be thought of as "a sound of sheer silence." It lies beneath all the noise in our head, all the reactivity of our emotions, all the voices of past experience and trepidation about the future that clamor for our attention.

The voice of our inner knower is an absolute stillness.

When we look at situations with the eyes of ego, we tend to misperceive things. This is why our inner knower often speaks to us through a correction of our perception. A correction in perception may not bring about a change in our outer situation, but it will bring about a different way of seeing this situation, which results in a greater sense of peace.

The reason we experience peace when our inner knower corrects our perception is that peace is our true nature. When we are suffused with peace, we know we are seeing with accurate spiritual vision. Whenever we aren't at peace, our perception is skewed.

So whenever we find ourselves in a state that isn’t inwardly peaceful, we are wise not to hesitate to ask our inner knower to correct our perception, so that peace can well up within us.

When our inner knower corrects a misperception, often we say with gratitude, “You know, nothing has really changed, yet everything has changed.”

Also, when we react to a situation or person with anger, resentment, criticism, or defensiveness, it’s helpful to ask our inner knower to show us why we are projecting these emotions onto others. What isn’t integrated in us, so that it causes us to project our pain outward? When the answer comes, which it will do in its own time, we then ask to be shown the way to integrate the emotional charge we are experiencing.

When we receive guidance from our inner knower, we find ourselves relaxing into a situation, a relationship, or life in general. We feel more expansive, more confident, and clearer in our direction—and often we find the courage to act that we never thought we had.

Opportunity for Self-inquiry and Sharing

A.  When was the last time you experienced an awareness that came from your inner knower? 

B.  How did this form of “knowing” differ from what we can call “knowledge held in the mind?”

C.  Do you recall a time when you realized that your brain’s old programming caused you to pull back, whereas your inner knower urged you forward on a particular path?