I recently read a quote by Gabby Bernstein, and it really struck me.

Gabby writes, "In peaceful stillness, spirit can connect to you.  In prayer you ask for guidance, and in meditation, you listen."  This got me thinking about the times I've received divine guidance, which have been many.

Oftentimes I'll be sitting in meditation, focusing on my breathing as I encourage my internal snow globe to settle down.  Other times I'll get some good ideas while I'm in the shower or when I'm stretching at night before bed.  

When I get what I call divine whispers during my meditation times, I don't try to push them away.  In fact, I allow them in and will either take a moment to pause and write them down or I'll switch up my meditation and let it morph into me exploring the details of the idea.  

There are some philosophies regarding meditation that urge people to ignore any ideas that come during their meditation.  Those folks feel that if the ideas are meant to stick with you, you'll remember them after you're finished meditating.  I don't completely agree with that.  

If I'm meditating and my mind wanders to, let's say, what I'll be eating for lunch, then, sure, I'll let that thought go and return my attention to my breath.  But if I get a great idea about something (usually it's a solution to something I've been mentally chewing on for a bit), then I'll embrace the "download" rather than push it away.

It's honestly no wonder that solutions magically appear when my head is clear.  That makes sense to me.  

Using the shower example, I'll usually use that time as a moving meditation, a practice in mindfulness.  While it seems easy to focus on washing my hair, for example, it's definitely common to have my thoughts swirl all over the place.  But when I'm actually just showering – instead of thinking of things in the past or future events – I get some real gems.  Same thing happens when I'm doing my evening stretching.

When we take the time to be still, or at the very least remain in the present moment, we allow all sorts of good things to come our way. 

So the next time you're gifted with a divine ping, take a moment to acknowledge it, write it down if that feels right, and decide if you want to explore that topic more in that moment or return to it down the road.  The more time we take to enjoy quiet and stillness, the more our worlds expand in unexpected ways.