Pain As A Message
by Shannon Walbran

Have you ever been struck by a headache like a lightning bolt? Succumbed to a wave of exhaustion that practically threw you down on the sofa? Or have you had more subtle but insistent pains come up out of nowhere, seemingly disconnected from any physical cause?

There is a chance that these pains might actually be messages from your spirit guides.

Your guides really want you to hear what they have to say. Although human beings can receive messages through lovely cloud patterns or a song heard on the radio, the guides know that human beings snap to attention when their bodies feel sudden sharp twinges. Remember that guides are energy and they can play with any energy system.

Pain makes you stop in your tracks and sort through your day, asking, "What might be causing this?" Fatigue could compel you to nap, in which case you might dream and receive the intended communication.

Though effective, pain is not an enjoyable way to receive a message. You can learn how to negotiate with your spirit guides, saying, "If you send me such-and-such a signal, I will take time out and meditate and receive your communication." Another option is to schedule an hour every day to focus on your guides, leaving the rest of your day to interact freely with people on the physical plane.

Although it can be said that all bodily pains have their origins in emotional states, sometimes there's a direct line between "playing tennis without warming up properly" and sore knees. 

To discover whether your sudden symptom is "medical" or "spiritual" in nature, take a moment in silence, ground yourself, and ask yourself and your guides for a "yes" or a "no." You can hear this yes/no reply in one of several ways. Some people assign a very high note to a yes and a very low tone to a no and then concentrate on listening. Some people make the "OK" sign with their thumb and first finger, and then try to flick their finger past their thumb.  A held circle means yes, a loose flick means no...

You can practice by asking yourself questions to which you know the answer: Was I born in this city? Do I have two sisters? In fact, every time you are about to ask yourself the important question, you can run a quick yes/no test on an obvious question to make sure you're hearing it right.  Kinesiologists do this by saying, 'Give me a yes, give me a no.'

Once you've determined that your sudden symptom (fatigue or headache or other muscle pain) is indeed spiritual, then what?

Pain enters the physical sphere only when an issue has not been resolved at an energetic level. If you can identify which emotional issue is at stake, you have a better shot at figuring out what to do next.

Using your preferred yes/no technique, you can scroll through a list of emotions to see if the pain means you need to address one or more of them. A familiar list comes with the Bach flower remedies, and a more in-depth list comes with the South African Flower Essences.

When you find the emotional state you need to deal with, try not to get hung up on where it came from. For example, if you have a sharp pain in your shoulder and you strike a yes on Envy, you don't necessarily have to figure out if you are indeed deeply envious of the lifeguard you saw at the beach yesterday. This could lead to some progress, or maybe it might be only a superficial and passing association.

Instead, just accept without labeling. "This pain is associated with the state of envy." Check in with your body. If you are right, you might feel a lessening of the pain, or it might throb once to let you know you are on track.

Promise yourself out loud that you will sit with the emotion of envy and take on what needs to be done to work on envy in your life. Next, try to find an emotional state that is the opposite of "envy" and choose one way you will integrate a positive antidote. For example, envy can mean dissatisfaction with one's present situation. You could say with conviction, "I am happy with the way things are right now."

Remember that these exercises will serve four purposes:
1. determining which sudden pains are actually spiritual messages
2. identifying the emotional state behind the pain
3. guiding you toward resolving the issues that caused you pain in the first place
4. giving you clearer communication channels with your spirit guides

Good luck!

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Shannon Walbran is a spirit interpreter and intuitive healer who channels a group of beings called "The Guides."  She invites you to visit www.spiritguidance.net  to read spirit messages for everyone, learn techniques for contacting your guides, and obtain personalized readings.