At the wedding at Cana, Jesus had the wisdom of his mother to guide him. We could argue that we cannot expect the same guiding wisdom for ourselves because we do not have a figure like Mary, who was in the body, to guide us. Not true. Yogananda tells us, “The voice of conscience is the voice of God.” We have all been created in the image of God; the very wisdom of God percolates within the depths of our souls, and God’s wisdom always guides us toward what is best for us, what will evolve and elevate us. Conscience is an infallible GPS system within our souls that leads us to God’s highest truth, beauty, and goodness.
The problem is that we all have our own egoic agendas, and these are always in conflict with the voice of conscience, like a civil war of sorts. The day I embraced Yogananda’s words that the voice of conscience is the voice of God, I knew it meant the beginning of the end of my egoic desires. I also knew it meant facing my fears along with my imagined need to control and spin the truth. I was only able to begin this journey of fidelity to my conscience because I deeply intuited the truth of Yogananda’s description of God: “God is love. His plan for creation is rooted only in love.” Only love liberates us to embrace the wisdom of conscience, a wisdom that always serves our highest good.
Attuning ourselves to the voice of conscience is a process that unfolds over time. It begins by grounding ourselves in the teachings of the Gurus, which have the power of awakening our sleeping consciences. The process of attunement deepens in and through a meditation practice. The silence born of meditation quiets the noisy static of the ego and allows us to hear the wise whisperings welling up from our soulful depths. Being a part of a spiritual community is also an essential aspect of our attunement to conscience because our brothers and sisters will inspire us to truth and challenge us when we are deceiving ourselves. If we are serious about listening to the voice of conscience, we will nurture the virtue of unprejudiced objectivity by asking ourselves if we want what we want or if we want the truth. Finally, the choice to choose love as our primary motivation in all that we do necessarily amplifies the voice of the conscience. If we are acting according to love, we will never attempt to do harm to anyone, and we will seek the highest good of everyone involved.
Divine Mother,
Never let me believe
I cannot hear your voice.
