In the midst of change, in the midst of uncertainty, potential chaos, and the unknown, I ask you: what questions do you find yourself returning to? Whether conscious or unseen, the questions you ask yourself, again and again, can reveal the QUEST, the journey, the hidden adventure you’re walking through.

Sometimes questions are understandably rooted in safety and survival -- will I be safe? Will my loved ones be okay? Is there a future for us here? What’s my next doable and necessary action?

Other times, questions may be increasingly reflective, honoring an inner knowing that something greater is calling you to form. Such as: how may I serve in a way that regeneratively contributes to the future of life on earth?

Sometimes, your inner questions spotlight long-standing patterns or ways of being within self, such as: how can I move from survival to abundantly and deliciously thriving, both personally and in community?

Maybe your inner questions honor the nuance and depth in sincerely reflecting on: What do I really want? How can I receive the gifts that I’ve already been given?

Perhaps in the midst of these trying times, exhaustion has set in and you’re reading this thinking, I’m too tired to consider what questions I’m leaning into. I don’t have the energy. If that’s you, I hear you and honor your capacity. Perhaps your question might sound something like: how can I tend to and care for myself right here and now… what do I really need?

Wherever you find yourself today, acknowledging the questions you’re leaning into (consciously or unconsciously) holds tremendous oracular power.

Life is always listening — and Life is constantly responding to you in infinite forms such as body cues (an inner feeling or knowing), songs overheard with just the right message, life events steering you in a different direction, etc.

There are also times of life when it feels like your inner guidance system is hibernating, when no matter how many questions you ask, Life won’t pick up the phone with a clear answer. This, too, is guidance in and of itself and can teach you humility, patience, and a deeper kind of trust. (If you find yourself here, you might enjoy the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May.)

As we’re increasingly moving into an age with infinite information and opinions fed through the device on the palm of your hand, nourishing inner knowing by acknowledging the questions you’re leaning into can be a tremendously empowering tool. This dialogue with yourself activates your Inner Oracle, the place inside that holds compassion, wisdom, care, and sage guidance — not as a quick fix or to sugarcoat a challenging life situation, but to build long-term knowledge of yourself and trust in your abilities.

Your Inner Oracle (sometimes called the Inner Teacher, Inner Counselor, or Inner Angel) is both intimately within and beyond your human form. It’s both the form and the essence — the match and the flame — both fully immersed in the world and not of it. Your Inner Oracle is both deeply personal to your human experience as a soul and it’s the meeting point where your personalized experience affects the rest of the collective.

Whether or not you consider yourself a “leader,” you are inextricably linked to the world around you, both the natural world and the people who share it with you. You don’t have to hold a position of leadership within an organization in order to lead; you lead everyone around you by example every day of your life. You set boundaries and rules of engagement for others through the way you treat yourself, and the actions you take each day determine your capacity to help other people.

No matter how you relate to this purpose, from a profession of painting to teaching to installing air conditioners, every soul’s purpose is to learn (or said another way: to remember) and serve, and the more aligned your daily actions are with the questions you ask and reflect on with your Inner Oracle, the greater your capacity to serve both yourself and others.

The first step is to start the conversation with your Inner Oracle and learn how to listen to what it has to say.

If this is speaking to you and you’re called to nourish conscious conversation with your Inner Oracle, I have two suggestions for you today ~ the first is an incredible free online series, the second a practice you can engage anytime you’re seeking an experience to help you lean into the questions you’re asking.

#1: ORACULAR LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

If you like learning through example, I hiiiighly recommend signing up for the upcoming free Oracular Leadership Summit! I am so honored to be featured amongst this incredible offering of heartfelt conversations on nourishing your Inner Oracle.

Throughout the eight days of the Oracular Leadership Summit, beginning January 18th, you’ll hear from 22 leaders in their fields (including me!) who have honored and followed their Inner Oracle in service to both soul purpose + aligned leadership. Click here to sign up.

#2: NATURE ORACLE

As you lean into the questions you’re asking now, I encourage you to conduct a Nature Oracle, a practice I learned from Rachael Maddox. Ideally, you can engage this practice outside somewhere in nature; however, if you’re unable to go outside now, you’re also welcome to pull up a photo of one of your favorite nature landscapes or even a YouTube video of nature or nature documentary like the BBC’s Planet Earth.

Start by attuning to your question: what are you seeking guidance, direction, or reflection on? If you aren't sure of your question, you can also ask this Nature Oracle to help discern your question. Before beginning, you may wish to say a prayer, set an intention, and/or ask for Spirit’s assistance in receiving what truly serves you here and now.

Then you can set a timer (10-15 minutes can go a long way) or simply let yourself walk, explore, and receive until you feel complete. Notice what you’re drawn to. What stands out to you? Perhaps you’re drawn to a color, a scent in the air, a certain unfolding in the landscape. You can inwardly note this or jot it down in a journal as you go along. Nature is largely neutral, so discerning what you’re drawn to is an empowering metaphorical reflection of your inner guidance; what you see reveals what might be occupying your head, heart, and soul today as well as nudges or guidance from your Inner Oracle.

Once you feel complete, revisit your notes: what stood out to you? How is nature responding to your inquiry here and now? How might you be called to integrate this new information?

I’ll share an example … this past spring, I was navigating a lot of grief. I engaged a Nature Oracle by setting the intention to walk with my grief, to welcome it, to get to know it a bit more and give it space to exist. I invited nature to reflect anything that may be helpful to me in welcoming my grief. As I walked around my neighborhood, I was immediately drawn to the low, thick grey clouds in the sky. I noticed the shadows they cast upon the sidewalk, the trees, while simultaneously noticing the pillowed power held within the clouds. They could rain any moment or pass through. I felt the clouds share how they aren’t meant to last forever; they move through, they water, sometimes flood. They cast shadows and provide welcomed shade. Can I honor my grief in all its stages, both shadows and shade? Can I honor that it passes through, and that there is always blue sky above, even if I can’t see or feel it? I completed my walk with both a tender feeling in my heart and a deeper level of presence in my body.

Wherever you find yourself today, I hope these two offerings serve you in deeply honoring yourself and your Inner Knowing, your Inner Oracle. I believe my Inner Oracle is attuned to the highest good not just for me, but for WE. Listening to and honoring your individual wisdom is a service to the whole.

With love,
Madeline