Sorry I’m late with this article - I flew to California on the weekend and it has taken me a while to find my feet. As I settled into my room in the Victorian Guest House where I will be staying for most of the next three months, I had that familiar sinking feeling of homesickness, asking myself: why am I doing this?

I’ve spent a lot of time travelling over the last three years and it is peculiar but when I am in foreign realms I seem to be able to tap into the most amazing inspiration. I gain a clarity of thought that seems to switch to snooze just as I touch back down in Melbourne.

So I figure being abroad is good for me. Given that I am trying to be a writer, inspiration is not an added extra in my life, it’s a bottom line necessity. So here I am, once again feeling strange and on the outside of things, waiting for that precious flash of insight that might take me to the next level.

On Sunday I took a walk down to the beach and the powers-that-be sent me the reassurance that I was hoping for - that I am where I am meant to be, doing what I am meant to be doing. In front of me, about 100 metres out to sea, was a seal just swimming effortlessly through the waves. She was alone, but she was doing what she does best - cruising through the waters, free and unencumbered.

I imagined that, like me, she’s got a good friend Sal who’s calling after her: ‘you go girl!” She knows she will return to Sal and the rest of her tribe, back to the comfort and warmth of her wonderful friends and family, but for now, she’s just enjoying the flow. It’s not lonely, it’s just alone.

I reminded myself yet again (and we all need to constantly remind ourselves) that I can choose the thoughts I have in my head. I can dwell on the thoughts of discomfort, loneliness and isolation or I can choose, rather, to see myself as on the brink of a fabulous opportunity which, though for the moment is out of sight, is nevertheless there.

So each time I’m tempted to be sad and lonely (as opposed to just sad and addicted to Bejewelled in the early hours!) I switch channels to the thoughts through which the angels speak.

This voice, the Voice for Spirit, is always there but it is not as loud as either my actual voice (which is about as loud as they come so the competition is fierce) or the voice of my ego (the default voice in our heads which puts up a mean fight for both primacy and supremacy) and it must be chosen. It is not the first voice we hear in any situation, so we must stop and actively listen.

So now that I’ve lowered both the fear and self-pity volume I’ve realised that the town I’ve chosen to spend my days throughout the northern summer is a beautiful town. What at first looked a bit depressing now glows in a new light. I feel really happy to be here. And all it took was a new outlook and attitude.

The Voice for Spirit is the channel for the Wisdom of the Universe. It is universally and equally available to all. God knows why we ever choose not to listen to it.

Eileen McBride
Eileen McBride is the author of Love Equals Power 2, a spiritual seeker and teacher. This article was published on May 6, 2010.