Are you searching for deeper meaning and purpose in your life? Do you sense that you have an inner wisdom that can be a guiding force for you, yet wonder how to connect with that intuitive self? How do you know which inner voices to listen to? For over thirty years, Shakti Gawain has helped readers address these questions. Living in the Light has given literally millions of people clear and gentle guidance to create a new way of life — one in which we listen to our intuition and rely on it as a guiding force. The key lies in bringing the light of our awareness to every aspect of ourselves, including our disowned energies — our shadow side . With great insight and clarity, Shakti shows us the transformative power of bringing awareness to every part of ourselves. Simple yet powerful exercises on subjects including creativity, relationships, parenting, health, money, and transforming the world help us put these teachings to practical use in our daily lives. Living in the Light is a comprehensive map to growth, fulfillment, and consciousness. As we grapple with personal, national, and global challenges on many fronts, this classic work is timelier than ever. “ Living in the Light is very powerful....It can transform your life.” — Wayne Dyer “Shakti Gawain’s work is a great contribution.” — Deepak Chopra, author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success Shakti Gawain is a bestselling author and a leader in the world consciousness movement. Her books, including the classic Creative Visualization , have sold over ten million copies in thirty-five languages. She lives in Mill Valley, California. Living in the Light Follow Your Inner Guidance to Create a New Life and a New World By Shakti Gawain, Laurel King Nataraj Publishing Copyright © 2011 Shakti Gawain and Laurel King All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-60868-048-1 Contents Preface, Part One: The Principles, 1. A New Way of Life, 2. The Higher Power Within Us, 3. Intuition, 4. Becoming a Creative Channel, 5. Exploring Our Many Selves, 6. Our World as Our Mirror, 7. Spirit and Form, 8. The Male and Female Within, 9. Men and Women, Part Two: Living the Principles, 10. Trusting Intuition, 11. Feelings, 12. Balancing Being and Doing, 13. Authoritarian and Rebel, 14. Relationships, 15. Our Children, 16. Work and Play, 17. Money, 18. Health, 19. Your Perfect Body, 20. Transforming Our World, 21. My Vision, Acknowledgments, Recommended Resources, About the Author, CHAPTER 1 A NEW WAY OF LIFE We are living in a very exciting and powerful time. On the deepest level of consciousness, a radical transformation is taking place. As the evolution of human consciousness gains greater and greater momentum, we are being challenged, on a planetary level, to let go of our present way of life and create a new one. In a sense, an "old world" is dying, and a "new world" is coming into being. For many of us, simply described, the old world was based on an external focus — having lost our fundamental spiritual connection, we have believed that the material world is the only reality. Thus, feeling essentially lost, empty, and alone, we have continually attempted to find happiness and fulfillment through external "things" — money, material possessions, relationships, work, fame, food, drugs, and so on. The new world is being built as we open to the higher power of the universe within us and consciously allow that creative energy to move through us. As each of us connects with our inner spiritual awareness, we learn that the creative power of the universe is inside of us. We also learn that we can create our own experience of reality and take responsibility for doing so. The change begins within each individual, but as more and more individuals are transformed, the mass consciousness is increasingly affected. My observation that a profound transformation of consciousness is taking place in our world at this time is based on the changes I see within myself, in those around me, and in our society. It is affirmed by feedback I receive from thousands of people I work with all over the world. Living in the Light is about this transformation of consciousness, within each individual and in the world. My use of the terms old world and new world throughout the book refers to the old way of living that we are relinquishing and the new one that we are creating. For many people, this time may be distressing, because the world situation and/or our personal lives may seem to be going from bad to worse. It's as if many things are falling apart and will continue to do so with even greater intensity, but on the deepest level, I do not feel this is negative. It is upsetting to us to the degree that we are emotionally attached to our old way of living and steadfastly follow old patterns, rather than trying to open our eyes to the profound changes that are occurring. Paradoxical as it may seem, these changes are the greatest blessing that