She's back! In May, Sally's Spirit Sleuthing, Symbolic Sight and You was one of the most popular posts in the Spring Wisdom Series. It got you involved, and excited about, using an image - a simple photograph - as an intuition-sparking tool.This time, Sally returns to introduce us to Symbolic Sound.As I wrote back in May: Sally Gentle Drew, or @Sally_G, as her devoted Twitter followers know her, is probably the most supportive and encouraging person I’ve ever known.Her writing is engaging, her ideas original; she reminds me, often, of that bright-eyed child who can always be found staring into a tidepool or  gazing at a supermoon and calling, “You have got to see this!” Her curiosity is infectious, her joy in the little things – and her ability to find the deeper meanings running beneath them, astonishes (and moves) me.To me, Sally’s is the wisdom of generosity and heartfelt encouragement. I am pleased and proud to introduce her to you.PS I've asked Sally to help me with the Soul Caller program this fall. We will definitely need a Spirit Sleuth to help guide us through the wilderness :)- - - - -Spirit Sleuthing, Symbolic Sound and You …I am a Music Lover. At least, that's one label (of many) that affixes well to me.From an early age, singing songs, playing instruments and moving to music filled me with joy and anchored me to something within myself that was real and true.Things haven't changed too much ~ my Spirit still rises to greet me in the presence of music and song. Conversations trigger songs in my head - and I've come to recognize them as Intuitive Guidance if the song's meaning is somehow applied to the situation at hand. What am I talking about? Well, I'm so glad you asked!

I am a Spirit Sleuth

Gosh, doesn't THAT sound fancy! Truth be told, it's really not that different from saying I am a Woman, or I am a Wife, or I am a Mother-Being-Driven-To-The-Brink-By-Two-Teenaged-Daughters-and-a-Husband-Tiring-of-Premenopause. (Ahem - sorry about that, maybe that last one IS just about me. But I diverge.)Briefly, a Spirit Sleuth is someone who can interpret the symbology of the Universe and the Divine in a meaningful way so that choices and decisions made come from a place of confidence and inner peace vs doubt and insecurity. The title may be new to you - I may have made it up, certainly I don't know anyone else who references themselves this way. I will never stop seeking them out though! Again, I diverge.(A quick note to anyone who has persevered with me to this point - sometimes, I bloom SLOWLY.)As I mentioned in the Spring Series regarding Symbolic Sight, accessing the wisdom of the Universe does not have to be complicated - nor does it have to be done with the services of a hired consultant. Like anything else, it is a practice - a skill set that grows more proficient over time, if consistently applied.The key is this: be willing to see AND HEAR things differently than you're used to seeing AND HEARING them.If you're up for a bit of fun - then put on your Super Sleuth hat, grab your Clue Recording Notebook - and join me on this brief foray into your Inner Intuitive Wisdom that is waiting to speak to you through the portal of Song.

I met him at the candy store ...

One of my very favourite things to do as a tween and teen was to play my records (Holy Dating Yourself Batman!), or the radio, REALLY loud while standing in front of my bedroom mirror, BEING the lead singer with a hairbrush microphone, confidence I seldom showed in public and an attitude that would have served me well if I'd let it out once in awhile.Over time, decades to be exact, I have learned that the songs I gravitated to held information for me from Spirit. And each time I belted one out - I was seldom singing about the situation in mind when the lyrics were created, but instead - I was awakening a part of my Self, symbolically, giving it permission to rise into awareness; to be seen, acknowledged and sometimes, even honoured.For example - The Leader of the Pack by the Shangri-Las was one of my favourite songs to 'perform'.At the time, I had yet to experience true romantic love. I was in no way cool - and the notion of loving a bad boy and then losing him as a result of his grief over my decision to break up with him was attractive to me. Not to mention being the notice of everyone else as the heartbroken heroine of a tragic tale. (Yes, I'm an English Major too - how very dramatic of me.)I know now that the true appeal of this song was the lead female's ability to break away from the suffocating dictates of her family and friendship collective. Betty listened to her heart, saw the object of her desire through the eyes of Love and Possibility - and even though it all ended so badly, she had no regrets about decisions made and guidance followed.I still admire that in people who are able to do it.(I've linked the song with lyrics in The Leader of the Pack title above and also here. It contains typos - please excuse them. If you'd like to pause here to give the song a listen with this new context in mind, right click and open it in a new tab - then PLEASE come back, I've more Blooming to share - and my feelings will be hurt terribly if you don't.)

Things are so often not as they appear ...

Now that I'm aware that songs capturing my attention may be speaking to me on a more spiritual level ~ I bring that awareness to the lyrics, take into account the vibe and the feel - and apply all of this to a situation challenging me at the moment.What information does THIS song hold that will help me see what is before me in a new way? If I were singing THIS song, who would I be singing it to - and why?It is startling what can be revealed - and in the revelation, new pathways for reflection, new approaches for consideration and alternative perspectives tend to show up too.

The wonder of Symbolic Sound ...

For the purposes of this exercise ~ you are being invited to treat this as a game and to give your intellect a 15 minute break to occupy itself in some other fashion.Spirit Sleuths need imagination, observation and the ability to connect the dots. (Remember 'connect the dots' from when you were younger? An image lay on a page and to see it clearly - you connected the dots all around it, rendering it 'visible'.) We are all qualified to serve as Spirit Sleuths; in fact, we generally enter the field at a very early age. This is going to be fun. Are you ready to get started?

Let's do it!

I'm going to provide links to two songs - each is on YouTube with the lyrics displayed.Choose One.There is no right or wrong - you will pick the one that will speak to you upon follow-through. Trust me. And honestly, you are more than welcome to come back and then click the next one - as BOTH might speak to you on some level. Both speak to me ~ and I'll reveal that in a moment. (And remember, please Right Click and Open In A New Tab so you can come back and continue.)As you're listening to the song and reading the lyrics - note the music and how it makes you feel. Is it upbeat? Hopeful? Sad? Discordant? What?Read the words and pay attention to thoughts and memories that suddenly come to mind. Jot them down if you like - all of this and anything else you experience while listening and reading are clues; clues to information your Spirit wants or needs you to know.If you were SINGING this song - how would you move? What attitude would you bring? What qualities would represent? It's all information. Write it down.And when you're done - think of something that is challenging you right now.Maybe there's something you're holding back on or on which you're afraid to render a decision of one kind or another.Think of that right now ~ you're about to give yourself some valuable insight that may provide perspective that will shed new light, and even clarity, to the situation at hand. You are a Spirit Sleuth, you can see what isn't there and hear what isn't spoken. Go forth and enlighten!Here you go - choose one: Link One Link Two (don't forget to come back!)

We could have had it all ...

The song that is connected to Link One has taken the world by storm. What captured my attention was the almost Tribal feel of it. The drum beat, the clear rhythm, the echoes, the clapping and the soulful, real voice of Adele - the song's singer. This song seems to be speaking to feelings of betrayal, love not fully appreciated and an empowered finality that will ensure the one betrayed will never experience THAT again from the one who betrayed.The feelings expressed through Adele's voice are almost Primal in their rawness, their honesty and their commitment to protecting Self at all costs.With all this in mind ~ I sing this song to my own Inner Critic. You could have supported me. You could have lifted and encouraged me. You could have believed in me and opened doors with me - we could have had it all! But no, you held my heart inside your hand - you scarred me and tried to keep me small. Don't underestimate the things that I will do. I'm coming out of the dark - and in spite of you, I still can have it all.To get there from here - it will be helpful for me to hear the tribal drums, the beating of my heart, to feel the hopeful vibe and the support of the back-up singers agreeing with my direction and to honour the soulful and real voice that I possess - all that strikes me clearly in this song.

Who do you think you are ...

Funny enough, I first heard the song connected to Link Two on the tv show GLEE. It moved me to find out who actually sings it and to listen to it again (and again and again). I was (and still am) captivated by the stripped bare vulnerability of this song. A pure voice, unexpected chords, a piano, strings ~ haunting really. And all of it - edged with a quiet Inner Strength that still, on some level, seems to be talking itself into remaining strong in its conviction to honour the Self at all costs, to respect one's Self and to stand there regardless of how painful and lonely that might be, knowing on some level that it won't always feel this way, and it's what needs to be done.With all this in mind - I sing this song to Desperate-To-Please Me; that part of myself that honours and tries so hard to upkeep and maintain the Me others think I am or the Me others think I should be. It's so very hard to step into your own Self in the knowing that doing so will render you and your choices a disappointment to others.I'm in a place of transition right now - at the precipice of a chapter that is ending and not quite yet capable of turning the page to see what is next. And something significant that is holding me back is that the choices I desire to make, the path I desire to walk, is not what many expect me to do next based on my personal capacity and professional history.Motherhood changed me. Much of what really mattered in my 'life before children' holds no appeal for me any longer. I have contributed with meaning and significance for almost 16 years now as a stay-at-home mother of two fascinating daughters ~ and I did it without 'traditional' compensation or benefits; in essence, I gave myself away for free.This is a difficult habit to break, I'm finding. So as I work towards transitioning back into 'work for pay' of some kind or other ~ I do so in the knowing that it must be work that is meaningful and significant; to both me and to those I will serve.My professional resume reflects a person of great ambition and capacity. My heart desires to use all I now know somehow - but not in the way one might expect. Going after and achieving a high powered role in the fields of Communication and/or Marketing is the 'obvious' path for me, the expected choice ~ I'm really trying hard not to let this influence the Intuitive part of me that whispers, "Follow your heart, it's time - you'll be okay.'I sing this song with all the raw vulnerability and seeming uncertainty so beautifully captured by Christina Perri. I'm displaying Inner Strength without a lot of practice. When I feel I am right about choices I now need to make ~ I battle the compulsion to do the obvious and financially contribute on a greater scale than where I'm being guided might provide."I cannot take one more step towards you - doing so would lead to regret. Who do you think you are? You're tearing me apart. Don't come back for me. Don't come back at all."Every day, I'm talking myself into remaining strong in my conviction to honour my Self at all costs, to respect my Self and to stand here regardless of how painful and lonely that sometimes can be, knowing on some level that it won't always feel this way, and it's what needs to be done.

Breathe life into your feelings

It is okay to personify feelings within you. It is okay to acknowledge Pain, Fear, Hurt, Injustice, Insecurity, Shame, Joy, Peace, Balance, any and all feelings as though they were real entities capable of sharing and exchanging information. Songs do this a lot. So do poems and certain genres of literature. Sometimes the only way to identify, confront and deal with something is to animate it to a place where information exchange is possible.And sometimes, life aspects that grab your attention and keep showing up in some form or other are symbols from the Universe that you are ready for an information exchange.

So, enough about me ...

I'd love to know how YOUR sleuthing went. Did you discover anything of relevance in the two song links provided?And better yet - what song do you love beyond reason right now ... and knowing what you now know, why might that be?- - - - -You can find Sally Gentle Drew at her blog, Where Sissies Fear to Tread, at Caring Creates, her Facebook Group, or on Twitter at Sally_G.