The easiest, most exciting adventure in consciousness follows the lamplit guidance of the still, small voice in each of us. In the quiet of meditation, we listen to our souls and hear what is most needed in our lives and how best to obtain it. This wise, kindly voice never fails us and never falters.

There is no substitute for inner listening. But in our travels, these four pathways emerge to enhance our joy and draw us into the Oneness.

See which of these harmonic pathways resonates best with you: thought and word, self-knowledge, inner peace, or chanting and toning. All work together, as individual notes or as a chord, to transport us into the beauty and music of higher consciousness--the light and sound of Universal Mind, or God.

1. The power of thought and word. When our ideal is peace, healing or prosperity, and we say or do something out of alignment with this, we sense, feel or know it. The discord itself keeps us on track and guides us back into oneness with ourselves, others and Spirit. The great psychic-healer Edgar Cayce, who said that "Thoughts are crimes or miracles," lovingly advised everyone to create an ideal by which to live. This is best done in meditation, so that the soul voice may show us what is needed most. For you, is it peace, joy, self-discipline, will, oneness or something else altogether?

If a single word floats up when you ask this question, create with this word an affirmative phrase or sentence, then go back into the silence to see if it is good and right for you. When it is, post your ideal somewhere and, during meditation, use it as a mantra to draw your busy mind back into the silence. This will build your ideal into your life. When the words of your ideal no longer have a "shine," or "go dead" for you, you have incorporated this quality and it