Your Heart Knows the Answer: How to Trust Yourself and Make the Choices That Are Right for You: Ceremonies, Prayers, and Affirmations [Paperback]

Gail Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2005

Women are often held captive by their own inner critic, that fearful and doubting voice inside their heads. It makes them question their choices and actions around parenting, relationships, career, and self. Your Heart Knows the Answer guides women to reunite with the magnificent woman within, and listen to and trust the strong, intuitive, and all-knowing voice of their hearts. A gentle companion and step-by-step guide, this book helps women listen to what the heart knows and then follow what their heart tells them — through exercises, affirmations, meditations, and ceremonies. The author shows that decision-making and life choices — from choosing a mate to accepting a job — become clear when women listen to their hearts. Featuring compelling true-life stories from the author’s own experiences, this inspiring guide deepens a woman's connection with her true self and cultivates ongoing self-love.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (April 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193072246X
• ISBN-13: 978-1930722460
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,012,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hearing The Inner Voice, May 9, 2005

By 

Hal-Zina Bennett, Author-Writing Coach "Halbooks" (Northern California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your Heart Knows the Answer: How to Trust Yourself and Make the Choices That Are Right for You: Ceremonies, Prayers, and Affirmations (Paperback)

While I've read probably dozens of books on learning to trust our inner voice, or intuition, I've got to say that this is one of the best. The author is very down-to-earth, not tempted by the tendency of many writers in this field to actually "mystify" a reality that each of us recognizes and occassionally even taps into--with or without training. What Gail Harris helps us do is develop tools for recognizing, for example, the difference between a message from our heads and one from our hearts. I also like the short and sweet exercises throughout, highlighted and boxed, called "Delving Deeper." Most of these suggest simple daily practices through which we slowly build our trust in our own inner knowing. This book should be in the collections of anyone who is interested in developing or expanding their intuitive or psychic skills. I really like it!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uplifitng and Empowering, May 3, 2005

By 

Judy Royster "Sacred Spaces" (Southborough, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Your Heart Knows the Answer: How to Trust Yourself and Make the Choices That Are Right for You: Ceremonies, Prayers, and Affirmations (Paperback)

I love this book! It is both uplifiting and empowering. Gail has delved deep into her own heart and life challenges to bring out jewels of guidance and life practices that yield clarity and love for every day life.

This small book is full of simple and useful tools - exercises, affirmations, meditations and practices - that can be done by yourself or in a group. The most important thing is it points us to the truth within, the voice of authenticity that we deeply know but somehow often don't pay attention to. This is so fundamental to simple happiness and fulfillment and Gail talks about it very clearly, using examples from her own experiences.

I particularly appreciated the specific guidelines on how to tell the difference between the true inner voice of my heart and the learned voices (mind) that may seem right, but lead down a dead end road or worse, to another painful life lesson.

"We didn't start out in life not trusting the truth of our hearts," is how Gail begins the first chapter. The rest of the book gently and directly steers us back to that living connection with our own heart wisdom. Written specifically for women, this book can help every woman find the path to her truth, her authenticity, her strength and her deep love for her own self.

The book also has an excellent biblioghraphy, suggested reading list and smattering of wonderful related quotes (from Duke Ellington to Mahatma Gandhi), all wonderful resources to have.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Live In the Moment, October 5, 2006

By 

Milo in Menlo (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Your Heart Knows the Answer: How to Trust Yourself and Make the Choices That Are Right for You: Ceremonies, Prayers, and Affirmations (Paperback)

Your Heart Knows The Answer should be required reading for anyone who is feeling lost, or wants to have more self-love in his or her life. It has made a big difference in my life, mostly in the way that I consciously try to be in the moment as often as possible. Learning to achieve this presence is a process, but Gail teaches us that self-awareness is the key.

A self-help book that truly breaks the mold, Your Heart Knows The Answer offers insightful ways to recognize the voices of your heart; voices that are accepting, non-judgmental, non-authoritative, yet also visionary, creative, and celebratory. With each chapter, Gail offers affirmations and meditations, and encourages journaling to dialog with your heart.

In her chapter on Expressing Your Creative Self, Gail details how each of the Nine Muses from Greek Mythology might impact our own creative explorations and discoveries - having been a blocked artist, this chapter was exceptionally motivating for me.

Gail also offers a loving chapter on accepting and honoring your body - whatever physical shape its in - it serves you in so many ways. Only by showing compassion and respect for your sacred body can you make any changes in a responsible and healthy way.

Perhaps the most enlightening chapters for me are the last two: Opening to a Spiritual Partnership and Discovering Your Truth in the Moment. We are taught not only how to recognize our Higher Self, but to respect and honor Her for what she communicates to us. Would she choose to be in a relationship that doesn't foster spiritual growth in some way? A spiritual relationship can allow us to go deeper within ourselves and challenge us to renew and even heal ourselves. No matter your level of self-esteem, you will also learn to recognize whether you are sacrificing your self-respect to be with someone who doesn't value or honor you as a person - and that you may be losing your sacred sense of yourself in the process.

The last chapter reminded me of the importance of living in the present moment - that it is the only way to live as an empowered, creative person - and the only place where your higher self can communicate with you, to bring a sense of peace and acceptance. Gail suggests that when painful things happen in our lives - and they will - that we should choose to be accepting of them, rather than to resist Life. Resisting life and harboring anger can cause us to suffer. Honoring our truths include an awareness of anger, disappointment, doubt, fear, jealousy, joy, compassion, ecstasy and divine love. Experiencing the entirety of our lives is the only way we can truly find contentment. Although this book speaks primarily to a spiritual awakening in women - a man can also find that his heart knows the answer, despite having lived most of his life following the voices in his head.