I Can't Hear God’s Voice | Learning the Language of the Soul

To hear God’s voice, tune into the Soul’s Instinctual Consciousness. Cultivate a literary mind with Symbolic Coherence, slowing down to interpret symbolic nudges rather than literal clichés. Jungian Psychology’s Enantiodromia shows how the psyche balances extremes, revealing the Soul’s wisdom.

You’ve tried everything.

Prayer. Silence. Journaling. Therapy. Spiritual books. Advice from people who swear they “just know.”

And still, nothing.

Or worse, noise, distraction, and confusion.

Thoughts arguing with each other. Spiritual clichés echoing in your head. A constant anxiety that maybe you’re doing it wrong. Maybe you’re blocked. Maybe God speaks to everyone else… just not you.

You know that feeling when you're stuck, trying to make sense of decades of psychological and spiritual advice that never seems to get you anywhere? It's like staring into a mirror that distorts what you truly need to see. The inner dialogue is vague, abstract, and disconnected from meaningfully engaging with the world around you. The language feels bloated, literal, and detached from the subjective, ethereal nature of your inner world.

The well-meaning jargon only serves to obscure the truth you’re searching for. It’s as if the answers are right there, just beyond your grasp, but every time you try to reach them, the words get in the way.

The dictum "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent" (German: Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen) is the final, famous concluding sentence (Proposition 7) of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. 

It serves as the summary of his argument that philosophical and logical language is limited to representing facts, and attempting to speak about things beyond these limits, such as ethics, aesthetics, or the meaning of life, results in "nonsense". 

The ego mind trying to code-switch to Soulful experience is exhausting. And worse, it’s disheartening. The code-switching process is shifting from one linguistic code (a language or dialect) to another. You can feel that deep-down knowing, that part of you brimming with wisdom, drive, and potential, but it’s buried under years of overcomplicated thoughts, clichés, and the weight of presumed truths.

If you’re honest, you feel ashamed for struggling, guilty for doubting, and exhausted from trying to decode your inner life with tools that never quite work.

Many people describe it this way:

• “I can’t tell if this is God or just my thoughts.”

• “I feel disconnected from myself.”

• “Everything sounds abstract and hollow.”

• “I feel like I should be further along by now.”

You’re not alone and you’re not failing.

To hear the Soul’s voice, we must tune into it with a unique sensitivity.

What if, instead of all this mental noise and spiritual certainty, there was a way to cut through the clutter and get back to the core of what truly matters? A way to reconnect with your authentic self, free from distractions and confusion? Let’s explore how to turn that distorted mirror into a looking glass and rediscover the clarity waiting for you.

Adapting to the Soul's Language Should Be a Struggle for the Literal Mind

Most people were never taught how inner guidance actually works. They were taught what to believe. What to repeat. What answers are acceptable.

But no one showed them how to listen.

... Not to pray harder, and not to think better, but listen differently. The problem isn’t your sincerity. It’s the language you were given. 

Understanding and learning the language of the Soul, what Integrative Self-Analysis calls the Instinctual Consciousness (IC), is much like trying to become a skilled writer by only reading self-help books about writing. You may learn rules and techniques, but you never quite learn how to hear the language of your creative and unique "voice" itself. The Soul’s inner dialogue, like good writing, depends on sensitivity to tone, rhythm, and context rather than rigid formulas. What’s required is the cultivation of a literary way of listening, one that slows down, brackets assumptions, and clears away inherited ideologies and convenient certainties that distort the Soul’s message before it can be heard. ISA calls this Internal Projection.

What’s required is the cultivation of a literary way of listening, one that slows down, brackets assumptions, and clears away inherited ideologies and convenient certainties that distort the Soul’s message before it can be heard.

To hear the Soul’s voice, we must tune into it with a unique sensitivity. Our mind, like a writer, can learn to adjust and adopt the style and tone of the Instinctual Consciousness as Soul, as Psyche . The Instinctual Consciousness (IC) is the foundational dynamic force that shapes our emotional and soulful processes, orchestrating the gentle nudges of wisdom. Yet, it is often clouded by internalized stories rooted in unresolved trauma and the ego’s inflation of Internal Projections, masquerading as the divine.

Much like a distorted mirror, the egoic mind’s projections obscure the true window into the Soul’s wisdom, making it difficult to access the clarity and insight inherent in our deeper instinctual selves. Just as a writer must strip away the unnecessary in the editing process, we too must remove the layers of maladaptive scripts and Internal Projections so we might be able to reconnect with the pure, authentic voice of our Soul.

The Struggle with Formal Training for the Soul’s Voice

Imagine, trying to learn a language without formal guidance. It’s like a fighter trying to master Mixed Martial Arts without proper instruction in the basics: footwork, conditioning, distancing, breathing, and so on.

Without the basics of a literary mindset, we can miss the subtle movements of intuition and synchronicities.

The same can be said of listening to the Soul. Without the basics of a literary mindset, we can miss the subtle movements of intuition and synchronicities. Most people are not taught how to listen to their inner voice, and like writing, we may often be unaware of the basics, which is the art of slowing down, a style of curiosity, and a language of symbolism, not the literalism of Diabolic Incoherence (See: Framework: Diabolic Incoherence)

The Gap in Understanding

Over years of working with people who felt spiritually blocked, one pattern kept appearing:

People weren’t disconnected from God. They were disconnected from how the soul communicates. They heard it as noise, as the sound of a siren's call, threatening to batter them against the rocks.

The inner voice does not speak in bullet points, commandments, or slogans. It speaks in symbol, sensation, tension, image, and timing.

When we try to force it into literal language, certainty, or doctrine, it goes quiet. Not because it’s gone, but because it’s being mistranslated.

The Soul’s language is often reduced to knee-jerk clichés, parroted axioms, and well-rehearsed scripts...

We’re conditioned to pursue external outcomes through academic, social, and professional achievements, while the crucial practice of listening to and trusting the Soul is neglected. In this folly, the Soul’s language is often reduced to knee-jerk clichés, parroted axioms, and well-rehearsed scripts, all of which drown out deeper intuitions with their automated chatter, ultimately steering our lives onto the rocks of despair.

The Limits of Following a Formula

Here’s the moment where many give up. They realize they’ve been trying to hear a non-literal intelligence using a literal mind. And instead of relief, they feel despair, because now it feels like:

• Everything inside is unreliable

• Every intuition might be “just trauma”

• Every insight might be “ego”

• And every silence feels like abandonment

This is where shame sets in, “I should know this by now” and “Something must be wrong with me.”

This is the real spiritual crisis, not doubt, but misinterpretation.

Just as the formulaic structure of academic writing stifles real creative expression, our Instinctual Consciousness (IC) can also be overshadowed by societal formulas, on rules of how we “should” act, think, or feel. When the mind tries to make sense of the Soul’s language, it often defaults to predictable patterns.

People follow conventional, safe scripts in their inner lives as they would in writing: react in a way that’s “correct,” adopt popular opinions, and avoid confrontation with uncomfortable truths, especially about their own motivations.

People follow conventional, safe scripts in their inner lives as they would in writing: react in a way that’s “correct,” adopt popular opinions, and avoid confrontation with uncomfortable truths, especially about their own motivations and unchallenged scripts. This formula, however, doesn’t allow us to fully hear what Soul is trying to communicate.

The Reality of Internal Constraints

Even if someone possesses profound internal wisdom or an understanding of themselves, the external world often fails to recognize or appreciate it. We can possess deep truths, but without a direct and accurate expression of them, they remain locked inside. It’s as though the best writers are edited by a critic within, that demands reductive theories, mainstream appeal, and adherence to established norms.

When people slow down, not to analyze, but to notice... something unexpected happens. Subtle signals appear, not as trauma-like symptoms, but signals:

• A bodily tension that won’t let go

  
  

• An image that keeps returning

  
  

• A recurring emotional pull

  
  

• A quiet resistance to a “good” decision

Nothing dramatic, nothing supernatural-looking, but unmistakably alive.

Feedback from Others

Just as writers need feedback to understand and refine their craft, we too must seek feedback from others, and most importantly, from our Soul, which desires to comment on our current egoic position. We achieve this through careful reflection, prayer as listening to God, and diligent attentiveness: these are the things that make up real spiritual focus and consciousness. This experiences of insight are when we spiritualize our current experience. This is when we are in The Kingdom of Heaven.

It is often in sharing our thoughts, feelings, and experiences with others, and with ourselves, that we begin to discern whether we are aligned with the guidance of our Soul. Without this dynamic feedback loop, the Soul's voice can remain elusive.

Overcoming the Inner Judgment

The soul does not argue. It nudges.

It does not explain. It arranges.

It does not shout. It repeats.

In I Kings 19:11-12, God speaks with Elijah, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

Learning to hear God is not about becoming more certain. It’s about becoming more attuned, like learning a literary craft, and this requires:

• Slowing down

  
  

• Suspending literal interpretation

  
  

• Trusting symbol over slogan

  
  

• Letting meaning emerge instead of forcing conclusions

  
  

This is not mysticism for the gifted. It’s a skill the modern world forgot how to teach.

The Soul speaks in ways that often conflict with what society deems "normal,” “practical," or algorithmically certain.

The Soul speaks in ways that often conflict with what society deems "normal,” “practical," or algorithmically certain. Yet, to ignore it out of fear of judgment is to silence our own authenticity. Whether it’s through writing or the language of the Soul, the willingness to be seen is essential. Only by embracing our true selves can we grow.

Learning to Listen with Precision

When people learn this way of listening, several things change:

• The inner noise quiets

  
  

• Shame dissolves

  
  

• Decisions feel grounded instead of anxious

  
  

• Spiritual life feels intimate instead of performative

  
  

• God feels near, not theoretical

  
  

People stop asking, “Am I doing this right?” and start noticing, “This feels true.” Not because it’s provable, but because it’s coherent.

This requires shifting from thinking to feeling, from logic to intuition, and from certainty to instinct.

Just as writers hone their ability to listen to the rhythm of language, we can learn to listen to the subtle rhythms of our Soul. This requires shifting from thinking to feeling, from logic to intuition, and from prescribed certainty to instinct. It's about allowing the Soul’s language to flow through us without resistance, understanding its smallest implications, its lyrical flow, and its subtle messages.

Like any skill, learning to hear the voice of the Soul takes practice. It’s a long-term journey that doesn’t happen overnight. The more we commit to listening, the clearer and more authentic the voice of the Soul becomes.

It requires patience, humility, and the courage to embrace uncertainty, as well as the willingness to unlearn old emotional patterns (Malignant Complexes) that block our deeper, instinctual wisdom. Though the process can be frustrating and misunderstood at times, the rewards, which are profound self-understanding and clarity, are immeasurable.

Mastering the Inner Craft

To truly listen to the Soul, we attune ourselves to the subtleties of its call, which are the little moments, when something catches our attention, the specific thoughts it prompts, the feelings it stirs, and the instinctual pulse that drives us to action.

The more we refine our inner awareness, the clearer the messages from our deeper Self (IC) become. These subtle shifts, whether a slight tension or a whisper of clarity, are the language of the Soul. In these moments, I am certain that God is speaking to us.

Improving Over Time

Learning to listen to the language of the Soul isn’t something that happens overnight; it’s a process that unfolds over time. Through consistent practice, we deepen our connection to ourselves, hearing our instinctual wisdom (IC) with increasing clarity. Just as a writer refines their craft over the years, we too refine our ability to listen to the voice of our Soul.

There’s a reason the Soul, as depicted in the Greek myth of Psyche, is symbolized with butterfly wings. The butterfly’s meandering flight, unpredictable patterns, and spontaneous impulses are what captivate us.

It’s also important to understand that Soulfulness isn’t about rushing to a destination. The Soul is a lover who wants the dance with the beloved to last as long as possible. There’s a reason the Soul, as depicted in the Greek myth of Psyche, is symbolized with butterfly wings. The butterfly’s meandering flight, unpredictable patterns, and spontaneous impulses are what captivate us.

Building a Community of Self-Listenership

Just as writers thrive in communities of shared feedback and improvement, we must also create spaces where we can nurture this internal connection. It’s a place where we can help each other grow in our ability to listen and trust our instincts, encouraging one another to deepen our inner practice.

A Journey Toward Inner Revelation

The journey of learning to listen to the Soul is not a quick fix, but a long, continuous process of listening, refining, and trusting. We must be patient with ourselves as we build this skill. You were never meant to decode God through force. You were meant to remember how to listen.

To the Greeks, truth was not something to be learned, but a beautiful awareness of what lies hidden within.

The Greek goddess of truth, Aletheia, means "the absence of forgetfulness" or "un-forgetfulness," derived from the Greek a- meaning "not" and lethe meaning "forgetfulness." This is why she is often depicted as nude and emerging from a deep well, symbolizing the unveiling of hidden truths. To the Greeks, truth was not something to be learned, but a beautiful awareness of what lies hidden within.

In the end, it’s not just about hearing the Soul’s voice, but about living in the tension between deep contentment and the lofty heights of desire. And just like a writer who finally discovers their unique voice, we too must trust that our Soul will reveal its distinct song God made just for us.

Explore ways to work with me...

About the Author

Michael C Walker, a chaplain at Jaguar Marigold Chapel, and creator of Integrative Self-Analysis (ISA), combines Christian Mysticism, Depth Psychology, Affective Neuroscience, Classical Studies, and DreamMapping to delve into the human psyche. With 20+ years of experience, he pioneers the fusion of spiritual wisdom and scientific exploration. His innovative approach to Complex Trauma-like symptoms (C-PTSD) provides insights for Self-Analysis, divine purpose, and authenticity.