We’ve become accustomed to seeking answers, and fast answers at that.
There are 3.5 billion Google searches every day. And with this instant access to information via search engines or AI, we’ve created an expectation of instant gratification when it comes to seeking answers. (Want to boycott the search engine monopoly? Scroll to the bottom of the post for some alternative search engine recommendations.)
But how deep does this expectation of instant answers go? And what impact does it have on the modern spiritual journey? Or even the modern entrepreneurs journey?
Well that, along with so many other crowdsourced answers, are only going to be able to be answered by you.
I have started to become more aware of how this cycle of looking for the answers without, rather than within, has influenced my journey.
I’m not even sure when it all started… but I have a knowing that this reliance on “others” for how to do things, so that I could “replicate” their paths, has caused me a lot of internal strife and conflict.
Pair that with my love-affair of learning/researching topics of interest, and my natural tendency to start many things, but not necessarily finish them (looking at you, Human Design Manifestor + ADHD parts), and you get someone who was convinced that they (read: me) were the problem.
There’s a lot of self-proclaimed experts out there on almost every topic. Ones that claim they have cracked the algorithm code and know the secrets to going viral. Or ones who tout that their methodology is “the best.” Whether it’s for business results, personal transformation, or anything in between. Everyone thinks they have THE WAY — or at least that’s how they’re selling it.
And I’ve seen this create, not only in myself, but reflected in others as well, this exacerbated feeling of failure. Like I said, I was convinced I was the problem in not applying the methodology I was being fed in the “right” way, or that I was doing something “wrong” because it wasn’t working for me.
I’ve only started to divest from the “right vs wrong” or “good vs bad” stories we’re subjected to, within the last few years. I experienced a lot of dichotomous thinking, also known as black-and-white thinking, as I believe many of us do. This is when your thought patterns assign people, things, and actions into one of two categories – “good” or “bad”. Black-and-white thinking is part of a group of thinking patterns called cognitive distortions, it's sometimes referred to as “splitting.” It’s also very common in folks with autism and ADHD, like myself.
I’ve expanded my tolerance for paradox, and now understand that almost everything in this relative existence is subject to a lot more nuance than simply labelling it as right or wrong, good or bad.
And this undoing takes a lot of conscious effort! It still does on the daily. Those thoughts and perceptions don’t just disappear; I work hard to challenge the automatic conditioned thoughts that arise these days, especially the ones in the black or white realm of thinking…
Don't believe something just because somebody tells you it's true, or you read it in scriptures. Don't even believe what your teachers tell you unless your own reason and experience confirms what they say.
~ THE BUDDHA
Fast forward through years of unlearning, undoing, unshaming, not to mention who knows how many dollars in “solutions”, I started to gravitate (unknowingly at the time) towards mentors and change-makers who were anti-crowdsourcing, pro-inner wisdom, anti-exact-formulaic-methodology, and pro-experimentation.
The more I think about this now, the more and more sense these approaches make to me. We are 8 billion unique people living on earth. How in the world did I ever think that one person could tell me the exact way to, say: market my business, or tune into my intuition?!
Everyone’s path is going to be shaped, molded, influenced, and dictated (at least in part) by all of the individual, unique experiences they’ve endured in this lifetime so far, in the experiences of their culture, or their family and ancestors.
No one sees an objective reality, all of our experiences are tinted, like rose-coloured glasses, by our relative experiences.
So I started leaning into this more and more, and started stepping away from asking Google or posting questions in my favourite witchy Facebook group. Instead when I wanted an answer to something, I sat with it, I applied as much patience as I could muster, I asked the Universe, I asked Spirit, I asked my heart, and my inner wisdom — who at this point, I was starting to build and develop a beautiful relationship with.
Let me be clear though, this doesn’t mean I’m against all types of support, or research. What I am specifically referencing here applies to processes/experiences that would vary per individual (based on needs, perspective, etc.) And what I’m referring to here as well prioritizes actually putting in the time and effort to go within first, and then exploring the option of seeking out additional support or viewpoints, as needed.
I’ve expanded this process by embracing experimentation. Treating everything I want to learn, and processes I wish to seek out, as a giant curious “what if” type of experiment. Trying all of the things, tweaking, gathering data, and investigating for myself.
When I apply this to my spiritual practices, this allows me to find answers or avenues that best suit me, there is no dogma, and I don’t presume my way is better than anyone else’s — while still honouring that the method I’ve arrived at, is what’s best for me. Until it doesn’t produce what I’m seeking any longer, and then we turn back to experimentation.
It’s a lifelong journey, it’s cyclical in nature, and it might sound exhausting to you… but it is also so exciting, when you embrace curiosity and a beginner’s mindset.
If all of that seems a bit abstract, let me share a more practical example of how I started playing with these concepts in working with dreams.
It dawned on me that our rose-coloured glasses probably influenced not only our conscious minds, but also our subconscious minds as well. And around the time I was becoming really consciously aware of this shift in me (and stepping away from the crowd-sourcing answers specifically), I swear I was seeing a few posts a day asking for dream interpretations in different groups on Facebook. And from my interpretation, the asks were always posed in a “please do it for me” kind of way and attitude, where the original poster almost never shared what they thought their dream elements could mean first.
But I kept thinking, what if your personal experience and meaning of a dream involving snake is one thing, but the person who is interpreting your dream has had the opposite life experience, teachings, and understanding about snakes…? Wouldn’t that potentially make their interpretation unreliable?
There’s a lot more nuance to this… for instance, I cannot know that these people did not feel in to each response and check with their inner wisdom on what answers felt right for them. And of course, there are many symbols that are universal, yet I still think we all still apply our own specific flavour-layer atop these symbols when they show up in our dreams.
It’s funny reflecting back now, because when I was seeing this influx in posts asking for dream interpretations right around this time, I was getting so frustrated. But I was failing to remember, that not everyone shared my new-found-view on turning inward first.
Your own inner knowing is your best authority.
If you’re now asking: How do we unlearn the pattern of seeking outside ourselves for validation, guidance, or answers? It starts by asking one powerful question: What if I already know?
When I began practicing this, it felt clunky. My conditioning to “check with the experts” was strong, and my trust in my inner wisdom was fragile. But little by little, I started noticing something remarkable: the more I leaned into curiosity and experimentation, the clearer my own voice became. It wasn’t perfect—sometimes I misstepped, doubted myself, or fell back into old patterns—but every time I returned to myself, I grew stronger in the knowing that I could.
This isn’t about rejecting all external input or expertise; it’s about reshaping the dynamic. It’s about making you the anchor, the filter, the ultimate authority over what aligns with your path. It’s about approaching the world not as a passive recipient of answers, but as an active participant in your own unfolding.
Experimentation has become my favourite tool in this process. What if this practice works for me? What if it doesn’t? What if I adapt it? What if I create something entirely new? These questions, paired with the willingness to explore without judgment, have become my guiding light.
And here’s the most profound shift: it’s not just about finding answers.
It’s about reclaiming trust in yourself.
The answers you seek are within, not because you have all the information, but because you have the capacity to discern what’s right for you, moment by moment.
So, next time you’re tempted to crowdsource your intuition, take a breath. Sit with the question a little longer. Experiment. And let your inner wisdom guide you—not as an all-knowing oracle, but as the partner you can trust to figure it out alongside you.
The path may be winding, nuanced, and endlessly experimental. But isn’t that what makes it yours?
Alternative search engine suggestions that aren’t Google:
🌳 Ecosia - this search engine uses its surplus income to support conservationist organizations that plant trees ✌️
🕵️♂️ Qwant - put your privacy first: Qwant doesn’t track your searches or sell your personal data ✊
🕵️♂️ Lukol - an anonymous search engine that serves results from Google but maintains your privacy by removing any traceable elements 👏
🕵️♀️ SearX - Offers unbiased results from several sources, a metasearch engine that aims to present a free, decentralized view of the internet. Open source engine that also offers many preferences and settings that can’t be found on other search engines, giving great usability and fast, precise results 🙌