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In today’s world the analytical mind is king while trusting intuition is judged as emotional and subjective. This cerebral approach to life attempts to figure things out and feel in control. Recent natural and man-made disasters have drawn to our attention the reality that humans do not have control over planet Earth. We can forecast the weather and volcanic eruptions, build dykes to protect us from tidal changes and use science to perform feats such as drilling for oil at great depths of the ocean, but this does not put us in control of the forces of nature. As long as we are not personally impacted by a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or tsunami we are able to live in denial, believing that technology will save us from the realities of our environment. Our belief in science has distracted us from true intuitive power that comes with alignment to the vibration of the Earth.
The human body is amazing in its capacity to understand and process an exceptional quantity of data. We have unintentionally detached from our primal-sensory nature through educational programming that validates the analytical mind combined with the many conveniences science and technology provide. Opportunities to touch the Earth and feel its pulse are not part of our daily lifestyle. Because of this we’ve lost contact with a facet of our intuitive capacity, experiencing a sense of separation from Mother Nature. When we take time to be in non-manmade environments we increase our access to inner guidance. A hike, mountain bike ride or work in the garden, saturate the visual auditory and sensory facilities with a neutral form of energy. Nature is chaotic and extremely organized in a material as well as spiritual sense. This reminds us of the invisible aspects of our Self.
By immersing in the Earth’s vibration we tune-in to a primal side of our human nature. The aspect of our energy that can sense when lightening is about to strike, as the hair on our arms stands on end. In the city we are swallowed up in a stream of news, whether it is fact, fiction or entertainment, it draws our attention away from our inner guidance. It keeps our focus pointed externally rather than internally. Mother Nature is the ultimate cleanser of psychic space. Her wild wide-open spaces download the information inundation that has clogged our receptors with predominantly useless data. The simple act of being in nature, regardless of the activity or inactivity of our body, can be an intentional form of meditation. When we see a hawk, daisy or the bark on an aspen tree we presence ourselves to beauty, resilience and simplicity.
The fire hose of data constantly inundating our life can be exhausting and overwhelming. It makes us want to crawl back into our shell, tune-out, take a break. The most vibrant place to take that break is in Mother Nature. Connection to the Earth’s vibration helps us align to the part of ourselves that is chronically being overridden by an analytical minded environment. Mother Nature offers us a healing of sensory overload and provides clearer access to our inner guidance. Let us receive her gift.
The inner conflict that presents itself when we sense things are different than they appear triggers our desire to know what is true and what is false. As a survival tool, intuition is a way to measure our safety in any given situation. It is a language without words that only we understand because it is the language of our soul speaking to us. Our soul has many ways to communicate with us that we may not recognize. The awareness it provides goes beyond the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing. Our intuitive truth accesses these bits of valuable information, processes them with all available conscious and subconscious reference points, then sends us a text message with a special ringtone. When we hear our soul’s message arrive, let’s hope it makes our heart as happy as the ringtone assigned to a new lover. It offers an endless fountain of energy directing our life.
If this is true, why don’t we automatically give our inner guidance the benefit of the doubt? There are many factors in our experience as a-soul-in-a-body that have formed us. We weigh the intuitive truth beside a long list of analytical data and social norms. There isn’t a person I know who hasn’t had a few experiences where they shared something they knew intuitively and were scorned, told they were wrong or ignored as if their information had no value. These types of situations, when repeated frequently enough or in a highly-charged situation, teach us to doubt our soul’s voice. If we can’t trust ourselves who can we trust? I can reference many past Self betrayals, times when I knew something but acted differently because I was either afraid of the perceptions of others, willing to pay the consequences for a short term pleasure or not willing to take the risk required.
It is courageous to follow our truth, particularly if it risks causing discomfort in others. The alternative option, compromising our intuition in a relationship or situation, is a painful Self betrayal. When we suppress our authentic Self to please others or protect our pride, we build up a backlog of toxic energy in our bodies. This isn’t to say we must always speak out when we see something, but when it affects us personally we need to act in alignment to maintain integrity with our Self. This is critical if we want our body and soul to stay healthy. Suppression of our authentic Self creates a sense of disconnect from what brings us true happiness. When we are in a state avoidance we tune-out to numb the pain of our inner conflict and the more often we tune-out the more backlog gets built up. Disconnected from our intuitive truth, we experience depression, anger or disappointment. One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is to honor our soul’s voice through actions that are in alignment. To do so, we must first learn to recognize when it is speaking to us. That voice will sound different to each individual. The more frequently we tune-in to it, the easier it is to recognize and understand.
The intention of our soul’s voice is to create joy for our body through choices that align with our truth. I challenge you to do more than listen to your most trusted advisor today, let it guide you.
I recently watched the movie Sherlock Holmes (2009) and was intrigued by how Holmes was portrayed as an intuitive. His observations went beyond a keen eye for detail to solve a crime, revealing information one cannot detect with the five senses. One scene in particular I found to be a perfect example of several aspects I have experienced as an intuitive. He is invited to meet his partner Dr Watson’s fiancée Mary over dinner and is very resistant to losing his friendship to this woman. When Mary pushes Holmes to tell her what he “sees” in her, he refuses but upon her prodding agrees. His revelations of her past at first seem innocent then touch on the more tender aspect of a past love loss. She reacts to his heartless approach by tossing a glass of wine in his face and stomps out of the restaurant.
This scene beautifully demonstrates the complex motivators and responses one can experience when sharing intuition. The first skill Holmes models is respect of others by confirming their approval to be seen, he only read Mary with her permission and insistence. In his detective work the permission to read comes from righting-a-wrong by revealing hidden information used to harm people. Second, his personal agenda got in the way. He was jealous and concerned that Watson’s relationship was changing the routine they enjoyed as partners in solving crime. He used the opportunity to create conflict for his friend by delivering the information from a point of judgment rather than neutrality. This heartless approach was hurtful to Mary. While Mary acknowledged his read was perfectly accurate she responded by lashing out from her pain. A glass of wine in Holmes face accompanied by an energetic whack was the punishment for speaking information that was outside of her comfort zone. Holmes’ intent to create a divide between Mary and Dr Watson backfired and instead created a divide between himself and Watson, who felt inclined to protect the woman he loved from pain.
In such a short scene we are shown how important it is to check our intention before we deliver information even when it is asked for or demanded from someone in our life. Holmes demonstrates overtly seeking permission to avoid disrespect of a person’s privacy by reading them against their will. Throughout the movie Holmes expresses his lack of belief in magic and proves that the supposed magic being performed by the villain is simply many cases of creating illusion, manipulation of perception psychologically, with money or science. Yet Holmes uses intuition in his detective work, tapping into non-scientifically proven sixth-sense awareness. By doing so he validates intuitive information as part of the material world not the mystical one.
Why are we blinded in certain situations, when it retrospect the truth seems so obvious? It may be that we have:
- Attachment to a specific outcome
- Resistance to how the information will change our life
- Hope that a person won’t deceive us or cause us harm
- An unspoken agreement with the person to not notice something they are hiding
- Given power to a past experience of our own, society’s or a parent’s
It is human nature to give preferential treatment to what we want to believe is true, brushing aside our intuition. Seeing the truth is not always pleasant. We start down a path with partial information, make decisions and follow our hopes. Then a new piece of information presents itself that changes our perspective on the path we’ve chosen. We need the experiences of the journey in order to collect those bits of information that illuminate our vision. Yet it is hard to agree to step into the unknown.
When we put one foot in front of the other in response to our inner “yes” “no” or “I don’t know yet” the action leads to greater clarity around a specific choice. We don’t always have all of the information at hand. In fact, if we had all of the information we may not have acted and thus missed a valuable opportunity. Noticing our physical sensory responses can assist in fleshing out the less overt details behind a decision. It is as simple as taking pause to look at our attachments, resistance, agreements and other potential blind spots through the lens of messages from our body. These messages help us discover facts that are material for making better decisions.
You have a gut feeling but it doesn’t line up with what the person in front of you is saying. Making sense of the conflict between actions, intentions and words can be challenging. People show us what they want us to see. This is not necessarily intentional deception it can simply be the individual reflecting what they believe to be true, having an incomplete picture of themselves or what they represent. Assumptions are made without asking enough or the right questions. Doubt seeps in. This is where it is critically important that we learn to validate our intuitive knowing. When we get that inner nudge that something is awry in a situation the first thing to do is listen, question what is instigating the red flag. Is it incongruence in words and actions or words and words; is it the lack of eye contact or an energetic sensation?
Use your five senses to flesh out doubts. What do you see in the person’s body language and eyes, do you hear clarity or a wavering in their voice, how did that handshake or hug feel, is there a subtle acidic smell emanated from anger or fear? The only way you will learn is from acting on your intuitive truth (it). There will always be opportunity for doubt especially when you want to trust someone, their information sounds logical and listening to your intuition is counter to what you want to believe. I’ve found this in business when looking at a sales opportunity. The client has a project they need your service or product to make happen. You have a competitive chance and may be blinded by the desire to win the business. Access you intuition to sense if the business is truly available to be won. Often the decision is yet to be made. Your intuition will help you see if the client has already selected a competitor’s solution without revealing it or is just collecting detailed scope and pricing through a proposal process in order to do it themselves. Using your intuitive sense can save a lot of energy and time chasing a dead end opportunity. The more curious you become of your intuitive nudges the more you will learn to trust the information.
Look for more next week on how what we want to believe gets in the way of seeing the truth.
Physical activity is one of the easiest portals to clearing the mind and accessing our intuition. Whether its hiking a mountain, riding your bike, digging your fingers in the garden dirt or carving turns through the snow you must be present for the moment. The focus required by physically challenging activities demands that you be on your game to prevent a misstep. Your power of concentration clears out all of the chatter in your head. There’s no room for distraction when you are centered from the core, this is especially heightened in extreme sports. It’s not only the adrenaline high that pushes many people to pursue great athletic feats but the bliss of having those moments of 100% you in your intuitive space.
Watching the Olympic athletes compete has reminded me how powerful and capable the human body can be when trained, intentionally disciplined and free of distractions. Cheering on the athletes is a way to live vicariously through their risk, to witness the glory of human potential and the body-spirit connection. The professional athlete has exceptionally refined their responsiveness to specific activities which occur within a fraction of a second. In the Olympic snowboard half-pipe competition one of the athletes was up in the air going for a grab and missed the edge of his board. Instead of falling flat and crashing he immediately responded with his awareness and skills to save his run. Midair gyrating his body in what they call the funky chicken he reclaimed his center of gravity, landed and finished the run. His response relied on the instinctive body-spirit connection, clarity of mind coupled with action founded in deep experience. Witnessing this awareness of where his body was in space, willingness to trust it to respond as he directed and courage to push the limits inspires us all to have greater presence in the moment.
How can this awareness help the non-Olympian who’s honing their intuitive skills? When your mind is cluttered physical activity is a simple and quick way to clear it and refocus on your own information. Being in your body free of distraction is critical for intuitive truth (it) to present itself.
