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Last week I was at my osteopath’s Dr. B, who had a student in training assisting the appointment. As she was examining my back, he instructed her, “Listen to your right brain. It knows where the spine is out of alignment. See how you’re hand has gone back to the same spot three times. You’ve got to turn off your left brain. It is making you question what your right brain knows.” In my world Dr. B was asking his student to listen to her intuition, to turn off her analytical minds interruptions and validate her sixth-sense awareness.
What was curious to me is that this medical doctor adamantly stated that the disrupted flow of spinal fluid could be felt without any equipment, simply touching the body and listening to the right brain. He is very good at his work, and yet explaining how he knows what he knows to a student, was challenging in medical terms.
All good healers, whether they are doctors, dentists, psychiatrists or massage therapists actively use their intuition whether they acknowledge it or not. My osteopath doesn’t think his awareness is of an intuitive nature. His form of intuitive knowing is innate and he’s spent significant time cultivating it. He doesn’t realize that it’s any different than the way his student might read a patient’s body.
We all experience intuitive data differently. While the information is the same, the way it comes to us can be a feeling a sensation in our own body, seeing a mental image, hearing a voice that provides direction or simply knowing without an indicator from one of the other five senses.
Dr. B impatiently instructed his student, “Your right brain will give you the yes. Turn off your left brain!” To cultivate confidence in our intuition, we also have to set aside the left brain analytical mind and listen for the yes. When we are aligned with the intuitive yes, there is a sense of peace that comes even if the information is difficult.
Our sixth chakra (center of head) is where we hold both our intuitive knowing (right brain) and our analyzer (left brain). The analyzer is trained to process facts, calculate evidence and derive answers. The analyzer does not do well with information that has no correct answer such as emotions, bodily sensations and spiritual awareness. That’s not its job.
Yet we try to force our left brain to process all of our experiences because we are taught that logic, science, having firm unchanging answers is the most valued in our society. Many of the best insights into non-linear challenges come when we focus our attention away from the question and let our intuitive mind, in parallel, process the emotions and senses around it.
Repetitive, creative activities stimulate this, such as jigsaw puzzles, knitting and working in the garden. We are present yet our left brain is distracted, giving our right brain room to breathe. It takes practice to follow the doctors’ orders, set aside our left brain and listen to the right. It feels awkward at first, vulnerable. Yet the more we do it, the more clearly we hear the yes, and the more our intuition informs our every experience.
Work energy is great to access at the appropriate times but it puts a damper on warm connections with loved ones and can override our personal needs, the true juice of a joyful life. Shifting our lead energy vibration between work and non-work time can be difficult. There is pleasure derived from certain aspects of the work and it takes our focus off of other aspects of life we have less control over. Our focused, productive analytical Self is “on” and were getting things done but how do we change the tone when the work day is done?
Today I was reminded of the unspoken lesson that Mister Rogers reinforced at the beginning of each TV program. He walked in the door of his home, took off his suit jacket and put on a cardigan. Then he changed out of his professional shoes and into sneakers. All while singing! He ritualistically shifted gears as soon as he got home, to a focus on relaxation, connection and playfulness.
In addition to changing our clothes or moving into a new environment, we can consciously change the volume of certain vibrations of energy in our space. Visualizing an imaginary gauge in front of us to make adjustments, like a fuel gauge reads empty to full, the needle can show us how full our space is of a specific energy. Is our analyzer on 75%, decision maker at 50%, income earner and task oriented Self at 100%? What about our creative energy, curiosity, sensuality, adventurousness?
At the start of a work day we turn up those energies that will be helpful to in getting our work done. At the end of the day imagine turning them down and turning up the volume of the vibrations you want to experience while not working. You may also want to visualize the energy from all of your work encounters and activities moving out of your space into a balloon and either tie the string holding that energy balloon somewhere to retrieve later when needed or set it free to move out of your aura field, leaving a cleaner space for your next focus.
I’m applying the Mister Rogers principle to consciously shift my energy from work to personal time… won’t you join me? Turn down the analytical, achievement oriented business vibration and turning up the creative, nurturing, permission to relax vibration at the end of your work day.
- Photo by Patrick Yuen
Heeding the direction of our intuition sounds wise and like a no-brainer but what happens when our intuition doesn’t give us the answer we want to hear? We all have subtle agendas behind the questions we ask ourselves. These conscious or unconscious hopes and desires create bias or resistance to the direction we receive and may cause us to negotiate with our inner-guidance.
When we don’t get the answers we want from our intuition we are tempted to change the truth by looking at it from a different angle. Being pragmatic we ratchet up the volume of our analytical mind to overpower the subtler intuitive messages. We cajole, bargain and try to talk ourselves out of what we know, or we outright rebel, doing what we want, only to suffer the consequences.
All of these inner conversations are forms of manipulation or attempts to get what we want even if it’s not the best thing for us. Crazy yes, but we all do it. Sometimes not getting the answer we want is simply getting no answer, and having to live in the unknown for longer than we are comfortable. The inner-critic and task master doesn’t like not having an answer so we pressure the inner-guide to give us what we want and NOW.
The internal conversation that occurs in this standoff can be frustrating and keep our minds spinning in circles. The worst part is that these negotiations tend to hit is in our blind spots. We don’t even notice them happening until we’ve missed an opportunity or made a poor decision, based on our agenda rather than our intuition.
When we notice ourselves in a circular conversation that undermines our inner-guidance, it’s an opportunity to step back and take a look at the source of our resistance. What belief is in our space blocking us from accepting a path that is for our highest good? Is it fear that we won’t get our needs met, fear that we’ll take a certain path and fail or is someone else’s agenda in our space influencing our choice? It may even be a global or cultural fear influencing us.
Meditation, being grounded and clearing our energy space of outside influence brings us closer to our truth. Examples of these practices can be found in my other blog posts such as The Meditative Path to Clarity, Own Your Space and A Dream Come True, Can You Have What You’ve Always Wanted. Resistance to guidance from our intuition can be seen as a reminder to align our body, mind, emotions and spirit. To reclaim our energetic space and examine what inside us would prefer to stick with a predetermined agenda rather than take a path that is for our higher good.
True creation requires stepping into undefined space where our question stays open, unknown. When we latch onto an answer too soon we limit our potential to see. We shut down the magic that comes from wonder and curiosity. We engage the analytical mind without allowing space for our intuition.
This empty space full of potential “the void,” can only exist if we allow it to. The void is an exceptionally challenging place to live. It’s counter to our survival instinct, that wants to feel safe by having answers. Yet allowing space for the unknown is where we experience breakthroughs in awareness.
Breakthroughs are precious moments where our consciousness shifts and we see from a new perspective. Unless forced by circumstances, most of us don’t intentionally make time in our lives for the creative void. When life wants to get our attention, we find ourselves in a challenge that requires we wait, pause, slow down and NOT know.
Our analytical mind wants to have the answer and move on. It gets frustrated by delay. It is compelled to solve whatever dilemma or puzzle is before it. It doesn’t like to be put on-hold while we allow ourselves to be in the unknown, waiting for new possibilities to be reveal.
Our intuitive mind has a more gentle approach. It gives us signals, hints, opportunities to notice the contribution it can provide. It doesn’t bark at us but calls to us.
The analytical mind harasses us for explanations, justification and evidence before we act on our intuition. The intuitive mind invites us to trust the creative zone of questions that have no pre-defined answer. It leads us, one awareness at a time, in a direction we might never have imagined, to places we never knew existed.
The magic of creation expands when we honor the gifts of both our capacity to look at what we experience with logic as well as trust our intuitive observations. We are culturally taught to let the analytical mind direct our lives. By doing so, we miss many opportunities to get out of a rut and onto a new path. We repeat the same old annoying patterns in our lives.
To cultivate a juicier life, we can intentionally create spaces of NOT knowing. Instead of jumping to the way we’ve always done it or repeating what we see others do, we pause in the void to allow room for a new creation. It is uncomfortable to hold this undefined space. Yet it is critical to choose to NOT know long enough to deeply listen to our intuitive signals. When we do, we hear spiritual direction that guides us on a path less predictable, more magical.
This blog post was inspired by a speech given by Ron Walters at a technology conference in Boise on the importance of boldness, curiosity and nothing/allowing space for the unknown in the design process.
To understand darkness we must know light, to value pleasure we must also known pain. Yet when we suffer we feel it is a signal that something is wrong in our life, something needs to be changed or healed.
We only suffer because the mind notices incongruence in what we desire and what we are experiencing. It thinks about the pain of not having what we want, stews on it and torments us with it. Webster’s Dictionary defines this dependency, “suffering implies conscious endurance of pain or distress.” If our mind doesn’t know the pain, we don’t suffer, hence laughing gas at the dentist office.
The human mind can suffer over very abstract subjects, such as not knowing one’s purpose, relationships that aren’t as we would hope them to be, regrets, not feeling clear about what path to take, not feeling connected to others in a fulfilling way, worry, feeling powerless, not knowing what the future will bring, feeling stuck or stagnant in our life. Suffering takes the emotional forms of anxiety, unhappiness, tension, inner-conflict, fear, grief and depression.
“A cold in the head causes less suffering than an idea.” Jules Renard
Everyone I work with as a clairvoyant desires relief from some level of suffering. Externally it may look like the suffering is an experience of the physical body, like it is being caused by someone in their lives, some condition they must tolerate or the lack of an answer to an elusive question. But the real source of suffering is what the mind does with the emotions these physical and circumstantial experiences evoke. To relieve suffering we must go to its source, the belief system.
When we love someone and can’t be with them because either they don’t feel the same about us or circumstances keep us a part, our heart feels broken, disappointed and longs for the connection of their company. It is our belief about it that causes us suffering. Usually it’s something like our life will not be as good without this particular person or we will never feel love again. Our mind notices that pain and wants relief. It may seek relief through the company of another lover, a bottle of wine or self-critical thoughts that shut down the feelings.
The intuitive mind senses and responds to emotions while the analytical mind calculates questions and tries to “figure them out.” When we can’t figure it out we suffer. The analytical mind spins and we have no place to go but the sense that something is wrong because we can’t see a solution that relieves our pain. The analytical mind processes the painful emotions and physical sensations seeking relief in the form of an answer. If there is no formula to make our pain go away, which is the case with emotional distress, the mind suffers over its own suffering, compounding the sensation that something is wrong.
Our subconscious beliefs about what to expect from our experiences, other people or life in general, live in our blind spot and create the greatest suffering. Some are inherited in our DNA, others are acquired from experiences. All are written in the book of our soul, the Akashic records.
To release the mind from suffering we must shift false and outdated beliefs. This goes beyond psychology to soul level transformation. It often requires the help of someone who can see and heal our subconscious blind spot. What we can do for ourselves is practice stilling the analytical mind through meditation or intentional body movement (yoga, walking outdoors, dance, breath work etc). Stopping the mind from its obsessive search for answers to emotional experiences provides healthy relief of our suffering. When we meditate regularly it breaks the cycle of unproductive mental activity, setting us free and bringing greater peace.
Snowboarding and skiing exercise the same muscles we use to access our intuition. Here are five ways that they can contribute clarity to other areas of your life:
1) Align with Your YES
Flying downhill at high speed with gravity as your motor, split second decisions are your power. Every turn, every choice of direction is an inner yes that aligns you with the mountain and puts a smile on your face. When your choices align with your yes they bring pleasure. Your intuition is validated and responds by informing you with increasing speed and accuracy.
2) Wipeout Prevention
To survive and stay injury free skiing you must pay attention and be present in the moment. The consequence of having your mind on anything but what you are doing is painful. The same is true when acting on your inner-guidance. Being distracted muddles your perception, often with painful results.
3) Give Your Analyzer a Break
Snowboarding connects you with your inner child. As a kid you didn’t spend so much time analyzing life. You were curious, playful and stuck your tongue out to taste the falling snow. Trusting your intuition requires that you approach life with child like openness to non-linear answers.
4) Read Your Surroundings
Navigation of the slopes includes maintaining awareness of the skiers around you. A portion of your consciousness is engaged in quickly reading what those in your path will do next to prevent collision. Your intuitive guidance is meant to help you navigate life through perception of how those around you are behaving. Then direct your life in a way that stays on course and avoids negative impact.
5) Move Forward in Whiteout Conditions
When there’s poor visibility, flat light or blizzard conditions, the way to stay injury free is to relax your body, trust its perception and response to the terrain. If you try to be in physical control rather than flow, your body will be stiff when you hit a bump, launching you in an unintended direction. When you strain to see what is not ready to be seen you meet whiteout conditions. Relaxation of control is required for supportive information to flow.
So get out there and rip it up! Your body and soul will thank you.
Bisbee at the ranch
Sometimes my mind gets caught up in a question that I don’t have the answer for, it circles and circles the question seeking relief. As I was driving to Arizona from Colorado a couple of weeks ago, I had a lot of time to ponder a question that was stumping me. While struggling to find the answer, I became aware of my unconscious belief that God had the right answer and wanted me to act in accordance with it. I could not see past whatever blocks were in my mind to a clear choice for myself. I started to get frustrated.
At this point of frustration, I was reminded of something I’d seen my dog Bisbee do shortly after I adopted him as a two-year old. He’s a border collie programmed through generations of breeding to herd. He wants to roundup everything that moves, to keep it in control so he can feel at peace. On several of Bisbee’s first trips in a car he got manic about herding the cars that were driving by. He wanted to chase them so bad that more than once he wedged himself between the driver’s seat and the door with his nose firmly pressed in the crack of the dashboard and windshield, every muscle in his body rigid. I felt like Bisbee in my desire to have an answer to the question. My analytical mind was locked into the belief that there was a right answer with intense focus on trying to figure it out. I experienced the sensation of being pressed into a corner. I wasn’t getting anywhere. Finally, it dawned on me that there was no right answer. This question I was asking was really not about right or wrong, good or bad, but simply a choice regarding what I wanted to create with my life. The Universe or God didn’t really care whether I went this way or that. Either path would result in a set of experiences that would be my life.
As I drove through the wide open blue skies of New Mexico, I remembered the words of my spiritual mentor, Dawn Eagle Woman “hold a spacious field.” I started visualizing an expansive amount of space around my question and the people that would be impacted by my choice. I looked from horizon to horizon, consciously offering the question and each person involved as much room as I could physically see in the sky. An expansiveness that wasn’t attached to an answer but simply let the question exist.
When the analytical mind kicks in to respond to questions of the heart, it can push us into a corner and imprison us with the effort of trying to figure it out when there is no right answer. We may choose to act based on our vision of the life we are interested in experiencing or wait for the moment when we encounter an option that we easily respond to with yes. Engaging the mind in these situations is simply trying to control the unknown, a fruitless endeavor. Our intuition is present to guide us in questions of the heart and teach us the gentler path of freedom and trust in the natural flow.
This video message on wholeheartedness, presented by Brené Brown, contains precious information regarding our human experience. Proof that vulnerability or purposeful risk taking such as letting ourselves be “seen” authentically is the key to a peaceful existence from within!
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.
