Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 4)

October 18, 2012

I mentioned centering yourself in Part 1, but felt I should expand on that some more. I would like to “de-mystify” some aspects of centering yourself and explain some new-agey-sounding terms in plain English.

Calming Down

The initial way to think of centering yourself is just to calm down. You can do this any time by taking a few deep, conscious breaths. What do I mean by “conscious”? Just be aware you are doing it. Think and pay attention to how your body feels while you breathe. Do nothing else for a second. Breathe… This is the first and vital step to calming down.

Pause and ask yourself what you were just thinking about. If you don’t know, that’s okay. If you can recall it, now see how it was making you feel. Was that train of thought making you feel good (excited, energized, happy) or bad (stressed, tense, worried). These “feelings” can be either mental/emotional (such as frustrated or depressed) or physical (tension in the neck, stomach uneasy). Now you have become aware of how your thoughts make you feel!

If those thoughts are particularly strong, you might want to have a “wave experience” as I describe in my book (chapter 19). This will help you pass through the emotions and gain some insight about them.

To connect with your intuition, continue “centering yourself.” Some physical things people like to do include putting both feet on the ground, sitting cross-legged, or laying flat on their backs. Some like to do this to increase their connect to the ground, kind of like grounding an electrical circuit. Others like to connect to Mother Earth. If you do it the same way every time, this helps “program” your body for connecting to your intuition.

Keep breathing all the while. Okay, that might sound obvious because if you stopped breathing, you’d die, but believe it or not, I need to mention it. We often hold our breaths without realizing it, or breathe in shallow, quick breaths. Taking slow, deep breaths does something to our bodies — something that helps us slow down, focus, and reconnect to the present moment. That’s why activities like singing and sports feel so great — we are breathing deeply, and paying attention to the moment in either to hit that note perfectly or score that point.

Your mood will probably improve simply as a result of these actions. If you feel sort of “neutral,” consciously think about something that makes you feel good — like remembering a pure, happy memory or a time when you felt really great. If you focus strongly on these happy thoughts for a minute or so, you will really start to feel great. This is what people mean when they say they are “raising their vibration.” It is a conscious decision to feel better by thinking thoughts that make you feel better. You may also want to tell yourself something that you know will perk you up. If you are living a very stressful life, you can also take advantage of classic de-stressing techniques like taking a hot bubble bath, lighting candles, getting a massage, going for a walk in a park or other natural area to appreciate nature, etc.

Of course, there is no guarantee that following these steps will help you connect to your intuition, but they vastly increase the odds. One last thing: be ready to receive and write down (or record in audio) the inspiration you receive! Keep a note book by your bedside, in your purse or bag, or in your vehicle. Be ready to open a simple text editor to type in your computer.

My favourite way to “make notes” is to talk into a small audio recorder, especially while I am driving alone. It has 2-button operation, so it’s very quick and easy. When I get an idea, I grab it and start talking!

I hope you have found this series on hearing from your intuition helpful! If it has touched you, please leave a comment!

 
– The “Hearing from Your Intuition Series” –
Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 1) Feel the Answer | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 2) Tapping Your Imagination | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 3) Detailed Messages/Knowing | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 4) Centering Yourself

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Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 3)

October 17, 2012

Intuition is how your higher self speaks to you. It is a message or a feeling about what action to take to follow the best course of action for you. What sort of “best course of action?” The action that will help you thrive or grow the most, to help you fulfill your destiny or become a more enlightened being. Sometimes, it is the biggest “stretch” — it might involve major change or facing a fear. But isn’t that always where we grow the most?! 🙂

Detailed Messages/Knowing

The most powerful way that you can hear from your intuition is in a specific message from your higher self. This is usually more complicated than “yes” or “no,” and might be a detailed message or more of a “knowing.” You might:
– out of the blue have an idea about how to proceed on a problem
– feel like you just found your life’s purpose
– learn about something new and feel uncannily drawn to it
– suddenly know what you should do next
– feel amazingly inspired to do something
– feel like you know that you will have all the resources you need to take this inspired action.

From my experience, this type of divine inspiration can strike at any time, and the more you listen to it, the more frequently it happens. I bet you can think of a time when this happened — when you suddenly just KNEW what to do. For me, this inspiration often comes first thing in the morning (or even before I am fully awake), so I try to keep a note pad nearby so I can jot down the idea.

Here are a few things that can make it happen quicker:
1. Acknowledge that you have intuition, and make it known — write it down in your journal, on a markerboard, vision board or wherever — that you want to connect to it more.
2. Tell someone (verbally, out loud) that you want to hear from your intuition and that you think you will get an answer to such-and-such (next course of action) soon.
3. As you try to solve some “problem,” rather than struggling for the answer, imagine you are loading all the data into an “intuition computer” — just collecting data, and waiting for the computer to spit out the answer. Let go of the struggle.
4. Pay attention to slight nudges/hunches. Feel the urge to take a different route home after work? Do it. Thinking about someone and wondering if you should call them? Do it.
5. Challenge yourself to do something outside your comfort zone, and then trust that you will have the resources to do it successfully. (For me, this was a 7-day solo kayak trip, and that is the first time I received a VERY clear message from my intuition. I have not been the same since!)

In general, our reality is a result of
– what kinds of thoughts we think
– what kinds of words we say, and
– what we do.

So, if you want your reality to include you hearing from your intuition, you can think about it (acknowledge/imagine, step 1 and 3 above), talk about it (step 2 above), and do things about it (step 4 and 5).

 
– The “Hearing from Your Intuition Series” –
Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 1) Feel the Answer | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 2) Tapping Your Imagination | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 3) Detailed Messages/Knowing | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 4) Centering Yourself

By Teresa | Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments off

Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 2)

October 16, 2012

Let’s look at some other ways you can hear from that subtle but important force, intuition. (Part 1 is here if you missed it.)

Tapping Your Imagination

Another way to get in touch with your intuition is to use your imagination. Imagination is another one of those things that science just can’t explain, like intuition. The two can work hand in hand — let’s look at how.

Suppose you are considering taking some action, be it changing jobs, moving to a new town, whatever. Sit down and imagine, from start to finish, in as much detail as possible, the outcome of that action. Imagine that you are fully integrated into the new situation — that perhaps 4 to 6 months have passed since the big change. Are you happy? Do you like the picture you see? How do you feel now? If you feel anxious, make sure that you’ve imagined the situation long enough into the future to get over the initial stress of the change. Let’s look at an example.

Suppose you are thinking of breaking up with your boyfriend. Imagine what life would be like without him — imagine going through a period of sadness, loneliness or stress at first, and then imagine your life after that. Really try to picture what it would be like. What kinds of things would you do in your spare time? Would you be happy? Would you ultimately regret it? If your imagination leans towards eventually feeling happier and more independent, that’s your answer. If your imagination leans towards regretting the decision, then that’s your insight. Try exploring other places your imagination might take you… if you regret it, why? Is there any solution where you don’t regret it? What can you do to make your relationship better then?

If you really feel uneasy about the answer you get, then perhaps there is a lot of fear clouding your vision or colouring your imagination. This isn’t a black-and-white science! But this can certainly be an option to try.

Be aware that if your natural tendency is for negative fantasizing — what I call “apocalypsing” in Love Your Skeletons — then you’ll need to make extra effort to see this pretend reality positively. If you simply can’t, then take it as a sign, but not a big one.

Remember, you can also use your imagination to create a new reality, so while tapping into your imagination, you will also be forging the future at the same time. If you want to imagine a different outcome than the one you seem to be headed towards, do some focused, detailed, super-clear visioning and you will create that outcome instead. This type of imagination feels different; it feels empowered instead of receptive.

Come back tomorrow for Part 3!

 
– The “Hearing from Your Intuition Series” –
Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 1) Feel the Answer | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 2) Tapping Your Imagination | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 3) Detailed Messages/Knowing | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 4) Centering Yourself

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Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 1)

October 15, 2012

For some, hearing from their intuition is easy, but for many, it is so foreign, they don’t even know where to start. So, I thought I would give some ideas from my experience about how intuition speaks.

Let me start by reminding you about the two polar opposites of feelings: feeling good and feeling bad. Of course, we have many different words for emotions, and here are a few:

feeling good — excited, thrilled, happy, overjoyed, at-ease
feeling bad — tense, nervous, uneasy, anxious, cautious

Your intuition often speaks through feelings. That makes it tricky, because lots of other things can affect how we feel, like what kinds of thoughts we have been thinking, or even if we are hungry. However, if you aren’t hungry and you take a few minutes to breathe deeply and clear your thoughts, you can receive a message from your intuition by how you feel.

Feel the Answer

Try this. After centering yourself as described above, ask yourself a “yes/no” question that you already know the answer to. Think of something you like to do and ask yourself a related question. Then, see if you get a “feeling answer.” Let me give you an example.

I really enjoy knitting, so I might ask myself “should I do some knitting later?” The answer is Yes, and the corresponding feeling is one of happiness and anticipation of continuing my latest knitting project. If I ask myself a “no” question, like “should I get back together with my ex?” the answer is a most definite “no!” For me, I can almost hear the answer verbally, but I certainly get “yucky” (“no”) feelings — anxiety, stress, heart-pounding feeling.

Once you do this and feel both the “yes” and “no” answers, now you can try a less-obvious question and one that you don’t know the answer to. If you stay still, calmly breathing, you should feel the answer — either a good feeling, or a “bad” one. If you can’t feel the answer for some reason, try rephrasing the question or break the question down into a smaller part or get more specific. For example, if you ask if you should take a new job you’ve been offered, but you can’t feel the answer, try asking

– Should I leave the job I am at now?
– Is this job offer good for me?
– Should I look for an even better job out there for me?
– Is this new employer right for me?

A slight variation on this method is to use your fingers instead of just feelings. Make the a circle with your index finger and thumb, like the universal “ok” sign, on both your left and right hands. Now, interlock them like two links of a chain. Calibrate your response by asking yourself a “yes” question as before. Tug to see if your fingers will come apart — for a “yes” answer, your fingers will be strong. When you ask a “no” question, or say something that is untrue, one of your finger-thumb connections will give way and your fingers will come apart. This process is called muscle testing, and the video below will show you exactly what I mean. If you have a hard time feeling the answer, muscle testing will work for sure!

Tomorrow, I will talk about some other ways to connect with your intuition. Subscribe to this blog to make sure you don’t miss it (use the RSS button near the top-right of the page), follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook. Mention that you read my blog!

– The “Hearing from Your Intuition Series” –
Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 1) Feel the Answer | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 2) Tapping Your Imagination | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 3) Detailed Messages/Knowing | Hearing from Your Intuition (Part 4) Centering Yourself

By Teresa | Posted in Articles | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments off