Intuition. Do you believe in it? Do you understand what it is? Are you intuitive? Do you know someone who is?
Intuition is one of those subjects that people have a hard time making sense of. Our human side, our left-brained logical side, wants to have a concrete explanation for everything. If it can't be proven scientifically, it can't exist. Intuition, by definition, is a direct perception, independent of reason or prior knowledge. Thus, when intuition is found to be 'correct', it is often deemed 'coincidence' or 'luck'. When it is wrong, it's typically just dismissed as fake or made up.
The thing is, all of us are intuitive. We all 'get' information energetically. Some certainly more so than others. We don't all recognize it for what it is. We've all had an experience where we had a thought about something, dismissed it, and then found ourselves thinking, "If only I paid attention when I had that feeling..."
People who have never had or never recognized the experience of being intuitive and having their intuitive 'hit' actually happen, of course, have a difficult time understanding what is intuition and what is wishful thinking. It can be difficult to discern. The closer you are to the person or information you are intuitively getting information about, the harder it can be to discern.
For those of us who have experienced intuition and experienced how accurate it can be are often freaked out by it and may ignore it by choice, because sometimes, we don't want to be right! The information we 'get' isn't always happy or good. It is rarely specific or in a clear 'premonition'. It's usually piece meal and more of a fleeting thought or feeling that causes us to pause and listen or feel to try to figure it out. Plenty of people have intuitive hits about natural disasters, accidents involving loved ones and even large scale world events like 9/11.
The problem is, those who receive message via intuition, rarely get the specifics or maybe they just don't pay close enough attention. Some people find their intuition is heightened in their dreams or when meditating. Really, whenever they are taking their conscious thought, reason and logic out of the equation.
Others may feel unsettled inside for no apparent reason and can't shake it, and that's the way they receive the intuitive message. Once something happens, they often are able to identify that it was that situation that was looming that was trying to tell them something but they didn't listen or confused the message with something else. Again, it's our human left-brains trying to make sense out of our thoughts, feelings and experiences in a concrete way that also makes sense to us on this earthly plain. Gifted intuitive have learned to leave that side of our human existence out of it and simply listen, feel, see and share.
I have always been intuitive. Sometimes, I just *know* things. No, I can't tell you the winning lottery numbers and even if I could, I probably wouldn't get that message if I asked. It just does not work like that for me. It may for some people, just not for me. I mostly feel and sometimes 'hear' or see, in my mind's eye, future events. It's usually more of a feeling than something specific. Sometimes, it's just that I'm strongly feeling or 'hearing' certain information I need to give someone or something I need to do or not do. It may make no sense to me, but if I tell them, it makes perfect sense to them. If the guidance is for me, and I follow it, I often later get the answers. I can't always put my finger on it, or be as specific as I'd like to be, which is exceedingly frustrating, but I've had enough experiences to know that a) I'm not making it up and b) I don't have any control over the message I get, only over whether or not I pay attention and listen to it.
Of course, the most memorable of these intuitive experiences are often associated with negative things. Accidents, deaths, and injuries. Probably because the positive ones are usually happy and we don't think about them nearly as much.
There have been wonderful intuitive hits, though. Knowing when certain people are supposed to be in your life on a soul and energetic level, despite everything screaming it is wrong from a human standpoint, is a lovely, albeit challenging, gift. Being able to identify what is worth fighting for and what it is time to walk away from with gratitude is certainly another gift. Knowing that it's OK to speak up about an intuitive thought or feeling because we all have the power to change outcomes by changing our actions right this very minute is an important tenet of life.
It's as much about listening to the message as it is about receiving it.
It's not always possible to identify the information or situation with enough precision to make sense of it, but sometimes a simple intuitive, "Drive carefully today" is enough. If you think it, say it or do it. It may not make sense to you, but you had that thought for a reason. Even if you don't understand that reason right now, the information could be important. Don't judge. Don't decide for that person whether or not they need to hear the message, just deliver it. Leave your ego out of it.
We can develop our intuition as we can any of our psychic gifts through conscious awareness, mindfulness and meditation. Write down your 'hunches' for a few days or weeks. Pay attention to those seemingly random thoughts and feelings. Pay attention to what your kids say! They are wise beyond their years and open to message. Kids will often ask about random relatives, particularly deceased ones. Pay attention! They have a message for you!
Write down everything from "Huh, I'm thinking about an old friend from high school today" and then lo and behold, without any action on your part, they call or send you a message or you hear something about them from someone else. Or maybe you suddenly think of a relative you haven't seen in forever out of the blue, only to find out later that day or week they have died or another significant event in their lives has happened. It could even be as simple as telling your child to bring an extra snack when you normally do not do that, only to find out someone else forgot theirs and needed one. While seemingly small and unimportant, these can all be examples of intuitive guidance. After a few days, go back and look at your hunches. How many of them make sense in retrospect?
There are more powerful intuitive messages. Some of the ones I've experienced were knowing without a doubt when I met my current husband, we were meant to be together despite our vast differences and the work we would both have to do in order to make that a reality. I *knew* it was supposed to happen. I knew I had to let it happen and get out of my head and follow my gut, my heart and my intuitive guidance.
As a doula, I love my intuitive gift of almost always knowing when my clients will go into labor. I typically get a sense within 24 hours of when they call me. If it's night time, I always wake up and look at my phone wondering why they didn't call, only to have them call a short time later. It works better if I have established an energetic connection and relationship with them prenatally, but it always amazes me how accurate it is!
Another example if my intuition happened while I was waiting to get on a plane to go to a wedding for my then fiance's family, whom I had never met, one beautiful summer day. I was highly emotional and on edge for no reason. I had a sense of dread and overwhelming sadness. I had a terrible time choosing a dress to wear when packing and felt it wasn't 'right'. I tried to blame it on fatigue and the smallish plane (I'm not a fan of little planes). The flight was fine. While his step-mom (grandmother of the bride) was at the rehearsal, we went out for dinner with his father. While out, his father's phone rang. I immediately knew something horrible had happened as soon as the phone rang, before he said a word. It had. Several members of the wedding party were in a horrible accident. The wedding was postponed. They were all at the hospital all night, praying that all those injured would survive. Later that night, I had an energetic 'conversation' with the most severely injured, the mother of the bride. At the moment that phone rang earlier that evening, I knew why I was so antsy and emotional. I knew my purpose in being there was not to go to that wedding, it was to support the family with my other gifts. I gave more Reiki that weekend than I think I ever have collectively before. I held the space. I listened. My intuition gave me the message, I just didn't know exactly what it was at the time.
The most profound and worst intuitive experience I ever had was the vision of a little girl's funeral or wake. It was in November of 2004 while I was driving to Maine for a girls weekend away. It was completely out of the blue. The only other thing I remember was Celene Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" song was playing on the radio at the time. I saw it in my mind's eye, while driving, clear as day. A white casket. Pink and White flowers. I was a bit baffled. I was conflicted and melancholy that weekend as well, despite the fact it was a weekend away for fun, which I never got and had been looking forward to for a long time! My niece was having heart surgery later that week and I thought it was a message about her. I was worried she was going to die. She didn't. And I promptly forgot about it.
Until I walked into my daughter's wake almost a month later. IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME. I damn near fainted for a multitude of reasons, but that slammed me. Hard. I had a premonition. I saw it. I didn't get it at the time. I thought it was something else and it wasn't that. WTF?! Of course the shock of the entire experience meant I felt the energetic kick in my solar plexus and heart but had to be present for the wake and forgot about it, again, until I heard that same song weeks later. Only then, did it all come together for me and was I able to process it all and piece it together. I'm still working on that...
For a real time example, before I got married last fall, on my grandmother's 86th birthday, I had a sense something was wrong with her. I wasn't sure she was going to live long enough to make it. She did. She had a blast and we loved having her there. She was, however, recently and unexpectedly and incidentally diagnosed with lung cancer. She did not want further testing or treatment. She is now in hospice care. Initially, I was looking forward to seeing her in June when we travel to Florida for a family vacation. About 10 days ago, out of nowhere, I got the message intuitively I needed to go see her ASAP. This did not come from any of my family members or myself really. It came from my higher self, a higher place. She was doing fine at the time, I even spoke to her on the phone, but the message was insistent.
So I booked a flight for next week. What I don't know is why I am going. I just know I need to go. I'd like to be going to spend some quality time with her while she is lucid and able to 'play'. I'm not sure that's actually why I am going. Maybe I'm going because energetically, we need to have this last interaction. Maybe I'm going to simply lend support to my mother and aunt. Maybe I'm going because she won't be there in June (highly likely that this is at least part of the reason, even though she thinks she'll still be around in June) and maybe I'm going so I can be there when she transitions. Maybe I'm going there because she will transition before I get there and my presence is needed for that. I'm not sure yet why. It doesn't matter really. I got the message I need to go. The Universe made it happen. I got the message when I need to go. It's happening. The why matters less than the fact I listened. I will find out why when I get there. It is what it is.
I listened. I followed the guidance. The rest will play out how it is supposed to.
It's about trust. Trusting your inner wisdom. Believing in something you can't see or explain. It's about knowing.
So, are you intuitive?
