Of all the questions I’m asked on the regular, this is probably the most
common: 'how do I know when it's my intuition talking to me?' I totally get why
this is such a stumbling block for people. When you think about the nature of
intuition (ethereal, can go against logic, experienced differently from person to
person, etc) it's not surprising that learning to identify, let
alone trust, your gut instinct is such a struggle for so many people –
including myself.
Firstly, here's what your intuition is NOT.
It is not the voice that tells you
you've left your hair straightener on (that's paranoia). It is not the
voice that tells you that you won't be good enough until you lose 5 kilos
(that's your inner bully). It is not the strange gurgling noise your stomach
makes (that's probably indigestion). It is, however, that gentle voice telling
you that you need to ring your sister because she really needs to hear from you.
It is that deep feeling of knowingness you get when you see a job advertised
and you just know you're going to get it. It is that shudder emanating from
your core you get when you meet someone who everyone else fawns all over
but who you sense is not being straight up. In short: your intuition is a deep
knowing feeling that often radiates from your core. The art of recognising that
voice does get easier with practice.
Even after all these years familiarising myself with my intuition, I
still sometimes fail to recognise it. A few weeks ago I went on a weekend break
to the Gold Coast (for the benefit of my non-Aussie readers: a beach city popular with holidaymakers). In the days leading up to our
departure, every weather forecast told me to expect thunderstorms and non-stop
rain. I was so disappointed — I had really looked forward to lazing on the
beach. Then my intuition kicked in, telling me to take my bikini. 'Ridiculous!'
I told it. 'I'm not going to the beach in the rain!' I checked the weather
again - still storms forecast. Yet as I packed my bag, again and again it told
me to pack my bikini, and even later in that half-awake state as I was drifting
off to sleep the night before my flight (FYI this is a prime opportunity for
messages to come through from the Universe, because your brain, which normally
offers resistance, is winding down for the night). I arrived on the Gold Coast sans bikini, beach towel nor shorts... and the predicted storms did not eventuate. It
was gorgeous sunny skies and soaring temperatures all weekend. I ended up lying
on my raincoat on the sand, wearing weather-inappropriate clothes, then looking
longingly at the hotel pool (and whingeing constantly, which was my boyfriend
was *soo* thrilled to listen to). 'Told you so' said my intuition. Obviously being without a bikini is a ridiculously first world problem with no great
consequences, but it is an example of how the intuition can prompt you multiple
times yet you can still overlook it – and the repercussions of that can be much
greater than a beach holiday falling short of expectations.
I also had a massive 'd'oh!' moment during a recent angel card
reading for a client. Among other things, the client wanted to know
whether she should give a former flame another chance as she felt she had
unfinished business with him. As I started shuffling the cards, my intuition
told me strongly that they didn't have a future together. But when I turned
over the cards relating to romance, I doubted myself. Cards signifying 'true
love' and 'worth the wait' came up, so I emailed her a reading assuring her of
the need to give him another chance. She replied a day later saying the guy had
changed his mind about seeing her again, leaving her disappointed and confused.
I felt awful – and I knew that it was my own fault for disregarding my
intuition, which had been so clear from the get-go. I emailed her back
apologising, explaining what had happened. I told her what I should have told
her in the first place – that true love was in her future and that romance
would be worth all the disappointment she was enduring now… so instead of
letting hurt and doubt close her heart, she'd need to be willing to take a
chance on love. Although somewhat embarrassing for me, this was a valuable
lesson– that I needed to trust my intuition instead of disregarding it when it
comes up against information that seems counter-intuitive.
So where did this leave my poor client? Well, reassured that this heartbreak
is not how her story ends… and hopefully this initially confusing reading might
have actually helped her in another way, too. I emailed her a story from a
fellow angel card reader – who I'd turned to for advice – which explained
brilliantly why our intuition sometimes gives us information that seems wrong,
but isn't. Many years ago, my friend had been on and off with a guy for three
years when he asked her to move overseas with him. She asked the angels whether
that was a good idea, and they said 'yes!'. So she quit her job, booked her
flight and excitedly started packing. But a week later he told her it was over
– for good. As you can imagine, she was devastated. When she asked the angels
why they'd misled her, they said they’d given her the information she had
needed at that time. It was only when she properly committed to the
relationship that it could properly end. If it hadn't, she'd still be playing
the half-in, half-out game. Ending that attachment cleared the way for a new
relationship to come into her life – and that's how she later met her
now-husband and father of her children. Not exactly a pleasant lesson for her,
but a necessary one. I think it's something we can all learn from. The Universe
always knows best. The better we get at listening to it, the smoother our
journeys through this lifetime.