Learning to Tap Into Your Own Intuitive Connection

I have noticed recently, as I have begun to share with others the nature of what I do as an intuitive consultant, that there's a bit of confusion and misunderstanding regarding intuition and psychic ability. Many of us have been taught that psychic abilities can be characterized at their best as "strange" or "scary" and at worst, sacrilegious or downright evil. Actually, the word "psychic" is translated to mean "of the Soul". Yet, we have been taught to shut down our intrinsic connection to God that comes through our communications from our Souls. Intuition and psychic ability are truly the avenues through which our Spirits follow the highest and best direction our lives are meant to take. Children have easy access to their intuitive hunches because they live through their hearts, not their heads. As they grow, and acclimate to the culture in which we live, that natural tendency to follow their inner guidance can be buried and forgotten in lieu of "practical" intellectual pursuits. The truth about our intuition is that it is the most practical advice you'll ever get, because it sees the "big picture", even if you don't have all the pieces of the puzzle in place yet. The voice of intuition is subtle, and unlike the workings of the intellectual mind, it won't rant and rave to get your attention. When I explain the role of intuition in our lives to my friends and clients, they almost always point out just how much they already knew about the situation they were questioning... but they disregarded the information because they couldn't prove it! Intuition is not about "right or wrong", but about guidance that is freely given in the moment. If this idea is contradictory to your belief system, I'd like to suggest that you may want to experiment with the idea of honing your own intuition. At the very least, I'd like you to take a quick "life inventory" and observe all the times in which you "knew better", "had a hunch", or disregarded a "bad vibe" about something of importance in your life, and look at the various outcomes to those events. We are wired up to be intuitive! Our intuition expresses itself through the feelings in the heart, not the mind. Intuition is most freely expressed through balanced emotion. This reminds me of a famous expression I have heard that articulates—"The longest journey you will ever make is from the mind to the heart"... How true this is!

Here are a few ways to begin the process of honoring and embracing the messages of your spirit that come through intuitive or psychic impressions:

Pay attention to the ideas, feelings, and bodily responses that show up related to the situations you want clear guidance on. Our bodies always give us good information related to our life's circumstances (even when we ignore it). Notice the subtle differences that signify a positive reaction, as well as those that are negative when you are in unfamiliar territory with people or situations.
Connect to your heart. Before making a decision or judgment about how to move ahead with choices in front of you, get quiet and listen to the wisdom of your heart... Ask "what do you want?" I was given this message many years ago by my 2 and 1/2-year-old daughter when I was struggling over making an important life decision. She asked me what was wrong and I responded "Mommy's just trying to decide something", and she came over, put her hands on my heart and said "You just need to listen to your heart, Mommy!" Then, off she went to play and babble in her 2-year-old way. Meanwhile, I sat there with my mouth open in shock at the Divine message that had just been given to me. What she taught me is that the most basic way to access your highest guidance is by listening to your heart.
Engage in an activity that gets you out of your "mind chatter" and into your body. Exercise, gardening/outdoor work, working with your hands in any creatively expressive way is a great opportunity for your intuition to nudge you with thoughts, ideas, or solutions. It is not your imagination (although imagination is a great doorway to intuition), but true communications from your Soul that are coming through during these times.
Witness the events of your life with loving detachment from drama and over-emotionality. When we get bogged down by emotions that are out of control, we have much less access to meaningful guidance. Deep breathing and meditation are great ways to separate ourselves from the perceived crisis in our lives and allow us to approach our situations from a more enlightened and higher perspective.

There are many more ways to fine tune our intuitive guidance systems and become much more fluent in the language of spirit. I am passionate about teaching these techniques because I find that life becomes much more joyful, peaceful and fun when we live from our Spirits instead of our intellects. I hope you find this to be true for yourself as well!