intuition | Self-Help Books

This is an image of a chalkboard with colorful chalk that says, "Follow Your Intuition"

Living a life of spiritual integrity requires that make we make decisions and choose perceptions that align with our inner spiritual wisdom. This sounds rather simple, but how do we access our inner wisdom?

Many of us associate the thought of accessing inner wisdom in an esoteric way, such as: going into a lengthy and deep meditation in an isolated environment; seeking seclusion in a monastery; spending time in a distant place such as an ashram; or, at the very least, needing to be completely alone in a quiet place. While all of these techniques are highly effective in accessing spiritual wisdom, the truth is that every human being has the ability to instantaneously and directly access the universal field of intelligence from wherever we are, at any time, and all of the time through intuition. In essence, we are each a conduit for a constant stream of limitless wisdom.

One of the definitions of intuition is, “the immediate knowing of something without the conscious use of reasoning. Because intuition is a right-brain function, it isn’t something we can analyze with our minds. Intuitive messages bypass the judgment of the mind and come directly through to the heart, thus the saying, “the truth is within.”

How Do We Perceive Intuition?

Because intuitive messages come through the heart, they are perceived through our senses. These feelings are sometimes described as “gut level,” “sixth sense,” “inner wisdom,” “inner knowing,” and “flashes of imagination.” Many of us actually experience physical sensations when we hear or see something that coincides with our truth. We may suddenly get goose bumps, feel a tingling sensation, spontaneously take a deep breath, feel an electrical current going up our backs, or sense an overall wave of energy moving throughout the body. These sensations are indications that our bodies are literally resonating with the energetic frequency of the truth of spirit. We can also get physical indications when something we are hearing or seeing is not truth. Usually it is a contracted feeling, such as a knot in the stomach or throat, shortness of breath, or a sudden chill.

Every person has intuition.

Although we all sense it in different ways, and some of us even deny sensing it at all, every person has intuitive abilities–it is part of our human nature.

The reason it appears that not all of us are intuitive is simply because some of us listen to and act upon our inner messages, whereas others simply dismiss them as insignificant. We many times ignore our intuition because we want to validate our intuitive messages with our left-brain logic and analysis. When we attempt to do this, we choke the spontaneous flow of wisdom coming through to us because messages of spirit are infinitely larger than the logical paradigms of the mind. An example of this is getting an intuitive message to write a book and rationalizing all the reasons why it is not a “good idea” before exploring all the possibilities of why it is possible.

How can we distinguish the difference between “intuitive feelings” and “impulsive feelings?”

When we get an impulsive message, it is usually initiated by our ego in the form of a whim to immediately do something, whether it is in our greatest good or not. Our impulse may be to indulge in an addictive behavior, such as overeating, or to run out and buy something we neither need nor can afford. If it is an impulse, chances are we will change our minds if we wait for a while or sleep on the idea. Also we are likely to feel guilty or unfulfilled after acting impulsively.

Intuitive messages, on the other hand, are relentless and persistent. Even when we ignore them, they have the tenacious habit of resurfacing time and time again. Intuitive messages are always in our best interests, causing us to feel uplifted and fulfilled. Because intuition connects us with our Oneness of Spirit, the messages it reveals to us are always rooted in unconditional love and pure truth. We develop our ability to perceive intuitive messages by listening, trusting, and acting upon them. The more we do this, the more we empower ourselves to live our lives with spiritual integrity.

Love and Light,

Sandra

This is an image of an abstract human with a heart radiating light with a magenta background

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In my last blog we discussed how essential it is to build your life on the foundation of self-love. This may have sparked an awareness within you that has caused you to realize that, for the most part, you have not been treating yourself very well and that you have primarily placed everyone else’s needs ahead of your own.

This may have been a pattern of behavior for your entire life, so what if you want to change and adopt a whole new way of thinking that focuses on the ideal of self-love? Where do you begin?

As always, awareness is the first step in healing any area of our lives, so congratulations on becoming conscious of an area of your life which you are ready to heal!

The following are some simple steps that can help you shift your focus from being self-less to self-loving:

1. Forgive yourself – There is no point in beating yourself up for all the times you can recall acting out a martyr role or sacificing your own basic needs in order to accommodate someone else. If you are like most people, you have simply been acting out what you have seen modeled or taught to you by your parents, caregivers, teachers, and other important people in your childhood. Beating yourself up is exactly what you need to stop doing!

2. Be in Present Time – It does not matter where or from whom you developed your belief systems. Blaming others for what we believe in life is counter-productive and continues to perpetuate the same patterns of behavior. If you want to change, let go of the past. You only have the power to choose your own perceptions when you are in present time.

3. Create the Time and Space to Regenerate Yourself – Make it a priority to schedule a period of at least 20 minutes every day to nurture yourself. The key word here is “create.” Build this time into your schedule and commit to it as you would any other appointment. It could be first thing in the morning as you read an inspiring piece of literature while you have a cup of coffee, or you could choose to do a meditation that is as simple as closing your eyes and taking deep breaths. If you prefer the evening, take a soothing, warm bath or take a walk by yourself. Choose whatever activity nourishes your soul. The important thing is that you are being kind to yourself by acknowledging your own need to regenerate.

4. Base Your Decisions On Your Own Values – Rather than making choices motivated by the need to please others, get in touch with your own feelings regarding what is important in your life. For example, you may make a conscious decision to spend more quality time with your spouse or partner rather than spend more time at work. The objective is to make choices that support your priorities in life – not to make everyone happy.

5. Trust Your Intuition – Allow your intuition to guide you in making choices. Your intuition is the universal wisdom that comes to you through spontaneous thoughts and feelings. You may sense it in many ways; gut level feelings, a feeling of warmth, or a sense of expansion or energy. Since intuitive messages are coming from your Higher Self, the insights you are receiving are rooted in love. Trusting your intuition will guide you to make choices that inspire you.

6. Affirm Self-Love – “I deeply and completely love and accept myself” is one of the most powerful statements you can ever affirm. Say it out loud or repeat it quietly to yourself. Affirm it in any situation, and all the time, especially when you are feeling unloved. It does not matter whether you believe it when you say it – you will come to believe it. We change our belief systems by first choosing to think differently.

7. Forgive Yourself – Here we are again – full cycle. Even though you are committing yourself to a healthy new way of thinking and acting, there will be many times when you think, say, or do things that are not kind to yourself. This is the perfect time to forgive yourself and get right back on track with the guidelines above.

Loving, respecting, and honoring yourself means you are projecting your energy to others from a radiant heart.

As within, so without. The way you feel about yourself will be the way you feel about everyone else.

Love and Light,

Sandra

Tag Archives: intuition

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