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Intuition: Whispers From The Soul

By Kristen York Harrell, Psy.D.

Page One of Two Pages

What is intuition?

Intuition: immediate insight or understanding without conscious reasoning.

Our soul is constantly sending us information to help us along our path. Intuition is one of the vehicles the soul uses to relay messages to us. Intuitive messages can come as a sudden "knowing," gut feelings, thoughts, images, emotions, or bodily sensations. Intuition is a powerful source of information, creativity, and inspiration. When we follow our intuition our life flows more easily, things seem to fall into place, and we are generally more satisfied because we know we are following our soul path.

We all have intuitive potential. It is not something that only a few gifted people possess. It is a natural ability that we all have and a skill we can all develop. As children we freely access our intuition. Unfortunately, we often receive negative messages from our parents, teachers, or peers and we then begin to doubt our intuition. Once we lose that trust in our intuitive knowledge and ourselves we begin to close down that channel of information. We still receive intuitive messages, but we ignore them. When we do not honor these intuitive impulses, our ability to hear our intuitive voice often fades and we miss valuable information.

Developing Intuition

Fortunately, we never really lose the ability to be intuitive. With a little patience and practice we can rediscover our powerful intuitive potential and develop the necessary skills to use our intuition to guide us on a daily basis. The first step is to increase our awareness of the intuitive impulses that we already receive. It is very important to trust and honor the natural intuitive abilities we already have. If we did nothing more than increase our awareness and honor our current intuitive impulses we would find a dramatic difference in our intuitive abilities.

In addition to paying closer attention to our intuitive impulses, there are some specific practices and exercises that we can do to enhance our intuitive potential. Centering, listening, and interpreting are important components of the intuitive skill.

Centering

Centering is the practice of quieting the mind and relaxing the body to create a sense of peace and acceptance. It is a process of clearing away the mental clutter so that you can access your own inner resources and power. Centering can be accomplished in many ways. It is important to find several ways that work best for you so that you can easily center yourself even in the midst of chaos. The important thing is to allow your body to relax and let your mind become quiet. As you are centering, you will likely find that your mind wanders occasionally. That is perfectly natural. Simply bring your awareness gently back to the quiet peaceful feeling. Once you are centered you will find that you can access your intuitive voice much more readily. The following are some of the common practices for centering.

Deep breathing — Deep diaphragmatic breathing is an excellent way to get centered. Place one hand on your chest and one on your abdomen and breathe naturally. Notice which hand moves more as you breathe. It is likely that the hand on your chest moves up and down more than the one on your abdomen, indicating shallow chest breathing. It is easy to retrain your body to breathe deeply. Imagine a balloon in your stomach. As you inhale imagine filling this balloon up with air - your abdomen will rise. Then imagine letting the air out of this balloon as you exhale - your abdomen will fall. Try breathing in this deep way for several minutes at a time. Research has shown that breathing in this manner will produce the relaxation response. This will also help to focus and quiet your mind.

Meditation — There are many forms of meditation. Any of these forms are excellent ways to get centered and to quiet the mind. Even a few minutes of meditation daily can increase your ability to hear your intuitive voice. If you are new to meditation you might try sitting quietly and focusing your attention on a flame. When your awareness drifts simply bring your attention gently back to the flame. You can also try focusing your attention on a short phrase or word (mantra) that you can repeat over and over to yourself. Whatever you choose to focus on is not important - what is most important is that you are gentle with yourself as you focus your mind.

Music — Many types of classical and/or relaxing music can be used to center. Try experimenting with different types of music and notice the impact each one has on your emotional and physical states. Instrumental music is often best because your mind is not distracted by lyrics.

Prayer — For some people prayer is an excellent way to get centered. It is a way to connect with the Divine energy and this can bring the mind into a more quiet state and relax the body. When using prayer as a centering practice, be sure to pay attention to the way you feel when you connect with the Divine energy. You can use this to reconnect quickly to the Divine by simply remembering this feeling.

CONCLUDED on Page Two

© Kristen York Harrell, Psy.D.