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Intuition: Whispers From The Soul

By Kristen York Harrell, Psy.D.

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Affirmations — You can use affirmations to focus your mind. It is best to use affirmations with some form of relaxation (such as deep breathing) in order to get the combined effects of a relaxed body and focused or centered mind. Affirmations are a terrific way to tap into the power of your subconscious mind to help you reach your conscious desires. Affirmations should be concise sentences stated in a positive way. When creating an affirmation remember to state what it is that you want, not what you don't want. Another important guideline is to always use the present tense when creating your affirmations.

The following are a few examples of affirmations to increase your intuitive abilities.

I trust my intuition.

My intuitive ability is consistently accurate.

My intuitive signals are strong and clear.

I can easily distinguish my intuitive voice from other internal voices.

I access my intuition easily.

My intuition delivers simple and straightforward messages.

Listening

When you are centered, you are more open to the flow of intuitive information. Once you are centered, you can pose your question or ask for intuitive guidance. Then listen for an answer from your soul. Be sure to use all of your senses when you "listen" to your intuition. Intuitive messages come in many ways. You may hear the answer, get a chill, feel a sense of peace, or notice a certain taste or odor. As you practice listening and honoring your intuition you will get better at recognizing the ways that you receive this information. Even though you might typically receive your intuitive messages through one particular sense - such as visual images - it is good to be open and receptive to your intuition in whatever form it may appear.

As you "listen" for intuitive messages, sometimes you will receive a clear message right away. Honor these direct messages and you will continue to open up this channel of information from your soul. There may be times that you will not receive a clear answer right away; however, the information will come to you later through feelings, dreams, songs, or other synchronistic events. Be patient! If you become frustrated and try to force an answer to come, you will likely block the flow of intuitive information.

When you first start practicing you may want to begin with small issues that do not have significant impact on your life. For example, try to discern who is calling before you answer a ringing telephone or try to guess how many pieces of mail you will receive in your mailbox. Practicing with these simple issues will allow you to stay relaxed and focused without too much distraction from other inner voices such as fear or wishful thinking.

True intuitive messages are always in service of your best interest and lead you in the direction of your soul path. Until you become very familiar with your own intuition you may have trouble distinguishing your intuitive voice from other inner voices - such as fear or wishful thinking. It is very important to pay attention to the way you feel when you know you have received an intuitive message. Being very familiar with this feeling will help you discern intuition from other messages.

Distinguishing between intuition and ego

Sometimes we get conflicting messages and we have difficulty figuring out which message is our intuition. For example, you may get an intuitive sense that you need to take a certain action, but thoughts of following this action produce fear. As the fear arises, your ego or personality begins to rationalize and create reasons that you should not follow this course of action. Without clear awareness of your own process you can become confused by these conflicting messages and not know how to discern the voice of fear from intuition. This is why centering is such an important skill to master when developing your intuitive skills. When you find yourself in the confusing swirl of inner messages, you must center yourself so that you can feel the difference among the messages. Once you are centered and your awareness is focused inward, review each of these messages slowly. When you are centered your fear is reduced and you are more able to discern the true intuitive message.

© Copyright 2002, Kristen York Harrell, Psy.D. — Page One

Kirsten York Harrell, Psy.D. earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from The School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University. She is licensed in the state of Ohio (#5609) and is the owner and director of Essential Spirit. Dr. Harrell has been studying spirituality and integrative healing practices for over 13 years. She believes that spirituality is an essential part of the journey toward self-discovery and empowerment. Dr. Harrell is deeply committed to her own spiritual growth and is devoted to helping others connect with their soul to access inner resources and achieve their full potential.