My mother was from a small farming community in rural Pennsylvania. The hard working people there valued the concrete, tangible world. Daily life had a routine and it was stuck to!

Paradoxically, I think intuition was valued as well. The knowing of the land, the local wildlife, the seasons. Somehow there was a big sky there.

My Uncle Ray told me he used to bring his girlfriends home to get my mom’s read on them (and he married the BEST person). And once, when my mom was a little kid, she just knew something was wrong with her beloved dad. He was in the barn and she was in the house. She ran to check on him. He had injured his arm and had to go to the hospital.

Mom was not a talker. She nurtured her inner knowing with quiet and by being the observer. My darling mom preferred to remain in the background and chortle over the merriment that seemed to permeate her home of origin (she had a nearly silent giggle that you could only hear on the inhale). She kept her empathic nature to herself; she was self-contained. But one always felt that she KNEW.

What is Intuition?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines intuition as: “the quick perception of truth without conscious attention or reasoning; knowledge from within; instinctive knowledge or feeling…”

Judee Gee, in her book: Intuition: Awakening your Inner Guide says:

“Intuition is a mysterious, powerful, and subtle ability that every human being possesses and can develop. It is an ability we are born with – an innate capacity that exists within us…we can ignore it or follow it, neglect it or nourish it.”

We can survive without our intuition, says Gee, but intuition is incredibly important for our physical and spiritual well-being, for our creative self-expression and for the experience of the whole of our lives – so, EVERYTHING! She talks about intuition coming from a deeper source than the linear, rational mind. It is where we perceive the truth. Using intuition, we can understand the true nature of a situation.

Sonia Choquette: the QUEEN of all things intuitive.

Sonia Choquette is a world-renowned teacher, psychic and mentor/role model on living an intuitive life. Her nutshell (although she cannot be encapsulated into a nutshell) is that the world exists in MORE than just our five senses. In fact, she calls it a six-sensory living. And that sixth sense is our intuition. She makes it really fun. And she talks about her own challenges, making her human and lovable. One of the most compelling thing about her is that she seems happy, through it all. Ready to laugh and to embrace change. It’s completely inspiring.

Sonia and her two soulful, goofy, happy daughters, Sonia and Sabrina, have an AMAZING podcast, called: “It’s All Related”. It is the very best thing. There is a lot of laughter, it is so playful and joyous. The three of them are true soul mates, talking about all things intuitive. The podcast is lighthearted and focuses on the positive. Their frequency is high, so they raise you up.

It’s ok and it’s good to do Hard Things (love them, but it can be trigger-y), but sometimes we need Light too. Finding the silly in the Universe. Looking for happy synchronicities. They have all sorts of practical tools for living an intuitively-guided life. Sonia and her daughters tell stories about their lives that illustrate perfectly the message they are trying to get across.

Intuition helps us access the wise part of ourselves

Judee Gee says that intuition is the expression of the awareness of the “soul”. The soul is the part of us that is immortal and wise, the part of us with a capacity for a larger vision. Intuition is a journey to further awareness and discernment of our experiences and environment. We SEE what is HAPPENING – we pan the lens OUT and get a wider perspective.

Using the intuition requires time and attention in two ways: 1. The care of the self so that intuition can come in, and 2. The development of intuition itself. How to be aware of, and open to, internal guidance.

Our intuition helps us not only know what is going on around us, but also what is happening inside of us. It is how we can know ourselves more fully. Intuition works as a guide to help us develop our highest creative potential.

How to nurture intuition along by caring for the self

Balance

Sonia talks about working to maintain balance. She says that this is the only way to be able to hear your intuition. For example, Sonia travels frequently, and is sure to bring what she needs so that she can rest on her journey (pillow, headphones, lotion, etc.). She comes prepared for battle.

What we fill our days with, be they work, child rearing, all the things – are taxing. We need to rejuvenate. What do we need in order to be renewed? (silence. walking. contemplating. cracking up. nature. breathing).

If we do not take time for recovery, intuition is out the window, dude.

Creativity

The spirit is renewed by creating. No need to be Picasso. Widen the scope of what is creative. It can be anything – anything that transports you, inspires you, fills your cup. You may not be a needlepoint-er (Elsie, throw it in the garbage), but perhaps you arrange a room beautifically. Are you passionate about spending time with your kids? (oh bless you). Do you love a great concert? Make a wicked meal? Sing like an angel? What puts you in FLOW?

Gratitude

Being grateful will always boomerang back to us. It will benefit us the most because it gets us into that high vibration where we will then attract other wonderful experiences. Whirling vortex! Gratitude rejuvenates your cells, slows your heart rate and relaxes your muscles. In other words, gratitude can decrease the stress response. Less stress will allow for life’s subtleties to come in.

An Open Heart

Ground yourself and open your heart. It will feel good. And an open heart is an intuitive heart.

Here is a visualization meditation that I hybrid-ed from a few places. Goes something like this:

Close eyes and picture the physical area in your body where the heart is. Custom-make what your heart center looks and feels like. I see mine like a quaint window with pretty little wooden shutters that open up to a beautiful garden on a mild, sunny day. See or feel it opening.

Find yourself in this lovely garden. The garden is surrounded by a moss-covered stone wall. In the garden are two low chairs. Sit in one and bask in the gentle sun. Someone else can be in the other chair – someone whose presence you relax in. For me it is often one of my kids is in the other chair, basking too. Here, we are glorious. This is where I leave the kids, though.

Get up and walk to the back of the garden, where there is a lavishly carved wooden door. Go through. Walk through a small, wooded area where the ground is covered in those purple spring flowers, and sit down by a gurgling river. From the other side of the river, see your higher self come towards you and sit down with you. I have a particular image of that “me”. She is full of joy and peace. See what comes up when you are with your higher self. Ask a question. Feel the support. When you are ready, your higher self goes back across the river with a loving goodbye, and you walk back to the garden.

Visualization activates the imagination, and imagination is the basis of intuition!

Imagining my higher self helps me get in touch with her, and listen to what she is saying (and she doesn’t always say things with words). My higher self comforts me, adores me, and mostly sits in silence with me. I find it very soothing. I feel the peace in my physical heart center. When I am laying with Ray at bedtime and I do this meditation, he falls asleep, like, instantly because MOM is so durn tootin’ relaxed. Try it. Make your own garden.

A quick grounding exercise for the time-crunched

Getting grounded will bring you back to the now, open your heart and allow intuition in. Dr. Laura Berman has a grounding exercise that is quick to use; it’s more portable than the above, and just takes a minute:

Close your eyes, picture a light of any color coming down into your head and out your tailbone, deep into the earth. Feel the support from both above and below.

Talk intuition with a friend

Tell other people about the things that you have intuited, or write them down. There is nothing like, as Sonia (both Sonias) say: a pair of “believing eyes”. Find a buddy. Tell each other about the synchronicity-times. Do check-ins with each other (it beats gossip). If you are a private person and it feels vulnerable to share, write it down and say it to yourself! Read through it to remind yourself of the intuitive feelings you have had that proved to be true.

Intuition shows up in all sorts of ways – it can be a feeling in the body, a sign or a symbol, a thought – the ways intuition shows up are myriad! Choose your own adventure!

Once you decide to tune in, you might be surprised by how quickly you notice signs and guidance showing up. Just TODAY I had 3 signs. 1. Sonia answered MY QUESTION on her podcast. Yup. Huge. 2. I saw a bunny (conejo!) – always a sign for me from my mum. And 3. A HUGE opossum crossed my path while I was late night driving. He AMBLED through my lane. I won’t go in to what he means, but I KNOW.

Intuition can come in via synchronicities in your life. The other day I was thinking of a book I loved in childhood, and the feeling that it evoked, and how that had made me feel SEEN and less alone. During my walk, something told me to go to the free little library nearby – lo and behold, there was the VERY book I had been thinking of (it’s kind of an obscure book). I was in awe. I felt loved and held by the Universe, validating my feelings and struggles and nurturing the lonesome girl that was, that still is. It was a big hug to the little me.

Making “mistakes” is part of the process

Let me sat that it is totally normal to make mistakes, especially in the beginning. As we are growing and developing these intuitive “muscles”, we might do some projecting, some power trips, and some manipulating. This is ok. If we don’t make mistakes, we can’t learn.

For example: we decide that we know what someone’s intentions behind their actions were, only to realize later that we were projecting from a wound of our own. A tough but common mistake.

And finally, we might feel that we are “making it up”. That’s why it’s a good idea to write down symbols or hunches that we have recieved and see if they come true. This practice flexes the intuitive muscles. Work on trusting yourself.

Intuition means “inner teacher”. Our inner teacher, our Spirit, serves always and only to reveal the truth. The choice to listen is ours.

Sonia Choquette

Stay tuned, another post about intuition is on it’s way. We will talk more specifically about how intuition might show up and how to look for intuitive guidance.

I would LOVE to hear from YOU about your experiences with intuition! Where are you at? In the dark or a full-blown psychic?

Books to check out:

Trust your Vibes – Sonia Choquette

The Psychic Pathway – Sonia Choquette

Your Hearts Desire – Sonia Choquette

Waking Up in Paris – Sonia Choquette

Walking Home – Sonia Choquette

You Are Amazing – Sonia and Sabrina Tully

Developing Intuition, By Shakti Gawain

Intuition: Awakening your Inner Guide, By Judee Gee

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Thank you, Sonia!