I happened upon an interesting podcast the other day, in which a self-proclaimed psychic medium was being interviewed. The psychic insisted that all of us have psychic abilities, i.e. “the sixth sense.” Our intuitions are a part of all of us. The psychic said that the reason why most of us don’t trust our “gut feelings” is not that the feelings/sensations are ever wrong, but it is our interpretation of the sensations that often prove to be wrong, thus causing us to mistrust our hunches and instincts, when they show up again. The body knows something is up, but our egoic, know-it-all minds and imaginations quickly take over and create, ever-growing narratives and stories about what our intuitions are trying to tell us.
Those of us who call ourselves creatives (artists, writers, actors, poets etc.) are often considered to be sensitive people. Being called “sensitive” unfortunately has taken on a negative connotation in society. It implies, weakness or softness, or touchiness, but nothing could be further from the truth. Sensitive people are just deeply attuned to the energy and feelings within themselves, and all of the energy and emotions surrounding them. It’s easy for sensitive people to get overwhelmed in crowds and highly emotional situations because they feel everything fully and profoundly. Their perceptions of even the slightest changes in mood or atmosphere are noticed immediately and felt deeply and acutely. Sensitive people are actually quite strong. They live vividly. A wise person once told me that there is no such thing as being “too sensitive”. You are as sensitive as you are made up to be. Being extra sensitive can make life a little harder, especially during sad or difficult times, but on the flip side of the coin, sensitive people experience beauty and love and elation and awe at higher levels than most do.
The psychic who was being interviewed on the podcast I listened to, insisted that most of us are more sensitive than we own up to being because of society’s conditioning that “sensitive = bad.” Being sensitive is nothing more than being highly attuned to every element of life. If you shut your sensitivity down too much, you miss out on so much awe and depth and seeing past the surface of things. Some would argue if you shut down your sensitivity and intuition too much, you could even miss signals that could save your life. Dulling the senses, always means dulling every sensation, even the positive ones.
So how do you learn how to trust your own intuition and sixth sense? Listen to your gut feelings. Listen to those hyper-aware sensations you get such as your hair standing up on your neck. Notice dreams that are particularly compelling and memorable. Be aware of things outside of yourself that seem to be signaling to be noticed by you. Don’t immediately start a dramatic, narrative story about why you are feeling that particular sensation, but don’t discount the feeling or sensation either. When you just notice that your intuition is signaling you, take a deep breath, so that you can best hear your own intuition’s calm, quiet, wise, all-knowing voice, which will lead you to the next best step for you to take. Save the stories about what your intuition is telling you, for later. Live in the sensations and the fullness of now.
Fun tip: The psychic suggested that the next time you have a strong hunch about something, write it down and mail it to yourself (or you can even send yourself an email). So when your hunch proves to be the truth, you have time-stamped proof of the validity of your own intuition’s capabilities. It will help your analytical mind to become less negating of your intuition over time.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Oh, my! Did you post this for ME?
During the past two or three years I have become a huge proponent of honoring and obeying your intuition. Apparently, I preach that gospel a lot, because my friends will often say, “I know, I know – follow your gut!” before I can even get the words out.
As you mentioned in the post, as a writer I get ‘downloads’ from the universe constantly. Sometimes I sit down to write and as soon as my fingers touch the keyboard a story comes tumbling out, whole and complete, without my even thinking about it. Mind you, that does not happen as often as I’d like, but it is a miraculous and amazing process when it does! I’ve learned to listen to that instinct, and I sit at the keyboard as long as it takes to get it all out. I never regret those sessions.
In looking back at my life, I’ve pinpointed a number of times when instinct told me NO, but instead of listening, I overrode my inner wisdom. Nearly every one of those instances did not turn out well. Although sometimes my instincts would come back for a second go-round and help me fix the mess I’d made! By then I was willing to listen.
When my marriage hit its lowest point, intuition was screaming at me to get out, and yet I resisted. No matter how hard I tried to improve the situation I hit roadblocks at every turn. When I finally honored my inner knowing, it was unbelievable how quickly the situation righted itself. People and resources became available to me almost before I knew that I needed them. It’s a difficult thing to divide the material possessions of a shared lifetime, yet we sailed through it with only a few hiccups. I found a new place to live, and even though I was having difficulty getting my personal credit score (not tied to my husband’s) the landlord trusted his gut, and rented to me, and for 2+ years it’s been a match made in heaven.
It has taken a long time for me to learn to trust my inner wisdom, and I still struggle with it – strangely, on things that are usually inconsequential, like which entree to choose at a restaurant. But when I have to make a big decision, I get quiet, and I just let the thoughts percolate. Pretty soon the answer comes, and then I have the choice of whether or not to accept it. Sometimes it’s difficult to explain to people why I’m choosing something that doesn’t appear to be in my best interest, and I’ve learned that I don’t owe an explanation to anyone. The only person I am beholden to is myself. And in the end, my friends usually agree that I made the right choice. The bonus from all these lessons is that people are beginning to pay attention and adopt similar methods for themselves, which allows them to be true to themselves. I think anything that helps us be more authentic individuals is a good thing, and if I can contribute to that, even in a small way, it makes me happy and makes me a better person.
I’m so happy you are true to your instincts, Kelly. You are clearly living your best life. <3