thecreativeverse creativity is our human superpower.
Known by many names, most people are unaware that one of the most powerful tools we have in our inner arsenal is our intuition, the great power within.
The Stranger – A Personal Story (thecreativeverse storytelling project)
Intuition – The Great Power Within
The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift ~ Bob Samples, author, paraphrasing Albert Einstein
My personal experience as a young teenager, told in The Stranger was a heart-opening, thought-provoking, unexpected experience for me. Less about my specific actions and more about how this experience opened me up to next level inner guidance and awareness that effectively pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me grow.
This experience jolted me out of my defense-mechanism level detachment and revealed areas within me I wasn’t even aware of. It unlocked a level of connection, compassion and empathy for others I hadn’t felt so deeply and it unlocked a profoundly rewarding sense of being part of something, a sense of belonging I hadn’t felt before so clearly, at exactly the moment I needed it. I had in fact been struggling during that time with feeling like an outsider, like I was always looking from the outside in, out of step with everyone – perhaps too different? This experience helped me to reconnect to my sense of being a valuable, contributing human being, reminding me I was indeed meant to be here after all.
Had I prioritized my doubt and fears, above all else in this experience, I would have continued to assume I had nothing to offer, I was out of my element, too young to make a difference and that I was not the right person to help. Had I relied entirely on these valid but ultimately misplaced reasons given the moment, I may have done nothing, fundamentally missing a unique, powerful opportunity to learn, grow, evolve and connect to one of the most potent gifts we all have within – our intuition.
The Gift
Whether we call it the inner voice, inner guidance, intuition, gut, hunches, your sixth sense, etc., we all have this heightened, expanded inner awareness or perceptual ability that provides us direction and guidance from a place beyond reason or logic, in the moment we need.
And that’s what makes intuition so unique. It’s guidance that is specific and clear, moment-by-moment. It’s enhanced not only by a higher level awareness of what is occurring around us, but an awareness of how we, with our strengths and abilities, can contribute best to ourselves and others in the moment. If we can learn to trust it.
Sadly our society doesn’t expend much effort in developing this inner gift, likely because we don’t quite understand or value its power yet. Even as our scientists and psychologists are beginning to study intuition seriously, developing methods to test and measure it (though in my opinion we’re far away still from truly discovering it’s source), we still don’t invest any effort as a society to teach our children and our adults what it means to recognize and trust our inner guidance. We spend years in formal schooling learning everything about the external world and no time learning how to harness the magnificent, powerful, inherent gifts we already have within us.
Which is why it is so easy for us to disregard our inner wisdom when it calls to us. Even for me. For many years after, even while I succeeded many times in listening to my intuition, I also frequently disregarded it. There was a period even when I neglected it, ignored it, shooed it away, just like we all often do, because I was convinced, I didn’t understand it and I was afraid of what it was asking me to be.
To lean into your best version – be brave
The universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself, everything that you want you already are. ~ Rumi, poet
We all know that the only way to grow and evolve is to continually step outside of our comfortable patterns. And it’s exactly in those moments when your fear (and doubt) is screaming that you’re not ready (I get this one a lot), that you might fail, that you might shine too bright, that you should be small and silent like you’ve always been, is when you should be most receptive to your inner guidance. Because it’s exactly in those moments, that your inner guidance is reminding you, what you’re truly capable of and granting you an opportunity to be brave, to get unstuck and move forward in your growth and development. All it takes is practice and trust because the gift is freely given.
When my inner guidance told me years ago that I needed to help that stranger, I doubted, fiercely, that I could make any difference. Why me I wondered, why not someone else? What I didn’t know consciously know and my intuition knew clearly, was that I was indeed the right person, now was the right time, and I needed to be brave and lean into what I needed to do and be. In other words, why not me?
Tap Into the Next Level – Ask, Listen, Trust, Act
Our inner wisdom, intuition, inner guidance already sees our great potential and capabilities even when we’re not aware of them yet. It is always guiding us, leading us, keeping us safe, and urging us to level up, and lean into the best version of ourselves always. But to take advantage of such a powerful inner tool, we need to learn to trust it and that takes courage, awareness and practice, lots of it.
Someday, our collective will understand where this higher awareness comes from, because its source is likely greater than what our conscious brain can decipher. But until then, if your intuition comes calling, be brave.
Don’t be afraid to ask for and heed its guidance. Start small if you wish, but keep the connection alive. Don’t close yourself off to its sometimes very gentle whispers and nudges. Listen and be courageous enough to do what it asks of you, especially when you’re afraid and especially in moments of potential danger. Heed its warnings if it tells you or you can feel, a situation to be dangerous or hostile. I’m lucky to be alive today because I listened to my intuition.
Be present and in the moment. Your intuition speaks to you moment-by-moment, the more present you are, the stronger and clearer you will hear its guidance. Know your intuition is less focused on who you were, what you did yesterday and 100% focused on ensuring you’re the best version of yourself right now, the present moment.
Over time, you (me included) will learn to trust your inner guidance more and more. Eventually, the whispers will become louder, and you will recognize its guidance faster, clearer, more confidently. You will feel the rightness of the wisdom you receive and won’t be afraid to ask for more of it. You will learn to calm your fierce inner doubt (and over-thinking) by the knowledge that what you’re receiving is for your benefit. And you’ll find that the more you use your intuition, the more you align and connect to that expanded part of you that has a bigger depth and awareness of your potential. The part of you that knows what you’re capable of at your best and holds the space for who you truly are until you can trust yourself without question.
As one of our most profound inner superpowers, intuition will be one of the most important abilities we can employ in this turbulent cycle of change we’re in now. I will write often about our inner guidance system/intuition so stay tuned for more. In the meantime, let’s keep practicing!
And if so called, feel free to share your experiences below!
Love, Carmen
