Intuition

Many people believe that everyone is born with intuitive abilities, that we all have the ability to get guidance from some other source, whether you define that source as the Universe, angels, a connection to your 'higher self', etc.

Working from the assumption that we really all do have it, the question is, do you pay attention to it? When that thought pops into your head that you should call someone, that you should double check the stove before you leave the house, that you should confirm an appointment or a hotel reservation before venturing out, etc . . . do you heed that little voice? or do you ignore it?

Intuition can come in many forms . . . it can come as a 'knowing' - just something that pops into your head, it can come in the form of dreams (or nightmares) or through something that catches your attention, whether it's an ad in a magazine or on TV, or a conversation you overhear. It doesn't really matter how the message comes in, I think the important thing is whether or not we pay attention to it. I personally believe that the more we pay attention to our intuition, the more active it becomes and the more it can assist us.

Last night, I went to a friend's birthday party and during dinner, the conversation turned to intuition. I was pleasantly surprised to hear everyone at the table recounting times their intuition had 'spoken to them' and how glad they were that they paid attention. It was really cool to hear how opened people were to listening to that 'inner voice.'

Story after story was shared around the table . . . people who got a 'warning' and had the good sense to listen. One man told a story of a time he was stuck in heavy traffic on Hwy 17. He said he kept looking at the little dog in the car in front of him, that had his head out the window, and as he watched the dog lean farther out the opened window, something told him the dog was going to fall out of the window. Trusting that inner voice, he slowed down and made sure he put extra space between he and the car in front of him. Within minutes, sure enough, the dog came out the window and landed on the highway. Fortunately, the dog wasn't injured and because this man had paid attention to his intuition, he was far enough back and going slow enough, that he was able to stop immediately and help get the dog back in his guardian's car.

After a while, the subject turned to dreams and whether or not our dreams are also giving us messages or if it's just a sign we shouldn't eat so close to bedtime when we have strange dreams. :-) A woman shared a story of an ongoing nightmare that she has . . . that her house catches on fire and they aren't able to get out because all their bedrooms are on the second floor. She said she kept wondering if she should get ladders that can be rolled out from the upstairs bedroom windows but she never has. Her husband playfully teased her about what a worrier she is . . . that she would worry if she didn't have something to worry about. :-) My sense was that if the dream (nightmare) was recurring, maybe it was a sign that since she hadn't taken action yet, she hadn't gotten the message yet. She promised us all that she was going to go out today and get the ladders. I look forward to finding out if the nightmares finally stop, once she is 'prepared.'

So my question for you today is: Do you pay attention to your intuition when it 'speaks' to you? If not, I hope you'll start paying attention. And if you already do listen to your intuition, I hope you'll keep listening. The way I see it, we can all use a little extra help to navigate this journey we're on, so every little bit of guidance can help.