In the previous Substack1, we looked at the Four I’s as tools to move into alignment with one’s path: intuition, invitation, intention, and initiation. These flow through honing one’s navigational tools to receive, accepting the call toward a specific direction, orienting oneself to that path, and honoring the ceremony of first steps. There are many, many, many ways to find your way and kick off a journey. So know, this is just one recommended process for those feeling a bit stuck. And, as with many processes in my life, I find that intuition is a great place to begin.
There are amazing teachers and wisdom keepers with guidance on intuition.2 When considering those lessons which I've encountered in my search, the core principle seems to be trust. At the heart of intuition is a trust in self. The line, between believing in my internal discernment and wondering if I am just making something up, can quickly feel very blurry to me. I can easily question if what I suspect my body is guiding me toward may just be my imagination running wild. Certainly, I can analyze and test what my inner senses are telling me, to validate if they align with what I hold as true and right in my life. Yet, even still, there remains a step of faith to be made. And, that faith is built on trusting my inner guide.3
This week, I struggle to write about intuition. It is a topic that I have spent so much time learning about and considering over the years. I have explored many practices to increase my access to intuition; I have countless examples of finding intuition in my life as well. Yet, as I looked to share about it in this piece, I felt a strong block in my writing. I sat down to wax poetically on something near and dear to my heart…and the spark was not there. And, if I am honest, I think this is due to a lack of trust in myself over the last few days.4 Which, perhaps offers insight in its own way.
Intuition can be found in the light of curiosity or excitement that one feels in their emotional being. Intuition can be a felt sensation in the body that moves you directionally. Intuition can be a stillness and sense of peace that seems to float above the noise of the mind into a higher clarity. Intuition can be echoes, small voices, vague notions, loud crashes, lighting strikes, or your voice just as it is right now. It takes many forms. I believe that our inner energies of the feminine, our yin, our nurturer, our creative self are where the intuitive flows most strongly; however, I think intuition can be accessed in many forms and ways.
Yet, when intuition is least likely to show up for me is in those times which I give myself over to doubt, fear, scarcity, and shame. Those traits act as walls which block access to what we know to be true and hide away access to the intuitive guide. Sometimes this is in obvious ways, when those walls feel like massive structures that can be seen from miles away. And, other times, this is in sneaky and subtle resistances, of which we may not even be consciously aware. Giving our attention away to distractions and the busy mind, we fail to even recognize that these undercutting traits are breaking our trust with self. And, without that trust, we create more and more distance from the intuitive guide within.
The good news, which I can report from my own experience, is that tide turns with ease. The bad news, which I can report from my own experience, is…that tide turns with ease. I find that over the course of one single day, my sense of trust can ebb and flow. Not every day, but it sure can happen quickly on certain ones. When I step away from grounding mindfulness practices, time with nature, caring for my body, or giving myself true rest. When I let technology take over for too many hours, give power to worry and anxieties, or buy into comparative thinking. Those days, of which I had a few this week, are the ones where intuition is clouded and where trust feels a bit distant. And, it makes it pretty hard to reflect on something internal with authenticity when you don’t feel strongly connected to it. But, in that, I also know the ways to find myself back into that trust. I can remember how to connect again with some basic and easeful practices of returning and attuning.5
So, that’s where I offer my thoughts today. It’s okay to ebb and flow, knowing that your intuition will always be there for you. If you are somebody who is new to exploring your intuition or somebody who is feeling distant from it these days, know that the tide can indeed turn with ease. Just as you feel out of touch, you can quickly feel in touch. The waters are alive and the currents flow quickly when we can release the dams which block us. Consider the simple question: what can I do to build more trust with myself today? Not tomorrow, not yesterday, but just in this singular moment, right now. What simple acts, words, beliefs, or otherwise invite you to feel a deepening of trust with yourself and your own inner voice? And, if you can think of a few ideas there, then try them out! See what happens as you invite yourself into a space that moves, even in the smallest of ways, away from doubt toward faith, fear toward acceptance, scarcity toward abundance, and shame toward love. And then, as the needle moves a little bit closer toward that trusting relationship with yourself, try it out. Ask a question of direction and see what comes forth. Grab ahold of what comes first and most clearly to you. Maybe, just maybe, that answer is not just your imagination or some random thought. Maybe, it is part of your internal navigation system coming online again, to help you find your way in the next steps ahead. And, maybe, with those navigation tools lighting up, you may start to hear a calling as well. One that is inviting you forward. Your intuition can start to help you know which voice to trust. And, the journey may start to take shape.6 Seems fun to try!
Kind Moon is a coaching and facilitation practice, led by Rob Douglas, with offerings including personal coaching, integration and mindfulness practices, tea sessions, and beyond. Please book a free discovery call or reach out via the Kind Moon website to learn more. And, as always, I invite you to share this Substack with others.
Following the breadcrumbs…
Some small pieces of life that caught my attention and may do the same for you.
READING: Klara and the Sun (by Kazuo Ishiguro). This is only my second reading of Ishiguro, The Buried Giant being my first earlier this year. So, I am perhaps a little behind the times. But, there is a simplicity and cleanness to his prose, amidst sincere and profound observation, that I really enjoy. This was an excellent book to read by the ocean.
PODCAST: Wiser Than Me. I really love the guests on this show (and the general premise of Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s interviews with women older and wiser than her). I listened to every episode when Season 1 came out and I am on my way with Season 2. While I don’t find her the greatest interviewer, I love her spirit within it all. And, the calls with her mom to follow each interview are very charming.
STREAMING: How To Change Your Mind. This came out two years ago; yet, I continue to reference and recommend it to folks who are curious for an overview of research in the field and explorations on sacred medicines in general—and don’t have the patience to read Michael Pollan’s book of the same name. Even in that short period of time since it came out, some elements are outdated. But, I do think it is worth a watch if you haven’t read the book or seen this series yet. Fascinating and informative.
For those wondering where Kind Moon was last Sunday: I paused for a week, took time off for a pre-Summer Solstice beach voyage with Molly. Ocean, we love you. Thank you for all the life and energy that you offer in your powerful embrace.
On the note of the many teachings, if you are looking for some reads or listens on intuition, I think there is always gems to be found when you spend time in the worlds of Tara Brach, Ram Dass, Byron Katie, Martha Beck, Alan Watts, or Jack Kornfield…to name a few. Just google any of their names with the word intuition and a bevy of articles or talks will be available. There are so many more, but those folks are some pretty accessible and well known teachers to start your digging.
The inner guide is a strange one to name. I believe (and I fully acknowledge this is a subjective and personal belief) that we have a true voice, a true self, a deeper knowing within us. And, I think that has always been there from the beginning. It may grow in wisdom and perspective over our lifetime—but it is aligned and trustworthy from the very start. We seem to get it tangled up and confused quite quickly; yet, it’s there and ready for us always.
It feels funny to be experiencing a “block” following a trip full of healing time playing in sunshine and waves. I guess, sometimes life can give you a bit of an emotional hangover, even after magical experiences. I’m getting back into my flow, just got a little tangled up in a rebalancing swing.
We have touched into some of these helpful tools before. If I can ever be of aid in sharing what has worked for me or help you feel into what may work for you, count me in! I love exploring personal practices and believe that we have so many easeful ones right at our fingertips.
Next up: Invitation. I know this week was a bit of a shift from my intended informative teaching and moved toward more confessional expounding…but that’s where the path led me. What can I say? I followed my intuition! I appreciate you joining the journey, in whatever form shows up each week.