intuition development

Yesterday I lost hot water.

(Isn’t it amazing that such a thing as hot, running water is even possible? It’s easy to forget what a blessing this truly is. Until it disappears, that is. Then it becomes very apparent!)

Before that happened, my busy day got rearranged, leaving me with a few spare hours in the afternoon. Curiously, I had a nudge to shower and wash my hair. Weird. I usually shower before bed and wasn’t planning on messing my masses of hair, but whatever. I’ve learned to listen to the nudge.

As luck would have it, I was in the shower, longer than normal as hair washing is a bit of an ordeal when you have lots of it, and the water began to cool.

I was in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing to notice that there was a problem.

Coincidentally (ha! I don’t believe in coincidence), a part that was needed for my refrigerator shelf that had collapsed earlier in the week (was this all part of the plan? 🤔) just arrived and my landlord was sending over the handy man to replace it shortly.

We chatted about the water and he turned up the temperature on the heater. This made no sense to me- clearly the heater is defective, it didn’t just turn itself down mysteriously. But these are the steps you need to go through as a renter.

Unsurprisingly, there was no change. But since I got my report in when I did and got myself showered in advance, there is no actual problem. Just a repair that needs to happen.

And that’s scheduled for today, most likely when I’m at work, meaning minimal disruption for me.

This story doesn’t really merit telling as nothing really happened. And, for me, that’s generally how it goes. When I follow my guidance, there are no big dramas to report. Things don’t always go as planned, but they work out one way or another, without a big production.

So next time you have an urge to do something out of the ordinary that might not make sense, consider what future inconveniences you might be avoiding.

The trick is in slowing down and paying attention so the messages can get through the mental clutter. If you like hot showers, maybe it’s time to start your intuition training!

Reiki can help calm the monkey mind and connect you to that inner voice. If you don’t have the pleasure of living near Philly, there are always remote sessions, which are an amazing way to get synched up with your inner wisdom.

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I’ve compiled all the intuition chronicles into one place for your convenience. They are not linear, so I’d suggest letting your inner compass guide you to the article that is most aligned with your current needs.

Intuition Chronicles:Listen

Intuition Chronicles: Start Small

Intuition Chronicles: Heron, Duck, Turtle 🙂

Intuition Chronicles: Awaken Inner Guidance

Intuition Chronicles: A Dream Directive

Intuition Chronicles: The Basic Skills

Intuition Chronicles: Using Reiki to Connect

Intuition Chronicles: Start with the Basics

Intuition Chronicles: The Cell Phone Edition

Intuition Chronicles: Reiki Can Help

Intuition Chronicles: The Rearview Mirror

Intuition Chronicles: Following Through

Intuition Chronicles: It’s Not Always About Me

Intuition Chronicles: The Hot Water Episode

Yesterday I lost hot water. (Isn’t it amazing that such a thing as hot, running water…
Intuitive guidance has become so woven into my daily life that I often don’t even notice it anymore. I don’t mean “don’t notice” as in I ignore it. No way! I mean “don’t notice” as in it’s become the water that I swim in; so much so that doesn’t seem unusual anymore.

I practiced my skills until they became second nature. Just like I don’t have to think about tying my shoes, catching messages from sources beyond my ego-mind has become embedded into my life.

If you’re just getting started, it might feel frustrating that you need to do the equivalent of playing musical scales and conjugating French verbs. Repeatedly.

But for most people, that’s how it goes. Yet, what often happens is that someone gets a wild hair to tap into their previously estranged intuition for the purposes of making The Biggest Decision Ever.

Should I move to Australia? Sell my home and travel with the band? Marry a guy I met last week who feels like my twin flame?

That’s a pretty big ask. It’s unlikely that you’ll trust whatever answer comes through. With good reason.

I suggest starting with the small stuff. For example, earlier this week I felt a nudge to cook a batch of chickpeas. I had no use for them at the time, so it didn’t make sense, but whatever. I froze them. The week before, the same with pesto.

This week I got a head of radicchio in my produce delivery and went in search of a recipe online because I wasn’t entirely sure what to do with it. Apparently it pairs well with pesto-flavored chickpeas. 🤔

Just the other day, I had a niggling feeling, as if I had forgotten something important. After confirming that my work schedule was indeed synched with my calendar and there was nothing urgent pending, I sat with that feeling. It urged me to go to the store. Not the closest one, but whatever, I know better than to argue!

As I pulled up, I notice an employee carrying in bouquets. Fresh flowers bring me a lot of joy, so I’ve been treating myself to them lately. But the last batch seemed kinda old and didn’t last very long before getting wilty, so I hadn’t bothered since then.

These were just delivered, were as fresh as possible, and I could feel a surge of YES! in my body when I saw them.

One more. Yesterday I was sent to another store, this one even farther away (by city standards, farther = 6 miles instead of 3, but adds on 20+ minutes of driving time), only to find that almost everything on my list was on sale. I saved a hefty chunk of cash because I listened to my inner nudge.

So here we have three incidents within the span of a week that were all pretty minor, simple domestic tasks, that made my life better somehow, but had no pressure involved. This is how we can grow our Trust muscles. By practicing in the arena where the consequences are minimal, following through, and recognizing the rewards.

Do this for a while and you’ll get good at noticing the nudges and then when a big one drops, it will be a lot easier to catch it and say, heck yeah, I’m moving to Philadelphia.

(That happened to me 11 years ago!)

I’ll note that in addition to practicing in the shallow end, I’ve also made myself available to receive these messages. That comes from cultivating presence, awareness, and a willingness to be guided. You can ask all day long for the intuitive suggestions, but it doesn’t do much good if you’re running around putting out fires constantly and don’t notice when they arrive.

I’m working on a mini-workshop about presence, synthesizing all the body-mind-spirit tools I’ve collected over the past few decades. I have a lot to say about this, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, heed those inner nudges and do your best to take guided action. Maybe even keep a log so you have handy dandy “proof” to refer to when you doubt yourself.

It’s hard to argue against your knowings when you can look back at a series of beneficial experiences that resulted from following your gut.

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Intuition Chronicles: Developing the Basic Skills

Intuitive guidance has become so woven into my daily life that I often don’t even notice…
If you’ve ever followed someone’s advice for healing an ailment and found yourself disappointed in the results, you aren’t alone.

Lots of people share with me the tricks they use for xyz and often they are things I’ve already tried to no avail.

It’s frustrating.

The thing is, the root of the problem is often hidden. Two people might have frequent headaches, but the same treatment might not be effective for both of them since the causes are different.

If you’re dehydrated and have a headache, a big glass of water can work wonders. You can go on to write a book about water being the miracle healer, yet it will be 100% ineffective for someone with a mold allergy or a tension headache.

No worries, though. Your body knows. There is an innate wisdom within and you can learn to access it. I’m not saying it’s easy, at least not in the beginning, but like any skill, you can hone it with practice.

My suggestion is to be like a cat. They move in ways that feel GOOD! Now, don’t go researching “how to move like a cat”. That’s something I would have done in the past. 🙄

Instead, feel into what movements your body would enjoy. Let pleasure be your guide.

It all starts with an intention to tap in and honor the messages that come from your body. Next, you’ll need to create time and space to listen. Many of us are just running around all day, every day, so that we can’t receive the messages that come through.

Remember the olden days when phones were atttached to the walls of homes? And you had to be at there when the call came through? And then you had to pick it up, at that moment, and listen to the voice on the other side?

It’s a lot like that.

Your body will tell you how it wants to move and rest, what it wants to eat and when, and all sorts of other information- if you pay attention.

But you have to be available to pick up the phone.

Yes, this means forgetting about tons of external rules about how many steps you should take or what your target heart rate is. It might mean shaking things up in your family, workplace, or circle of friends.

But, let’s face it. If you keep on doing what you’re doing, you’ll continue to get what you’ve already got. I’m guessing that if you’re reading this, you’d prefer a different outcome.

Why not go directly to the source of wisdom?

I find Reiki incredibly helpful for increasing my clarity, motivation, and capacity to receive messages from my body. If you want to do the work, it could help you too. Or if you prefer to receive support and let me do the work, that can also help. It’s not the only way by any means. As far as I can tell, it’s the simplest, easiest, and most accessible though.

One of the things I really love about Reiki is that the healing energy sinks beneath the symptoms and addresses the initial imbalance. It might be in the mental, emotional, spiritual, energetic, or circumstantial realm which would have been overlooked by modern medical treatment.

What would your body appreciate today? If it’s Reiki or some gentle bodywork, why not schedule a treatment? Or perhaps you’d like a walk, a bath, some time on your yoga mat, or a nap. Only you know for sure.

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Healing Isn’t One Size Fits All

If you’ve ever followed someone’s advice for healing an ailment and found yourself disappointed in the…
Last week I had a short break in between sessions and took my book outside. I didn’t want to take the time to walk to my usual outdoor bench and instead chose the picnic table at the playground next to my office.

I gave up trying to read because of the kids making a giant ruckus on the monkey bars and was simply sitting there enjoying the sunshine when I noticed I had a visitor.

A praying mantis! Such an unusual creature. I’m pretty sure they’re alien. I mean, those eyes are just too weird. He sat there a while looking at me and then crawled over the edge, presumably under the table. Or into an another dimension. Who knows?!

After I stopped obsessing about the possibility of alien-like bugs lurking out of sight all over the place, I sensed that there was a deeper message to this encounter.

I thought about how still he (don’t ask my why, but this guy definitely seemed like a he) was. How slow and deliberate his movements. I took it as a sign to slow myself down and be more pray-full throughout my days.

I receive guidance like this all the time. From nature and unusual events and characters that cross my path. The trick is paying attention. So often we’re just rushing about going to the next place that we don’t even notice the messages that appear right in front of us.

If had just gone to my normal spot, I would have missed this guy. If I had forced my eyes on my book even though I couldn’t pay attention to the words, I would have missed it too. If I hadn’t heeded the urge to get out of the office, just for 15 minutes, I definitely would have missed all the opportunities to have any live interactions.

If you have access to Reiki, you can do a practice, or series of practices, intending to be a better receiver of beneficial messages. And most of us could probably pay better attention to the world around us, keeping our eyes and hearts open to meaningful signs from the universe. Even the really weird ones. 😉

Insect Intervention

Last week I had a short break in between sessions and took my book outside. I…
Developing access to intuition is a whole lot easier when we start with the basics. Rather than jumping in the deep end when the pressure is on, we can start in the kiddie pool and practice until we get the hang of it. Approaching intuition like any other skill that takes time to master can prevent us from unrealistic expectations.

I’ve been collecting the real-life, seemingly silly presentations of my inner voice. None of these are monumental, and that’s exactly why I was able to benefit. There was nothing much on the line, so I could relax into the practice. I track these incidents so I can build trust in the process. When I can look back at a series of messages that were indeed in my best good, I’m more able to welcome the next message that comes through, even when it doesn’t make much sense in that moment.

Intuition: Get a spoon.

Me: What? No. I’m just going to the bedroom. I won’t need a spoon in there.

Me, 20 minutes later, in the bedroom, wishing I had a spoon.

Intuition: Put the house key in your pocket.

Me: Why? I’m not going outside.

Me, 3 hours later, locked out. GAH!

Intuition: Go to the co-op now.

Me: Are you crazy? It’s senior discount day, it will be super crowded. Fine, I’ll play along, but I don’t really want to…

Me, 15 minutes later at the co-op finding everything on my list on a one-day-only sale and running in to a client who wants to schedule another session but never remembers to email me.

People want access to intuition when a big change looms, but if they haven’t developed trust already, it can be difficult to hear. It would be like showing up at the marathon without having done any training.

In addition to paying attention to the unbidden guidance, you can ask for specific answers. Start with something easy.

Me: What should I wear?

Intuition: Sneakers!

Me: Really? I was thinking I should wear the cute (but not entirely comfortable) sandals.

Me, later in the day: Oh, am I going on an unexpected three mile walk? So glad I’m wearing sneakers!

Me: What should I watch on TV?

Intuition: Let’s watch this show that a friend suggested.

Me: What? I’m not really in the mood for a documentary.

Me, an hour later: Wow that was awesome and answered my question about how to treat this annoying problem.

Once you get a few dozen of these playful episodes under your belt, you can assess if you’re ready to tackle some bigger issues. But if you haven’t yet conditioned your intuition muscles, expecting clarity on a major life decision is likely going to lead to confusion and frustration.

Today’s a great day to get started with the basics. Choose a notebook or app to track your intuitive experiences. Make note of the ideas that appear out of nowhere. Ask for guidance on everyday issues. Follow that guidance! And remember to log the results.

Intuition Chronicles: Start with the Basics

Developing access to intuition is a whole lot easier when we start with the basics. Rather…
One of the most common desires I hear from students and clients alike is to be more in touch with their intuition. There is a genuine yearning there, but often a lack of clarity about how to proceed. When people put pressure on themselves to jump from novice to expert quickly and divine answers to major life questions before developing the basics, it can get even more difficult.

Today I want to talk about an important, oft undeveloped skill: listening. One of the biggest difficulties I see that gets in the way of receiving our guidance is being too busy going, doing, thinking, planning, analyzing, etc. for the messages even to get through.

It’s like asking a question and then continuing talking rather than waiting for a response. Our intuition is always available, but we need to learn how to listen.

The other night I received a directive that is the perfect example of how easy it can be. As I was getting ready for bed, I heard, “Check the door.” It wasn’t exactly a voice in my head, but it wasn’t a thought either. A sort of transmission from my higher self, perhaps?

Checking the door is not part of my usual nighttime routine. Since I have a strong habit of closing and locking the door immediately when I arrive home, I don’t check to see that it’s locked before I go to bed. I’ve never once found the door to be unlocked in the morning. And I’ve never seen anyone in my apartment building who didn’t belong here, so it’s doubtful that it would be a problem if it wasn’t locked.

There was absolutely no reason to check the door. It was not a fear-based thought born of reading the neighborhood watch alerts or the news. It was just a simple, clear call to action. Much more clear than my dream messages, that’s for sure! And because I was in a relaxed state, having just completed my evening meditation, it arrived without any interference.

It would have been easy to write it off as nonsense. But this ain’t my first rodeo, so check the door I did. And… would you believe it was unlocked? What?!

This is how we learn to trust our inner voice. By slowing down and quieting the mind so that we can hear it, being open to the messages it’s trying to deliver and trusting that there is a reason for them, even if we don’t understand what that reason is.

Who knows what would have happened had I ignored this prompt. For sure I would have been upset with myself in the morning. Instead, I got out my trusty intuition journal and added a recording of the incident, to further cement my desire to be in communication with my higher self and take action as guided. I’ve acquired quite a bit of “proof” on these pages that reminds me to keep my ears open.

Connecting with our inner wisdom might seem like an arduous and mysterious path, but it doesn’t have to be. Asking for guidance, making ourselves available to receive it (just like we had to do in the olden days when waiting for a phone call!), listening to the answers, and following through. All easy steps, but worthless unless actually taken.

Over time, you’ll begin to trust yourself. That’s where the journal comes in handy. But really, it’s all about practice, practice, practice. If you want to be in touch with your intuition, you have to do the work just as you need to make an effort to learn most new skills.

I’ve found Reiki to be an invaluable tool for helping me to be calm enough to listen and clear enough to understand my intuition better. It helps propel me from just knowing what to do into actually doing it.

Let’s chat about this if you’re interested in adding this amazing tool into your repertoire. Anyone can easily learn how to give themselves Reiki and have lifetime access to healing energy at their fingertips. I’m happy to design a course that will give you the exact knowledge you need to cultivate connection with your inner knowing.

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Intuition Chronicles: Listen!

One of the most common desires I hear from students and clients alike is to be…
Lots of people recognize Reiki as a fantastic tool for healing physical, mental, and emotional issues. It’s even being used in hospitals and hospice to reduce pain and meds, speed recovery, and promote comfort.

And… for those of us who are on a spiritual path, wanting to go deeper and experience belonging and awakening in mystical ways, Reiki can also provide a key for us.

For starters, it can help us be present with whatever is arising. Staying present (vs. distracting, avoiding, numbing or procrastinating) is a necessary skill that is made much easier when our nervous systems are regulated and our minds are calm.

It can highlight what needs to be released, processed or integrated.

It can help us access our inner wisdom and power and sense of innate worthiness.

When we become more grounded, more centered, more aligned with our essence, the way forward becomes clearer. Breadcrumbs appear at just the right time.

When we’re connected to the divine within and to a sense of belonging, it’s easier to surrender to the flow of life and to set boundaries.

When we’re comfortable facing the unknown, we gain tremendous confidence and courage.

When we don’t need to know all the answers or figure it all out, we can show up every day for spiritual practice and allow our awakening to unfold organically without striving, clinging or forcing.

Reiki is a resource that can be woven into your prayers, meditations, spells, and incantations. It’s simply an energy; one that can be used to enhance and deepen that work that you’re doing.

It has been the tool that has been most transformative and nourishing for me on my decades long spiritual healing journey. Devoting time to being with myself and cultivating a soul-lead lifestyle has been a portal for spiritual awakening and connection with the divine.

My clients and students often report mystical experiences without having the vocabulary to describe them. The lack of descriptive words makes them no less real. They express a feeling of time being suspended, going on magical journeys, and feeling more at home than they knew was even possible. I have no way of measuring, but I suspect some people go into a theta brainwave state, which is deeply healing, and/or have pineal gland activations.

If you’re interested in journeying down this path with me, you’d be most welcome in my upcoming Reiki 1 class. We meet online 4 times, beginning May 4. Or, if you prefer a more receptive route, schedule a session and I’ll be the transmitter for you while you can catch up on some rest.

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Reiki as a Mystical Practice

Lots of people recognize Reiki as a fantastic tool for healing physical, mental, and emotional issues.…
I do my best to capture messages from my dreams, but sometimes it’s difficult. Yesterday morning I woke with a fragment of a song. It felt very familiar and I could hum the melody, but the only word that came through was “water”. I eventually was able to categorize it as new wave music from the 80s but that wasn’t enough for the search engines. I put it to simmer on the back burner.

Today I woke with some actual lyrics that led me to Talking Heads, “Take Me to the River”. Well, that’s clear enough! I have the morning free, am overdue for a visit to the woods, and the heatwave is in a temporary reprieve, so this assignment is actually doable.

My usual trek is a 2 hour long loop that would have me home just in time for the online meeting that I’m hosting. Of course, I’d be hot, sweaty, and verging on hangry while chatting with my friends about the somatic self-compassion training that we’re taking. Ummmm… that won’t work! I’d be a shining example of someone who didn’t listen to her body’s need nor act with compassion toward herself.

Still determined, I recalled an alternate route that would Take Me to the River, not my usual spot, but still compliant with my mission, and get me home in time to have a quick shower and breakfast. “And bring your iPad”, my intuition chimes in. So here I sit on a rock, typing up my experience while still in it, drinking my mate latte from a mason jar, listening to the water rush by and a chorus of birds.

As I’m sitting here, immersed in the healing vibes, four yellow butterflies flit past me. As I haven’t seen any like these yet this season, I suspect this was the ultimate goal of my excursion. Intuition is urging me to receive the message of “four yellow butterflies” through the lens of my own personal lexicon. While that’s a no-brainer for me to decipher, it would be challenging to explain by keyboard. I’ll just say that my efforts were rewarded with a deeply personal and significant indicator of how to proceed in a challenging matter. Thanks to a melodic snippet stuck in my head when I woke up!

If this is something that appeals to you, I’d suggest keeping your phone by your bed, ready to record information (melodies, lyrics, or whatever!) that peeks through the dream veil. I’d also suggest turning on airplane mode to reduce electronic smog emissions and turning down the screen brightness so the light isn’t too jarring in the middle of the night. It will help your attempts at capturing and deciphering the message when you’re awake for real. It’s a small investment to make for potentially large rewards.

Intuition Chronicles: A Dream Directive

I do my best to capture messages from my dreams, but sometimes it’s difficult. Yesterday morning…
When Reiki clients and students ask me how they can tap into their inner wisdom, I teach them to start small. In addition to keeping track of intuitive messages and the results of heeding or ignoring them, this is an essential building block for accessing intuition.

It can be difficult to make leaps of faith into the great unknown without first developing trust. It’s natural to desire guidance when facing major life choices. Who doesn’t wish to have clear signals pointing them in the direction of joy, peace, prosperity, and health? Yet if the gateway to inner wisdom has become rusty from disuse, it’s easy to doubt even the most obvious messages.

Begin to build your confidence by feeling out simple issues such as which coat to wear if the weather looks unpredictable or what to order for lunch. When you find yourself warm and dry while everyone else is sopping wet, or well-nourished while your companions have food poisoning, you’re one step closer to trusting your inner voice.

When you’re able to look back upon dozens of positive intuitive interactions that benefited you on the mundane level, you’ll begin to believe that this inner voice has your back. Starting small takes the sense of urgency out of the equation and makes it easier to learn a new skill. Taking off the pressure and keeping the risk factor low makes guidance much more accessible.

If you think of intuition like a friend, it might make more sense. You don’t ask someone you’ve just met if you should quit your job or get a divorce. People need to earn their way up the trust ladder as you grow to respect their advice. So you begin with easier concerns like curtains or hairstyles. If they steer you right on the simple stuff, you might consider advancing them to more meaningful conversations about where to go on vacation. Those who eventually reach the inner circle might be consulted on major issues.

It’s the same with intuition. Start small. Keep track of your experiences for learning purposes. Build your confidence. One day you’ll easily recognize its voice and KNOW that it is guiding you in the direction you want to go. And then when you really need some important input, it will feel familiar and all your practice will have been worth the effort.

Intuition Chronicles: Start Small

When Reiki clients and students ask me how they can tap into their inner wisdom, I…