Are You Listening?

Intuition is a fuzzy word. Some people feel it in their gut. Some people have visions (painters?!). Some people write it out.

I’ve sometimes just known. Known that I had to invite him to cross the country + move to a new city. Known that I had to leave, without being able to see what’s next. Known that THIS PLACE was home, a place that I could rest, be myself, regenerate.

But in the moments of doubt…

Where the hell is intuition then, huh? Listening then takes more practice. Because that’s all it is. It’s a practice of tuning in to your heart and interpreting what it’s saying. Only you know yourself enough to know when your intuition is talking and what she’s saying to you.

All the time, my clients ask me “How do I KNOW it’s my intuition?” Here’s what I know to be true for me. When I’m trying to listen in, I have to:

1. Write it out. In morning pages. Every day.

2. Speak it out. To people I love + trust that are in my circle.

3. Read. Underline what speaks to me. I read. I go back to what I’ve read. I pay attention to what I’ve noticed.

4. Create. Paint. Write. Lay in the grass. Make a meal. Anytime I engage in creation, my being is satisfied and open. It’s when I’m open, that I can truly hear.

5. Embrace sensuality. The more in your body you get, the more present you get. The more present you get, the more mindful you are. The more mindful you are… the wider your spectrum of possibility becomes. Which means that you are paying attention to what’s coming up AND possible connections. Turn up the tunes + dance. Walk. Workout. Drop into child’s pose. Have an orgasm.

6. Walk away. Sometimes it’s not that big a deal (says my inner Drama Queen proudly underneath her crown). There are many things that are solved by time. Many.  Not all. Sometimes time + space allow for clarity that you could never find through forcing a solution.

7. Notice. Specifically, I use the phrase, “What’s coming up for me is…” There’s a clear distinction between clients that use this phrase or some variation. They’re able to sink into the nuance of emotion. They’re able to be with what comes up AS IT COMES UP. This is a skill. This is a LEARNED skill. This is literally what women that have worked with me, and others (therapists, coaches, energy workers, healers etc) use to process + be in their process. They practice using this phrase and they know that sometimes it’s not the first thing that comes up that is important. It’s the 43rd. More art than science.

8. Stay curious. Trust that your hankering for that Pablo Picasso painting down in the Smithsonian has something for you… if NOTHING but more noticing about yourself. What comes up when you see it? What emotions? What questions? Perhaps there’s another person that’s around that you strike up a conversation with. All the world is a teacher, if we have the capacity to pay attention.

9. Practice trust. There’s something that you want to say to your bro, but it doesn’t quite fit in the conversation. Here’s a sentence stem: “I know this is a left turn in our conversation, but I was thinking about this a lot (or this just came up in my head)… does that mean anything to you?? How do you feel about that? “I’ve learned things about clients… or loved ones, by asking, at risk of sounding looney. You’ll be surprised at where the conversation goes and what insights you gain.  Trust your gut.

10. Speak to yourself with compassion. Something was not as it seemed? No worries. Re-frame it as learning. You’re learning. You are learning how to trust your intuition. You are learning to interpret it. Your life is a journey (and for today, Life is Long). Life is also short, so make the most of it.

11. Embrace the tension of life.^^^ See what I did there? That was two opposite things. Both are true. Life can be long and short. Both can be true. You just have to choose how you’ll interact with it today. When you embrace the tension, you can look deeper. Often, our truth is buried in the nuance of a tension that is showing up in our life.

I was an imaginative child, very in tune with my surroundings. Middle school does a number on your intuition though. As I grew into womanhood, what I knew to be true for myself, I had spent years stuffing down, tamping out.

I had to relearn. I am in a practice of relearning. Much I’ve learned from listening, reading, and learning from women wiser than me.

I so want this to be a place of learning + we all learn more about ourselves when we listen to other women share how they journeyed back to themselves. How do you hear your intuition?

How does she speak to you? Reply here or share with me on the blog. Want to hear from other women? Share in my virtual living room on .

In quiet whispers + so much love,

JESS