“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.” –Albert Einstein

I’ve learned that intuition doesn’t come riding in with horns blaring or on a chariot of fire. Intuition comes to us softly, quietly, almost imperceptibly–part of the reason so many of us don’t tap into it. Oftentimes in the past, I didn’t understand that gentle nudging as intuitive messages. I thought those little inklings, those gut feelings, those goosebumps and tingles, were nothing. Through being with people who have stretched and exercised those intuitive muscles for far longer than I and through my own experiences, I now know that those little “nothings” are really big “somethings.”

Connecting to my intuition allows me to connect to my authentic self. In order to hear and connect to it, there are actions and ways of “being” which allow me access to that deep insight. It’s up to me to open and lengthen my receptors and pay attention so that I can hear the soft, quiet voice of inner knowing. So how do I do that?

The best way for me to get started is through my morning ritual: journaling, listening to meditative music (such as singing bowls), reading inspirational messages, and meditating. Most days, I start my day this way. Other days though I can let family demands or perceived outside needs prevent me from connecting with that Divine intuition and inspiration. When that happens, I notice that my day is a bit more frazzled and scattered, less focused and grounded. Sometimes I flit from thing to thing without really knowing what I’m doing or why. At other times, I succumb to fear or anxiety, accomplishing little and being completely detached from my own creative self.

I’ve learned that it’s also important throughout the day to allow for moments when I can hear that inner voice. If I’m so busy running and scrambling to accomplish the next item on my list, it’s difficult to hear anything but the chatter of trying to get things done or the worry of not meeting my goals. When I’m only thinking about checking one more thing off my unending list of tasks to create finished products, there’s little time for checking in with that inner voice. In the process of chasing accomplishments, I lose my relationship with my authentic self.

So, in addition to a morning ritual, I need little reminders throughout the day to check in with myself and listen. Here are some of the ways that work for me:

*Take a shower or bath. Water flows. For me, connecting with the flow of water or being immersed in it allows me to connect with a deeper, calmer, more grounded “me” and the flow of a divinely connected self.
*Look at my vision board. The board I made in January serves as a reminder of the life I wish to create. It points to the authentic me, filled with images and words that speak to my spirit and are messages from my spirit.
*Carry a mini-vision board. By creating an index card of images and words, I can carry reminders of my authentic self and my connection to my intuitive, creative being.
*Revisit my intentions. In January, I also created a list of intentions for the life I wish to manifest this year. Reading my intentions allows me to once again tap into my deeper knowing and deepest desires. As I read them (aloud is best), I am inspired to be the architect of the dreams I wish to create and make manifest in my life.
*Just breathe. Whenever I pause and take some deep breaths, I am brought back to the present and to the divine expression that I am. I am reminded that I am and have everything I need. The flow of the life force is with me and courses through me–because of that, anything and everything is possible.

This morning I read from Sarah Ban Breathnach’s “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy.” In part, here was a lesson on intuition and authenticity:

“But each of us is an artist. An artist is merely someone with good listening skills who accesses the creative energy of the Universe to bring forth something on the material plane that wasn’t here before. It was a part of Spirit before we could see it as a book, a painting, a ballet, a film.

“Each time you experience the new, you become receptive to inspiration. Each time you try something different, you let the Universe know you are listening. Trust your instincts. Believe your yearnings are blessings. Respect your creative urges. If you are willing to step out in faith and take a leap in the dark, you will discover that your choices are as authentic as you are. What is more, you will discover that your life is all it was meant to be: a joyous sonnet of thanksgiving.”

Our intuition is the pathway to our authenticity, our most sacred gift to ourselves and to all others. What are you doing today to tap into your intuition and authentic self?

Whatever we are waiting for–peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance–it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart! -Sarah Ban Breathnach

How open is your heart today? And how grateful are you for where you are at this exact moment in time? We can only experience that which we seek when we recognize what we already have–what already exists in our lives. It is in that knowing that more becomes possible. It is the gratitude for exactly where we are that allows us to open to new possibility.

I often find myself striving for the next thing, whether it’s an internal or external change. It may be something as profound as wisdom, new insight, courage, or strength; or it may be something as mundane as a new business opportunity, a new source of income, a more fit body, an occasion to travel, the next perfect day with my husband and/or my children. It’s about what I want to have in the future. Attached to what I want to have is the unspoken internal message of lack–what’s missing in my life right now. When I am focused on the next whatever, I lose sight of what already is in my life. I also start to feel like I’m chasing that whatever, and it continues to feel elusive and just beyond my reach. Even those sources of pain that may be in my life at any given moment are only sources of pain because I am not willing to look at the deeper meaning of their presence with an open and grateful heart–to see those sources of pain as seedlings–opportunities for growth and expansion.

As Jack Canfield says in Jack Canfield’s Key to Living the Law of Attraction, “You are a living magnet. You literally attract the people, ideas, and circumstances to you that vibrate and resonate at the same energy frequency as yours. Your energy field changes constantly, based on your thoughts and feelings, and the universe acts like a mirror, sending back a reflection of the energy that you are projecting. The stronger and more intense your thoughts and emotions are, the greater the magnetic pull becomes. Now, this is not a process that requires any real effort; a magnet doesn’t ‘try’ to attract anything–it simply does, and so do you! You are always in the process of attracting something into your life.”

Think of your open and grateful heart as the magnet. The more heart-centered we can be and the more open and grateful our hearts and minds, the more we’ll draw to us–or magnetize–that which we most desire. Acknowledging with an open and grateful heart that this very moment is the result of everything we’ve ever thought, done, believed, or felt up to now–and that we are exactly where we’re supposed to be–allows what we yearn for to flow to us.

Starting right here and now, look at your life with an open and grateful heart. And then get ready for all that you desire to begin to manifest in your life! It can be a bellisima life–it is up to each of us to allow it to happen!

“Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend… When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present – love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure – the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth.” –Sarah Ban Breathnach