Intuition

Last night I hosted a Sacred Circle gathering of Wise Women for the second month in a row. It’s been on my mind for at least a year to start a group like this, but I just kept putting it off thinking that the time just wasn’t “right.” Finally, I took the plunge and reached out to one of the wisest women I know - Jasmine - to help me facilitate the group, thinking there was strength (and courage) in numbers. It did not take any convincing for her to say yes.

Using a combination of Jasmine’s vast knowledge of creating sacred space and ceremony, and super-helpful information from the monthly workbooks by Jill Wintersteen (aka: Spirit Daughter), plus a bit of my own, we’ve had some meaningful encounters. The specifics that unfold in our gatherings are held in the sacred space of confidentiality among those in attendance, but one broad theme that stands out from last night is that of the importance of recognizing our own intuition. In her guide to the New Moon in Pisces, Wintersteen offers this journal prompt: “What does intuition feel like to me? Where in my body do I feel it?” I’d like to share with you my response, to perhaps encourage you to feel into your own intuition, or to take the next step of trusting it.

Most often, my intuition feels like a wash of calm certainty coming over me. The “thought” or “prompting” will come, I may question it (like, “REALLY???” or “That’s a bit out there!”), and when it’s truly my intuition, there will then be a warm wash (for lack of a better word) of knowing that starts in my torso, between my navel and the base of my sternum. If I act on it then, that’s the culmination of the “feels.” If, however, I ignore it, or try to somehow dismiss it, that warm wash transitions into a buzz - like the sort I get from too much caffeine - increasing until I follow through on the intuitive prompt. Of course, there have been times when I completely blow it off, and then find myself trying to numb the “buzz” with too much alcohol, binge shopping, or finding some other means of creating a diversion within myself. It didn’t take too long for me to see that it’s often easier (and cheaper) to just surrender in the first place, and trust the Universe has given me this prompting for a reason, keeping in mind that I don’t have to figure out the subsequent steps or attempt to foresee any/all possible outcomes that MIGHT arise, should the prompt ‘fall flat’ in how it’s received. Plus, I don’t always have to DO anything in response except acknowledge and receive it, then watch and wait for what’s next. It’s not about me, and my prompt isn’t the be-all and end-all of anyone’s journey. It’s simply a piece of someone’s puzzle (even my own); a thread in a tapestry. It’s simply up to me as to whether or not I’ll participate . . .