Are you aware of your inner voice? Do you pay attention to it? We are talking about the one that softly whispers ideas and suggestions to you, the kind that the other voice might try to shut down, crying “Are you mad”!?
Sadly, the latter voice is the one that we are aware of and pay attention to. The gentler one, our intuition, is frequently ignored, if we can even hear it at all. The great pity that it is our intuition that really has our best interests at heart. Our shadow voice (the louder, more aggressive one) does have our welfare it is at heart too, but in a protective way.
What is wrong with it protecting us? Well, it limits us and erodes our wellbeing at a soul level. And unbelievably, that is not good for our physical or emotional wellbeing! If you are unfulfilled at a soul level, slowly and imperceptibly you will develop a nagging feeling of general discontent which can have a rippling effect on your mood, self-esteem, and your physical and mental health. But that is for another article…
If listened to, the gentle voice of your intuition will stretch you beyond your comfort zone, but never more than you are capable of. It will challenge you, but also support you. It always has your best interests at heart, at every level: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It will not only gently nudge you in scary directions which will yield huge and unimaginable rewards, but it will also gently nudge you when it is time to stop or turn around.
When you tune into your intuition and allow it to guide you, you will be surprised at how much easier formerly assumed challenges will become. And how much good fortune lands in your lap (we call it synchronicity). And how good it feels to be at ease with yourself and all your life experiences, even the ones you would not choose!
Learning to tune into your intuition will require time and patience. At first, you may be unsure which voice is which (especially as your shadow voice often sounds very reasonable), and using your intuition is very much like using your physical muscles. You need to use it regularly for it to be in the shape you want.
How do you get know your intuition better? First, start to watch out for hunches, feelings, ideas that crop up. Pay attention to the voice that accompanies it. Is it gentle, positive, supportive?
If it is aggressive, domineering, or using scare-mongering tactics it is more likely to be your shadow voice. If you are getting a feeling of warning, is it a loud and threatening one? (shadow). Or an insistent knowing one? (intuition).
Trusting your intuition, when it is new to you, can be a bit intimidating as it seems not to be based on logic. But, with practice and trust, you will learn that knowing that something is the right thing to do, is in your best interests. It will be easier to shrug off your own shadow voice and that of others (who will fear for your best interests on your behalf).
The key to developing this essential trust in one’s intuition is to start small. Do not make life-changing decisions based on your intuition if you are not familiar with it, although you might still be confusing your two inner voices. If you ask your intuition to guide you with smaller decisions and wait for the gentle knowing feeling to arrive, you will gradually get more in-touch with that all important inner voice. Do not expect an instant answer, but watch out, for it will come and you will know it when it does.
Over time, as you tune in more, you will find you suffer less and less with worry or anxiety. You will trust all will work out well, and often you will find it works out better than you could ever have imagined!
