Talk & Q&A: How To Trust Our Intuition?

In a world of endless possibility, how should make decisions? In this talk, we learn how to listen to our intuition and develop the inner knowing that everything is happening at the perfect time. The talk is followed by a question and answer session.

Transcript

How to trust our intuition?

Every one of us has heard of intuition at one point or another.

We've heard about this gut feeling,

This strong knowing that we should meet someone,

Or we should go somewhere,

Or just a somethingness.

So,

In this talk we will explore this a bit more.

What does it actually mean?

What is it?

Where does it come from?

And probably a lot of us have had the experience that when we sit in meditation,

Or when we fall asleep at night,

Or early in the morning,

Or when we go for a walk,

We receive these insights,

These clear messages of a good thing to do next.

And this is intuition at its best.

We receive a message.

We know something strongly that I should do that next,

Or,

Oh yes,

This is the solution to that problem I've been trying to solve for so long.

And so,

The secret to following our intuition is actually in that space,

Is resting in this knowing,

In this relaxed state of mind,

And things can just come to us.

They are allowed in.

So,

Then as we continue along the spiritual path,

There is this space between thoughts that becomes so important.

So,

Rather than try and get those insights,

Get those realizations,

Get those messages,

We try to understand,

Well,

Where do they come from?

What is their source?

And we begin resting more and more in the space between thoughts.

We begin to find the stillness of the mind,

And then even if we get those messages,

Those insights,

It doesn't matter so much.

It's more important in a way for us to remain present,

To remain still,

To remain in meditation.

And if we continue down that path,

We come across books such as A Course in Miracles,

Which is part of my path,

Or Way of Mastery.

And those books teach us to,

In A Course in Miracles,

To hear the voice of God,

In Way of Mastery,

To just surrender every decision to a higher power.

It's a fascinating journey of just being,

Just resting in this moment,

And being open to anything,

Any suggestion,

Any insight,

Any invitation to do whatever we are invited to do.

This is how we get to trust our intuition more and more.

Of course,

Then there is the question of actually following what we are receiving.

And I've had many cases,

Especially early on,

Where I have received a message,

For example,

Speak to that person,

Or do this nice thing for someone,

And I just can't do it at that moment.

I'm not in the right state of mind,

Or I don't have enough confidence,

Or there's just something that stops me from doing that.

And that's because I'm not sure about this power yet.

I don't understand it,

I don't trust it 100%,

I don't know where it's leading me,

I don't know why it's leading me there.

So there's all sorts of questions that sometimes also stop us from following this intuition.

And the more we receive messages,

The more we rest in presence,

In being,

The more we don't follow our intuition,

Actually,

Then the more we begin to trust it,

Because when we don't follow it,

We know what happens,

And we can project into the future and see what would have happened if I did actually follow this.

So then this trust gets stronger and stronger and stronger.

All we need to do is just allow whatever is to be exactly as it is,

And follow any.

.

.

It can be also in the form of feelings,

A gut feeling,

It can be in the form of thoughts.

But just to go along with this,

To follow it,

And that's when a lot of synchronicities happen,

That's when we begin to see the intelligence behind all of life,

That's when we begin to see that everyone is guided by the same power.

So yes,

That's the journey of getting in tune with our intuition and following it.

It is a very exciting and liberating journey,

Because it's coming from the understanding that our minds are limited,

And therefore there must be something more than our minds,

And because we are limited,

We don't see all the opportunities that are available,

And our decision-making processes are themselves limited.

So following our intuition leads us to follow a higher mind that sees more than we do,

That knows more than we do.

And the more we trust that higher mind,

The more we understand life,

And the more we are free within ourselves.

And of course there's also more advanced ways of doing,

Of following our intuition,

And eventually there's the point where you don't make any decisions anymore,

Where just everything is received,

Everything is guided.

One exercise to reach that point is simply to close our eyes,

Put our hands on the heart,

And ask ourselves genuinely,

What does my heart desire to do next?

And just sit with that question for two or three minutes,

See everything that comes in the mind,

And then take another minute or so to write down whatever came,

And do it a second time,

And whatever came several times,

Just do that next.

It's a beautiful way to live life,

And it's a beautiful way also to stop following a to-do list.

Of course you can do both,

You can have a to-do list and do this exercise from time to time,

And combine your personal mind,

Your personal decision-making,

And this surrendering to whatever comes,

To whatever you want to do in this moment.

Another practice that I'm just remembering now is to simply watch during the day whatever happens,

And say,

I allow this.

For example,

If you turn on the water,

And it starts flowing,

You say,

I allow this water to flow.

If you cook something and it burns,

You say,

I allow this to burn.

Whatever happens,

Whether it's good or bad,

You simply allow it to be as it is.

Ultimately,

What our intuition points us to always is to come back to who we are,

To come back to this moment,

To come back to what is essential to us,

To awareness itself,

To simply being aware of everything that's happening,

But also the very fact of being aware,

Of being alive,

Of being here.

This simple I am-ness that so many teachers and teachings point to.

So,

Anytime you are not sure about where intuition is guiding you,

Or what you should do about a particular situation,

You can remember this.

You can remember that the purpose of all things is just for us to be present,

To be here.

And you can also ask yourself,

What would love do?

This is also a great question to put us back in touch with who we really are,

With that open,

Allowing,

Free,

Spaciousness in which everything appears.

Okay,

So I think I'll start answering questions now.

How can you tell the difference between intuition,

Instinct,

And ego desire?

I'll start with instinct.

To me,

Instinct is like a conditioned knowing almost,

Like you know how animals have instincts,

And they know where they pray is,

Or what to do to get it.

It's like more physical somehow,

More driven by the need to survive.

That's just my opinion that comes in the moment.

Ego desire,

It's what comes from a sense of lack.

So,

If I really want to eat something,

To fulfill some kind of feeling of lack that I have within myself,

That I would say is ego desire.

And intuition is what comes when we are still,

When we are present,

When we are happy with everything as it is.

And then what we receive,

What we want to do is simply an expression of this freedom,

Of this abundance that we feel within ourself.

That's part of what the mind finds very annoying about intuition,

Is that it comes when we don't need to have it.

So if I really want something,

I will know how to get it when I stop needing it.

My intuition will tell me how to go there as soon as I'm not attached to having it.

Another question,

Can't intuition also come when we are not present or feeling at peace?

In the early stages of the spiritual path,

That's more difficult,

And I would recommend if possible to stay present or ask what would love do.

But of course at times intuition comes in difficult moments,

In situations where there is a lot of fear,

A lot of uncertainty,

And then our intuition tells us what to do,

Where to go,

How to be.

So it is possible that it comes when we are not feeling at peace.

And even then,

I think of examples such as Eckhart Tolle and his big realization while he was in the midst of depression.

Even then there must be this opening,

This desire,

Or this knowing that there is something more,

That there is something better.

And when we are open in this way,

Even when we are not at peace,

Or even in the midst of depression,

Our intuition can kick in and tell us what's true,

What's real,

What's important.

So what matters is again the openness,

The resting and accepting everything as it is.

How do you stop the mind overriding the quiet voice of intuition?

I think the best way is to allow the mind to be as it is,

And to not fight with it,

To not try and change it or control it.

The Course in Miracles is to ask God or ask the Holy Spirit,

Please tell me what to do next,

Please tell me what is my purpose in the next moment or in the next hour or so.

So that's another way because then you kind of stop the flow of the mind and you use it to open up to receiving an answer.

And what's also interesting is that at first the quiet voice of intuition is in the background,

It is as you say quiet,

And more and more your thoughts just come from love and so do your actions and your behavior,

Your feelings.

So what then becomes quieter is the voice of the separate mind,

The voice of the ego.

And of course it constantly tries to make its way in the mind and to take over our decision making,

Our thoughts and actions.

But when we rest with it,

When we allow it to be,

When we don't fight it,

When we see it for what it is,

Then it cannot do anything else but subside.

And then the thoughts that come are coming from inner joy.

Another question,

Sometimes intuition rises and sometimes my mind just overrides it and in the moment I don't seem to be able to stop it,

I see it later.

Yes,

That happens and that's all part of the unfolding.

Following our intuition is a process and it can take really many years before we fully align with our most loving self.

So in those cases it's just allowing it,

Not trying to stop it.

What helps me for example is either trying to expand the space between the thoughts or to ask who is the I that has these thoughts and realizing that I am not the thoughts,

I am aware of them.

They appear in me but they are not me.

Thank you for being here with me.

If questions appear for you,

You can message me and tell me or also join my group here on Inside Timer.

Otherwise I wish you a beautiful time.

Thanks again for being here.

Reviews

Great talk - appreciate the practical ideas for allowing intuition to be heard.