Looking Beyond Into The Real

More than Mystical.  More than Magical.  More than Mysterious.  

Intuition is the ability to see beyond our daily interactions and really understand what is happening in our lives.  This description hopefully demystifies intuition and positions it as useful in our daily life.  Intuition is a guiding force that moves us past our propensity to blame or judge and into a place of clear understanding. 

Have you ever listened to the surface of what was being said while having a nudge that something was wrong?  Maybe, you convinced yourself that all was well until it was not. Upon discovering what was not well, the reasons for those nudges were revealed.  Your intuition was shouting loudly!

As I write this, I am remembering my involvement in a situation that made me really uneasy.  But, I stuffed my feelings of dis-ease while adopted an optimistic attitude.  Ignoring those intuitive alarms, I convinced myself that the outcome would be the one I desired. 

The opposite happened, and I found myself with a choice.  I could chastise myself for not listening to those whispers or I could revisit those feeling of dis-ease in order to recognize how I chose to ignore those nudges.  This self-examination bolsters my intuitive awareness.

When I found myself living in a very different scenario from the one I am convinced will happen, look for patterns.  I compare these moments to the other times in my life where I ignored my intuition only to discover the accuracy of it later.  Most importantly during this reflection, I do not allow myself to wallow in those moments of intuition ignored. 

This process helps me discover where I am getting hooked on the illusion of what I want. Through awareness of how my intuition is triggering my full body, I can learn to trust without the verification.  I also learn from those moments where the tumult flares because I have am not yet able to follow the breadcrumbs scattered by my inner wisdom.

Sometimes when navigating our intuitive nudges, we can at times serve as our own intuitive GPS.  At other times, we can benefit from an intuitive conversation comes in.  We benefit both from the mirror of the other and the intuitive perception.

An intuitive conversation has three parts:

Facilitation: I create the space and facilitate the conversation by making observations and encouraging responses.

Guidance:  I listen in order to ask questions that lead to a deeper understanding of the role of challenges and lessons in your life.

Coaching:  Together, we name the learning or knowing of the challenges and create a plan to integrate this knowing into your life.

The end result is transformation into the authentic person you are.

Intuitive Conversations are tools of clarity.  We are all intuitive — an Intuitive Conversation is often the impetus that helps us move beyond the mundane and into an extraordinary place. 

Vanessa is an Intuitive Coach, Community Builder, and Author.

More from Vanessa: www.intentandaction.com

From Spark to Spiral: Compassionate Presence

About fifteen years ago, I was more of a head person.  Those scant inches between my head and my heart were most difficult to traverse.  I was not even aware that I needed to navigate from mind to heart.  And, I have discovered that I was not alone in this inability. 

At some point, I began to clear the overgrown path between these two points.  It felt like clearing a path through the Amazon jungle — the place between my head and heart was filled with vast potential for healing.  In my unawareness, I was unable to ascertain what was healing and what was hurting.  My challenges became like healing plants from the Amazon — with the potential to soothe, repair, and energize my heart to head connection.

One day, in the moment, I stood looking out upon the vista of my life.  There I saw the most beautiful rose quartz color welcoming me.  As the color flowed toward me, I was surrounded by Compassion’s warm, gentle embrace.  (Ever since the color of rose quartz has signified compassion.)  Suffused with this healing energy, the strong desire to be a message of compassion to myself and the world was sparked.  When in the present moment, I am vessel of compassionate presence.  Through this awareness my spark of compassion is able to flood into the world. 

How can we become a spark and spiral of compassion?  Try this:

Sit quietly for a couple of moments…focus on your breathing…Relax your body…just breathe…don’t shift your breath…just allow it to be…allow your breath to flow to the place where your divine spark resides…feel it blow gently on the ember…watch it light…as it flares compassion moves from the spark throughout your body…as you inhale, feel a bubble begin to inflate around you…feel the grace of compassion permeating your being…peace fills you…as you breathe, inhale the power of forgiveness… be filled with the wisdom to choose your thoughts, words, and actions…feel the energy of compassion fill you…feel compassion turn toward you and flow outward…notice the strand that twists and turns and spirals within your energy…watch as the spiral moves out of your bubble and touches others…perhaps your spiral twines with those of others and become a stronger force…intend your compassion flows out of this place…farther and farther away…being compassionate presence without the need to know.

Not knowing where the compassion flows, we feed our spark through our connection to the Sacred and through our self compassion.  We share compassion with our self and others.  And, the world is a better place. 

Wishing you the spark of compassion within and the spiral of compassion without,

Vanessa

#wordsmatter because #youmatter

disclaimer:  the following is written first as a reminder to myself.  I hope that you find it helpful.  vhf

The past week has been a continuous flow of tragedies…one after the other.  The collective consciousness was overwhelmed with grief, fear, and anger.  As I read the outpouring of emotions on Facebook, email, texts, and the news, one thing became clearer to me: #wordsmatter.  Words are more than surface semantics.  Words have the power to uplift and to wound.

Two people write a post with essentially the same superficial meaning but they choose very different words to convey the sentiment.  One post might edge us closer to reconciliation; the other might push us into reactionary mode.  Since we are unable to see the body language of the person who wrote it or do more than guess their intent, we are left to interpret the comments based solely upon their words.

For those who believe that choosing words is a choice of semantics, I respectfully differ.  As a writer, my words are meant to spark particular emotions.  I have discovered that the energy behind chosen words paints images that resonates deeply into our being creating cellular memories. 

Words trigger reactions that emanate deeply from our being.  Sometimes we are not even aware of the power inherent in our word choice.  We may be surprised by the reactions triggered.  And, we may find our self confused by a certain reaction.  I once used a word in an email that caused a extreme reaction in at least two people.   To this day, I do not completely understand their reactions, but I do remember them.  And, I take greater care in choosing my words.

Have you noticed how certain words impact you?  Try this:

Part 1

·       Focus on your breath

·       Visualize your breath flowing through your body energizing and relaxing

·       Rest in the silence created by your focused breathing

·       Quiet your mind

·       Be aware

·       Now, hear another say these words to you, “You don’t understand”

·       How do these words resonate in your body?

o   Use all of your senses to gain a clear image

·       Let go of the resonance in your body by breathing in love and compassion

·       Embrace your desire to understand

Part 2

·       Return to your breath allowing it to energize and relax

·       Allow your mind to quiet

·       Now, hear another say these words to you, “You are ignorant”

·       How do these words resonate in your body?

o   Use all of your senses to gain a clear image

·       Let go of the resonance in your body by breathing in love and compassion

·       Embrace your desire to understand

What can we do?  As we understand how #wordsmatter, we really pay attention to not only what we are saying but how it is being heard.  We recognize the violence that is inherent in some words and the invitation present in others.  We may re-read what we have written or be more deliberate in the words we speak.  But, most importantly we forgive our self for those words misspoken and miswritten.  We become beings whose compassion is woven into our words. 

My #wordsmatter because #youmatter,

Vanessa

Vanessa is an Intuitive Coach, Community Builder, and Author.

More from Vanessa: www.intentandaction.com

Listening: Compassion In Action

Across the globe people are starving.  This is not a physical starvation.  It is the starvation of attention — a yearning for someone to really listen to what they are saying.  Please don’t misunderstand me…they are not some group of anonymous people with vague faces.  We are all the “they.”  In some respect, we all have this deep yearning to be heard and responded to.

I have often said, and heard, “I will be a better listening.”  Sounds easy this listening, doesn’t it?  But, we live in a world of impersonal communication: spontaneous texting, social media, and email.  Our interactions become reactions.  In a world where we quickly formulate our interjections, listening is not so easy.  We may only listen after we reacted and wish our reaction had been a response.  Listening may be one of the most difficult activities.

We can learn to listen better.  In fact, a number of tools and programs exist for us to learn and practice our listening skills.  One most powerful tool is the Pause.  With the Pause we stop our rush to reply, no longer focus on what we need to say while the other is speaking, and turn our total attention to what the other is saying both verbally and nonverbally.  The Pause anchors us into the moment.

Have you ever felt 100% of another’s focus on you?  It can feel like a disconcertingly warm embrace — a wordless encouragement for you to speak from your heart.  It is a way of another to give you permission to speak your truth is surprising ways.  When another listens, our words may give voice to what we never consciously realized before. 

As a listener, our body is relaxed.  We assume a wide open stance as our heart connects with the heart of another.  Through intentionally listening, we embrace the other with our heart, mind, body, and spirit.  Without judgment, we create a space in which the need to defend is minimized.  A dialogue of intentional listening and compassionately responding occurs in this safe, sacred space. 

How do we assume an intentional listening stance?  Try this before a conversation:

• Take a couple of breaths to calm and center your self
• Next, using all your senses, imagine what compassion is
• Breathe in compassion until your are filled with compassion’s presence
• Then, using all your senses, imagine what trust is
• Breathe in trust until it enters all parts of your being
• Breathe in your intent to understand the other

As the person begins to speak:

• Breathe out compassion in ways that connect your heart to theirs
• Breathe out trust and further connect your hearts
• Breathe out your desire to understand
• Allow your breath to create a bubble surrounding the two of you

Within this bubble of intentional listening and compassion response, gently listen.  Allow your words to be inspired.  The Pause may occur naturally as silence between the comments of your partner and your response.

At the end of the conversation, slowly inhale your energy leaving the residue of compassion in your wake.  How was that conversation different?

Changing the world, one compassionate interaction at a time.

Vanessa is an Intuitive, Community Builder, and Compassionista, and Author of Engaging Compassion Through Intent & Action

More from Vanessa & Community Building: www.intentandaction.com