So, you’re opening up your intuition. Maybe you have tried automatic writing, or dowsing, or some other way to connect with your Spirit Guides and Higher self.
You perhaps got some guidance, but your mind is protesting – maybe it thinks you got it wrong, or more general doubts come up around the process or your capabilities.
This situation reminds me of the quote:
“Keep an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out.”
Sometimes when we’re developing intuitively it can feel scary and a bit out of control, because we are basically working with a faith-based aspect. Nobody gets into psychic development unless they believe in something that lies beyond our physical aspect. But developing intuitively takes courage and trust in the universe – we have to let go and experiment. And it’s asking a lot – especially of those people who have strong analytical/intellectual sides.
But what if it’s all wrong and in the end, we discover that our brains fell out?
As someone who has a strong intellect and an active mind, I could definitely relate to this fear in the first year that I learned to read the Akashic Records. I had invested a lot of energy and money into the endeavour and I was scared.
One night though, I reached a ‘point of no return’, when I realized I was on the right path, and I stopped doubting the process and my abilities so much. This realization came about when I was visited in the middle of the night by a deceased relative of my employer at the time. The deceased person told me specific things that there was no way I could have known. When I related them to my boss, it was shocking – both for him and for me. Luckily he believed in the afterlife and even if he hadn’t, I think that experience might have convinced him otherwise!
I also have some experience coaching students through this fear in my Intuitive Awakening Course.
So here are some of my best tips to help you on your path of intuitive development if you are a doubting Thomas.
1. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself
Maybe you’re taking a class or you’ve bought a stack of books. Perhaps you signed up because you want help making decisions, or you want to create a specific result in your life.
However, for now it’s best to forget about your reasons for signing up. Forget how much energy or money you have sunk into the endeavour. Don’t think about what you’re going to gain or lose.
Instead, take the pressure off. Think: play, experimentation and non-attachment.
If you want to develop intuitively, you will need to give yourself time and space to ‘get it wrong’; to learn from mistakes and to improve. If you were learning to dance the tango, you wouldn’t expect to be a world-class dancer in 2 weeks. You need time to learn the steps and ideally you won’t be beating yourself up so much that you forget to have some fun in the learning process.
I remember one of my colleagues told me that when she was learning to develop psychically, when she was stuck and not able to pick up on anything, one of her teachers used to tell her to “guess” or “make it up”. Obviously, you do not want to do this in a reading for someone else, but when you’re a beginner who is learning and exploring your own questions, this can be an interesting strategy to try.
Here’s why: when you tell yourself to ‘make it up’ or ‘guess’, this playful, easy energy often frees your energy up so the guidance can come in.
2. Cultivate your dreaming ability
Dreaming is a great way to seek guidance if you have a strong analytical side that punches holes in your channeling attempts when you’re awake. When you’re dreaming, you’re obviously out for the count and completely bypassing the conscious mind. Plus, your strong analytical side can help you in decoding your dreams.
Remember that dreams are an incredibly powerful source of information from the spiritual realm. Dreaming as a spiritual gift has a long history in indigenous cultures. The word shaman in some Native American languages means ‘one who dreams’, and dreams from the strong dreamers in some indigenous tribes were considered spiritual guidance for the entire tribe.
Dreams can:
- Give us guidance, warnings and encouragement
- Show us any hidden or buried desires
- Reveal past lives
- Highlight areas that need to be healed
- Connect us with our deceased loved ones, spiritual teachers, Spirit Guides, animal guides and ancestors
3. Ask for a sign, or even better, a ‘point-of-no-return experience’
In the book Psychic Development for Beginners, the author William Hewitt recommends that beginners ask Spirit for a sign that they are connected to Spirit and getting the right guidance. I remember reading this about ten years ago and asking Spirit to send me a bird sign. Shortly afterwards, a bird came and sat on my windowsill.
I continue to get bird signs. (Perhaps this is because my primary guide is called the ‘Raven’.) I get fantails following me around on my walks in the hills when I psychically connect with my deceased cat Big Boy, or when I’m thinking of him.
Since he died, fantails also try to fly into my house on a regular basis.
So I get a lot of bird signs, but your signs may be something different.
If you are having a lot of problems with doubt, you could also ask Spirit for a ‘point of no return’ experience – something that you cannot rationalize away, like my experience with the deceased relative of my employer’s.
4. Practise
The best way to build your confidence long term is to read for others, or try my intuitive experiments. When you’re reading for yourself, you are not getting any feedback to help you to grow in confidence, because you already know all about yourself. Reading for others helps you to get that objective feedback.
I hope this article is helpful for someone!
Do you relate to this issue? Please post in the comments below.
The above article is me to a T ,I think I’m my own worst enemy in trying to progress ,I actually have gone backwards over the last three months ,I seem to have had so much outside turmoil going on that my mind is just scattered and I’ve sort of given up on thinking about anything let alone trying to progress further with my abilities . I know I’m going to have to throw it off and try and get a grip and direction . This article is maybe just timed right for me and I shall maybe start trying again Thanks for the article, regards Brett
I can give people readings that I haven’t seen in awhile, and are they dead on, it even shakes me at times! But, I love the help, and comfort that they other person seems to get!!! I just wish that I could help people 24/7, and bring them the comfort that they are so desperately seeking! Any ideas on that?
This was awesome advice Anna, thank you! Many blessings <3
Thank so much or this Anna! It’s funny how I was actually practicing your 1st Intuitive Experiment an few hours ago and feeling like I wasn’t very intuitive. I remember thinking to myself that I was supposed to having fun w/this, but I was upset because I wasn’t receiving anything and it makes me feel not so intuitive, not even a small inkling of feeling. I should really just be more carefree about this and I like the thing about making stuff up. As a beginner I just can’t stand the feeling of “not having any intuition or not being intuitive enough,” 🙁
I can relate to this because one night my best friend’s deceased father came to visit me to tell me something. Then I can also relate to the psychic part of intuition because for the past few days & weeks I have been receiving premonitions well I’m wide awake. Also one night I had this dream about a white rabbit & that’s when I learned that my spirit totem is the rabbit & it’s possible one of my many animal spirit guides is also a rabbit. It really freaks me out when these things happen because it’s so new to me how strong they have become since August of 2010 so I can relate to this.
GREAT advice. It encourages me a lot. However I do seem to rely on the other person’s body language a lot in my efforts to read what is really going on, especially the facial features, and of course the movements that this person exhibits. Even vocabulary gives me some hints about a person’s inner workings. I do get many intuitive suggestions throughout my life and DO honor them usually rather than the intellectual or more logical messages I get daily. Having the ability to choose which thought is intuitive and which is intellectual has become VERY important to me. I am 86, and alone. Ed
Brett, Aksara, Chasta, Taylor, and Ed Robers – glad you found this helpful/related to this!
Ed Lawrence – If you have the gift and want to help people all the time, why not train professionally?
Thank You Anna!!! I needed to hear that!!! Now the question is: How, with what, and when can I start?!!! I appreciate you in guiding me on how to accomplish this!!!
Ed
One of the things I have always loved about you and your perspective is that you share that rational, analytical and orderly side with me. If you are at all familiar with Myers-Briggs, you’ll see that in spiritual communities there tends to be a lot of NFPs and not as many Js, especially TJs. It can be frustrating feeling like my perspective is not well represented or understood. I value psychic and nonphysical experiences because these have become a part of my awareness and experience of life, but I am still an orderly, rational, mental, and analytical person. I approach my psychic practice with that perspective, first and foremost.
That being said, I have definitely struggled with doubting my intuition and letting myself just be wrong. Virgos especially struggle with being wrong as we feel it is a duty to always be correct, and that has been my biggest hurdle. But I think I have recently crossed my point of no return, and I’ve noticed that psychic information floods in and provides me with accurate data that does actually hold up in the real world. The more it comes, the more easily it comes, and the more there is to work with…showing me that my information is valid and trustworthy. Or at the very least the method is trustworthy. I still have a long way to go, and I am very much wanting to train as a psychic professional.
Hello Iseke,
I know of the Meyer-Briggs, and I came back INTP, especially heavy on the Perceptual part! Up unto that point, I always thought of myself as an Extrovert, and was stunned to find out that I am actually Introverted!!!
What I am getting to, if you came back an Introvert, with practice, you should do just fine!!! You will be able to move past the Judgmental part of yourself, and get more into the Introverted side of yourself!
I wish you nothing but Best Wishes on your practicing! I can see you making some headway, and eventually accomplishing your Goal!!!
Hi Iseke,
I am actually INFP but I was influenced heavily by one of my TJ parents and have an analytical educational background.
Anyway, so glad to hear you find the article/my perspective helpful!!
Ed – I received your email. I have some ideas about how you can proceed and will send those to you in the next day or two!
Anna:
Wow, yeah, I guess parental influence really does play a role. I had figured you came off as an INFJ, but I can see where you would get that analytical side from.
Ed Lawrence:
I test INTJ, and yes, I am incredibly introverted. That doesn’t bother me so much because I have learned to work with people when I need to. It’s more the thinking and judging perspective: NTs tend to be skeptical of spiritual or religious topics in general, whereas NFs are the vast majority of spiritual groups…leaving me awkwardly in the middle. It’s not a bad thing though, just a different perspective. I have found it fascinating to consider the role personality plays in our spiritual practice and like to consider these kinds of things, drawing parallels and making observations.
Dear Iseke,
I am terribly sorry! I was thinking of the FIRST part, Introvert vs Extrovert! I am a very PERCEPTUAL person, and now that I went back and checked the Meyers-Briggs info. that I still have, I can now fully understand your statement! PLEASE forgive my error!!! I had to learn a very LONG time ago to work with Extrovert’s, my Father was a INTENSE Type ‘A’!!!
I think that with the Perceptual, I came back 100%! That’s how strong it is within me! Like I said, I came back a INFP!, I even had the wrong info on ME! We all make mistakes! LOL!!! I will admit, I do tend to wear my heart on my sleeves, and people’s thoughts or comments to me, can tear me down, or help me to move further along! I use to let them “destroy” me, because I took everything so personal!
Hence, me writing an apology of sorts! LOL!!! It’s a habit that is hard to break, but I’ve been doing so very well lately!!!
Both of my parents are TJ’s! Hence, their doubt when I would tell them something that happened, or was going to happen! Very frustrating, and what a relief when I moved, and finally found myself!
Anna,
Thank You from the bottom of my Heart for your HELP!!! Everything that I’ve learned, is either through intuition, that was later validated, or by finding something on the subject, and reading it! I never had anyone to guide or help me, and it is lonely when you feel as though you’re just disconnected from everyone! Meaning, I feel as though people don’t get me, or what I am trying to convey, because I am only trying to protect, or give them information to protect themselves!!!!
Ed