One simple way to ask your intuition for guidance
I’m writing this on my son’s birthday. Suddenly he is 33! All these years later I can clearly recall the intensity surrounding his birth. There was drama as he emerged into this world. I will never forget a significant moment during the last stages of labor: will this continue as a so-called natural birth or will surgery be needed. At one point the nurse, who never left my side, was alone with me in the room. (Interestingly we both shared the same name.) I knew that something was happening when my homey-looking surroundings suddenly appeared like an operating room. So, I began to ask questions.
The Drama of Crossroads
The nurse, Kathy, calmly explained the dilemma. I could have easily allowed someone else to solve the problem. But instead, in-between focused breathing, we talked about what could be done. Typical of me, in the moment of heightened tension, I made a suggestion (which I thought) would help things go easier. What stayed with me all this time is gratitude that I embraced this crossroad fully engaged.
My story comes to mind because, well, I’m celebrating its anniversary. But it also makes me think about the many ways our different stories experience a crossroad.
Common to all of our stories is the heaviness of drama that we carry – for days, months, perhaps years. It slow us down. It makes us tired with fatigue. Sometimes we gain extra weight from the stress and the “eating for two” mindset. There is also the long-carried fear of what’s coming next in our lives – fear that something may go terribly wrong. Yet, as we know, there’s an inevitability about change.
Connecting Memories to the Now
This morning I got on the scale. Bad move after a late dinner at a fabulous restaurant! I found I had gained a few pounds. I felt even heavier just looking at the number staring back at me from my toes. And then, a body memory, a felt sense in my core, of carrying something. Simultaneously, there was a realization of being weighed down. Both the birthday and the scale were helping me see something deeper. But what? There it was again, the crossroad: lay there like a lump with eyes closed allowing the drama to run its course or begin asking questions and co-create. It was certainly a synchronous moment connecting my emerging inner wisdom with an encounter.
Interacting with Intuitive Guidance
In those baffling moments when we’re stuck at a life juncture, there is a way to gain deeper awareness of what’s happening. To interact with what is going on, first see if you can recognize signs in your current life, or your dreams, or memories that may be hovering. Pick a common theme, or a pattern presenting itself, and try giving what you are experiencing a name. In my case I decided on the name Heaviness. The name will help you begin to recognize a form or perhaps an emotion that it’s carrying. Create an image – with clay, by drawing, or with words – so you can better visualize. Bringing it to life makes it easier to connect with what is trying to get your attention. Is there a “heaviness” you are holding on to? What fear is lurking around keeping you fatigued and weighed down? What is blocking the inevitability of transformation?
With awareness there seems to be a breakthrough into consciousness. It’s a time when the immensities of worry and fear may give way to something new. After giving your felt experience a name, notice if the focus has shifted to the threshold that is opening. Now, whatever is breaking through has some kind of essence, enough for us to ask What is your purpose for showing up?
There is always a choice to hold back change and turn away from the drama surrounding the transition. There is no shame in this. You’ll know when the time is right to let go, acknowledge something new, and fully embrace it. What story in your life is trying to get your attention? How is your named-image helping to clarify your crossroad?