The Sixth
Sense - Using Intuition to Receive Information From Spirit
First of all, let me say that
we are born with six senses, not five. The sixth sense, the
one most of us don't know how to apply in everyday life, is
our intuition, inner voice, or psychic awareness. We all have
this power, but for many people it remains repressed. Our
sixth sense relies on our intellect, our five senses, and
our emotions, and works in conjunction with any or all of
them. Not only do clairvoyance, telepathy, and other psychic
phenomena filter through our intuition, but artistic inspiration,
mystical religious experiences, and creative problem solving
do too. All are aspects of intuitive functioning.
Intuition is a sense of knowing,
and this knowing comes from within. This sense of knowing
is spontaneous; it is not a question of analysis. If you put
too much effort into trying to be intuitive, you will impede
the process. In other words, intuition is not something that
you can make happen. It just happens. You can learn to become
aware of it happening. Intuition occurs when our minds are
relaxed and not concentrated on a particular job.
Usually when we let go of
a problem, the answer we seek comes through. For example,
I have a habit of misplacing my keys. It's a common occurrence.
And as soon as I stop looking for the keys, there they are.
It's the same with intuition.
Everyone has had an intuitive
experience. For example, maybe you were thinking of a certain
sweater you wanted to buy for someone. You happen to walk
down a street you usually bypass, and there in a store window
you see the exact sweater, and it's on sale! Something led
you to go down that street to that store to find that particular
sweater. That something was your intuition. It can lead you
to finding the right thing at the right time, and it can lead
you to the spirit world.
Often people think of me as
some sort of miracle worker, but there is nothing superhuman
about speaking with the dead. The only difference between
me and you is that I have learned to use my sixth sense incredibly
well. Like other people who are considered physically gifted,
I have merely learned to distinguish my inner voice and the
voice of spirit from the multitude of opinions and beliefs
swirling through my mind. Any psychic will tell you that it
takes observation, reflection, and trial and error to develop
a strong intuitive sense.
Think of the first time you
tried to drive. You had to begin with the basics, study and
listen to the instructor. The first time you sat behind the
wheel, you had to distinguish the accelerator from the brake
pedal and become familiar with what happens when you put your
foot on either one. You learned how to slow down, to stop,
or to go in reverse. Intuition is like any other skill. The
more you use it, the better you are at it, the more confident
you become, and the smoother the journey. You will find that
using your intuition will enhance every aspect of your life.
Yes, perhaps some have a special
inclination toward psychic awareness and some have refined
it to a master level, but just the same, everyone has intuition.
Like everything else in life, it is up to you to train your
intuition to whatever degree you are willing to reach for.
I am frequently asked, "How
do you know that it is spirit giving you information and not
your own imagination?" In the beginning of my development
as a medium, this was the hardest thing to determine. Like
everyone else, I was so used to listening to my mind for the
answers that at first it was difficult to <I>rethink</I>
information that came through ¾ which is necessary
in order to discern between my own mind chatter and the information
coming from spirit. To be discerning, you have to pay attention
to yourself. I usually tell my students, "To thine own
self be true." In order to get in touch with this sense
of knowingness, you must begin by having an intimate relationship
with yourself. The more you understand your own motives, ideas,
and beliefs, the easier it becomes to separate what is yours
from what is spirit's.
Interpreting Intuition
There are many levels of intuition,
just as there are many levels to ourselves. No one pattern
fits every person. Start with interpreting your thoughts and
feelings. You will have to be honest with yourself. You, more
than anyone else, must know what's going on inside you.
On the physical level, we
may feel bodily sensations warning us of danger or threat.
For instance, a friend of mine named Penny told me about a
time when she was planning a trip to meet her daughter in
Paris. From there, they were going to rent a car and tour
the South of France. She had made her plane reservations and
car rental arrangements and bought several tour books to take
with her. About two weeks before her departure, she began
having terrible stomach cramps. They came out of the blue
and didn't connect to any illness.
She said, "I had had
that problem once before. I think it's fear, like a warning
system in my body." The cramps persisted, but she decided
to go on the trip anyway. "I wasn't afraid of the plane
crashing, but I knew it had to do with the trip."
When she arrived in Paris,
it was raining.
"It rained most of the
time we were in France, and I wondered if that had anything
to do with the cramps. But I didn't think so. Finally, the
answer came the last week of the trip. We were driving into
Cannes, and it was still raining. I had stopped for a red
light at the bottom of a hill. When I looked in my rearview
mirror I saw this car barreling down toward us, and I knew
it wasn't going to stop in time. I turned my eyes forward
and said a quick prayer just as the car slammed into our rear
end. Luckily, I always made sure that my daughter was wearing
her seat belt. If she hadn't been this time, she would have
been hurled through the front window. As soon as the car hit,
I knew that this was the fear I had been feeling. In a way,
I was relieved because it was over. My daughter had to be
taken to the hospital, but she was all right, just had a neck
strain."
...Bodily responses are definitely
a source of intuitive information. Learn to listen to them,
or at least notice them. As for my friend, she was a very
aware lady, in touch with herself and her feelings.
...Just as the physical body
sends us messages, so do our emotions. People often tell me
that when they first met their husband or wife, they knew
he or she was "the one." Usually this happens in
spite of preconceived notions about one's ideal lover.
...On the mental level, intuition
usually comes in images. This is the level of creative problem
solving. Inventors often claim that their inventions come
to them in daydreams, night dreams, or when they are not focusing
on the problem. People in top management positions usually
say they get a "gut feeling" about a certain decision.
The ability to know intuitively what will succeed definitely
adds to a person's success rate in business.
Last but not least, there
is such a thing as the spiritual level of intuition - the
mystical experience of knowing. This is the glimpse into the
true reality of our existence. Moments of spiritual intuition
are unforgettable.
| Authors Details: Sixth Sense - Author
James Van Praagh Excerpt from 'Heaven and Earth: Making
the Psychic Connection' |
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