I got an email this morning from someone – I’m on his mailing list – and he said, “if you follow me at all, you’ll know….” My head tilted to the side a bit, just like my dog’s does when he hears a noise he doesn’t quite get, and I did make a Scooby-type noise.

Here’s what I thought: I don’t follow you, we have a relationship. I read your stuff, you speak to me. We’re distantly related tribespeople. Don’t you know this? ‘Follow’ is social media stuff!

And then I thought about my writing. “Oh gee, (really, I said something else) I hope YOU feel that we are in the same tribe, and you’re just reading my stuff!”

So…to the post…if you’ve been reading my stuff for a while, you’ll know that I often talk about listening to our intuition. And as a result, one of the most common questions I get is: how do I distinguish intuition from projection?

Let me start by saying that I think that question shows a lot of integrity. People who ask it want to make sure that they aren’t just using intuition as an excuse to do what they want, so yay, you!

Also, projection isn’t the only thing that can masquerade as your intuition. Fear, outdated beliefs, shoulds, other people’s opinions and expectations, social conditioning…lots of things can interfere with a clear transmission.

So how do we know when it’s really our intuition?

The question indicates that maybe our intuition, like any muscle, needs some strength building exercise. Which means we have to target that muscle group! So here are some tips to help make sure that we’re actually flexing our intuition:

• Is the message helpful or hurtful? Hint: intuition is not about hurting!
• Is your response guilt, shame, anxiety, fear or judgment? Can you recognize someone else’s strident voice or harsh words? Hint: you’ve probably engaged other people’s opinions or social conditioning.
• Does it feel like guidance? Is it aligned with other intuitive guidance? Does it sound like a loving, supportive voice? Hint: sounds like intuition. Note: it might be asking you to move outside your comfort zone, which is different than fear and anxiety.
• Can you feel it in your body? In your truth center? Does it feel in alignment with your values? Will following it lead you to be a version of yourself that you like? Hint: yup, that’s it.

Here’s the thing: chances are very good that you DO know when it’s your own intuition. You know if you’re trying to fool yourself. You just have to spend more reps in the trust department!

In the meantime, remember these things: You are loved. We are all loved. Let’s all be kind. And in all things – progress, not perfection!

Love and light,

Maggie

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Do you like these blogs? Think you might want to work with me? Send me an email and we can set up a time to talk: maggie@maggiehuffman.com