"And that is what the intuition is for; it is the direct messenger of the soul." ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estés
In April of 2013, I had a realization that I was living the wrong life (insert link to rude awakenings). In the 6 months that followed, I got divorced, moved to a new house, broke my heel for the second time in a year, and questioned my own sanity on more than one occasion. Yet, in the end, it boiled down to this: I spent so many years doing what I thought I needed to do to "make it" that I lost touch with the very things that made my soul sing. That day in April of 2013 I made a decision: It was time to stop living somebody else's life.
Although from the outside looking in it seemed as if I was living the ideal life, in actuality I was living an illusion. So I had to dig deep and figure out who I was and what I wanted. I had to reconnect with my Inner Goddess.
Who is the Inner Goddess? To me, our inner goddess is our connection with the divine feminine essence/the creator of all things (the feminine version of the masculine God, if you will). It's the part of ourselves that connects with Goddess as we understand Her. If inner goddess doesn't work for you, you may like to think of this as your woman's intuition, inner guide, or feminine knowing - the inner wisdom that all women share. All of us have a connection to the feminine divine - it is within us, part of our soul. It's your willingness to collaborate, your unbounded creativity, intuition, nurturing, inner strength, and wisdom beyond your years. It's the feminine part of you that can heal yourself.
Unfortunately, I think many of us have lost touch with these qualities as we have denied or repressed our inner feminine divinity in an effort to fit into a masculine world. After all, in many situations (e.g., job), taking action is remunerated. Do-ing is praised. Following your intuition? Not so much... So we often repress that side of ourselves as we are not rewarded for displaying it. When we become disconnected from the truth of who we are, though, we can experience a myriad of symptoms that manifest in our outer lives. It may be physical symptoms or psychological symptoms.
If you are feeling disconnected from your Inner Goddess, what should you do? When I first realized I was living someone else's life, I decided to try something new. I ended up developing these 6 steps to reconnect with my Inner Goddess:
- Acknowledge What Brought You to This Point in Your Life - you didn't get to where you in life by happenstance. I'm asking you to reflect on where you are right now and what got you to this point.
- Accept Yourself for Who You Are - When I first meet with clients, they want me to "fix" all their emotional or physical problems - preferably in one session. The first thing to know is that even when you feel bad there is nothing to fix. "Fixing" something implies that there is something wrong with you. There isn't. Now that doesn't mean that there is no healing that needs to occur. There is. But healing is different than fixing. Healing is about consciously reconnecting with the Divine and yourself, listening to your body's wisdom, and allowing your connection with your intuition to shine through.
- Cultivate a Relationship with Your Intuition - When I first started reconnecting with my intuition, I was very conscious about the whole process. I chose to do things every day that will allow me to connect with my inner guidance system, like yoga, meditation, or getting a massage. I call them "Goddess Breaks" and they have become a cherished part of my day.
- Exercise Your Power - Change doesn't happen overnight for most people. So when I find myself backsliding, I cut myself some slack and let that serve as another wake-up call to check in with my intuition. Over time, you'll find your intuition coming to the forefront more often. In turn, you'll find yourself more at peace and content being who you are living the life you were meant to live.
- Re-write Your Personal Story - First, get out of victim mode and into empowerment mode. Second, figure out what you want your "story" to be. Who do you want to be moving forward? How do you want to act? You may need to learn a new skill and learn to see your struggles and challenges as a blessing, not a curse so you can feel empowered, rather than sorry for yourself
- New Goddess on the Block: YOU! - You are a Goddess; never forget that. Your intuition is your connection to Her. Take your time with this process and don't expect change overnight. Keep acknowledging what brought you to this point in your life and please, please get support when you need it.
Your intuition will never lead you astray. It may tell you to do something unpopular; you might not always like what it has to say, but believe me when I tell you that it has your best interests at heart.
How can you utilize your intuition more?