Trusting Your Vibes
Intuition resides in our heart space. We tend to forget that the heart is an intelligent organ. It is the first organ to develop and is how we measure life. The heart informs the rest of the body’s early growth. The second organ to develop is the cochlear, or the inner ear. The cochlear picks up on vibrations, and as we continue grow, our senses are informed by these primary organs. Our heart and our inner ear are our first intelligence. The heart and vibes are interconnected - the heart both emits and picks up on vibration. Our hearts have their own frequencies (i.e. a heartbeat) and are powerful. In fact, if measured by an EKG machine, the heart emits more electrical activity and even produces an electromagnetic field that is 5,000 stronger than the brain.
We pick up on vibrations, or vibes, all the time, which is our intuition going to work, taking in information that is subconscious. Ever had a woulda, coulda, shoulda moment? One of those events where something didn’t “feel” right and then something happened? You picked up on a vibration.
What exactly do we mean when we talk about vibes, intuition, and spirit? These terms may at first seem interchangeable, a woo-woo new age mantra that feels vague and inaccessible. You might be thinking, “Ladies, what the fuck? What exactly are you talking about?” Great question. Before we go any further, let’s make sure that we’re all on the same page. First matter of business: intuition. Here are a few things that it is not. It’s not predicting the future, reading people’s thoughts, talking to dead people, or using a crystal ball. Intuition is innate. It is not something that is outside of us. Intuition is the act of receiving information on an unconscious level. As human beings, we are receiving information all the time both consciously (I am reading a book) and unconsciously (something about that person makes me uncomfortable).
Your intuition is your inner GPS. When it’s awake and you can hear it, you can navigate life with ease. Having, building, and trusting your intuition means that wherever you go you’ll feel safer, more grounded in yourself, trust your choices, and even be ready to change the world. Simply put, the solutions it provides are more effective, and you’ll get to your intended result faster. It’s the irony of our modern society: actually slowing down, breathing, getting grounded, working on yourself, and staying present will allow you to be more effective and move faster through the insanity we live in. Who’d a thunk?
Intuition works in conjunction with two very powerful, often contradictory, partners. The challenge here is to begin unpacking the differences between your intuition, your emotions, and your mind. Once you understand how these are intertwined, you can tame the beast of your ego and harness the power of your intuition.
The mind is great; it helps us process all the information we are constantly bombarded with and categorizes it. It helps us make sense of the world in a logical, linear way. But, our intellects are not the only way that we receive information, though our society and schooling would tell us otherwise. Think of your intellect or ego (the voice of your intellect) as your super heady friend who always argues with you – the guy who always knows better. It is controlling, fact obsessed, paints the world as black and white, and exists in terms of right and wrong. That said, since the ego is informed by the outside world, it can easily be confused (but would never admit it). It tricks us into listening to other people’s opinions and gets trapped by its biggest nemesis, fear – the ego doesn’t want to be made a fool of.
The ego is informed by the outside world, our experiences, and is in large part shaped by the traumas we’ve endured. Your brain has seen shit. It has been through broken relationships and uncomfortable, downright painful, experiences. And all along it has been learning about the world from the moment your sweet little baby face opened your cute little baby eyes. From that moment your brain started learning and absorbing, taking in the world around you. And based on what you experienced, you might have learned to listen to everyone else but yourself.
Your ego would love for you to believe that its messages of fear and self-protection are coming from your intuition. It’s sneaky like that. We form our ego as a way to protect ourselves and it’s great – if it’s in check. Think of it as a dog that’s constantly barking. You love your dog, you don’t want to shoot your dog, but you want to make sure that it’s properly trained. But how do we tell the difference between the sneaky voice of our ego and that of our intuition? Ask yourself: how does it make you feel? Does it feel constrictive? Is it fearful? Or does it uplift? Is it creative and connecting or does it isolate you? Listening to your heart connects you while listening to your ego disconnects. It’s as simple as that.
A more subtle distinction can be made between your emotions and your intuition. Emotions are vital – they communicate important information that we need to pay attention to. (For example, anger can communicate a need for boundaries.) Emotions can be misleading because we feel them so strongly in the body. But, we must not confuse our emotional world with intuition. The simplest way to differentiate between the two is that emotions come and go, sort of like waves, a beach that is calm one moment and the next is a churning mess that might swallow any passer-by in its chaos. But when you’re out of the crashing waves of emotion, there’s a deeper and generally much wiser voice. Your intuition isn’t as dramatic as your emotion – it is grounded, steadfast, unwavering. It isn’t going to be swayed by what you feel you want, but instead is deeply rooted firmly in what you need.
Following your intuition is really just being able to listen to and trust your authentic self, your Spirit – your true voice. Not the voice of society, parents, friends, or ego. When you start to listen to your intuition, you can relax because you are no longer listening to your fears or other people’s wishes. you intuitively know what you need, what is true, what works for you. You tune out your ego and start to relax and flow with life. Learning to listen to and trust your inner voice is absolutely vital to creating a magical connected and happy life. And we absolutely want you help you create a magical life.
That said, we are not advocating throwing your thoughtful brain out the window to only follow what you hope is your heart and just pray that everything works out. That works for some people (more power to ya!), but in truth, that doesn’t work for most of us. The truth of the matter is that intuition works best when it works with our emotional and intellectual lives – they are complementary partners. BFF’s really. Being organized and informed (i.e. your intellect) not only allows us space to tune into our intuition, but also allows us to trust its guidance. We don’t need to choose one over the other. One of our favorite quotes is from Einstein: “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Nailed it.