Anita allowed her intuition to lead her on a journey of self discovery. . . . . . . . . As a Counsellor and Trainer, she shares with you how her life changed when she learnt to listen to her intuition. Her life has been full of synchronicities and she will help you to identify yours. She invites you to join her on her solo trip to New Zealand where she identified 28 lessons she experienced along the way and by recognising and learning from each one she became more aware of her intuition. Anita encourages you to use her experiences as a lesson on developing your own intuition too. 'Too many doubt their own potential and never try to achieve their dream, because they have been damaged by bad thought patterns. Allowing myself to be free to 'experience' was giving me permission to rebel from the 'normality of middle age'. It was a huge awakening and women everywhere were asking 'Don't you feel lonely'. Surprisingly, I didn't!' Learning how to change her thought patterns changed her life! She had already made major changes in her life and felt more in tune with her destiny but now began to take much bigger steps toward achieving it. The journey became exciting and the more she trusted her intuition the more fulfilled she became. The synchronicities that happened, the people she met, the places she visited were all part of the bigger picture . . . and she knew she was not necessarily meant to know the reasons why . . . 'all we need to do is experience what is happening now and not force the outcome, everything will be revealed when the time is right.' Share Anita's journey and follow her tips on how to listen and act on your own intuition so you can manifest your dreams into reality.

Awakening TO THE POWER OF INTUITION

LEARN TWENTY-EIGHT LESSONS TO CHANGE YOUR LIFEBy Anita Martin

BALBOA PRESS

Copyright © 2011 Anita Martin
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-3968-3

Contents

Acknowledgements..............................................ixIntroduction..................................................xi1 Discovering My Intuition....................................12 Trusting my Intuition.......................................83 A Journey Of Intuition In New Zealand.......................144 Coincidences or Synchronicities.............................1205 People Come Into Your Life For A Reason.....................1276 Embracing The Now...........................................137Conclusion....................................................145About The Author..............................................147Resources.....................................................149

Chapter One

DISCOVERING MY INTUITION

`You get back what you give out' what I give out is what I attract in so I will only give to others the love I want to receive back.

Today I questioned ... and dared to doubt. Why? Because I'm human!

I felt anxious, threatened, lonely and sad. I questioned so much ... because I'm human!

We must never forget that we are human. A difficult lesson when we are developing spiritually, but one that constantly comes back to haunt us just when we thought we were growing so well.

It was a difficult day when my emotions felt raw and I felt tested on all levels, but I realised just how much I had grown when I knew despite all those negative feelings that were rushing through me I never doubted `trust'. I knew all that was happening was for my higher good and all would be revealed when the time was right. How did I know? I guess this is how I identified my intuition. Some call it a `gut' feeling, though I always remember a student attending one of my courses naming it for himself as a `knowing' and that resonated with me. If you have learned to listen to your body then you will certainly know what I'm talking about. It's that feeling when everything in your body feels positive or negative, depending on the situation you find yourself in.

Another student of mine once revealed `There's a new person at work who really winds me up and I don't know why but I really dislike her'.

We don't always have to know the reason, but our body never lies, whereas our mind constantly plays tricks on us. If you learn to listen to your body you will take the short cut to getting where you want to be, whereas if you listen to your head you may take all sorts of paths that don't `feel' right and your body will probably suffer the consequences.

So many people suffer with all sorts of ailments and even serious health conditions simply because they didn't listen to the signals that were loud and clear. Many people have written books about this very subject, Louise Hay `Heal Your Life' and David Hamilton `How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body' to name but two who have had a great deal of influence on my thinking.

Here is an example of when my intuition worked for me....

After deciding to change direction with my career I hit a very questioning time which resulted in me feeling I was on `shaky ground'. I knew my energy was fired up when working on my spiritual growth, but as soon as I tried to direct my attention toward the bread and butter side of my business my energy changed and I had felt for some time that I was being pulled away from that part of it, but it felt irresponsible as I needed that part of my work to keep my earnings at a level to survive.

My ego was reacting big time as I began to look for another source of income. I had a chance to work as a nurse on a night shift in a residential home. It felt so wrong and when I was initially asked I was torn between listening to my intuition which said `No, you don't need to do this, something else will come along, versus my left brain saying `What are you thinking about, be responsible and get out there and just do it.' I hesitated and said I'd think about it and get back to them. I felt as if I would be stepping back in time, having previously run a small residential home for the elderly and lived in it with my family for seven years, followed by working as a Manager in a larger Residential home for another four years. Hence, I was finding it very uncomfortable to step back into those shoes again as previously it had led me to experience `burn out' and I had purposefully stepped out of that role when my intuition led me to work as a personal development trainer.

I went and sat in the garden to think about it logically with my left brain dominating my thoughts. It did make sense to swallow hard and get on with it, so after a lot of debating between my thoughts and feelings I allowed my left brain to win and denied my right brain (intuitive side) to have a voice. However when I rang back to offer my services I was informed that the shift had been given to another nurse. I felt a great sense of relief. I had been taken care of! My right brain won after all—hooray! My body immediately lost its tension and felt free and I knew I would be looked after as a result ... and I was. I was offered work in training from a source that was completely new to me and hence led to much bigger opportunities!

Another occasion when I tried to address my `left' brains desire to sort out my finances, I set out for an interview to sell programmes at an annual event in the area. Again, it felt so wrong but my ego (left brain) was telling me to be sensible and do something to increase my income.

I decided to go along and find out more but on the way there I started to feel very emotional, until the tears were pouring down my face. How could I face an interview looking like this! However I was not allowing myself to get out of it that easily, so I drove on until I arrived at the gate. It was not very clear how to find the office and I felt at a loss as to where to go. Then I was aware of time passing and began to worry about being late. It began to dawn on me that I wasn't meant to go and decided to drive off, with an immense feeling of relief again!

My body knew far more than I dared to admit to but gradually I was becoming more and more aware of just how powerful my intuition was and more importantly how to listen to it. Remember—your body never lies!

Lessons can come in all shapes and sizes and we don't always learn the significance of them until later. However much I doubted and felt anxious I never stopped `trusting' for a moment. To me that was what kept me going through all the `shaky' moments.

I realized I had truly stepped onto my `inner journey' when I started acting on my `inner voice' without understanding why. And when exactly, you may ask did that happen ...

Well I guess it really began many moons ago when I was a naive seventeen year old. Looking back I recognised how often synchronicities had played a part in my life; I just wasn't aware of them until later when I understood more about them. At College I made friends with a fellow student Jeni, who was lodging with a lady called Irene, who we later discovered was telepathic. We were both intrigued by her and would spend many hours having lengthy discussions about all sorts of issues around `why people behave the way they do'. Irene seemed to know us so well and on occasions would say things to us which we had been thinking before we had a chance to open our mouths. As we grew away from that part of our lives neither of us were aware of just how much of an influence Irene had actually had on us individually.

When I was young I always wanted to teach but never considered myself clever enough to go to teachers training college so didn't even attempt it. I ended up going away to train as a nurse, even though I was very squeamish. How strange was it that many years later, I found myself training adults, or was it strange at all?!! For the first time in my life I `felt' I was doing what felt right. That `knowing' feeling is so different from that feeling `I will make the most of it', which so many of us experience when we are not doing what we really feel is right for us. Even though we may not know what we want to do we can identify the feeling when we're doing the wrong thing or find ourselves in the wrong relationship. Being in a relationship can be very difficult if we are not connected at a `soul' level. A true connection is not about possession, it's about allowing your partner to be free, knowing that what you have and share together holds no boundaries and you are together where ever you are.

I have been very privileged in having many soul connections throughout my life and understand that I was meant to experience many different types of relationships in order to understand what relationships are about and to assist others to intuitively follow their own paths rather than be influenced by others. I do believe that we were all born with our own lessons to learn and if you look around you it is often quite obvious what people's lessons are. Some are tested with health issues all through their lives, others with finance or relationships. Of course most of us will have a combination of many lessons but some of us do seem to be particularly tested in one area and for me I would have to say it definitely feels as if it's been relationships.

My first love had a powerful affect on me and when it came to a sudden end I was devastated, even though I had anticipated that we may grow apart eventually, I just wasn't prepared for it when it happened. My first real taste of rejection and abandonment was a huge lesson and I learnt to duck and dive well to avoid repeating that lesson. However by doing so I created many other lessons which were just as painful and so my journey on relationships had begun....

Each relationship has taught me many things, mostly about myself and sometimes I have unintentionally repeated the lesson with the next relationship. However, when I have recognized the lesson I have been able to move on quicker without experiencing the hurt all over again or as intensely.

One of my truly amazing relationships was with Robin. I met him when I was training to be a nurse. He was admitted into casualty and then onto accident ward, where I was working at the time. He was the driver in a fatal car crash. His fiancée and mother were with him and sadly his fiancée died and his mother was taken to intensive care with numerous injuries. Robin had a broken leg.

Over the following weeks I would spend time with Robin allowing him to talk his feelings out and was filled with sympathy for him. I chaperoned him to visit his mother who was still attached to a lot of tubes and even though Robin was a medical student he was very vulnerable when it came to seeing his own mother looking as poorly as she did. I tried to prepare him but he still looked shocked when confronted with her. Despite being full of guilt Robin never lost his wonderful sense of humour which seemed to support him through his darkest hours.

I left the ward before Robin left the hospital so said my goodbyes and wished him well.

After several months I received a letter addressed very formally to me as he did not even know my Christian name. Those were the days when we were formally addressed! His letter was one of thanks for all the support I gave him and he also asked me if I would allow him to treat me to dinner.

I was stunned and very touched. Of course I accepted and so a six month relationship commenced.

Robin opened my eyes to my own creativity. He encouraged me to write, a passion I had from childhood but had not pursued. We went on holiday to Derbyshire and walked for miles while staying at different B&B's and I became more aware of nature and simple pleasures in life that I had lost touch with previously. Robin was tender and caring and along with his gift to smile and laugh so readily I grew to love him very dearly.

However our relationship ended when our lives naturally took different paths. I don't even remember how or when exactly, so that indicates to me that we must have let go very willingly.

Robin returned to London to continue his training but although he had all the qualities to make an excellent Doctor he struggled with the politics and his real love was hockey.

It was no great surprise to me when I learned years later that Robin did complete his training, but eventually left medicine and went to pursue his dream of becoming a Hockey teacher. He listened and followed his intuition. I learnt so much from that man! He taught me to follow my intuition by writing more which in turn opened opportunities for me also.

Robin opened a door for me and showed me how to value myself and also how to get in touch with my creativity. I will always treasure the memories of him. I believe that everyone comes into our life for a reason even though we may not be able to work out what it is at the time.

Chapter Two

TRUSTING MY INTUITION

`Time' My time is valuable so I will spend more doing things and being with people that fulfil me.

It was 1999 and I was at Gatwick airport waiting to go on holiday. I decided to go and choose a book that I could lose myself in. As I arrived at the book stand I was instantly drawn to a book that was being well publicised `The Journey' by Brandon Bayes. I read the back cover and knew that was the book for me, so bought it. I'm usually quite a slow reader but on this occasion I was totally absorbed by Brandon's story that I could hardly put it down. However I knew her story was affecting me on a personal level and soon recognised that I was looking for change in my life and she was helping me to find it.

After finishing the book I knew I would be acting on what I read in some way, but had no idea how. Soon after reading that book another one came to my attention `The Psychic Pathway' by Sonia Choquette. Again I was personally moved by the words and as I approached the end of the book I was thinking `What could I do with all that I was feeling' Of course it was no coincidence that as I turned to the very end of the book I read `If you want to run a course from Sonia's work, contact her.'

It was as if my question had been answered.... and that's how it works, ask and it is given! And as another saying goes: `Be careful what you ask for'. In the years to follow I learnt so much about the power of my thoughts.

Once I began my journey on self discovery it became addictive as it so often does. I read more books, attended more workshops and was drawn more and more to working with others and helping them on their journey's too.

Having trained as a counsellor and previously a nurse I had been involved in the caring profession for many years already. This time it felt different though. I found myself exploring my childhood dreams of being a teacher, which I had never pursued before. Learning to listen to my intuition led me to train as a trainer which opened a whole new career for me. For the first time in my life I felt I was really doing something that felt right. As a nurse I so often struggled as I was squeamish but my need to please others, led me into a profession that didn't quite sit comfortably with me, though I felt I was doing it for a reason, of which I would discover later....

So my journey as a personal development trainer had begun and hence I soon started running courses on `Developing Intuition' and was amazed how individuals lives began to change, along with mine, as we listened more and more to that `inner voice' we all have deep inside us. Understanding that we all have our own answers and learning to access it can be the most empowering thing for some people. As I unleashed my own inner voice my confidence and self esteem immediately blossomed. I have since watched many individuals be amazed at their own discoveries which have led them to the biggest revelation of all ... learning to truly value themselves. This leads to questioning every relationship we have ever had and soon we can measure our self value by who we `allow' into our lives. If you are surrounded by people who value you then your own self value is good but if you have a lot of `needy' and `demanding' people around you it may be time to look at your own `value system'. We cannot change others behaviour toward us but we can certainly change our response to them, often resulting in a very different response back from them.

Sharon decided that she was fed up always taking the blame when she and her partner John had an argument. John would verbally attack her, knowing exactly how to hurt her.

As Sharon learnt to respond differently, John no longer felt gratification from his comments so ceased to continue with his derogative remarks.

When I was training as a counsellor I soon recognised my desire to work with groups. I remember so clearly sitting in the classroom listening to my tutor and thinking `one day I'll be doing what you're doing'. How significant it was when 7 years later I was doing exactly what he was doing, as a tutor for adult education, delivering counselling courses and in the same room! The power of thought—I never doubt it anymore! Be careful what you wish for....

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Awakening TO THE POWER OF INTUITIONby Anita Martin Copyright © 2011 by Anita Martin. Excerpted by permission of BALBOA PRESS. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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