For those with any form of intuitive skills, but especially those with emphatic abilities, the question is always, how do it know if I am intuitively sensing something, such as, another person’s emotions, or if it is my own thoughts, emotions, imagination etc.?
It’s a great question. It requires you to do some self-evaluation to know the answer to this. Begin by taking a really deep hard look at your biases. You have thoughts, beliefs, values, and judgments about yourself, other people, the world and how it should all be working and performing. Even the most enlightened person has these biases. If you are really grounded and clear as to what yours are, it will be so much easier to determine whose thoughts, ideas, images and emotions you are experiencing, yours or someone else’s.
Next, consider the basis for your realization. Can you connect it to something about you, a thought or an experience that is yours? If you can, it is at the very least a combination of you and the other person, and often just you. Also ask, am I thinking, “I think this is what I would think/feel if I was in this situation?” If that is true, then you are projecting onto the other person or onto the situation, not necessarily experiencing intuition from outside of you. If you are considering, listening, tuning into the other person, the situation itself, the energy of something aside from you, then you are more likely having an intuition from an outside source, a psychic intuition.
This requires you to be able to see yourself clearly, know what you would do, feel and/or think, set it aside and tune into what is outside of yourself. Only then can you determine what is coming from inside you as the source and what is not. It takes practice.
One way to practice is to look at photos or read stories with another person. First, without interacting, each of you look at the photo or read the story, then write down all of your personal thoughts and feelings related to it. Really focus on your personal thoughts and emotions, don’t try to imagine what others might think or feel, focus on you. Then one person will close their eyes and visually take action to set aside their thoughts and emotions opening up their mind and heart to the other person. Be purposeful and actionable at setting aside yourself, your thoughts, and feelings. The other person will continue to focus on their thoughts and emotions, either writing them down or holding them in their mind and heart. The person who set their own stuff aside will then attempt to tune into the other person to “read” their thoughts and emotions. Write them down. Then switch. The other person clears their heart and mind, while their partner recalls their own thoughts and emotions repeating the process in reverse. Then compare notes and see how you did reading each other’s thoughts and emotions vs projecting your own. This takes practice, as I said. Don’t expect to be able to discern this right away.
You can do this over distances too. You do not need to be in the same room, though sometimes that helps. You can do this alone also. Find cards like Tarot or Oracle cards with images that have attached messages. You can even use books or other images you have for yourself. Without looking at the image or card, ask what the message of the card is. Since you have no way to know other than to receive an intuitive message if you are not looking at it, anything you get that matches the card or item is most likely intuitive. Once you get the hang of hearing the difference in the two, it will be easier to determine which is which.
Also, does it matter? Does it matter if the insight I receive comes from myself or from an outside source? Well, maybe and maybe not. Ask yourself, is it positive? Is it helpful? Does it lift people up, see them honestly, open space for growth and learning? If it does those things, then where it comes from may not really matter. It’s helpful or useful, so go with it. Use it to support, encourage, uplift, teach whatever.
If the information, feeling, image etc. is negative, seems harsh or harmful, tears people down, judges them harshly, or doesn’t seem like it has a purpose, it doesn’t matter where that came from either. It’s not something to give more energy to. It’s not helpful. Let it go.
There is a difference in hearing a message that is kind and supportive that you do not want to hear because it is hard to hear, like that you are losing a job or made a mistake, but there are no judgments in messages from the spirit realm. It is just information to know and use as needed. You may hear a change is coming, and that it might be hard to manage. You will never be told you are a failure, useless and can’t handle something. You might be told you or someone made a mistake, misjudged something or hurt another person’s feelings. You will not be told you are a bad person, that you should have been better or anything that tears you down. If it is from the universe, guides, angels or divine energy it is going to be honest, neutral, possibly hard to hear, but not judgmental or scolding. That is another way to know who it is from. Humans have egos. Egos judge and tend to try to protect with attacks and defensiveness. Spirits do not need to do that. They are beyond that. They see the big picture now, where all of that angst is not necessary. There is no need for it.
If spirits have anger, pain, and seem to be suffering that is about their journey after their life here. Some people have some things to deal with, come to terms with, or learn from after they die. That can be painful to do if you lived a life where you hurt others or were unkind. Those sorts of feelings may not feel positive, but they can be, as they are about the spirit coming to terms with their life, finding their lessons, and asking for forgiveness. They will not do this by lashing out at the living for their part in their pain. That is for us to deal with when we die. They may give warnings that if we continue down a certain path, we may be hurt, but again, it will not feel judgmental. It will feel more neutral, like some information to know vs. a threat.
Intuition vs. self can be easy to figure out, but first you have to know yourself really well. Use what you know in combination with your psychically intuited information to support, encourage, and uplift those around you. That is what it is all for anyway.
Hope this helps!
Namaste