Makes It Stronger!
Catherine Nelson, Ph.D.
July – August 2026 • Vol 4, No 23
The dictionary says our intuition is “an immediate knowing without the conscious use of reasoning.” Some say it is a feeling or a premonition that something is going to happen. Others say it’s a gift from Spirit. All of us have intuition, but many of us ignore or even deny it. In our culture, we strongly emphasize making decisions based on facts, previous history, probability, logic, etc. If someone is challenged in making a decision, the person will have more “credibility” if the decision is based on known current facts, logic, deductions, or established history. The interesting thing about intuition is that there may not be any facts, or logical conclusion, or history. Some of us will shrink from saying, “I have a hunch” or “my intuition is…” In many ways, the source of our intuition is beyond three-dimensional space and time.
Our children are often socialized to only trust facts, knowledge, and believe “authorities.” Some children will know their intuition is telling them that someone in their life is not trustworthy or has ulterior motives that the adults do not see. When we weaken a child’s ability to trust his or her intuition, we can actually weaken the ability of the child to feel safe and be safe. Our intuition can be superior to our worldly facts and logic or whatever the authorities tell us.
Bill owns a small ranch and enjoys being outdoors with his wife, his dog, and his horses. He recently bought a young quarter horse mare for his wife. He noticed that the mare seems more reactive to things the other horses tolerate. He recently took the mare to the vet to see if she has ulcers from all of the changes and travels she experienced. The vet partially sedated the mare who was standing in a metal frame to support her. The vet inserted the camera tube in her mouth, throat, and stomach, and there were no signs of ulcers. When the vet finished, the mare could hardly stand because of the amount of sedation. The vet was surprised at the horse’s slow recovery. Bill wished he had shared his awareness of her sensitivity, but he hesitated to do so. He had to take considerable time to walk the horse outside so she could fully recover and be able to stand in the trailer to safely go home.
A friend told me about something that happened to her last week. She planned to do some shopping in the morning and drove downtown. When she was about halfway to the grocery store, she stopped at a traffic light. Instead of driving straight ahead, her usual way, she felt a strong impulse to turn right at the intersection. She did turn right and drove to the store. Later that day, she heard on the news that there was a major auto accident further down the road she would have normally taken. The traffic was delayed for several hours. She was so grateful she followed her guidance to turn to the right at the light.
Lana is a volunteer at a nonprofit facility for homeless people. During the day, individuals can come in, get a shower, wash some clothes, enjoy a dinner, and stay over one night. Lana’s job is to welcome each person, get them registered, tell them how to use the services and help them get settled. One day, an older woman named Marty registered and seemed especially friendly. Lana helped the woman go upstairs and get settled in the women’s wing of the building. However, Lana had an uneasy feeling about her. Later, at dinner time, Lana did not see Marty anywhere. Everyone was supposed to be in the dining room area. Lana went upstairs to look for Marty. Lana opened the door and saw Marty rifling through other women’s bags looking for cash. Lana called one of the security officers, and Marty was escorted out of the building. It would have been a major loss for the women to lose the few dollars they had.
On a crisp Friday morning, Sam is about to go on a three-day holiday. All four family members have packed their bags and put them in the car’s trunk. They are in the car impatiently waiting for Sam to start driving. Sam says he has to go back into the house to get one more thing. Actually, Sam has an odd feeling in his stomach and does not know why. He believes he could have forgotten something and wants to give it one more check. He looks in all the rooms but there isn’t anything he has forgotten. The last room is the kitchen. He takes a quick look and suddenly sees that a stove lights for one of the burners is still on. Now he knows why he had to come back into their house. He turns off the burner, and with a great sigh of relief, he is now ready to hit the road.
So, how much do you value and trust your intuition? Do you have moments when you hold back? Are you afraid of being embarrassed? Are you willing to trust your spontaneous guidance? Remember that the more you trust your intuition, the stronger this gift can become for you. Someday it could save your life or the life of someone you love.
Catherine Nelson, Ph.D. has a counseling practice in Bozeman with many years of experience working with individuals and groups. She has taught at the Barbara Brennan School of Healing and is a certified Pathwork Helper. She offers workshops on personal transformation and energy healing and is available for individual sessions. Call Catherine at (406) 585-8025. E-mail to: cnhobbit@gmail.com.
