Our Encourager of the month is Julie Barrett from A Clear Sign.
[success]One of the virtues of being very young is that you don’t let the facts get in the way of your imagination. ~ Sam Levenson[/success]
Julie follows the wisdom of this quote, because this concept led her to live the life of her dreams.
Julie left the corporate world with nary a backward glance and began the move into the realm of her passion. After taking a course on professional intuitive development she had her ‘light bulb’ moment and has never looked back. Love that about her.
Today she has a thriving business offering intuitive readings and development counseling.
And if you ever wanted to move into the realm of your passion, but weren’t certain how to go about it, perhaps Julie’s story will be just the encouragement you need.
[success]I would like to recapture that freshness of vision which is characteristic of extreme youth when all the world is new to it. ~ Henri Matiss [/success]
“When I first encountered my intuition as an adult, it reminded me of being a child again. I don’t think it’s a mistake that I had children late in life, which coincided perfectly with my awakening to the world of spirituality.
When you encounter a sign or a synchronicity from spirit, one that is so crystal clear that it cannot be missed, you regain that wondrous, joyous place of imagination that so often eludes us as we wander through the world as working, multi-tasking adults.
I’m pretty sure that I mainly saw children as an annoyance, short things that came in on Take Your Child To Work Day. Objects in the way of the copy machine or a race to talk to the boss before he rushed out the door. That is, until I had them.
After a ridiculously trying effort to have them, I had one who was sick. Not so sick that he wouldn’t become well, but the kind of sick that kept you up all night worrying and created permanent frown lines during the day.
Here is how I first started getting back in touch with my intuition. It came at his birth, when we had to decide how he would come into the world. He was not acting “right”, said the obstetrician. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew that it was wrong, and he recommended a c-section. Naturally all of the other women in the birthing class thought this was a fate worse than death, but I listened to the doctor, my husband and my father, who all said,”It’s not important how he comes into the world, just that he does.” Also, I flipped a coin. Just to “be sure”, you see.
Trust me when I tell you that there was a reason for it, and a very good one. Then all my paranoia about his safety became clear when we heard about the underdevelopment issue. Several years into his life (and what felt like decades of mine), his little brother came into the world and I “just knew” that he was going to present a different challenge.
He did – he screamed our ears off with colic for an unprecedented six months.
That child came into the world staring at the ceiling, babbling at something slightly off to Stage Right. I would look at the older one, who couldn’t get any rest due to the screaming, and I’d feel sorry for him. Really sorry. Something about the baby – I couldn’t tell you what – made me remember myself as a child.
We know that each of us comes with a filter, a lens through which we see the world. That has never been clearer to me in two things – parenting and intuition. As I navigated the world of parenting, I began to genuinely enjoy these children, their friends, and the walk through life that begins at about 4 – not so young they don’t know their own mind, and not so old that they understand very much about it and so often say very funny things. Those different perspectives gave me a little glimpse into something I’d long ago forgotten about – joy in life, seizing the moment, just having fun wherever you found yourself, no matter what the conditions.
[success] The great man is he who does not lose his child’s-heart. ~ Mencius, Book IV [/success]
I noticed that the little one would often be talking to someone in the backseat, someone who was not “there.” This imaginary friend reminded me a whole lot of my mother. Which reminded me of myself as a four year old. Which reminded me that my mother always was interested in spirituality. I hadn’t consciously remembered that, exactly, it kind of came back to me in little bits and pieces of memories.
I finally remembered that this was a path I was on, but decided without thinking to get off. Then adulthood set in, and I had to be honest that I was not having very much fun with adulthood.
So one morning as if my fingers had a life of their own, I gravitated to the computer, and pulled up a course on intuitive development that I had seen several times. My fingers bought the course, even as my eyes bugged out of their head at the price tag. I had just lost my job, and it seemed completely irrational to spend the money. But my fingers said they were doing it anyway and pressed “send.”
A few weeks later I took the course, and with my eyes closed in meditation for the very first time, I met my conduit guide who would lead me to doing intuitive readings for other people. It’s where “reality” hits fantasy, everything explodes, and just like a child again, you regain your sense of wonder about the universe and your place in it.
No place of imagination could be better.”
Maybe we should all follow Julie’s lead and integrate every part of us as we rediscover the brilliant amazing being that sits at the very core of who we are. Our true Self.
To find out more about Julie, visit her here. You might find just what you’re looking for.
Encourage one another.
Love Elle
xoxo
15 Comments
I love hearing stories like this. I follow Julie’s blog and I enjoyed hearing her backstory. I made some effort to develop my intuition in my twenties. I always try to follow my intuition even if it doesn’t seem to make sense.
Having children definitely helps us reconnect with our inner child. One of my favorite things has been to play on the playground with my daughter. We’ll swing, play on the monkey bars and just have a great time.
And it’s fun to watch kids play Eric. They’re so spontaneous and filled with the joys of spring. Keeping that part of us alive in our hearts is a surefire way to stay in touch with our intuition. Do you have different experiences in life when you follow your inner voice?
Yes, absolutely. Things work out so much better when I follow my inner voice. There have been times where I resisted, because I applied logic instead of following my intuition and those times never go like you logically think they would. It take a lot of practice to know when to ignore logic and to trust yourself enough to go with your inner voice, but I have found it to be a very worthwhile thing to practice.
That’s great advice for us all. Thanks Eric. 🙂
Eric, I loved your comment about logical actions never quite turning out how you would logically expect them to do. That is so true! It’s really tough to go with your gut when it flies in the face of any kind of good logical outcome…but it’s always the way.
Hi Elle, Thank you for sharing my story! Love the new site design 🙂
Thank you Jule for being the encourager of the month. The site definitely pleases my heart! 🙂
This post really hits home for me, Elle! An articulate reminder that awareness, curiosity, wonder and delight are hard-wired into us at birth…and that the trick isn’t to go looking for them again now that we’re adults, but just to get rid of some of the layers of structure, stress & cynicism that have grown over them, and let them see the light of day. If there’s any magic to this, it’s in how simple it really is to see the world & life like a five-year-old.
Good for you — and for Julie — for being such good encouragers!
Hello Jeffrey and welcome to the conversation…nice thought, see the world and life like a five year old. And thank you for the kind words. 🙂
Hi Jeffrey, As my newly minted five year old told me yesterday, while hanging precariously in the air balanced half on the side of a chair and half on a box,”Don’t you wish you were a kid again?” Half of me wanted to get him down before he broke a leg and helf of me wanted to join him,
Thank you Elle for sharing Julie’s story. Children truly are a blessing and teach us many things. I’m happy she found the courage to listen and follow her heart leading her in doing the work she loves.
Thanks for stopping by Pat – sorry it took so long to respond. A day in the air and a fritzy computer can lead to strange things! 🙂
Love your story Julie!
It’s so funny… I’ve been seeing your name around and have been meaning to check out your blog. And then here you are!
I can completely relate to your post on several levels, as a parent of three boys and a teacher of 4 and 5 year olds. I have gotten to relive my childhood on a daily basis as a teacher. But being a parent is definitely different. I’ve become a better teacher when I become a parent because many “blanks” were filled in. I also discovered a certain “psychic bond” with the kids where we could almost read each other’s minds. Maybe that was my intuition kicking in.
Thanks, Elle, for having such a great guest post!!
xoxo
Betsy
So glad to introduce you to Julie, Betsy. And how cool that you have that psychic bond…do you think it’s a Mum thing? 🙂
Hi Betsy,
I love that – a psychic bond!
Four is my all-time favorite age. That time around 4 and 5 is when they start to read (my favorite thing) and in my mind reading is what opens the whole world to us for the rest of our lives.
I’m glad that you’re saying you’re seeing me around and I shall come visit you now 🙂