Listening in the Dark: Women Reclaiming the Power of Intuition

I picked this up in a Little Free Library yesterday afternoon, and when I woke up this morning, I read it straight through before coffee. I think it's worth checking out if you have had experiences with intuition, or gut instinct. It's not an exclusively female trait, but I agree with the essayists that under patriarchal/societal oppression that women and girls are pressed to conform and ignore that inner voice. From my own experience, I can say that listening in the dark kept me safe in some situations, and that not following my instincts didn't turn out well in other situations.

One contributor to the book, Dr. Nicole Apellan, survivalist (you might remember her on the series Alone) and anthropologist, points out that one needs to show more quiet the mind and be in your body to hear that voice. I really appreciate her list of ways to practice that form of mindfulness that is tied to nature. I find in my own life that being outside is keep to mental health, and that gardening provides a way of moving meditation that quiets my anxiety. Growing things and watching the turn of the seasons nourish the soul.

“Wakan Tanka” — Great Mystery
Teach me how to trust
my heart,
my mind,
my intuition,
my inner knowing,
the senses of my body,
the blessings of my spirit.
Teach me to trust these things
so that I may enter my Sacred Space
and love beyond my fear,
and thus Walk in Balance
with the passing of each glorious Sun.

~Lakota Prayer

Note that the quote Apellan attributed to Albert Einstein should be to Samples.
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/09/18/intuitive-mind/

“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.”
― Bob Samples show less