Intuition, Messages, & Guidance from Beyond: A Midwife's Story (part 1)
I recently had an inspiration in the form of a loud thought, along with a big lightbulb moment. The idea was to write a story about intuition in birth work. The inspiration for this article was a message in and of itself. I never ever get excited about writing, but from the moment this idea hit me, I have not been able to stop thinking about it, taking notes, and actually being super excited to write!
Just in this first paragraph, we can see elements of the intuitive message or intuitive hit:
1. An idea that comes seemingly out of nowhere
2. A light bulb moment or big aha along with a YES moment
3. An ongoing excitement to get this project started
4. Ongoing guidance, support and validation in all sorts of forms.
For instance, on the same day that I had the inspiration for this article, I read an astrology reading for Aries (my sign) that this month is all about intuition for us Aries.
What is intuition?
Dictionary definition:
"The ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning."
Where do the messages come from?
The most common answer is from our subconscious. I understand intuition as the ability to receive and recognize guidance from our guides, angels, higher self consciousness and spirit.
How do we interpret, trust, hear, see and feel intuitive messages? What forms do they come in?
The possibilities are endless. Every person has their own unique intuitive gifts. I am clairvoyant (see), clairaudient (hear), clairsentient (feel).
I get intuitive messages and guidance in dreams, and in waking states.
Some common ways humans receive messages:
A strong sense of knowing something, that cannot be explained away as rational or provable.
An immediate physical response. Many people know the gut feeling, but physical responses can be experienced in many different ways throughout the body, such as tingling, goosebumps, lightheadedness or nausea for example.
For some people messages come in between the sleep and wake state such as in the morning when they are coming out of deep sleep and starting the process of waking up. This is when our brain waves are in 'theta' which is a prime state to catch messages.
Messages can also come in images, symbols, sounds such as verbally in our heads, thoughts or ideas, numerically, a random phone call, even electronically! I have gotten messages by something random popping up on instagram or google that catches my eye, and something tells me to follow the lead! All modes of delivery are possible.
Sometimes I get a knock or a whack on the head (I actually feel it!) I hear a word, sentence or phrase that I have never used before that is not my typical vocabulary. I hear a song and the words are the message. (I was just reminded of this as I just heard in my head Tom Petty sing 'the waiting is the hardest part' … definitely what Ii needed to hear today !)
A thought that keeps trying to get my attention. The thought keeps coming back, and keeps at me, annoying me, until I find myself saying OK! I get it! Then and only then it stops, as my guides, spirit, subconscious, know that I have received the message.
I have been involved with pregnant and birthing people since 1976 when 4 of my friends and I all decided to have babies together. I saw a spirit for the first time during my pregnancy. She was white and glowing and appeared right in front of me as I was walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I almost walked into her. I remember it vividly, what really stood out for me was that the apparition did not scare me. This was unusual as I was scared of all things that go bump in the night! I remember feeling like I got a big energetic hug of sorts. The next day I told my roommate about it and she verified I was not dreaming as this spirit often visited her.
Through the years I had a special awareness and connection to friends who became pregnant. I was the one in our circle that people called for pregnancy advice and sometimes I was asked to attend their births. I got to be known as the person who just 'knew' when someone was going into labor, through dreams and hits to call and check up on them, only to find them in early labor. I believe this was a step by step learning curve that spirit was helping me with to prepare me for when I was to become a Doula and Midwife. We (my higher self, spirit and I) were developing our modes and ways of communication.
Fast forward to 1999 when I entered into birth work. By this point I had spent many years developing my intuitive skills. I had taken classes through psychic institutes, and was a self taught TAROT reader. In 1997 I met the teacher who would be my entry into a formal mystic practitioner apprenticeship. My apprenticeship focused on the development of my particular and unique skills which was about further developing a language and ways of communication with my spirit guides and higher self. I learned how to interpret messages, through symbols, numbers, colors, the TAROT, visions and more.
I couldn't be more grateful for these skills. For me personally, my intuition is just as important as all of the technical skills and didactic knowledge I hold.
One of the greatest gifts I have received from spirit in all my years of work came in 2021. This is an incredible story of having the honor to be asked to come out of midwifery retirement to attend the birth of my good friend Camilla.
Come back next week to read my telling of Camilla’s birth story and the role intuition played in our experience!
About the writer:
Juli Tilsner LM, CPM is a mother, grandparent, co-founder of Cornerstone Birthwork, Midwife and Mystic Practitioner.
Contact Juli for a personal TAROT reading at juli@cornerstonedoulatrainings.com