Originally, I was going to write this article about using spirituality as an escape mechanism in our lives, and how spirituality is meant to be used as a support mechanism.

I had the outline, the title picked out and had even found a great picture to include in the post.

Heck, I even wrote half the article on Tuesday, only to discover that something about it wasn’t resonating.

Sure, it’s a great topic, and I may even write about it in the future, but something just didn’t feel right.

My intuition was telling me it wasn’t the right topic, and there was something deeper.

I started asking myself, “What are the fundamentals of a great intuitive and spiritual practice? How do I KNOW that I’m using it in a practical manner?”

What’s the point of saying, “Spirituality can and should be practical” without giving a clear guideline of how to KNOW if you’re using it this way?

So I thought.

And I prayed.

And Tuesday passed without a blog article.

And I thought some more.

And I felt mildly guilty about not publishing a blog article, because consistency is important…

But I didn’t rush it.

There was something else here, something deeper, that would give a lot more value to you and a lot more insight to me.

I have been reading a lot recently about various experts in their fields. Invariably, they touted the importance of the fundamentals.

But what ARE the fundamentals of an intuitive lifestyle?

Finally, this morning, after a cup of coffee, I finally had a flash of insight that was so crystalline and clear that I had to scramble for pen and paper to write everything down.

 7 Fundamentals of an Intuitive Lifestyle

1. Ability to consciously clear the mind
2. Ability to direct vibrations and emotions
3. Ability to allow
4. Ability to connect with authentic self
5. Ability to act
6. Ability to stay in the present moment
7. Ability to pray

It’s important to note that all 7 of these are skills and can be developed, and there is quite a bit of overlap. If you focus on one exclusively, you’ll tend to develop all 7 to some extent.

1. Ability to Consciously Clear the Mind

If you can consciously clear your mind of mental clutter, you’ll be able to be the conscious controller and director of your life. Without this basis, many of the other fundamentals will be stunted. When you can consciously clear your mind, you can consciously direct it. You have clear focus.

When I teach classes on psychic development, I often get asked, “Is meditation really necessary to develop  the intuition?” The answer is no. It’s not. Meditation is a technique that allows us to develop the skill of clearing the mind. In my experience, meditation is the absolute best way to do this, but some people can also do this through journaling, taking a walk or a jog, or another activity.

Meditation has the advantage of doing this exclusively, so while it’s hard for beginners, it is the technique I recommend most highly. You get the most bang for the amount of time you invest in it.

2. Ability to Direct Vibrations and Emotions

When receiving intuitive information, the quality of the information is directly proportional to the quality of your vibration. So if you’re stuck in a low vibration, like anger or depression, then the information that comes through will be tainted with this vibration, and the results of acting on that information will be in alignment with the vibration.

Directing your vibration means that you can navigate from a lower vibration to a higher vibration at will.

This is another skill that is best learned through meditation.

3. Ability to Allow

When information comes through intuition, it usually arises into consciousness. In order to be excellent at living an intuitive lifestyle, we have to be able to allow. If we get stuck in trying to force information, it will elude us.

This also is true for allowing people and circumstances to happen, rather than attempting to force them.

It doesn’t mean we sit around and do nothing, it simply means we accept what is.

4. Ability to Connect with Authentic Self

This ties in to our ability to allow. When we connect with our authentic self — our deepest truth, our emotions and our experiences, it shows us what is true for us in the moment. It allows us to clearly see our present position and to make a clear decision about whether we would like to continue to stay in our present position.

5. Ability to Act

It may seem obvious, but the ability to act on the information your intuition gives you is vital. If you simply collect information but don’t act on it, the information itself has been rendered useless.

The concept of faith is important for this one, because most of the time information isn’t acted on because there is a lack of trust in the information. Trust in action is the definition of faith.

6. Ability to Stay in the Present Moment

The ability to be aware of the present moment and what is going on, both internally and externally, is crucial for an intuitive lifestyle. If we get caught up in our own story and aren’t checking in, then we are handicapped.

There is such a wealth of information in the present moment, and the better we are at staying present, the better every area of our life will be.

7. Ability to Pray

I’ve often said that I’m always careful about praying, because when I pray I get an answer. And usually quickly.

The point of prayer is to ask for what you want and need. The more I pray, the more I realize it’s about getting to the core of what I want. For instance, before writing this post, I asked for the fundamentals.

I wanted to understand what the foundation of an intuitive lifestyle would look like. I already live this to a large degree, but if I’m only living it and don’t understand the mechanics, I can’t teach it.

So I asked. And I got an answer.

Learning how to ask for what we want and need is a skill. Many times we ask for the end result that we think will give us what we want, but without first getting in touch with what our underlying desires are.

For instance, if I want to be rich because I think that will make me happy, and I pray for riches, then I get something else that makes me happy, I may not even realize that the heart of my prayer was answered.

Those are the 7 fundamentals to an intuitive lifestyle! What do you think? Is there something you’d add that you find powerful in your own practice? Share in the comments!