Have you ever experienced a strong feeling about someone you just met? Perhaps you knew you could trust this person but couldn’t figure out why? Did anyone tell you “trust me” but somehow you knew that you shouldn’t? (Photo credit: Gammablog)
These feelings are hunches. It’s something we can’t explain or prove - it’s just there. I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t had a hunch at least once or twice. They are often right, even if they make no sense. These hunches often seem to come from the inside and are not based on anything we’ve learned. It’s a direct knowing. You just know the answer. That’s it.
Consider what happened at the barber shop where I was to get a haircut one day. While flipping through magazines, waiting for my turn, I had a funny feeling something wasn’t quite right with the barber. On the surface, I observed nothing out of the ordinary but my intuition was telling me to go elsewhere. Unfortunately, my ego protested and I ended up paying the price as you saw with Adversity at the Barber Shop. This is what is meant by the notion that we are given “free will.” Your angels can provide you with guidance but it’s up to you to act on them. If you don’t, well, then that’s your choice.
Years ago while living in New York City, I was riding my bike, going downtown on 8th Avenue at a high rate of speed. As I approached a certain intersection, something told me to stop. Thankfully, I paid heed to that inner voice for when I came to a screeching halt, a car shot out like a speeding bullet, narrowly missing me.
You learned from my “Confessions of a Motivational Speaker” post that I won first place at a humorous speech contest some years ago. I distinctly remember sitting in the auditorium while they were announcing first, second and third place winners. The moment they started to rattle off the names, beginning with the third place winner, I was suddenly overcome with a strange sensation. It was like a special coating of warmth with a tingling sensation inside my head. The words You won flashed in my mind. It was startling to say at the least!
What made this even more incredible was that I was up against a formidable contestant, Julie Morgenstern (who I mentioned in the above mentioned article went on to appear on Oprah, becoming a best-selling author in the process). Despite this “reality,” I knew I had beaten her. I honestly did not think I did better than her nor did she falter, stumble or anything like that. In fact, both of us gave great performances.
You all know about the beach story when I woke up from a nap and received a strong impression that I was supposed to quit Wall Street and become a motivational speaker and writer. You can see that at Trust that Bigger Things are in Store for You-The Beach.
The thing is, how in the world did I know all this stuff?
From God and my guardian angels. Angels are assigned to everyone for the remainder of his/her life, never interfering except for certain life threatening situations that happen “before it’s time to go home.” They stand ready to serve and guide you.
The main thrust behind most of my writing and speeches is that we all have the capability of getting in touch with our inner spirits. Based on my own experiences, all of us have a direct line to God and the angels. It is open 24/7, ready to serve as a conduit for guidance and inspiration. But not everyone is aware of this nor do they know how to access it.
Doreen Virtue, best-selling author of Divine Guidance, says that everyone has the ability to tap into this inner well of wisdom. According to her, there are five ways of receiving divine messages:
- Visions, images or mental pictures
- Sounds, voices, words
- Feelings and hunches
- Thoughts, ideas and inner certainty
How do you keep the divine hotline open? The following is by no means a complete list of but they are among the most helpful to me:
- Spend time walking in nature - if you do this often enough, you realize you’re not alone. Somehow you feel a subtle sense of quiet strength in the forest, teeming with positive energy. I often feel refreshed after such a walk, feeling as if my mind cleared up.
- Become consciously aware of unseen forces - this brings into your awareness that there is more to what meets the eye. It trains you to be on the alert for so-called coincidences and messages just for you, to name a few. You begin to see answers on billboards, car license plates, a phrase you overheard in someone else’s conversation or perhaps you saw an ad in the newspaper, giving you the answer you’ve been seeking. By raising your awareness, you become super conscious that God and the angels are always trying to communicate with you and they do it in a number of different ways.
- Meditate - focus on your breathing and let all other thoughts pass through you. This empties the mind to make way for more room for divine messages, in essence decluttering your mind. See Todd Goldfarb’s suburb article as a guest writer at Zen Habits called ”Meditation for Beginners… “
- Relax and know that your gut feeling is often correct despite lack of evidence.
- Talk to God and the angels frequently as possible. Have a conversation with them throughout your day. I am always talking to them regardless of whether I’m in the shower, driving, walking in the woods or writing. I’m always acknowledging their presence (silently or out loud if I’m alone) and thanking them for blessing me with gifts. The more you talk to them, the more you’ll be able to receive their messages.
- Even better than all of the above tips, is the importance of “letting go” of the results. Be open and not attached to what might happen. If you try to force the answers to come from within, it’ll block the way.
By the way, don’t forget to tell me how you would like to name the new interview series at Adversity University by leaving a comment here. So far readers have responded with “Stephen Hopson’s Interviews,” “The Adversity University Guest Lecture Series” and “Scholarly Visits.” Let’s see if you can come up with a couple more today and then you can all vote for the best name and win a PRIZE.
Food for thought: Have you ever experienced a hunch that you either followed or didn’t but it turned out to be right? I’d LOVE to hear your stories. I’m a huge sucker for divine miracles so please indulge me!
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May I say an early congratulations, if that’s...
Welcome! I'm the founder and professor of Adversity University specializing in personal development for spiritual beings having a human experience. To see a speaking demo tape and other information, please click
I recently attended a federal government X-mas luncheon. There were raffle ticket drawings. I was standing across from the host, watching the winner announcements. After the third winner, I thought to myself, “It’d be nice to win something. I WANT to win something!”. Right at the moment, the next announcement the host picked from the bowl, he looked at the name written on the card and hesitated, as if trying to figure out how to spell it.
That second, I KNEW it was my name because my first name is a bit long and ethnic. Good enough, he announced my name!
Nita:
I LOVE it! Congratulations on winning something. What a great story. Thanks for sharing.
Everyone has intuition - or angels - but sometimes we do not listen. Fear gets in the way. I like your thought of walking quietly in nature. You can’t listen if you are afraid of a decision!
One of my greatest proofs of Intuition or Guidance was that, when I had a travel agency, I had two clients cancel their flight on American 191 - a DC10 - which went down Memorial Day weekend 10 minutes after takeoff in Chicago. Everyone died.
They told me later that they just decided they “did not
feel like going.”
Corinne:
That must have been an earthshaking moment for those two clients to have canceled their flight simply because they “didn’t feel like going”!! I’ll bet this woke them up to the power of listening to their intuition - I should hope so - it saved their lives!
Yes, you’re right - people don’t listen to their inner voices because of fear. In fact, Doreen Virtue goes on in her book to say people are afraid of being controlled by God or think their inner promptings are nothing more than a bunch of hallucinations.
Hey, I loved the article….so any times throughout my life, especially with relationships, you get that ‘gut feeling’ that something is not right….turned out to be true all the time…
I learned to listen and this ‘invisible speaking’ controls a lot of my actions throughout my working day…
Nice site
Chris:
I’m glad you like my site. I just moved over here from Blogger in October and love my “new home.”
Speaking of relationships, there is someone who I’m in a newly established business relationship with who doesn’t seem to be working out. My expectations are not being met despite explaining them to this individual.
My ego is telling me to stick with this person, to give it more time. My gut feeling, on the other hand, is telling me to drop her and move on. A fierce struggle going on there, as you can see.
But I know which one is right, which means I know what I have to do. No fun.
Stephen,
I’ve been a silent fan for a long time. This post though, prompted me to write.
Throughout every day I talk to God, my angels, as well as my spirit guides. Their voices are immense forces in my life. I can give you countless examples of how they’ve guided me.
One quickly…
I was in a long term unmarried relationship. For about the final year I kept hearing a voice in my head say, “You can’t do this anymore.” Finally I ended it. Within a month I discovered that for quite some time he had someone else waiting to take my spot.
I started listening a little more closely after that
Keep writing! I’m cheering you on!
Lora
You know, i always have felt i knew i wasn’t alone, that i felt i have a guardian angel around me. Lately i realise i do have angels around me and helping me.
Only problem: I did not know how to communicate. I think it’s because of my deafness. (I realised i was using my deafness as an excuse)
Now i am slowly learning more and listening to the gentle messages i get. I need to stop doubting myself our of ear as you mentioned above. I decided then i need to do what I feel is right for ME.
Your article helps me understand more and i thank you for the tips.
Elias
Lora:
What a gem of a person you are to come through and drop a note after being a silent fan for so long! It’s GREAT to hear from someone who’s been watching me from the sidelines. I’m truly honored and humbled.
I LOVE all these stories that are now pouring in. I’m always inspired when I hear about how people finally heard God’s message and took appropriate action.
Like what you did with the long term unmarried relationship. Congratulations for doing what you’ve known all along. Feels good to have guardian angels, doesn’t it? I can actually feel your sense of freedom from this end. I’m picking it up. Incredible.
Thanks again for appearing from the crowd of people here at the University like magic and telling me you’ve been one of my silent fans. It really made my day!
Elias:
You know something interesting? I’ll bet you’ve heard the statement somewhere that goes something like this: “The meek shall inherit the earth.”
No, maybe that’s not the right phrase. Ok, I think I got it. You’ve heard about people who are considered “the least likely to succeed” for whatever reason. Right?
Maybe they were considered least likely to succeed because of a disability or because of lack of education or whatever.
But it is those who are least likely succeed who have every reason to succeed because they were called to a very special purpose. I’ve seen people with no arms and legs who are speaking around the world, spreading God’s message because they heard the call.
God has a plan for everyone, including you. If you are patient and you increase your awareness day by day, you will instinctively recognize what you’re supposed to do like what some of the commentators above have shared with us.
What’s incredible is that this experience (hearing messages from the spirit)is universal. It’s more common than most people are willing to admit. Yet it happens every single day.
Don’t worry about your deafness. You have a mighty purpose - and it’s HUGE. Your time will come. The same goes for everyone else who’s willing to heed the call and follow their intuition.
Hi Stephen,
I always consider myself incredibly privileged to be allowed to witness the miraculous in my work every day. I make my living using my intuition. And I am still humbled by the fact that I can tell someone that I’ve never met about their life - and facilitate a forward movement in their lives. It “shouldn’t” be possible - but there it is! To me, the fact that intuitive or psychic readings are even possible is irrefutable proof of the interconnectedness between all of us.
Thanks for this article - intuitive development is of such importance!
Blessings,
Andrea
Great article Stephen, we must be on the same wavelength or have a couple “angels” in common. I just wrote about the wonders and inspirations that can be found in Nature. We do not have to go to a foreign country, out of state, or a national park to get it either we just have to be willing to “look” and “see” what is right around us. Check out some of the pictures that I took in my on yard!
http://juiceofchampions.com/home/enjoy-life-and-relax-with-nature
My husband definitely has guardian angels. September 1971, he had spent the summer working in the Salmon cannery in Anchorage, Alaska. It was time to fly back home to north Louisiana to enroll in college. He had just turned 22 years old, old enough to not be able to fly student fare any more. He has always looked younger than he is so he thought he would try to get away with flying student fare, if only they wouldn’t check his I.D. Well, he tried 3 different times to get on the airplane without having to show proof that he was under 22. Each time he was blocked from getting on the plane. A week earlier, he had mailed to his grandmother back in Louisiana a postcard of the mountains around Juneau, Alaska. The plane that he was trying to get on flew to Juneau before heading to Seattle, Washington. He told his grandmother the day and the plane that he thought he would be flying on. She passed the information on to his mother.
Daniel could not talk himself on to the plane. He had better luck with a different airline and flew on to Seattle. From Seattle, he hitchhiked to Reno, Nevada where he did some gambling before calling his mother to tell her he was heading home.
That phone call to his mother is when he found out that the plane that he had originally attempted 3 times to fly on had crashed into the mountains of Juneau. The same mountains that were in the postcard that he sent to his grandmother. Everyone on the plane, including the stewardess who wouldn’t let him on the plane without checking his I. D., had died in the crash. Until he called from Reno, his family had thought that he died in the plane crash.
His grandmother gave him the postcard. He still has that postcard today as a reminder of that day. We both believe in guardian angels and miracles.
@Andrea: The beautiful thing is everyone has psychic capabilities. If they gave themselves a chance to learn how to access their inner wisdom like you have, they’d be amazed. I’m grateful to have you among the community at the university. I love hanging out with people who make a living using intuition!
@Brad: We need have a few angels in common - that’s for sure! I’m fond of the saying that all we have to do is open our eyes and just look around us to find nature without having to go far. I read your nature article and saw the gorgeous photos, particularly the butterfly. May I have permission to use that in one of my forthcoming articles? Of course, proper credit will be given to you.
@Patricia: My God your husband’s story gave me the chills! This is a classical example of when our guardian angels will intervene without being asked to if it is to prevent us from “going home before our time.” Excellent story, thanks for sharing.
I could probably reel off a half dozen or so instances of God given hunches during significant crossroads in my life.
Some of the most amazing ones have been in deciding whether to leave a job for another one. Here is one such instance:
In 1998 I was happily employed at “company A”, but when the company announced a restructuring that would reduce the work force of my site by around 60%, I began looking for another job. I applied for a new job at “company B”. I interviewed once at company B. In the meantime, I was re-assigned within company A to a new job that I enjoyed. Company B asked me to come back for a second interview. I wanted to say no, but my gut said yes. So, I agreed to a second interview.
Company B offered me the job. I wanted to decline the offer, but after much prayer, I accepted the offer. I so badly wanted to stay at company A, but I had this overwhelming pull in the direction of company B.
What I didn’t know at the time was that I would eventually become engaged to a Englishman and married in less than a year. My manager at company B was such a fantastic manager and he helped me to get a 9 month project assigned in England with company B. The timing of this assignment couldn’t have been more perfectly timed. It helped us tremendously with processing US immigration requirements. It allowed us both to work during that time. There were many other blessings as well. It is fairly difficult explaining how amazing this situation was (especially in a blog comment
)
Sheila:
What a fantastic example of what happens when you truly listen to your intuition. There are a million examples in this post, demonstrating that YES listening to your heart does work. You are yet another proof that our angels want only the best for us.
Congratulations on having everything work out because you listened to your gut feelings!!! Isn’t that great?! Thanks for taking a few moments of your time to share this awesome story.
I LOVE stories like this. It continues to inspire and remind me that indeed the angels stand by, waiting to assist if we only let them.
Stephen: All I can say is “Wow!” I talk to my angels every day - One of my start-the-day prayers goes like this: “May I live today in the communion of saints. I take as my companions the angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven. May they surround me on every side to be my keepers and guardians.” And yes, you’re right, it is possible to *feel* them rallying round…
Today is no exception, hence the “Wow !” I am a teacher, starting to think about maybe changing my job from one where I am based in one school to one where I would make one-off visits to many schools but with no ongoing contact. It is the latter which is making me stop and think, because I would miss that, although something is pulling me to make the change.
I’d never heard of you or your website. I typed into Google “deciding whether to leave a job” - and this webpage was the only one that came up. “How to have a conversation with God and your angels” (the phrase about leaving a job was quoted in Sheila’s post above, so Google linked me to it) - Goodness, those guardian angels are amazing. They are even inside Google !
Because of my job and situation, what caught my eye immediately was the title “How A Fifth Grade Teacher Changed Life with 3 Words”, and I’ve just been reading the wonderful story about you and your teacher. There are no coincidences in this world. As you say, the guidance and messages are always there for the finding. The angels wanted me to read about you and your teacher.
I still don’t know what step to take next, but I have been given further food for thought and contemplation. I have confirmation yet again that my angels are here to guide and direct me and, as I continue to ask, the pathway will be made clear to me.
Thank you for this website. I’ve only just stumbled upon it, but will look forward very much to visiting and reading some more.
With Much Love,
Jean (and Angels !)
Stephen,
I’m a little late in discovering this article, but the subject matter is a major draw for me. I’m glad to hear you’re a sucker for a divine experience, but I couldn’t possibly share just one in a comment.
So, I hope you’ll visit my blog Shift Your Spirits and pick through my many, on-going personal experiences there.
Slade
Slade | Shift Your Spirits’s last blog post..Emissaries of the Archangels & Ascended Masters
Slade:
I’m actually a stealth subscriber of yours (both of your blogs). Been a reader of yours ever since Patricia Singleton told me about you, I’ve been reading and yes, even commenting over there.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m definitely a sucker for spiritually related materials - especially when it involves communicating with your intuition, the angels, God and the universe. I love that stuff and believe in it very, very strongly.
I like this article.
I recently had Andrea’s reading, and she says I am a channel. She said I’d been getting messages especially when I write, and I was like, “Doesn’t every writer get ideas, or even phrases, out of the air?”
The idea of channeling or the past life influence is new to me. I consider myself to be spiritual, but I didn’t know much about psychic abilities before. I am more and more interested to develop my spiritual skills for myself and for the people around me.
Akemi - Yes to Me’s last blog post..Interview With Successful Entrepreneurs
Akemi:
The interesting thing about this is that everyone and I mean EVERYONE has psychic abilities in one degree or another but some have learned how to tune into them more than others.
I consider myself very intuitive, like you, but until I take concrete steps to harness it to my advantage, I’m barely accessing its enormous powers. It’s good to hear Andrea tell you what your spirit already knows. She was reminding you of your mission.
Now all you have to do is fine tune this ability with some help. It’s a skill that takes time to develp but everyone has this capability.
I know. It is sad that some people don’t realize their own inner power.
I am learning more and more every day about my spiritual power, and I’d like to think some synchronicities are happening to me as a reward. . .
Akemi - Yes to Me’s last blog post..The X Factor of Entrepreneurship
Akemi:
You’re right - it’s sad when people walk around not aware of their inner power but hopefully something will occur in their lives to wake them up to this miraculous inner spirit that they’re carrying around. Sometimes it takes a major incident of sorts to make this happen.
Hi Stephen,
WOW!! This article just knocked my socks off!
I am so getting this one! I think knowing
all of what you have in this article is so
important.
Whenever I ‘go against my gut feeling’, THE
Higher Power, Angels I always, always end up so
unhappy with the outcome. Hmm…so simple to
go with it because the feeling is never wrong
and the result is always great.
I came across your fab site when I
surfing under ‘importance of feeling good’ and
along with many sites that came up your article
about 10 things you do to make you
feel good really popped out to me so I checked
yours first, had that good feeling
AND it just got me smiling and saying,
Yep, that makes me feel good too.
I was smiling AND feeling good! THANK YOU
SO MUCH.
I have been checking out your site with great
interest and feeling great as I read it.
Blessings,
Jaee
Jaee:
I am most grateful to know that you found this blog when googling “importance of feeling good”! Thanks for telling me. I am so very glad you enjoyed reading this article and how it uplifted you.
I am particularly intrigued by how you went with your gut feeling when you first saw the link to my site and how you had a feeling it would be worth your time. Wow. That’s amazing. Our intuition, if we listen to it, usually leads us in the right direction.
Thanks for stopping by and for spending some quality time with me at Adversity University. It is an exciting time for me as a blogger, writer and speaker. I’m meeting awesome people like you and others. In fact, I’m going to my first blogging conference in Chicago next month - it’ll be the first time I’ll be meeting other bloggers in the flesh after corresponding with many of them via email over the months.
Blessings back to you Jaee!
Hi Stephen,
I’ve only just found your website by following the link from Alexander Kjerulf’s site.
This article really spoke to me. As a Quaker it’s very important to me to regularly sit in silence and talk with what I call the Great Spirit - what many call God.
And as well - five years ago my dad must have had angels looking after him.
He was in Las Vegas with some Californian friends, walking to a restaurant for supper, when he keeled over with a massive heart attack.
The friends he was with were volunteer firefighters - so trained paramedics.
And someone came rushing out of a nearby casino with a defibrillator of exactly the same type that those friends knew how to use.
Dad’s life was saved.
Mum and I flew out to Las Vegas to be with him. That was a really tough time as we weren’t sure if he’d live or make a full recovery. But on the second day after we arrived, I knew - don’t ask me how - that Dad was going to live to see me married and he would live to see his grandchildren. I drew great strength from that and I think it helped me look after my mum.
I wasn’t even courting at the time and only two of my siblings had partners, never mind children.
But five years later, I’m happily married and my dad was there to witness my wedding. And he’s the proud grandad of four.
I’ve never told that story before, so thank you Stephen for giving me the strength and space to do so.
The Great Spirit bless you.
Emily
Emily:
I have one word for you - WOW.
That was the most inspiring, riveting comment I’ve received in a very long time. I felt like I was right there when it all happened with your father.
Indeed God and the angels work in very mysterious ways. I never discount a so-called coincidence (which I know is not - it’s part of a larger plan somehow). Amazing how the paramedics were nearby to use the defibrillator. They were definitely supposed to be there. How could we explain it in any other way?
I never cease to be amazed about the power of stories like yours. I’m thrilled your story had a happy ending. But I know that if your Dad had passed on that day, that would have meant another lesson in some way, form or shape. Not to minimize anyone’s death, for certainly I don’t mean that, but it has more to do with the spiritual meaning behind the timing, place and under what circumstances it happened under.
Fabulous, fabulous! Thanks for sharing. You’ve truly contributed a powerful story and I’m thankful you decided to share it here at Adversity University.