Baba Yaga review

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Intuition – ideas and examples

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This morning I received the message I have been waiting for. It was loud and clear after what seemed like a very long time of struggling with overwhelm. I have been dealing with a ‘take-over’ energy of the external, as I like to call it, when it is near impossible to shake it off myself. It feels very heavy and sticky. I often felt like I was suffocating or losing my mind during the last month and this morning I again feel lighter. Sometimes even intuition can get caught up in a ‘stuckness’ we might experience and need to go through, yet it is not easy and highly unpleasant.

Being a highly empathic person things can get extremely painful during period of external overwhelm when one simply can not snap out of something and with each day the energy gets stronger and stronger and it truly feels like there is no escape. I often begin to have dreams where I escape someone or some place, break free, move away or there is a radical change and drastic and necessary movement. This again adds to an overwhelm in waking life.

It made me think about what happens to intuition when we are in a state of being ‘taken over’ by the external and unable to return to ourselves. Well, it makes perfect sense that intuition will get dulled down and quietened, as intuition is our internal knowing, inner guiding and when the force of the hive mind possesses over our individual way of being, it would naturally become ‘silenced’. This morning I got released and the advice was clear – Make your world smaller. With my intuition coming back and being very precise I knew this period is over and the message is exactly what I needed to hear and from here onwards I know what to do now and going forward should I ever again get tangled up in the external overwhelm.

This experience also made me think about your individual relationship with your intuition. How do you develop that? Where do you start?

My book Pagan Portals Intuitive Magic Practice touches on these topics and invites you to explore further.

The book will help you with asking the following questions in relation to learning about your relationship with your intuitive voice/knowing:

• How does my intuition speak? Does it even speak? What is my experience of it?
• What does it feel like? Is it a feeling or something else?
• What do I do when I hear/feel//smell/ see it?

The book offers you an opportunity to start practicing your own way. You can devise a system of your own, perhaps, on what happens when, a step-by-step process that you will follow and more often than not the process will also unfold intuitively for you, if you let it.

There are real-life examples in the book on how it happened for me on the journey to living and practicing intuitively. It is such an exciting, playful and most of all creative experience that I can’t recommend it highly enough. I personally do not know any other way of living now. Creativity is closely linked with intuition and creativity is a huge part of my soul, my inner essence, I am made up of creativity, so it is a mutually recognisable language you can use when getting to know your way of being intuitive.

Pagan Portals Intuitive Magic Practice review

Intuitive Magic Practice, part of the Pagan Portals series, by Natalia Clarke makes me want to breathe a long, deep sigh of relief. Things have been a bit hectic in my world recently, and I’ve felt the disconnection that stems from being out of touch with my inner voice. Reading this book has shifted me back into my more natural, receptive state of being in the most delightful way.

Clarke has combined her experience as a transpersonal psychotherapist with wisdom as a spiritual guide to offer readers insight on how to create an intuitive magic practice. Throughout the book, her gentle, calming tone invites a sense of fluidity, harmony, and personal energetic resonance to emerge.

In no way is this book one in which the author holds the knowledge, prompting a hierarchy between author and reader. Rather, Clarke develops a relationship with the reader that’s guided by feelings of goodwill and trust. Much of the imparted content to the reader stems from her own personal experience, and she writes this book as though she might be telling a friend about her experiences with magic and developing intuition in her own life. I enjoyed her anecdotes and the lens it provided me into seeing how she developed her own spiritual perspective.

I really liked reading about the importance of nature in Clarke’s spirituality and connection to her intuition. There is so much beauty in the natural world, along with lessons of tending, growing, and slowing down to enjoy the moment. Since her writing does not stem from any one belief system or practice, I noticed how nature seemed to be the greatest influence that gave shape to Clarke’s experiences.

However, there’s so much that Intuitive Magic Practice covers. Each chapter highlights a method of connecting to one’s intuition and offers ways to become receptive to the guidance of one’s inner knowing. Receptivity is key here, as Clarke’s writing calls the reader to settle in, move at their own pace, and gently open to the promptings that want to be acknowledged.

Some topics covered in the book are dreamwork, journaling, breathing exercises, creating sacred space, creative imagination, moon cycles, and more. Clarke also shares spells, information on candle magic, and guidance on how to select ritual tools. Through it all, she emphasizes that there is no one size fits all model for one’s magical practice; there is also no need to force something when the energy is not there.

“This way there is a natural flow, no force, no attachment to an outcome, no artificial influences of any kind and it always works. One might say I flow with intuitive energy if and when it comes in. If I am not called or specific energies are not present, I do not do anything.”1

Clarke also includes information on the Triple Goddess aspects, working with the elements, and tips for intuitively crafting one’s own magical practice such as writing spells, casting a circle, and creating rituals. Again though, this all arises from a place of moving with the flow, rather than planning, specifying, and dictating how the process should look. She even contrasts intuitive magic to ritual magic to help readers get a better sense of this method in relation to others.

My favourite chapter of Intuitive Magical Practice was “Intuition, Divine Feminine and Sacred Self-care.” While this book has valuable information for all readers, Clarke does note in the introduction it is more geared towards a female audience. All I can say is this chapter was all I needed to be reminded of and more right now.

As I move through a phase of transition, stemming from immense burn-out in my last job that lead me to severely disconnect from my own internal guidance, I desperately needed the reminder that listening to my intuition, caring for my body, and moving in alignment with the energy is a practice of sacred self-care.

“What do I mean by sacred self care? This links in with self-awareness, which can grow through listening to yourself with complete trust and seeing powerful results in your way of being with yourself and the world. It means giving yourself what your inner voice asks of you or points you towards; giving yourself what you need in the moment by listening to your intuition; treating yourself with compassion, love and respect, as you would any divine energy.”2

It’s interesting too how Clarke reminded me of the importance of moving according to where the energy is and how things are flowing. To be honest, this book has been sitting on my shelf for about two weeks now, and I had procrastinated delving into my new book. I tried to read it a week ago, but after a few pages it was sidetracked. Then, suddenly, this morning, all my energy was focused on reading this book and sinking in to receive it’s message. I am so glad that I trusted the timing of my feelings and didn’t read it in a mindset that wasn’t ready to embrace all the wisdom in this book.

For the past few months, I’ve forgotten that it’s okay to live according to your intuition and trust the timing of when things unfold, but reading Clarke’s words reassured me that it’s okay to move in rhythm that feels right for you. It was particularly inspiring to read how she doesn’t do spell-work unless she feels called. Living a magical lifestyle doesn’t have to be doing spells with each moon cycle, or constantly keeping up with a specific practice “just because you’re supposed to.” It can be just as powerful when your practice is fluid and guided by intuition. This is such a deeply refreshing approach to magic.

I’ll admit I moved quite quickly through the book, soaking it all in as I sat outside in the sunshine, feeling the fresh air gently flow around me. However, this is also a book that can be savoured and referred back to over time. While I did finish it quickly, I now am ready to go back through it and practice some of the exercises, which Clarke offers plenty of through the book.

There is one method of connecting to intuition Clarke writes about that I had never heard of before, which I am particularly excited to try out: intuitive drawing. This approach can help to facilitate a dialogue with the subconscious and allow feelings, sensations, and thoughts to arise from deep within. Sometimes I feel like I get trapped in my words, and I am eager to see what comes out when I choose drawing as a form of communication with my inner guidance.

All in all, Clarke’s gentle and uplifting approach to an intuitive magic practice is something of great value to those who are seeking a more natural approach to working with energy. I highly recommend Intuitive Magic Practice to those who are seeking to tune back into their inner voice in a way that feels authentic and true to who they are. This book is a wonderful reminder that there is no right or wrong way, and that healing comes from remembering the sacred connection to our inner guidance. As you read Clarke’s wisdom, I’m sure you’ll feel right at home within yourself, comforted by the words that it’s okay to embrace your intuition and let your energy flow in a way that feels harmonious.

Alanna at https://musingmystical.com/intuitive-magic-practice-by-natalia-clarke/

It is OUT!

https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-intuitive-magical-practice

I just finished Intuitive Magic Practice and loved it so much! You have such a gentle, guiding tone of voice that really helped me to sink into the content of the book. It was fabulous! Thank you so much again for sharing your wisdom in Intuitive Magic Practice. I’m still relishing in all it contained.

Alanna

Indie Mystic Magazine

Intuitive Magical Practice by Natalia Clarke is one of those  books I had the privilege of reading long before it came out. That’s been tricky because it had a significant impact on me and I didn’t want to pre-empt the book too much by talking about that.

This is a small book that offers things you can do to bring your intuition into your practice. It’s a gentle, generous book with a lot to offer in this regard, written by someone for whom intuition is at the heart of magic. Its clear reading this book that Natalia had to work to find and reclaim her intuition, and that raised a lot of questions for me.

It seems obvious – especially after reading this book – that magic should be intuitive. It shouldn’t be entirely prescriptive of about going through someone else’s instructions. I know there are intensely prescriptive high ceremonial approaches to magic out there, but those leave me cold. There should be room for wonder, and surprise, and… well… magic.

Reading this book made me ask a lot of questions about my own relationship with intuition. When did I stop trusting it, and why? How do I feel about it now? I came to the conclusion that it was something I wanted back. Natalia’s book was really timely for me, and it set me on a path that has radically impacted on my life. During 2020 I did a number of things that were leaps of faith, based on gut feelings and intuition. I started making space in my life for intuition and started acting on it. This has had a huge impact on me.

I’ve also tested my intuition a great deal. I’ve had some challenging opportunities to explore what I might intuit, and was later blessed with feedback about how well I’d done – and it was certainly enough to have steered by, and steered well in adverse circumstances.

This book opened a door for me. It also brought a lot of uneasy questions about my past, and it was good to be able to work that through. If you’re reading this review and wondering about your own intuition, and whether you have any, and whether you could work with it, then very likely this book is for you. If it feels right, go for it.

Nimue Brown from https://druidlife.wordpress.com

More about the book here – https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-intuitive-magical-practice

I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Natalia Clarke’s new book Intuitive Magic Practice. I read it once, and then I read it again, and I can honestly say that this would make a great addition to any witches bookshelf.

Intuition is incredibly important, and you will be hard pressed to find a book on witchcraft which doesn’t mention it. It helps us connect with ourselves and with the world around us, can guide us, and help us interpret messages from the otherworld. It is something that comes naturally to us, but sometimes using it doesn’t feel that natural at all.

It is easy to think of our intuition as something that we can turn on or off. For example, if I’m out doing my weekly shop then I probably won’t even be aware of it, but if I am about to do some divination then I will make a conscious effort to engage with and listen to my intuition. An awareness of this disconnect was by far one of the biggest takeaways for me from this book. It was like a lightbulb moment! I’ve been a practicing witch for 20 years now, and I understand the importance of intuition well, but I realised that I am still guilty of ignoring my intuition. Even in those magickal moments, it can be easy to actively shut down the voice of your intuition without even realising it. When doing a tarot reading your intuition may tell you one meaning of a particular card, but because it isn’t the meaning in the book, you ignore it. You may be searching for a crystal to bring you protection and are drawn to a particular one, but discard it because your book doesn’t say that crystal is specifically associated with protection.

Another chapter of this book which was a real eye opener for me was the chapter on intuition and dreams. Now I have to admit, I don’t do much dream work as I am just awful at remembering my dreams. However, Natalia’s approach to using your intuition to interpret your dreams is one which I had never considered. The emphasis on interpreting your dreams through feeling as opposed to dutifully interpreting the specific symbols in the dream is an intriguing concept, and she provides plenty of examples from her own personal dream journal to help you on your way.

I honestly have something positive to say about every chapter, but I doubt you would make it to the end of the blog post if I wrote out every great thing about this book! It is a book full of practical workings for you to try (I particularly enjoyed delving more into spiritual writing and drawing) which is a great addition. Not only that, but Natalia touches on many commonly used aspects of witchcraft – such as grounding, and working with the moon cycles – and demonstrates how we can enhance our practices by aligning ourselves more with our intuition. Then there are some more ‘non conventional’ topics, such as intuition and the triple Goddess aspects, and intuition and sacred self-care, which are topics you don’t see in many books on witchcraft and add to this book’s uniqueness.

This book is suitable for beginners, but also a great book for more experienced practitioners. It is easy to ‘forget’ the basics when you have been practicing for several years, and I found this book was a great way to remind myself the importance of our intuition, and to make a more conscious effort to pay more attention to it. In short, this was a great book, and one that I will definitely be revisiting every now and again!

Jessica Dawn Howard at www.thecottagemystic.com

A new book announcement

Excited to announce the final cover for my forthcoming book from Moon Books. To be published in April 2021

A guide and companion on an individual journey to true self-empowerment through reclaiming the power of intuition, this book celebrates who you are, utilizes intuition, nature principles and elements and puts YOU and your magical practice at the centre. Aimed at beginners, / Pagan Portals – Intuitive Magic Practice/ is easy to follow and will help you discover techniques, methods and practices you can adapt for your own magical practice

“Great book! Trusting in your intuition is, I believe, key to working good magic. Learning how to trust it can be difficult. Natalia Clarke leads you through the process step by step with information, personal experience and exercises. Everything you need to take you on your own intuition discovery journey.” Rachel Patterson, author of several Witchcraft books including /Witchcraft into the Wilds/, /Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch/ and the /Kitchen Witchcraft/ series.