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Writer's pictureOndrea Darden

Understanding Intuitive Symbolism: The Repertoire of Experience

Updated: Aug 10, 2018



One of the many ways psychic intuitives receive intuitive information is through symbolic imagery. This symbolism is often received clairvoyantly in their mind's eye and can require interpretation. For the experienced and confident psychic, symbolic imagery can provide a wealth of meaningful information during a reading. For the developing psychic intuitive, however, deciphering the message and meaning of these symbols can sometimes leave them with more questions than answers. So what's a psychic intuitive to do?


Intuit, of course!


Just like your physical senses (seeing, hearing, feeling, etc.), your psychic intuitive senses work together to relay intuitive information to you. So, when you are receiving intuitive symbols, it is important to pay attention to any accompanying feelings, thoughts, impressions, and even memories as these can provide insights regarding the meaning and message of your symbolic imagery.


From my personal experience, I have come to believe that the source from where all of our intuitive symbolism comes from is none other than ourselves. Spirit, in its divine and infinite wisdom, uses what is already available in our consciousness to relay information to us in a way that we might most easily relate to and understand. Our consciousness (perhaps more specifically the subconscious) is filled with all the memories of our experiences over the course of our lives, and it is this bank of information from which Spirit can draw upon when we are working intuitively. I have coined the term repertoire of experience to describe this intangible bank of information.


Formally defined, the repertoire of experience is a collection of everything an individual has ever experienced. Stored in your consciousness, it is a collection of your lived experiences which forms your own unique body of information from which Spirit can draw upon in order to communicate symbolic messages intuitively. Because these symbolic images are drawn from your unique life experiences and perspectives, the meaning of these symbols you receive are the meanings you ascribe to them. This is where things can get tricky because you may have multiple meanings ascribed to a particular symbol. Just think of the different symbolic meanings you can come up with for the humble circle!


My advice? When in doubt, let your dominant "clair" work it out!


My dominant "clair" is clairsentience, or my sense of feeling, and I regularly use it to understand the meaning of my symbolic imagery. But keep in mind that all your psychic intuitive senses work together, so remember to let your "clairs" help you to work out the meaning of your symbolic imagery. Click here to read an example of how my clairsentience works for me.


The meaning of symbolic imagery drawn from your repertoire of experience is unique to you and may not always align with cultural or universal meanings. To illustrate, consider the vulture. Most people recoil in disgust at even the mention of this scavenger bird because of its association with death and the macabre. Yet, I hold a sacred spot in my heart for this magnificent creature. For me, the vulture is a symbol of soaring, albeit with a few foibles at first, and the releasing of those things that no longer serve my best interests. So when the vulture shows up for me as part of my intuitive symbolism when giving a reading, my ascribed meanings to vulture symbolism might be the appropriate interpretations instead of the cultural or social meanings.


Spirit can also draw from your repertoire of experience memories or recent experiences to provide rich and meaningful intuitive symbolism. When this happens, it is important not to judge or discount what you receive, but to intuit the message. Remember, when in doubt, let your "clairs" work it out! Click here to read an example of how Spirit used my past experiences to relay intuitive messages to me.


So here are my tips for understanding your intuitive symbolism:

After receiving an intuitive symbol...


1. What do you "just know" about it? Forget about analyzing anything at this point and instead trust your immediate impressions.


2. What feelings come up for you? Take note of how the symbol makes you feel along with any additional information that may come along with the feeling.


3. What meanings do you ascribe to the symbols in your intuitive imagery? Again, go with those first impressions that come to you.


4. If your intuitive symbolism brings up a memory, what seems significant to you about that memory? This can help you understand the meaning of your symbolism. Also, keep in mind that significant images and feelings can oftentimes stand out on their own without you trying to decipher.


5. If you find yourself unsure of its meaning, relax and intuit. Remember, when in doubt, let your dominant "clair" work it out!


To read more examples from my personal experiences, click on the links below.



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