This week, I was invited to attend a women’s group, one that undeniably felt like my tribe as soon as I arrived. You might even say I felt the alignment energetically before I began engaging with anyone. It moved from an aha moment to delight and finally to an inner truth that the atoms, molecules and cells in my body inherently felt. It was like a basking-in-the-light kind of moment. A remembrance of sorts.
The evening included a writing assignment led by two women from the group. One of them read a poem, and we were asked to write from our hearts. The poem was a launch pad for inspiration, and the stream of consciousness that flowed through us would arise from something it invoked within us. What follows is the result of that oh so lovely heart-opening exercise.
. . . .
When was the last time you turned toward your true north—your quiet moral center, the place within that feels grounded, and unmistakably honest? More importantly, are you showing up in the world with your true north in the driver’s seat?
Within each of us, there is an energetic signal that acts as a shepherd of sorts—subtle, persistent, and unwavering. It points us back toward the heart’s knowing, toward the soul’s deeper calling, toward that elusive raison d’être that often gets buried beneath the noise of our complicated world. Some call it intuition. Others refer to it as the Higher Self, Source, God, Goddess, Creator, Universal Consciousness, or simply the great mystery humming beneath all things. Whatever language we use, it’s the same current moving through us.
It speaks in many tongues and shows up in myriad ways, sometimes as aha moments, déjà vu experiences, or the quiet rupture of an ordinary moment that disrupts everything we thought we knew. At times, it’s life-altering, disorienting, even initiatory—pulling us through thresholds we’d likely never say we chose. And at other times, it’s almost undetectable: a soft knowing that asks that we pause long enough to simply notice. When such incidents hit us, we often shift how we see the world and our place in it. These can be bold and uncomfortable transitions that leapfrog us forward or send us spiraling into our dark night of the soul. Perhaps you’ve been there more than once?
These are the moments to stop, pause and perhaps even take a step back. To listen. To feel. To recognize what is already true beneath our mind’s analysis and countless interpretations of why it’s happening. When we stop negotiating with our own knowing, the path becomes startlingly simple. In spiritual circles, we often refer to it as surrender, which can sound and feel like a weakness within the world’s male-dominated structures. But when we feel into what is true for us, we honor that moment, and in that honoring, we move toward a kind of inner coherence or, as I like to say, heart alignment.
During these treasured and reflective moments when we take the time to notice, we turn inward and listen. Just listen. And then we can tune in. We can feel what we intuitively know. We can remember what we’ve always known. When we’re in the proverbial present moment, we can recognize what is real for us and then act on that inner guidance, for it always knows the way home.
These days, it shows up for me all the time, perhaps because of a slower rhythm, a recalibrated schedule that my nervous system thanks me for daily. A life less dictated by the packed calendar of yesteryear, and more attuned to something subtler—something closer to natural cadence, to circadian rhythm, to the body’s own intelligence settling back into trust. And surrender . . . there’s that word again.
We need not fear surrendering to our heart’s knowing, for in that quiet space, these signals are nothing more than reminders from something both ancient and intimate, begging us to listen. What some traditions once called Sophia—wisdom embodied, receptive, luminous—others might describe as intuitive or emotional intelligence. Yet over time, much of this knowing was pushed to the margins: dismissed, rationalized, or overshadowed by the Patriarch, valuing only what could be measured, proven, and, dare I say, controlled. These beautiful signals are forever speaking to us in wild and merciful ways, pleading with us to take notice and imploring us to listen to the proverbial wisdom of Sophia.
We can return there—to that intuitive compass—anytime, even in simple moments. It need not be only in one of those knowing the door down situations, such as the death of a loved one, a divorce or losing your job. It often shows up in small openings: a pause before a decision, a feeling that precedes explanation, a moment where something simply lands as true before the mind catches up. And when we honor it, our body recognizes it as what some might refer to as a universal truth.
Many years ago, my partner Anthony and I were in a small seaside town along the Pacific coast and decided to stop by a horse farm for a ride. He had only been on a horse twice, so Luke, our guide, decided to put Anthony on a dashing white Andalusian named Ivory and assigned George to me, but after one look at both horses, I knew Ivory was mine. Why? It was a look, a longing, a knowing. Perhaps she could hear my heartbeat, as horses can ostensibly do from four feet away. In that wordless exchange, there was both recognition and remembrance. As if the choice had already been made somewhere beyond traditional logic.
George kept tripping over his own feet, stumbling over rocks and falling asleep within minutes, and it was also clear that Ivory wasn’t happy. After fifteen minutes of this misaligned match, I finally told Luke we were both on the wrong horse. Irked by my comment, he justified his choice, and as he went on and on, Ivory shot me a glance. You might think me crazy in this moment, but she was communicating with me in an ancient way that felt oddly familiar. I had been here many times. Past lives? Who can say, but I felt it deep in my core, as if it was lodged in my heart. Yet, emotional intelligence can’t be proven. Or can it?
Instinct doesn’t argue or try to prove anything. It simply reveals itself in ways that might appear mysterious; however, our indigenous elders knew this wisdom and still practice it today. A lost science of sorts. An experience that lands in the body before it ever becomes language.
I looked over at Ivory in that moment and telepathically said to her, “I know. I know.” She looked down and refused to move even at Luke’s command. After he gave her a slap on the side, she took off in the opposite direction, and Anthony could barely hang on. I had to hold back a laugh. Speak up, girl, I mused. Ivory knows what she wants.
Inner knowing arrives before validation, before explanation, before logic, and when we tune into it, we arrive in a place that is unmistakably aligned.
Luke finally had to listen. To Her. To me. To the Sophia wisdom that is indeed our life force. The divine feminine. The innate knowing we all have access to, regardless of our sexual identification. The quiet emotional intelligence of being alive.
You see, when you know, you know. Follow your inner compass, for it will never steer you away from your soul’s calling. Your heart’s desire. Your true north that will always guide you home.
Thanks for listening!
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
