Real Intuition Starter® Interview #2: Carol McCormick (Article)

Carol McCormick
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Interview between Jenn Shallvey and Carol McCormick, November 2010

What would it be like if you knew something was going to happen but you could not do anything to stop it?  Well this is the experience of Carol McCormick. Carol is just like you and me. She goes to work every day, does her job, enjoys time with her partner and gets involved in her community. If you ran into her at the grocery store or on your street you would enjoy a pleasant, friendly and civil conversation. Her beaming smile and calm demeanor would immediately persuade you that she is far from a threat; in fact she is a gentle, kind and generous soul.

© Jenn ShallveyYet when you get to know Carol, you learn that she has a gift with mixed blessings.  On one hand her life is richer, more empowering and rewarding yet also challenging as she experiences the growth and contrast of life. Her gift is her personal style of intuition.

Background
I set out to interview Carol as part of my project Intuition Starters. After putting out a request Carol volunteered, hesitantly at first, but then with full courage and trust.  We did not know each other well. In fact most of our communication to date has been via email facilitated by a mutual friend connection on Linked In.  When we did finally meet in person we quickly discovered that there was immediately a common understanding – intuition is a key part of each of our lives.

So with this common ground I knew that her participation would be interesting and educational for others. Yet what she did reveal and share far exceeded even my expectations.

For most of you reading this blog let me preface this summary by saying Carol lives on the verge of two realities. On one hand she operates in the world we all live in, the day-to-day, regular, get the job done world. On the other hand she accesses information that can only be described as intuitive premonitions and enhanced psychic knowing.

So what does Carol do?

Carol has a history of seeing and knowing about significant events.  The significance of the events range from something as mundane in all our lives as buying a new home to knowing about an impending disaster.  She can recount stories where she felt, sensed and knew in cryptic ways, the foreboding of events such as the Twin Towers coming down, bombings in Bali, train incidents, airline difficulties.  At the same time she talks about buying a house because she trusted where her intuition took her.  I know this sounds unbelievable to some of you and makes for good TV show drama scripts. But for Carol these experiences were very and still are quite real.

What happens?

Well Carol experiences her intuition in a way where she sees, feels and knows about a situation.  It might be her body or visual images.  When the images are stronger then she knows that something is important and she needs to pay attention.

Carol didn’t always listen to her intuition. Though from an early age she can recall experiencing psychic phenomena and knowing presences in her space. These very real first hand encounters for her as a child were quickly dismissed and forbidden to be spoken about in her home. So she shut down, much like many people gifted with an intuitive knowing early in life.

It wasn’t until much later in her life that she started to open up. Her reconnection occurred through the facilitation of learning programs and other personal development work. In the safe and supportive like-minded environment of these groups, Carol realized that she is not alone. She learned that what she experiences and can tap into is in fact to her a gift.

Refining and honing the gift
Surrounding herself with like-minded people Carol continued to hone and refine her gift.  As she did this she also started to come to terms with the serious ramifications of her brand of knowing. You see not everyone has this type of intuitive knowing. We all can connect intuitively but similar to one person being a specialist in one form of art over another, Carol has the eye for this way of seeing.

Over time she started to realize that the best way to develop her gift is to learn how to manage it, rather then let it manage her. In the beginning she would get bombarded with information whenever she tuned into events and happenings in the world. She learned that like a radio receiver she could choose when to tune in and when not.

Learning to accept
However sometimes it is not that easy. With some situations the messages really want to come through. So her only way of dealing with these was to develop her intuitive language.  She noticed that as she got closer to events – whether significant or not – the data would come to her more frequently and clearer. She might experience smells, body sensations such as changes in temperature, video like images in her head.  Sometimes it would be almost like a voice talking to her. Either way according to Carol it “takes time sometimes to put pieces together”. 

Now for most of you this would be a sign she needs to check in for some psychiatric assistance.  She even wondered this herself, briefly, but not for long. For she realized that when she listened and validated the information coming to her she felt complete.  Rather than feeling unbalanced by the way this information came to her she learned to work with it.  Through her self-analysis and further introspection Carol also learned that it was her intuition speaking, not fear.

Confirming the skill, unfortunately
A key way in which Carol enhanced her skills was to learn how to ask the right questions.  By this she means as you get an intuitive signal begin to work with it. For example in one challenging scenario she felt and experienced uncomfortable body sensations like heat, six months before (Sept 11), when working in the US, but had the knowing of it first in 1996, when in New York. 

Another time Carol picked up on the Bali bombings, felt firstly when in the region in 1997. Then six months before the event she sensed more-when she tuned in she could tell that the information coming to her was related to a disaster but didn’t pick up it was Bali. Instead on the day of the event, Carol asked to be shown “where were the people from in Australia who would be affected” and got shown black dots around the map of Australia representing individuals experiencing pain and suffering.  It was not until after the event that she realized this image was showing her that the victims were from Australia even though the event occurred in Bali.  In the aftermath she then was able to recall her personal experience feeling unsafe and uncomfortable to go inside night clubs in that area.

On the upside
Now this is quite an extreme example of what happens with this type of intuition.  I asked Carol if having such experiences might put people off developing their intuition. She shared that she would never change things.  In fact there is a possible upside to having such information. Whilst she knows she on her own can not change or affect an event she gets information about, if a larger number of people connect to it then it is possible. In fact she feels quite strongly that the power of collective positive intention can shift the outcome. (Note to further learn more about scientific research being done on this topic please see the work of Lynne McTaggart and the Intention Experiment)

Undercover is her way
Given Carol’s experience and developing gift of intuition I wondered why she does not use this professionally.  She feels that her role is to be in the workforce helping out on the ground as they say.  Instead of being outside then she is on the inside, undercover to some extent, using her intuition everyday. A common area where she applies her intuition is in decision-making – both in business and outside of business.  She says it is normal for her to get information while in a meeting about situations and know whether it is a good or not so good idea. Rather than say anything like “hey my intuition tells me this doesn’t work”, she might ask some questions that help the others reach the immediate conclusion she could make. 

Over time she says some people know about her intuitive abilities and can tell when she is getting a ‘hit’ as I like to say.  It would be like playing poker without the poker face. People who know her can see the change of expression, sense her shift. They will then ask her point blank to share what she got.

Knowing the ease and importance of using intuition and how it helps so much, Carol will often do the same with others. She will pick up when someone else has an intuitive experience and ask for details.  In this way Carol is acting indirectly as a coach and teacher herself, helping people own their ability and develop further.

Another area of development for Carol has been to learn how to hold back on information that she gets. Like a professional she will have information to pass on to a person yet need the person’s permission and openness to share. So rather than be direct and blunt about it she will find ways to share if it feels necessary but whilst being mindful of other people’s beliefs.

Definition
So what is Carol’s definition?  Given all her experiences, Carol says intuition is essentially an “inner knowing”.  For her the key to developing and using intuition then is about three things: Trust, Focus and Love. Firstly it is important to trust what comes up and believe that you are not crazy but sharing valuable and valid information. Secondly focus is about asking the right questions, paying attention to the details and being persistent.  Lastly love is the way to frame all questions and experiences. She says that when you dismiss fear and only allow love to show you how to see a situation it works far better.  Carol’s approach is now to “ask what would love do.” She also considers “what is the highest good for all”.  Ultimately she believes that when you “focus on love…that is what you get. If focus on fear, then get that.”

Carol's own future
Carol’s journey is not over yet. She is in a new stage of applying and using her intuition. Her desire is to find the type of work environment where her gift can be used and applied more openly. She eventually hopes to be surrounded by likeminded people who can benefit and work with her and her gift, not just her.

Likewise Carol is now more open about her intuitive abilities. Up until now she is careful to sense whether people are open and then only mention to people she trusts.  This feeds her intention to work with people that value what she offers.

The future for Carol does look bright.  As she reflected she noted that business is changing. People are more open, more people are intuitive at work whether they are aware of it or not.

In asking what advice Carol would give to people newly waking up to their intuitive abilities she said, “listen and ask questions of your intuition. Be mindful of how you share it. Trust. Make sure you can trust the people before you open up.”  She also strongly encourages the idea of having a support network of likeminded people that can help you develop your skills, let you practice safely.

There are lots more stories I could share. Instead I invite you to go more in depth and learn further from Carol by either reading the full transcript of the interview or listening to the audio podcast. In fact why not try both for the full effect.

If you would like to know more about Carol McCormick the best way is to check out her LinkedIn profile. From there you will be able to contact her.