Intuitively Speaking by Deborah Ilg Each month, following her predictions for the coming month, Deborah Ilg offers intuitive guidance in response to readers' questions about relationships, family, children, animals, health, career, finances, or the other side. E-mail Deborah at <guidance@intuitiveartist.com> or call or fax her at (206) 985-6601 if you’d like her to answer your question in The New Times. Please do not give your name when asking your question; anonymity and confidentiality are assured. This month is an excellent time to keep a conscious focus on your path and the goals you have chosen, even though life’s distractions may try to steer you off your path. Focusing on your goals while being aware of distractions is a positive way to bring consciousness to a higher level. Sensing distractions as they approach you is the first step. Taking time to choose what to do with them is the next. Being conscious that these distractions are not taking energy away from your goals is a good way to build intuition. Use your tools to help yourself focus on goals so you will be able to move through distractions easily. By tools, I mean prayer, meditation, writing, walking, listening to music — whatever moves you and calms your mind. Such tools will help you make a clear, conscious choice for your next step. It is a beautiful thing to be able to increase awareness around life’s distractions. It brings movement to that space and builds strength around choice. Taking a negative situation and turning it into a positive one creates an environment that works for you instead of against you. Keep a conscious focus on your path and have fun. I have been on a spiritual search for about 15 years and have done loads of reading and research into different spiritual, religious, and cultural beliefs. It seems like the more I learn, the more open I become to my own soul and spiritual evolution. The problem is my husband. Every time I try to talk to him about my spiritual awakening, he blocks me out. He does not believe in a higher power, and though I love him with all my heart — he is a very good man and we share the same values and outlooks on life — I find it extremely sad that I cannot share this intimate and important part of my life. I am not trying to reform or change him. I know that’s not possible. How can I get him to at least listen and converse with me? Why do people who don’t have spiritual beliefs seem so defensive and threatened by others’ beliefs? - Spiritually Searching I am going to approach your question by looking at how you and your husband communicate with each other. Since you are the one asking the question, I will be looking at how you communicate with him as well. I see that you get very excited by what you have learned and by what you know. You want to share your knowledge. When I look at your husband at that same time, I get that he feels overwhelmed with the information you are sharing. When I look at how you communicate, I see that you are able to think and communicate at the same time, easily. Your husband needs to think things over first before he communicates his feelings on a subject. You want feedback right away from him, yet, from his perspective, he has not processed all the information in his mind. This is just a difference in personalities, by the way. It doesn't make one of you bad or wrong. The picture I get from your husband is that he feels hurried or pushed to speak. I know it is not your intent to push, you just want to share. Knowing the difference between the two of you and working with your personalities will help you communicate. He needs time to process. Try one subject at a time so neither of you will feel compromised. You get to talk about something you are interested in, and he gets to proceed at his own speed. Even before you start sharing, try saying that you want to talk about just one thing so he knows it will be easy and short. Since this subject is so fun for you, keep that same tone in your communication as well. Please know we are all walking our own path at our own speed. It seems to you that he is not moving as fast as you would like. From his end of things, he is moving pretty darn quickly. Try focusing on how you communicate rather than what you are communicating about. Deborah Ilg, Intuitive Artist, uses her gift of intuition as a professional spiritual counselor and energy worker. Her practice is based in Seattle, and she offers both phone and office sessions. You may also hear her radio show on 96.5 FM, The Point's Breakfast Club, the first Wednesday of every month. To contact Deborah, e-mail <guidance@intuitiveartist.com> or call (206) 985-6601.