Keeping In Touch With Your Intuition: Kate Van Horn Of The Inner Tarot On How To Get In Touch With Your Intuition And When To Trust Your Intuition When Making Decisions
An Interview With Maria Angelova
Express your imagination. This is one of my first steps and one that is often overlooked. Our imagination and intuition are both closely linked. There is no “proving” either of them, but by imagining and dreaming BIGGER, we can start to hear the clues and hints from our intuition.
Intuition is defined as the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning. Where does intuition come from? Can it be trusted? How can someone tune in to their intuition? To address these questions, we are talking to business leaders, coaches, mental health experts, authors, and anyone who is an authority on “How to Get In Touch With Your Intuition And When To Trust Your Intuition When Making Decisions.” As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kate Van Horn.
Kate Van Horn is a Psychic, Intuitive Healer, & professional tarot reader. She is the author of The Inner Tarot. Kate offers one-on-one readings, workshops, and intuitive training to clients worldwide.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we start, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?
I’m happy to share, although my childhood was not idyllic. I credit my intuition and psychic abilities to the difficult experiences, however. I was raised by a resilient single mother. But after my parents divorce at 3 years old, I experienced and witnessed trauma at a young age including childhood sexual abuse. It was a dark and heavy period of my life, especially being only a young girl and for many, many, years I hid the abuse and my secret out of shame.
This caused me to battle with anxiety, depression, and panic attacks from a young age, eventually I was diagnosed with anorexia at the age of 19, and later PTSD at the age of 22, and I committed to consistent inner work and various therapies during these years.
What began as deeply painful, later became my purpose. Today my work is entirely rooted in this storytelling and transparency, just like tarot cards and divination work, my story and childhood traumas are often not discussed because they’re difficult to look at. I try to hold space for my clients today that feels similar to what my inner child needed back then — a safe, open, and truly loving place to be accepted for both shadows and light.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Growing up, I was obsessed with Louisa May Alcott’s book, Little Women. I dreamt of writing my own book someday, and I admired the protagonist, Jo. My grandmother shared Alcott’s quote with me “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” and it stuck with me forever.
What’s interesting about the quote is that having experienced trauma at a young age, I actually had carried quite a few fears and anxieties that hindered me from taking risks or feeling brave and adventurous. The only exception to my worry was my entrepreneurial ventures and business ideas. I started my first business and became self-employed at just 22 years old, and have never looked back since! That is one area of my life I have never stopped sailing, despite the storms.
Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Beyond the book listed above, some of the books that were really inspired by spiritual/psychic practice and healing were Untethered Soul and Anatomy of the Spirit.
Ten years ago I picked up my first tarot deck. This purchase eventually became my greatest passion, profession, and inspiration for The Inner Tarot. So I must credit my first tarot deck and guidebook, The Wild Unknown as well. The art inspired me and moved me, and it’s what drew me to the deck of cards and pushed me to learn the intricacies of the practice. The calling to pick up that deck truly changed the trajectory of my life and I’m grateful to Kim Krans, the author and illustrator for the inspiration.
Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Let’s begin with a definition of terms so that each of us and our readers are on the same page. What exactly does intuition mean? Can you explain?
Intuition is a response based on instinct and it arrives when we are processing information instantly, with little to no conscious effort. Our intuition speaks to us similarly to our physical body’s senses, through feelings and sensations we can feel (for example in our gut), subtle whispers we can hear, and through visions or ideas of how something might happen — an intuitive, or “clairvoyant” vision or daydream.
How would you define common sense? Are intuition and common sense related?
Common sense is using practicality to respond and react. While remaining sensible and relatively sensible, common sense leads us to usually make the safest, or the easily identified choice.
How are they different from each other?
Common sense, to me, feels more aligned to a general consensus. Common sense is usually favoring a collective or societal norm, or expected paths and decisions. Intuition can fall under that category occasionally, but typically our intuition guides us to something more deeply personal and purposeful, leading us to make choices that feel individual to our needs rather than the “norm” or path of least resistance.
What are the positive aspects of being in touch with your intuition? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?
A sense of inner peace and a deep sense of trust. I believe following our intuition allows us to feel more fulfilled, less comparison to others, and more spiritual connection because we see ourselves as divine. This sense of peace allows our relationships, our habits, and even our goals to be created with more love and self-compassion, because we know we can listen to our inner voice and respond to life in a way that won’t hinder our growth. We feel more free. I believe it also opens up our creative gifts, and expressing our intuition can come through in a multitude of ways, from a writer who channels their books in a flow state, to a musician that gets lost in the melodies.
Are there negative aspects to being guided by intuition? Can you give a story or example to explain what you mean?
I think, like anything, there can always be an extreme example of over prioritizing a certain perspective, feeling, or thought. Sometimes I have clients who use “intuition” as a way to self-sabotage or stay for a narrative, relationship, or experience they have outgrown. Being so in touch with our sensitivities and intuition can make us feel overly-sensitive or highly emotional, or even overwhelmed by the information we’re picking up on. Striking a balance between the practical and spiritual is always a smart idea when facing important choices, changes, or transitions.
Can you give some guidance about when one should make a decision based on their intuition and when one should use other methods to come to a decision?
I think the answer lies in compromise. Meaning, there are instances when our intuition can be saying one thing, but we choose to compromise with our professional teams at work, our spouse, or our children because we know it’s best to surrender a bit of control, or it’s important to equally value their responses.
The only exception to this is when disregarding your intuition disempowers you, or leaves you in a position to feel you compromised yourself energetically, physically, or emotionally.
From your experience or perspective, what are some of the common barriers that hold someone back from trusting their intuition?
Like many of our troubles, it can be easily linked to childhood experiences. Trauma, religious stigma, and perfectionism are all factors that might contribute to our disconnection from our intuition. Over time, our disconnection from self can weaken due to a variety of reasons, and our society as a whole isn’t the easiest place to be a highly sensitive and empathic person. I believe that our self-healing journey and tapping into our intuition can be a beautifully healing process, but takes our willingness. In my book, The Inner Tarot, I offer a ton of tarot, journaling, practices and rituals that can become a routine, and slowly guide us back to a deeper connection with our inner voice.
Intuition is built like any muscle, through practice and repetition combined with a healthy dose of self-trust. The more confident we become by making bold actions, speaking our truth, or allowing our quirks and imperfections to be celebrated, the easier it becomes to rewire the learned behaviors and projections about intuition.
We can realize that tapping into our intuition can feel more subtle, beautiful, and sacred rather than overwhelming.
What are five methods that someone can use to become more in touch with their intuition?
1 . Express your imagination. This is one of my first steps and one that is often overlooked. Our imagination and intuition are both closely linked. There is no “proving” either of them, but by imagining and dreaming BIGGER, we can start to hear the clues and hints from our intuition.
2 . Heal and connect to your inner child. Our inner child is the most intuitive part of us. Remember the dreams you had for yourself as a child? The way your heart led the way in everything you did? This childlike essence is what is required of us to honor our intuition. A child lives and responds based on what FEELS right in the moment. From the outfit they would choose to wear, to the meal they’d have for dinner, everything is based on satisfaction and what feels most fulfilling to them in that moment. We can start to feel more intuitive and divinely guided after doing deep inner work to give our inner child the permission and guidance to confidently lead again.
3 . Learn how to ground and trust your body. As human beings we are having a spiritual soul experience, in a human body and container. For that reason, sometimes when we begin listening to our intuition in new ways we can feel overwhelmed. We’re highly sensitive when open to this level of guidance, and it’s important to feel grounded and safe within the body. Spending regular time in nature, eating nourishing foods and movement such as yoga, are all examples of staying grounded and supportive to your body, as you open a spiritual connection and more intimate relationship with your intuition.
4 . Pick up spiritual practices like tarot, journaling, or meditation. I always say, find what naturally draws you in. For me it was tarot cards. They felt mystical and interesting, and I found myself wanting to study them and dive deeper into the practice quite naturally. Intuition should feel like a flow state, so finding a routine, ritual, or hobby that activates the intuition should feel fun and joyful. For some people a meditation practice really opens their intuitive gifts, for others it’s writing and journaling. Experiment to find the tool that helps you access and “unlock” this part of yourself, then return to it again and again to strengthen your connection.
5 . Spend time in nature and around animals. Nature brings us back to our intuition. In a world so driven by movement, technology, and “hustle”, the peaceful stillness of the elements will do wonders for anyone’s intuition. I notice it’s the first place I go when I feel less in sync with my intuition and spirit guides. Animals are also gentle and intuitive beings with messages and wisdom we can call on. Making it a habit to marvel at nature, animals, and appreciate the organic intuitive cycles they follow, can mirror our own intuition.
You are a person of significant influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
I would love my work to continue to inspire a movement toward radical self-acceptance and brave storytelling. Especially given my specific traumas, finding a way to share the link between trauma and psychic abilities fascinates me, as I truly believe they go hand in hand.
I also hope to continue to share that psychic work, and especially tarot, is not something to fear. I like to share these modalities with a more grounded approach, normalizing our interest in them.
My book, The Inner Tarot, carries all these themes and tones, and I certainly hope the conversation and movement broadens from there!
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I would love to have lunch with Glennon Doyle.
Beyond being inspired by her books, her story resonates and lands with me as I too have openly struggled with eating disorders as a result of my trauma. She set an example for me as I was healing, reminding me that “we can do hard things”.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
My website: katevanhorn.com
Instagram: instagram.com/kate.van.horn
My book is now available (pre-order): theinnertarot.com
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Keeping In Touch With Your Intuition: Kate Van Horn Of The Inner Tarot On How To Get In Touch With… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.