We are all intuitive.
We’ve all been in a situation where our gut feelings guided us as to what to do or not do.
This is your intuition speaking to you. Intuition is an “inner knowing” or “understanding” of what’s true for you. It can look different for different people, but when you feel it, you generally know.
What Does Intuitive or Intuition mean?
First, it doesn’t come from your conscious mind and isn’t an analytical skill. You can’t develop or strengthen your intuition by throwing yourself at a goal of, “I’m going to be more intuitive”. Intuition strengthens when the world around you becomes more noticeable or resonant when you are still. It’s when you take the time to reflect, or engage in more passive activities.
Highly intuitive people in general feel they can pick up on their gut responses easily and feel comfortable listening to them.
For example, you know someone who can quickly recognize what the next right thing for her to do is, where others may hem and haw back and forth between their available choices. Or maybe you know someone who can tune into the different energies in a room and understand how other people are feeling, seemingly with little effort.
Here’s one example that happened to me when I was 17.
Once a week I took the train from NJ to my dance class in NYC. I got off the Path Train (a subway that goes between NJ and NYC) that stopped about three blocks from the Valerie Bettis dance studio. When I turned to walk the last block, I suddenly felt I was being followed. I didn’t look behind me or hear anyone, I just knew. I picked up my pace and so did he. I could feel his intention. I got to the door of the building and had to walk down a long corridor to the elevator. Luckily, there was always an elevator operator. The wait for the elevator felt like eternity and I could still feel him behind me. The elevator door opened. I could breathe again with the elevator man there. As I turned around and the elevator doors were closing, I saw the man, a big man, that had been following me standing in the doorway.
This strange “knowing” that something is or could happen is your intuition speaking to you. It’s often an unexplained feeling that won’t go away and is later explained by something that occurs, such as in my example.
Many people have naturally, on some inner knowing level, trusted those feelings without ever having talked, read or known about it before. For me, I’ve always trusted and also assumed everyone else did the same as me. But, many will get an intuitive hit, but ignore it or poo poo it off. Not me, ever. Although there have been times in my life that I chose to ignore it which I think was my ego getting in the way. Nothing terrible happened, only some disappointments. Those disappointments and the “wish I had done...” don’t have to haunt you.
How to strengthen your intuition
You can put effort into actively developing your intuition if you know how to go about it. Here are 10 things you can try to strengthen and better tune in to your intuition. First, treat it like a practice. Be patient, take time to observe and you’ll become more aware of yourself and how your intuition speaks to you as you go.
1. Meditate
Intuition arises during quieter times and can help you to get more in tune with you. Meditation can be as simple as sitting for five minutes with no distractions, or you can try guided meditations.
2. Take a chance on following your gut instinct.
Like in my example, you can notice a strong feeling to do something or move away from it. Start with something low stakes, like which is the best route to take on a drive. There’s much less pressure on you. I’ve heard many stories how people avoided a serious accident by doing this.
3. Do Daily Body Scans
Don’t push yourself through a situation or feeling to the next. Make it a practice of acknowledging the way your body feels and what it’s telling you at any given time, good or bad.
4. Spend Time Outside
This is so important. Spending time in nature, being mindful about its beauty and natural perfection can help you decompress, clear out distracting thoughts, and be more aware that you, too, are a living being, perfect just as you are. Notice what thoughts come up while outside. Is your intuition speaking to you?
5. Do a Technology Fast
Consider doing a purposeful technology detox. Can you entertain yourself for four to five hours without technology?
6. Ask Your Intuition a Question
Write out a question you’re thinking about and then sit quietly with it. What comes up? Don’t poo poo it. Try journaling about anything that comes to you that could be a potential answer or guidance. If nothing comes up, don’t be discouraged. It may pop up later in your mind when you’re not thinking about it.
7. Journal
On a related note, writing can be a way to override your conscious mind and allow things to come
to the surface. Experiment with sitting down once a day and writing a few sentences, or more, about what’s on your mind. Document the things that seem like signs or interesting coincidences. Think if there are ways you can connect the dots or make sense out of them. If journaling doesn’t sit with you, try doodling your thoughts, visions of your future, or whatever comes to you.
8. Start a Dream Journal
Pay attention to what comes up in your dreams. This gives you the ability to pick up on things in your dreams you might have missed otherwise. When you wake up, try to jot down enough to remember what you dreamt about, come back to it later when you’re more awake and see if there are any messages that resonate with you.
9. Don’t overthink things
If you get a suggestion from your gut, try to write it down so you don’t forget it, or act on it right away. If you over think it too much, you can easily talk yourself out of the suggestion or over analyze it and lose the feeling altogether.
Your intuition is always available to you, but it’s up to you to work on your ability to recognize and acknowledge it. Using these tips can help you get a clearer sense of what intuition feels and looks like for you. I hope these suggestions give you a foundation for developing your intuition and maybe dive in deeper if you choose.
10. Work with Oracle Cards
This is what I like to do and no matter how many times over the years I’ve been doing this, I am still blown away by what shows up. If you’re coming up completely blank when you try to call up your intuition, cards can help.
If you don’t have any oracle cards, go to http://colettebaronreid.com. Click on “pick a card”. Instructions will tell you what to do. Colette is my teacher and I have many of her beautiful decks. They have never steered me wrong. Also, there will be a sentence or two or three maybe more, that will stand out and make the most sense to you.
I asked the question using Colette's Animal Spirit deck, "What do my readers need to know from me?" I got Turkey spirit: "Give with gratitude and grace. "
Oracle Message: Turkey Spirit’s message for you is that you always have the potential for manifesting a rich reality, for the turkey represents generosity and a celebration of abundance through giving to others.
Give freely without expectation and you shall receive, for the manifestation of abundance is happening right now. Align with it by sharing your good fortune with others, whether you give money, loving guidance, the gift of listening, or kindness in any form.
Immerse yourself in the flow of generous abundance, being a channel for Turkey Spirit and the desire of Spirit to see all beings experience the blessing of plenty. Give with gratitude and grace, from a wellspring of love and compassion, knowing that Spirit will respond by giving you all that you need in this moment and all moments to come.
So, in keeping with the message from Turkey spirit, thank you! With grace and gratitude I share with you my passions and expertise on this subject and others in hopes I can enrich your life a little bit more.
Namaste'
Stephanie
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