If you open up any self help book or magazine, chances are you'll be met with the guidance to tune into and follow your intuition. Phrases such as "trust your gut" and "listen to your inner voice" have been spoken of as the ticket to a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life.
When we think of an intuitive person, we may have a stereotypical image come to our mind of a witch looking into a crystal ball, or a prophet foreseeing a major world event. In fact, intuition is something that we all possess and carry within.
What is Intuition?
Difficult to define at times, intuition is knowledge that does not necessarily stem from rational thought. You may know something, but you don't know how you know.
Scientists like to explain intuition as a result of our unconscious mind making patterns and sifting through past experiences and knowledge. Information that we absorb throughout our lives is kept in the brain without our conscious awareness, only to surface later when it comes to things like making decisions.
I like to think of intuition as communication from the non physical aspects of ourselves. Some people like to perceive it as language of the soul, others view it as guidance from above. Regardless, when we step out of linear ways of thinking and open ourselves to the abstract, perception is heightened and we can reach greater forms of clarity and direction.
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Intuition can manifest in many different ways and tends to fall on a spectrum. It can be more intrinsic in nature, such as knowing you're on the right path or staying away from something that you feel is bad for you. It can also veer into the psychic side, such as communicating with passed on loved ones or having precognitive dreams. With how sensationalized intuition is portrayed in the media, some people may think that a lack of visions or mediumship abilities must mean they aren't intuitive. This simply isn't true.
There seems to be an agreement that most people generally fall into four different categories of how their intuition speaks to them. This categorization is formed from the prefix "clair," which means "clear." They are:
1. Clairvoyance (clear seeing)
Example: Seeing an image in your minds eye that carries a symbolic message
2. Clairsentience (clear feeling)
Example: Meeting a person and suddenly feeling chills, emotional discomfort, and general disgust
3. Clairaudience (clear hearing)
Example: Hearing a phrase either out loud or in your head that is important to you at this time
4. Claircognizance (clear knowing)
Example: Driving down a road and just knowing that you should probably take a different route home
Clairsentience and claircognizance are the most common ways that intuition speaks to us. They are much more accepted in the mainstream and are so ingrained in the way we make decisions that you may not even realize you are utilizing your intuition!
Blocks to Intuition
We live in a culture that values logic over feeling, left brained thinking over right, certainty over mystery. Not only that, but many of us tend to grow up in environments where personal integrity and truth is squeezed out of us. The education system strips us of personal passions and we are left to conform to a standardized way of thinking that prepares us for the workforce. Many parents raise their children to follow what they believe is best for them, rather than allowing their children to lead the way. Worse, many people grow up in abusive environments with many gaslighting techniques, leading an individual to constantly question and distrust their personal reality.
With all of these traumas to our internal guidance system, it's no wonder that many people fail to grasp the concept of what it means to access and follow their intuition. This is usually a challenging roadblock as you are learning to tune into your guidance. You may accuse yourself of being crazy, and that the things you sensed and felt truly weren't real. This unfortunately can cause your intuition to shut down again. Sometimes it may be hard to even access anything at all. It takes time to unravel the conditioning you may have accumulated throughout your life, but this is a necessary process if you want to develop a solid relationship with your innermost self.
Another issue that may pop up is believing that intuition will always be literal and easily understood. The truth is, a lot of intuitive guidance can manifest in an abstract way, and may require some further contemplation and introspection. For example, there have been times in my life where guidance has manifested as an animal or object showing up in my minds eye. It may not be something that I understand right away, but if I contemplate the symbolism further, I am more easily able to understand the message that I'm needing at this time.
Fear vs. Intuition
When it comes to accessing internal guidance, one of the main concerns is whether the information being presented is coming from fear or intuition.
In my experience, fear tends to be loud and urgent. This is different than when you are in a genuinely threatening situation (with common sense agreeing with you). In that case you should definitely listen to that flight or fight response meant to protect you.
Fear will tell you that you need to act now or else. It tends to come from a place of desperation and lack. I can't say for certain how it will feel in the body as it tends to manifest differently for everyone. I will feel this energy mainly in the upper part of my body and head. My thoughts will usually feel very loud. If I feel the need to act impulsively and foolishly, chances are it's fear coming through.
When in doubt, you should allow yourself time apart from the situation to cool down. You might find that with space, you now have a different perspective.
Intuition is much softer and milder. It tends to repeat itself, but not always in an intense way. The signs from your intuition will get louder if you don't listen, but it will usually happen over the course of many days, weeks, months, or years. Your intuition is going to be very loving, and will work for the highest good of yourself and everyone involved. You can imagine it like a parent watching a child fumble and make mistakes, yet still accepting and loving the child all the same.
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Something to keep in mind is that if you struggle with your mental health in any capacity, or have suffered from significant trauma, you may find that it's especially difficult to accurately follow your intuition. A dysregulated nervous system will play many tricks on you and can lead you into much confusion.
This is why it is necessary to get to know your negative patterns, wounds, fears, and trigger points. Having knowledge on these things can help you better identify when an unresolved issue is being brought to your awareness, or when you truly are being warned of something.
One of the examples that can be used in this sort of scenario is relationships. Certain attachment patterns can cause someone to "follow their gut" (aka alarm bells) and run away from a connection that may actually be healthy for them. On the other hand, using this same sort of internal guidance can also lead you to believe someone is right for you, when in fact the opposite is true.
Combining psychological inner work with your spiritual/intuitive practices is usually the best combo. You may experience mistakes and stumbling blocks, but these will serve as important learning lessons along your journey.
Ways to Develop Intuition
One of the first steps towards developing a relationship with your intuition is to gain a better understanding of how your inner guidance naturally speaks to you. It might be helpful to start a journal of your experiences where you document the times you did or didn't listen to yourself. How did the information come to you? Did you see a vision flash in your minds' eye? Did you hear a song in your head that carried important information? Were you overcome with butterflies in your stomach or general discomfort? Did you just have an inner knowing as to your next step? Keeping a log of your experiences will not only help you become more familiar with intuition, but also help it to grow.
While you explore the ways in which intuition already speaks to you, it is also crucial to gain awareness as to the blockages that are preventing you from accessing and trusting it. We usually find that our natural gifts are not so much something to be obtained, but something to be rediscovered underneath the layers of conditioning that have been imprinted on us.
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Intuition effortlessly flows when we allow ourselves to be in a receptive state of being. This may be difficult to prioritize in our busy lives, but making time in your day for stillness can help you on so many levels. Some of the things that I like to personally do are meditate, pray, or allow time to be alone with my thoughts. Even doing something mundane like washing the dishes allows the logical mind to rest so solutions can arise.
Since intuition is much more "right brained" in nature, opening yourself up to spontaneity, creativity, and uncertainty can allow your inner guidance to blossom. There's endless possibilities on how you can nurture this side of yourself, but something I like to do is allow myself to create with no end result in mind. It's important to really give yourself over to the experience and follow each instinct and urge that you have, even if it doesn't make sense.
Another thing I like to do is give myself time to be spontaneous. If I'm driving and feel inspiration to go down a different road, I will act on that urge. If I'm out running errands and feel the desire to go to other places that aren't on my agenda, I will usually allow myself the opportunity to do so. There's many stories of people who end up in the right place at the right time because they allow themselves to act on these spontaneous moments of inspiration.
If you want to use any external tools to explore intuition, there are many divination methods that you can try. Some of the most common ones are tarot/oracle cards, pendulums, astrology, and scrying. Something very simple you can do is cloud watching or looking at droplets of water. If you open up to your imagination, you might find that you see an image of something that is pertinent to you at this time.
Another simple form of divination is having a question in mind and picking out a book from a bookshelf that catches your eye. Allow the book to randomly fall open to a page and look at wherever your eye first lands. Did what you come across resonate at all? With practice, you will get better at interpreting the messages you receive.
If you want intuition to become a regular presence in your life, it is important to keep the channels open. Stress, a poor diet, and an unhealthy lifestyle will take a toll on your inner guidance and it will become difficult to accurately assess the messages you receive. Taking care of yourself does wonders when it comes to reaching deeper forms of clarity and perception.
These are just some examples of the many ways you can start to explore and develop intuition. Overall, my main advice is to get into the practice of tuning into yourself every day, and especially before you make decisions. Learning to trust yourself and discover your internal cues can be a murky process at first, but with time, you will be well equipped to understand your intuition better.
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Whatever you focus on will grow, and intuitive experiences are no exception. Allowing your inner guidance to blossom can help you in many ways, and it is a partner you'll always carry with you. Be open to the idea that your soul knows the way- with enough support and nurturing, it will become a powerful presence in your life.
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