Can you increase your listening power to the voice of intuition? Does everyone have intuitive abilities? And can you learn to use your intuition more accurately? Yes. Yes. Yes.
Is intuition a part of emotional intelligence? Or is it memory pattern matching by our minds as some psychologists believe? These questions arise whenever a person desires to understand their intuition more or begins to tap its power.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Intuition Versus Mental Faculties
Although there is most likely an information gathering of unconscious memories, intuits often cannot be explained by past memories or knowledge.
In my personal experience, there are several significant distinctions between the mind and intuition:
- Intuition is never laced with fear. It is as neural as a summer breeze.
- Intuition is usually detached from emotion.
- Guidance from intuition is independent of the ego.
- It is clear, calm, and kind. Intuition will not compete for attention.
- Intuits often go against logic and lead to unexpected places the mind cannot explain.
Intuition opens doors that otherwise are closed!
On the contrary, the mind churns with an inner critic and self-talk that is often inaccurate and many times extinguishes the guiding compass of intuition. The mind can be relentless, even aggressive, and a bully; intuition only goes where it is invited.
The mind is the aspect of ourselves that is preoccupied with thoughts of the past or future, busy analyzing and processing information or gaining and assimilating knowledge.
Understanding and developing intuition require us to listen in a different way. A practice of mindfulness can serve as a gateway to greater attunement since quieting your mind is helpful when discerning the difference between what your mind is telling you and what is actually intuition.
With the present challenge of anxiety in today's world, much of our intuitive faculties are often drowned out by anxious thoughts, technology addiction, chronic stress, an overactive mind, or obsessive competition or productivity.
Learning to listen and act on your inner voice creates enormous ease and serenity in your life, balancing the best of logical decisions.
What Does Intuition Mean?
A dictionary definition of intuition is: "a direct perception of truth or fact independent of any reasoning process; a keen and quick insight."
Pretty succinct description. Some say that intuition is the process of tapping into unconscious information while I've even heard a few people state that intuitive information is direct from the quantum field. The truth: scientific research on intuition is in its infancy, and the findings are incomplete, although many people swear by its efficacy.
In her book, "How to Rule the World from Your Couch" by Laura Day, the author says:
Intuition is accurate insight and information that
you have not gained through everyday use of your
five senses, intellect, or experience. It is a higher
octave of your five senses.... information that can
guide you toward your truest, best possible self.
Types of Intuition and Its Many Faces
An intuit can come in many different ways but never relies on the mind, intellect, or logic. The most common forms of intuition are:
- Clairvoyant - clear seeing through some kind of visual, image, dream, or movie clip.
- Clairaudience - hearing a voice, short phrase, or other auditory information that enters your mind unexpectedly.
- Clairsentience - sensing an intuit, a feeling or gut instinct, sometimes felt in your body.
- Claircognizance - knowing the answer without a trace of concrete information.
- Premonition - knowing a future event, a prediction;
Latin praemonere is "to warn in advance."
When I was in early elementary school, my math proficiency was near perfect. There was one catch: I didn't use any mathematical operations—I just KNEW the answer. Teachers would ask me how I arrived at the answer and I would say, "I just knew it." It was painful to be accused of cheating, especially when I only saw the correct answer in my own head! I used my sacred gift instead of the faithful servant of the mind, as Einstein is known to have said.
Intuition Examples
As a young adult, a clairaudience experience I had many years ago was on a hot August afternoon. I had just entered the freeway, and I was late for an appointment when I heard a soft, inner voice say, "Go back and look for your watch." First of all, you must know that my husband had just given me this watch as a birthday gift. And it wasn't a dime-store version either, but an expensive Citizen Watch that he painstakingly researched, shopped for, and purchased—a Grand Master Chime of its day! (Yes, it was before Apple watches and there wasn't any online shopping either!)
I had recently made a greater commitment to listening to my inner voice. Did I listen? Nope! I was in a hurry. Even worse, I argued with the inner voice. In my thoughts, I even talked back saying I had simply forgotten to put the watch on that morning. However, after the third appeal by that sweet voice within, I turned around.
Driving up to my previous stop, I found the shiny gold watch lying in the middle of the street. The hard-earned gift had slipped off my wrist as I got into my car. Thanks to my inner prompting, it was retrieved before it was smashed or even scratched. I was deeply moved by the extremely personal, caring, and sensitive nature of this guidance. That day, I accepted the truly loving knowingness of power beyond myself. The experience inspired me to listen more carefully.
Since that time, I've had hundreds of unexplainable intuits that have enriched my life, cut through the clutter of indecision, and launched me in directions that have been hugely successful—some close calls and possibly even saving my life or my children's!
Everyone's experiences are as unique as their fingerprints. One thing is for certain: Intuition is only as accurate and reliable as your ability to listen and be mindful. Just like a close friend, if you ignore them for a long time, eventually they may disappear from your life. You can tune out the subtleties of intuition, but you will miss out on an incredibly valuable asset in your life.
Try the following exercise to get better acquainted with your intuition. Discover how to use your intuition. Intuition is independent of outer circumstances, yet, where you put your attention influences the quality of your answers.
How to Use Your Intuition
WEEK 1: Observe your thoughts carefully without judgment for one week.
WEEK 2: Continue to observe your inner dialogue and begin to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
WEEK 3: Practice quieting your mind.
Every time the mind tries to chatter, quiet it and focus only on your breath. Calm and empty yourself as you inhale and exhale each breath. Another great way to quiet the mind that I've found extremely helpful on my busiest of days is to practice a simple mindfulness exercise.
WEEK 4: Train your mind and heart to LISTEN for guidance.
Once you have quieted the mind, now it's time to begin tuning into the guidance of your intuition. It can come in many different variations: a soft-spoken and loving voice within you; an increase in joy or enthusiasm; an energy increase; a repelling when something is not right for you; or a picture.
These are all forms of intuition—your own GPS! Turn down the volume of your mind and turn UP the volume of your intuition. Whenever you hear it, act on its guidance even though it may not make sense at the time.
Remember: you have access to intuition all the time, even if you're not aware of it. However, intuition leans in more readily as you listen and value it.
Be patient—still your mind. Listen. Soon, you'll recognize this cherished part of your finest self.
And using your intuition can be a big game-changer in your life!
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