First, let”s get something straight: you are a highly intuitive being. Everyone is. You have the capacity to sense the unseen, know things that reason cannot explain, sense what others are thinking and what lies ahead. An abundance of high quality research shows this is true–that intuition is an essential part of our Darwinian capacity to survive.
Think of yourself as a ship navigating through the waters of life. Whether you realize it or not, you are equipped with a sophisticated intuitive sensing device that is signaling you every second to keep you safe and achieve the life you want. It says, “Go this way. Don’t go that way. Do this. Don’t do that.” If you’re like most people, however, you don’t know how to use this equipment, or even how to find it within yourself. If you did, you could get through life”s storms and navigate more directly to your heart”s desire.
You could also become more authentically YOU. You would become one with your soul self. You would be acting in sync with who you really are and what you really want in this life.
So where do you find those intuitive signals that are happening inside you all the time?
Intuition is happening in your body, not your head. It”s coming from your senses, not from rational thinking. Rational thinking comes from a data bank in your brain of past experience and teachings. It’s important but it cannot predict the future and has no clue what is actually going on in the here and now. Only your senses are actively detecting the present moment, like antennae constantly sensing the state of the world in and around you. Only your senses can tell you what you need to know and do right now.
Therefore to become more intuitive, focus on the present moment, rather than thinking about what you did yesterday or what you need to do tomorrow. Stop, look, and listen with your senses.
Now that you have some background, try these tips:.
Ten Ways to Become More Intuitive Right Now
- Notice what makes you smile.
When I was finishing a graduate program at the Harvard School of Public Health, job offers were rolling in. I could have pursued a career as a press secretary in a health organization, a health writer for a prominent magazine, or teaching health at a university. All these jobs made good rational sense to me, but what made me smile and light up inside was studying meditation and energy healing, and reading the Tarot. At the time, my friends and family were appalled that I would pursue what they considered to be more of an indulgence than a practical career. Because I followed the path that made me smile, I can truly say, thirty years later, that I love what I do every single day. My inner guidance also seemed to know that these fields would become more mainstream over time. This story also applies to the next intuition-boosting practice:
- Notice when enthusiasm arises in you.
Enthusiasm comes from the Greek “to go with God; to follow the divine within you.” When you feel it, your whole nervous system is directing you. Leonardo da Vinci could not repress his enthusiasm for science, even though painting paid his bills. He enthusiastically conducted experiments in whatever compelled him, discovering, for example, that eating a fat-rich diet caused heart disease fully four hundred years before modern medicine made this “discovery”. Madame Curie, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, Jonah Salk all attest to the power of following their enthusiasm. When you or someone you love shows enormous enthusiasm to follow some path, listen to it! It is your own inner compass directing you. It might not be where you end up, but it make take you down the right road to get you to where you need to go.
- Pay attention to your gut.
Known as the second brain, there are over 100 million nerve endings in your gut known as the enteric nervous system. This highly sensitive organ may be your first sign when something is wrong in your world. I once read about a successful Japanese businessman who always eats a big meal before signing an important contract. “If I get indigestion,” he said, “then I don”t do the deal.” To become more intuitive, pay more attention to the state of your gut, then ask what it might be trying to tell you.
- Breathe
When you take a deep breath, your body instantly relaxes, and for a moment, you get off the non-stop, non-intuitive ticker tape runaway train of your mind you and begin to hear your body”s subtle messages. When you need to access your intuition, breathing will reset your system, and cut the noise in your head.
5. Notice your energy
Do you feel tired when you talk to that person or do you have more energy? When you are with other people, notice what is going on when you come alive versus when you find your mind wandering. This practice is similar to noticing when you feel enthusiasm. Both involve your senses telling you something by coming alive or feeling deadened during certain situations. If you are suffering from a chronic fatigue type of illness or any immune disorder, consider whether your activities, environment, and the people who surround you are draining you. Build up a life of activities, work, and people who enliven you.
6. Notice when you feel a rush, a chill, or goosebumps.
Sometimes when I’m sitting with a client or listening to a student sharing in a class I’ll feel a wonderful prickly sensation sweep through my body. Some students present might remark that they’re feeling shivers at the moment someone says something profound. We all know at this moment that something has resonated within us. It’s a moment of truth. So pay attention to it!
7. Watch where your eyes go.
Last year, my daughter and I were looking for a restaurant as we drove around a rundown Somerville neighborhood. My eye caught a hole-in-the wall called The Kabob. I”m not a big fan of meat or Middle eastern food, so it made no sense to try this restaurant. But I couldn”t stop my eyes from looking at it. Finally I said, “We have to go there because my eyes are telling me.” Turned out to be one of the best meals I”ve ever had in Boston!
When reading the Tarot, I always follow my eyes around the card and pay attention to what jumps out at me first. I also keep several books of wisdom and poetry by my bedside. When I need guidance, I open them at random and read the sentences that jump out at me. The advice is always spot on.
8. Notice what you notice
When seeking intuitive guidance, notice the words that you hear in your head, the sounds that jump out at you, the memories that flash into your mind, the song that plays in your head. In other words, pay attention to your mind”s processes. Noticing what you notice and the thoughts you have steer you away from the chaotic noise, and towards intuitive guidance. As I was walking out the door to catch a plane this summer, my swimming gear seemed to signal me, saying, “Take me with you, you’ll need me!” I’m glad I listened because we had an unexpected invitation to a beachside resort.
9. Remember your dreams
Dreams are bubbles from the unconscious that rise to the surface throughout the night when you are at rest. Like mindfulness practices, dreaming is one way that your nervous system speaks to you. You can train yourself to remember your dreams by making the intention to wake-up when you have a dream. Keep a notebook by your bedside and force yourself to sit up during the night and write down the dream. Over time, you will wake and remember more dreams. The messages you receive are invaluable intuitive guidance.
10. Understand how to use the gift of fear.
In his book The Gift of Fear, personal security consultant Gavin DeBekker, says that we know, just as animals know, when we are in the presence of danger. He writes, “You have the gift of a brilliant internal guardian that stands ready to warn you of hazards and guide you through risky situations. I’ve learned some lessons about safety through years of asking people who’ve suffered violence, ‘Could you have seen this coming?’ Most often they say, ‘No, it just came out of nowhere,’ but if I am quiet, if I wait a moment, here comes the information: ‘I felt uneasy when I first met that guy…’ or ‘Now that I think of it, I was suspicious when he approached me,’ or ‘I realize now I had seen that car earlier in the day.'” So when walking in a parking garage late at night, you don’t have to be gripped with fear. Of course, do be watchful, but know that as long as you are paying attention to the usually loud signals within your body, you will absolutely know when danger is lurking.
To reach mastery try these intuition boosting activities:
- Practice at least a few minutes of mindful relaxation or yoga each day.
Close your eyes. Take a breath, make your eyes soft, and relax your jaw. Keep breathing. Feel your butt pressing against your seat. Feel your feet on the floor. Breathe. Feel whatever your hands are touching. Feel each breath flowing throughout your body. Now, as you breathe, notice how your body feels ”“ your knees, elbows, ankles, neck. This is mindful meditation. Not only is it healing for every organ system in your body, but it gets you in touch with your intuition because it gets you in touch with your body, which is your antenna to the world, both within you and outside of you. Yoga has the same effect.
2. Learn the Tarot or some other visual projection device
If you want to reach a whole other level of intuitive, try using one of most powerful intuitive tools – -the ancient Tarot. The Tarot uses your sense of sight, which we humans rely upon more than any other sense. Ask a question, then pull a card. As you stare at a card, notice where your eyes take you, what jumps out at you, and then notice how you feel about what you see. Staring at an image takes you away from the confusing noise of the mind and plunges you into the intuitive world of your visual sense. To learn more about the Tarot, click on my many tarot-related blogs and/or take a class with me. If you are not local to Boston, my on line classes are coming soon!
For a private phone reading with Jeanne, Email me.
Jeanne, What a beautifully written post. As I read and felt my way through it, I was able to make an important decision using my intuition, not my mind. Thank you.
Julie, Thank you. It’s so good to hear from you.