How To Develop Your Intuition

We all have access to spiritual inner guidance in the form of our intuition, and the more we pay attention to it, the stronger it will become. Intuition is like a muscle, so the more we develop it, the stronger it becomes.

The following strategies can help to hone your intuitive abilities and learn to better listen to your powerful ‘sixth sense.’ Use these strategies to help you to tune into your inner wisdom and develop your relationship with your intuitive guidance. Intuition is a soul awareness that we are all born with and the more we engage with it, the stronger it will become for us.

Awareness

Intuition is a very low key, subliminal form of awareness. It is not highly charged like our emotions tend to be, and so it can easily go unnoticed.

Intuition for people who are less aware usually is only noticed when it presents as an uneasy sensation or a foreboding feeling. It can be difficult to put your finger on exactly what the sensation or feeling is. Intuition can also be a ‘knowing’ without any sensation or feeling.

The first step to begin working with your intuition is to pay more attention to it! So, when you have that tell-tale sensation or subtle feeling, or that vague sense of knowing, focus on being more present with it. Ask yourself questions about what you are experiencing.

For example, if it’s a knowing, does it come with any other sensations or feelings in your body? If so, where do you sense it in the body? What does it feel like? Emotions tend to be very pronounced and charged.

Intuition is always right in at least two important ways; It is always in response to something. It always has your best interest at heart ~ Karen Whitaker

So, if the intuitive awareness comes with a strong emotional response, then it may actually be more of a fearful or wishful thinking situation, rather than true intuition.

But if the sensation comes with a quiet inner sense of ‘this is what you need to know, without any emotional charge, it is much more likely you can trust it as intuitive information. Of course, you may have emotional feelings about the information you receive, but those feelings will only come after the intuition.

The more you begin to pay attention to how true intuition feels, the easier it becomes to separate it from your emotional desires and fears. In addition, intuition is typically felt in the gut, hence the term ‘gut feeling.’

While it is not true for everyone, nor for all intuitive experiences, intuition tends to be felt as a sensation in the solar plexus or abdominal area of the body, while strong emotions are typically felt in the heart center or chest area. This is another way to distinguish between emotion and intuition.

Meditation

Intuitive development can be boosted rapidly by starting a basic meditative practice. Simply take a few minutes each morning to be quiet with yourself and to center yourself. If we never engage with our inner landscape, we will never learn how it communicates with us.

Meditation can be intimidating for beginners, but starts in a simple, fun way that works for you. There isn’t really a wrong way to be still with yourself, so start however feels most natural for you.

Taking a few minutes to just be quiet and pay attention to what is going on in your bod, is a great way to start. Breath intentionally, three counts in and three counts out. Do this for a couple of minutes each day.

Even a simple practice like this can really help to get you in touch with the wisdom your body has to share with you. It will also train your mind to be calm, even if only for a few minutes. That sense of calm is very similar to how intuition feels. No charged emotions, just subtle information.

Intuition is neither the ability to engage prophesy nor a means of avoiding financial loss or painful relationships. It is actually the ability to use energy data to make decisions in the immediate moment ~ Carolyn Myss

Expression

One of the most powerful ways to get a sense if what you perceive is actually an intuition, is to express whatever you are sensing out loud, and see how that feels. Say whatever it is you are sensing out loud, then ask yourself if it feels true?

This can be a challenging because one does not want to engage your emotions. Again, if it is a charged emotional response, it may not be a genuine intuition. Intuition doesn’t try to convince us of anything; it simply provides us with insights and inner guidance that will be helpful to us in one way or another.

God, Source, Spirit, the Universe doesn’t judge. So, you may have emotions about what the intuition is telling you, but the intuitive sense itself is gentle. This will certainly take some practice to get a better sense of how intuition feels for you, versus how emotion feels.

Practice

Become more practical and playful with your intuitive experiences. It’s okay to experiment and develop your intuitive awareness through trial and error. Begin to use your intuition intentionally in your everyday life.

What is it that you feel you need more insight about? Ask for it! You may not get your answer or insight immediately in that moment but continue to pay attention…it will come when you are ready for it. Simply set the intention and then go about your day. The answers will show up when the time is right.

Another way to intentionally use your intuition is when something goes missing. Lose your keys? Don’t tear up your home for hours looking for it, when you can possibly find it much sooner with your intuition. Stop stressing and get centered. Find your inner calm and then ask, ‘Please guide me to my keys.’ Then just follow wherever you are guided.

This may not work be easy at first, but keep trying. I do this whenever I have lost something, and it still astounds me how effective it is every time! Often, I either ‘see’ the location where the lost item is flash through my mind, or I’ll just feel compelled to walk somewhere, and sure enough, I will find what I’m looking for.