Last week I'd intended to write about the importance of following your intuition, but suddenly it seemed more valuable to place it in the context of confidence first. That way it’s clear that developing a stronger intuition is a byproduct of learning to attune to your self and your own wellbeing. Like any kind of meditative process, if you try to pursue it too aggressively, it becomes elusive – yet it’s a natural ability we all share.
Gavin de Becker, Hollywood security consultant and author of one of my favourite books, The Gift of Fear, talks about intuition as a form of survival instinct – one that we all need to value in times of increasing conflict and violence. As he says, “Perhaps the greatest false truth is that some people are not intuitive, as if this key survival element was left out of them”. Noting how intuitive impulses return us to our true self, De Becker adds “Intuition connects us to the natural world and to our nature. Freed from the bonds of judgement, married only to perception, it carries us to predictions we will later marvel at.”
The celebrated medium, John Holland, wrote in 101 Ways To Jump-Start Your Intuition, “We’re all equipped with a complex and highly-tuned inner guidance system, which we can access and use any time we wish. Receiving intuitive information is all about energy, and people, places and objects are all comprised of it. Since you too are energy, you can receive and read information via your intuitive senses. So trust …and give yourself permission to explore, play and develop your intuitive ability so that you can see yourself – and the world – in a way you never thought possible!”
Now you know you have the equipment, all you need do is work out how you’re wired. TV and movie portrayals of intuitives and psychics would have us believe that intuition comes in dramatic and graphic visions, but for most of us it’s more like a still, small voice than a technicolour extravaganza. We all perceive intuitive information via our own strongest perceptions – some of us are more adept at visualising, others at feeling, some at hearing and others at simply knowing. If you’re naturally clairvoyant, you will tend to get your intuitions via imagery, literally seeing something in your mind’s eye. If clairsentience is your skill, you’ll tend to feel things about people or events, both emotionally and physically. With the predisposition for clairaudience, you can receive intuition by hearing it and if you’re claircognisant, you’ll simply just know things without having any logical reason why you do.
We’ll all usually have a particular type of intuitive perception that’s stronger, but will get flashes of the other types as well. What’s important is that you trust that how you receive the information is fine and don't struggle to control how it comes to you. That will lead you to discount a lot of important information if you don’t respect the package it comes in. Sometimes, for example, guidance may come as the most fleeting of thoughts, with none of the bells and whistles of a technicolour vision, but that doesn’t make it any less valuable. Or you might just get a really strong hunch about a person or an issue, for no logical reason. That’s where trust and discernment come in – when you know yourself and your abilities, you can take the leap of faith and follow the clues being made available to you.
Your inner guidance system is like a whisper from your soul – it’s always leading you on towards greater fulfilment, as well as being a very effective form of self-protection. It works most effectively when you give it some space to do its job. That means calming down on the busy-ness and making sure that you’re taking good care of yourself – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
On the physical level, you’ll already know that if you’re working on something and can’t seem to solve a problem, even a short walk around the block can give you enough space to find some more inspiration. Or you'll have found how restorative it can be to get some peace of mind by doing some exercise or getting out in nature. Getting into your body gets you out of your head, and over-thinking is one of the biggest blocks to intuition.
At an emotional level, it’s almost impossible to hear your intuition if you’re all stirred up – or to make good choices from the information you receive, as you’re more likely to mistake wishful thinking for intuitive guidance. Having some kind of regular meditative practice is an excellent way of learning detachment from your emotions, so that you become less reactive to the outside world and more sensitive to your own inner perceptions.
When it comes to the mental level, worrying is the absolute enemy of intuition, swiftly followed by second-guessing the perceptions we receive. Again, meditation is hugely useful in learning to calm the mind and separate ourselves from the myriad thoughts that rattle around in our heads each day. Mantras and affirmations can be very helpful in taming an unquiet mind, by giving it something positive to focus upon. Making the decision to act on the intuitive guidance you receive, without second guessing it, is an important step in developing your intuitive prowess.
Finally, any kind of spiritual practice – prayer, meditation, gratitude, service – will bear its own fruits on an intuitive level. The more power you give to your inner world, the more clearly you’ll perceive intuitive guidance. The sensitivities you develop in spiritual practice will open you up to a whole new world of perception, whether or not this is a direct intention.
To give you an idea of how intuitive guidance can work, I’m reminded of a friend’s recent experience of finding a new school for her son, mid-term. She lives in Ibiza, where there’s not a tremendous amount of choice and the places are hotly-contested, so although she wasn’t happy with his current school, she wasn’t optimistic about finding anywhere else. A couple of weeks ago, with the issue very strongly on her mind, she was driving through town with a friend when they passed one of the local schools. She suddenly had the impulse to get out at the lights and go to talk to the head teacher. They were very helpful and – although there were no places available there – they suggested trying a sister school, where there just happened to be a single place left because someone had just dropped out. Her son started at the school the very next day.
What’s illuminating about this story is that my friend not only listened to her intuition, but she acted on it. How many times have you had an impulse, but second-guessed it because it didn’t seem logical? This week, let’s work on the assumption that you’re receiving intuitive information all the time, but that it’s a radio station you don’t usually bother to tune into – now you’re going to turn the dial and start paying attention.
As an experiment, try sitting peacefully in the morning or late evening – the times when your mind is most likely to be naturally quiet – and asking for guidance. Ask what you need to know about people, work, events, opportunities – whatever takes your fancy and then expect an answer. Sit patiently until you get one and pay attention to how you receive it – is it a feeling, a knowing, a flash of a vision or something you seem to hear? As you become more practised in knowing what your own natural intuitive strength is, you can start asking questions on the run, learning to stop for a few moments during the day to pay attention to what’s coming through for you. Make a note of what you’re receiving, so that you can look back later and see how your hit-rate’s doing. The more you can see the evidence that your guidance is on the money, the more likely you will be to trust it in the future.
Bottom line, though, the best advice I can give you is to remember to act on what you get. That’s what will prove to you once and for all that your intuitive guidance system is all hooked up and ready to go, whenever you want to call upon it. All you need to do is tune in and pay attention!
Click through to the Coach Fabulous advice column by using the link inthe Favourite Sites section on the right or by going to http://coachfabulous.blogspot.com. For alert emails on new postings, email subscribe@iamfabulous.co.uk. To contact me, email coachfabulous@iamfabulous.co.uk. All material © 2008 Alison Porter. No article may be reproduced in full or in part without the express permission of the author. (Originally posted 28 Jan 08)
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