Have you ever called someone you haven’t spoken to in a while, only to have them say, “I was just thinking about you!” Have you ever had a ‘gut feeling about something, only to find out your were right? Have you ever had a hunch you should bring your umbrella with you on a perfectly clear morning, only to get caught in a freak rainstorm in the afternoon? That is your intuition at work.
Intuition is that natural knowing that comes from inside us. You feel it as a hunch. You sense it as guidance. You know it as a brilliant idea or as inspired insight. Florence Scovel Shinn said that “Intuition is a gift that does not explain, it simply points the way. It does not tell us why.” Albert Einstein said, “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” Intuition is one of our six mental faculties and it is the object of our focus this month.
There is no such thing as ‘poor intuition’ or ‘no intuition’. We all have an acute intuitive capacity; we differ only in our ability to integrate our intuitive sense with the rest of our conscious functions. When we say that someone is very intuitive, what we’re really recognizing is that that person has a heightened awareness of his or her intuitive faculty.
Intuition is one of the ways that the subconscious mind communicates with the conscious mind. Intuition is the tool that enables us to tap into the infinite intelligence of the Universe where there is a solution to every problem and an answer to every question. Thomas Edison knew this. He took catnaps in his rocking chair where he went into, what he called, ‘the land of the solution’. There he posed a question and then listened for the answer to come to him via his intuition.
How do I develop my intuitive capacities, you may ask? The key is to pay attention, to begin noticing it and trusting it. Intuition is a mental muscle, and like all muscles, must be exercised in order to develop. If you have a nudge to call someone, call them. If you have a hunch in a business meeting, express it. If you have a sense that it would be better to drive to work a different way, do it. And if you have a problem you need to solve, pose it to the universe, and then listen for the solution.
The Bible called the voice of intuition the ‘still small voice’. Gandhi called it the ‘voice for truth’ and he said it is as loud as our willingness to listen. You get to know this voice the same way you would get to know the voice of a good friend. You get interested in it, you pay attention to it, you invest time in it, and over time you learn the sound of this voice over all others.
So this month, I invite you to get to know that voice. Listen, trust, test, step out, and see what happens.
.By Brian TracyIt has been said that men and women start to become great when they begin to listen to their inner voices. Intuition is so powerful that it has been studies and written about by the greatest men and women of history for thousands of years. When you begin to use it regularly and systematically there is virtually nothing that you cannot accomplish.Your intuition has often been called the still small voice within.
Thank you Brady for your comments.
Wow, what an absolutely stunning image. Did you take this photo?
Thank you Hannah. No I did not take it, but I agree, it is stunning.
I believe that we receive a lot of information through our sympathetic nervous system, which by-passes our “conscious” mind. One very vivid event in my life was when my husband and I and our little girl were driving cross country. One desolate part of the country, we needed gas, but my husband kept passing up the stations in, what looked like on the map, the last “watering hole” for 100 miles! I told him and he got gruff and drove on. We were very near empty, when we topped a hill in this very desolate area–and THERE WAS A SMALL GAS STATION! We pulled up, and the attendant said, “OH! This young man is hitchhiking, and the Highway Patrolman told him that if he wasn’t gone by evening, he’d have to take him to jail–as it was against the law to hitch-hike in that State. We gave him a ride—and learned that he was a ministerial student, going back to school. We had found a little kitten–a stray–along the way, and couldn’t leave her alone in the countryside. Along the way,she had become pregnant; had the kittens,but they were too weak, and were dying, as Bitty-Bot didn’t have enough milk. We stopped at every town, trying to find a vet–but they all said that kittens won’t drink anything but its mother’s milk! We felt miserable as the babies died of starvation. The young man helped us through our grief–that Bitty-Bot has us to care for her now.—etc. —-The studies of twins reared apart, are fascinating….as well as the indirect communication that you all have!
Thank you for sharing this story. Very interesting.
Almost everyone thinks they have better than average intuition. And actually, most people’s intuition is hopelessly flawed. I suggest you read Stuart Sutherland’s Irrationality.
Thank you for your suggestion.
intuition is mirroring.
from a close inner relationship with our mother we learn to read faces
and connect with the inner feeling
this is our fellow feeling for humanity, our neighbours.
we only think the self is the body,
the self is transpersonal spirit.
we naturally have concern for others,
we put ourselves in their position.
we are joined within to those we really love!
Thank you for you comment.
I am a very spiritural person who has uncanny intuition.. I get a sense of someone almost immediately upon first meeting and seem to know if they are good or not. I am also a scorpio. My mum was very psychic, and I believe I have picked something up from her. Is intuition considered a sixth sense? How do I develop it further
Thanks for your comment Joan. Some people think of intuition as a sixth sense, but it isn’t really. Our senses are the interface between us and the material world. Intuition is one of our six mental faculties which is the interface between us and the unseen world. The best way to develop your intuition is just to begin listening to the ‘still small voice’, follow it and become more and more familiar with it as you would the voice of a good friend.
Here’s what I do. Next time you are stuck or worried about someone or something Take a step back; get quiet and ask yourself what should I do? Just listen Try not to judge what comes up!
Beautiful insight Edith.
I study shamanism mostly and some of the witchcraft and wicca stuff has information about people with special talents. Its something you have to develop yourself. Go to the library and get books on psychic and native american and shaman stuff. It will help you or validate for you what is happening and good luck with your gift.
Thank you for your comment Jenny.
i think you have been misinformed. intuition is not a mystical bound or force. intuition is basically knowledge that can be consciously achieve through logic. example: if i see a crack in a plank of wood that is being used for a bridge; prior knowledge can be utilized to come to the conclusion that the board has a high probability of breaking. as you can see this is not metaphysical or magic but simple logic.
Thank you for your comment Cassie.
Inspiring. When you have a feeling that something is just perfect or that something or someone is not right, follow that feeling. Start to listen to these messages and practice trusting your inner knowing. The more and more you put into this practice, the more you’ll get out of it. Put some time into this and it will bring you so much more than you know.
Thank you for your comment.
Actually, new research has come out that shows that certain brain cells appear to act as anticipatory nerve cells, activating in anticipation of stimulus events. Of course this would mean that everyone has them, but everyone might not actually be in tune with their own anticipatory senses. I really believe that people pick up on small cues and patterns in life that others ignore, which allows them to anticipate events. Other people call this a psychic ability, intuition, or prescience. I think of it more as openness and being in tune.
Very interesting Pippa. Can you point me in the direction of the research you reference? I’d love to read more.
Cool. Many people don’t accept that intuition exists, let alone be able to explain why it occurs.
Just remember that in the end, no one really knows for sure. As long as you know what you feel, you are fine.
I think we all have the potential to be highly sensitive and spiritual but it sounds like you have gifts that can be developed.
I personally use creative visualisation and meditation ( Western and eastern).
But it also helps to learn some form of divination tool like the Tarot or the Runes.
Thank you for your insight.