Follow Your Intuition

What is intuition?

If you have a difficult decision to make, try following your intuition to find the answer. Thinking your way rationally around an issue can sometimes tie your thoughts in knots as you over-analyse an issue. Listening to your intuition can instead reveal hidden truths and fresh perspectives on a problem. Intuition is about looking inside yourself for the answers; it is discovering your hidden or innate knowledge.

Everyone has intuition. Perhaps you think of it as a 'gut feeling' or a hunch - it's the sense of knowing without being able to explain why you have this knowledge.

For example:

You walk into a house for sale and it 'feels' like your dream home.

You meet a person for the first time and 'know' you will be friends.

You feel uneasy about a certain situation.

Intuition often comes as a flash of inspiration; its knowledge originates from a connection with your higher or spiritual self. Intuition should be a positive force used creatively or to better your life. But it can also be a protective force, alerting you to situation that may not be in your best interest or may even be dangerous.

Tap into your Intuition

Top tips for accessing your intuition

Trust your instinct

Your subconscious is a powerful source of knowledge. But modern life teaches you to discard this sense. Begin to open your mind to the possibility that you already know the best course of action; you already have the answer.

You can access this knowledge by:

Clearing your mind of mental chatter. Stop thinking obsessively about a particular problem; release your worries and negativity.

Ask yourself a simple question about the issue, such as:

Should I take this job offer?

Is this relationship healthy?

Is this a good thing for me to try?

Then write down the first thought, image, or impression that pops into your mind. This is your intuition speaking.

Meditation opens intuition

The more comfortable you become with clearing your mind, the easier it will be to access your intuition. Meditation is an excellent method of helping you to hear your inner voice. The more often you practice meditation, the sharper your intuition will become. Meditation is simply the act of clearing your mind of the debris of daily life and focusing on one higher thought - or nothing at all. You can use a symbolic object, a mantra or a crystal to focus upon and to help ease your mind away from thought chatter and into the emptiness and clearness that is most receptive to your intuition.

Dreaming intuition

Intuition comes to the surface when your rational mind is switched off, so a prime time for receiving flashes of intuition is when you are falling asleep or when you are dreaming. Keep a notebook and pencil beside your bed so you can write down any interesting thoughts that pop into your head as you wake up. Think about what images from your dreams might mean. Dreams can be a link between your intuition and your conscious mind.

Protective sense

Your intuition is an inbuilt safety sense which is there to protect you. If you have a feeling that a situation is not beneficial or that you feel uneasy or scared for no rational reason - listen to your inner voice and remove yourself from the situation. Don't hesitate just do it. Intuition relates to the present. It's not about fearing all the things that could go wrong in the future; it's concerned with your feelings about the present situation.

New perspective

Use your intuition to bring a new perspective to your life. Take an activity you are experienced in, such as cooking a particular recipe, playing a sport or performing a regular task at work. Then don't over-think each part of the task, instead let yourself go with the flow and do what 'feels' right instead of carefully analysing each part. In this way you can use your intuition to unlock creativity and discover new and better ways of approaching everyday activities.