Have you ever had one of those feelings? The prickling at the base of your spine that told you not to walk down that alley late at night. The warm feeling in your belly that told you he (or she) was The One. The recurring thoughts about your sister that prompt you to call her, only to learn that she’s having a horrible day and really needs a friendly ear. The feeling of being “off” that sends you to the doctor, only to discover a potentially serious medical condition.

We’ve all had those experiences, haven’t we? Those thoughts and feelings are messages from our intuition. Unfortunately, most of us are only aware of a miniscule fraction of those hunches and gut feelings, and we probably act on only a fraction of the messages we do receive. By ignoring or missing those prods from our intuition, we’re losing valuable information that could help us make better decisions.

What is intution? The dictionary tells me that it’s the act of knowing or sensing facts without the use of rational processes. Some people believe that intution is communication from God or a Higher Power. Some people believe that our brains are capable of taking in information in ways we don’t yet understand, and that intuition is one such natural faculty. I personally believe a mixture of both–that human consciousness is a Divine Gift, and that it’s capable of more than we can imagine at this point in our evolution. No matter what you believe (or don’t believe), intuition is here, it’s real, and it works. Here are some simple steps you can take to become more aware of messages from your intuition:

• Open your mind. Even if you think this whole intuition thing sounds like a bunch of New Age hooey, just pretend to believe. Give the idea a chance. If you’re dead set against the idea that your intuition works, then it probably won’t.
• Clear the decks. Right now, as I type this sentence, my mind is racing with the following ideas: trying to decide what to cook for dinner, thinking about a friend I need to email, worrying about a mysterious charge to my credit card, trying to remember what I was going to call my mother about… you get the idea. Buddhists call this “monkey mind“. In order to quiet the chatter of your inner troop of monkeys, you’ll need to practice meditation or some other centering activity that stills the mind enough to allow intuitive messages to emerge.
• Pay attention to your body. Intuition often manifests with physical sensations–a tickle at the nape of your neck, a tingle in your fingertips, a tightness at the base of your spine. Pay attention to those sensations. Your intuition has its own unique langague for communicating with you through touch, sight, taste, sound, and smell. As you pay attention to your senses, you’ll begin to understand the “vocabulary” of your intution.
• Ask for guidance. It can be overwhelming to pay attention to the flood of information you receive, so why not ask a specific question? Thinking about a career change? Pose the question to your intutition and see what kind of response you get. Keep an intuition journal to record your insights.
• Notice what you notice. Perhaps you’ve been noticing a particular color of blue all week. Blue cars, blue clothes, blue sky–it’s everywhere you look. Now, to me, “blue” might mean feeling sad. But to you, maybe this particular blue reminds you of the overstuffed chair in your grandmother’s living room, evoking feelings of love and comfort. Maybe your intution is telling you to call your grandmother. Maybe it’s telling you to feel at peace about a decision. Only you can interpret the symbolism. So it’s important to (1) notice what you notice and (2) interpret through your own unique lens. Use your intuition journal to keep track of your evolving understanding of your own personal symbolism.
• Track your progress. Write down your hunches and intuitive nudges. Keep track of your successes. Note any odd coincidences or synchronicities.

What experiences have you had with intuition? Do you follow gut feelings or rely more on logic and reason?

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