There’s a certain “knowingness” that comes with a sharpened intuition, like carrying a microscope with you to see the closest, most magnified view of the people and events in your life. It’s the feeling in your gut that praises the celestial over the tangible; that disrepute’s what the eyes may see for what the heart undoubtedly knows.
A palpable intuition is both a blessing and a curse because sometimes we don’t always want to see the truth; we’d prefer to be left in the dark. As John Lennon said, “Living is easy with eyes closed.” Living may be easy with eyes closed, but only for so long. The truth always has a way of spilling over into the cracks we haven’t yet broken down before us.
To listen to your gut, in both big and small moments, can actually save you from many things; like choosing the option less suited for you, staying in something far passed its expiration date or making decisions that don’t feel right for you. It can also be confirmation of all the things you are doing right in your life; like deciding to switch careers, choosing to spend your life with someone or moving to another city. You know the truth in life by how it feels to you.
Your gut or intuition is like an organ in your body, it has its own unique purpose. It’s not only a personal guidance system, but a sixth sense; a superpower if I may. When we realize the power that exists by just tuning into how we feel about a specific person or thing, we no longer feel the need to play the victim to life, or rely on others opinions and advice as more valid than our own. We take control of our actions and realize that we are the ones who create everything we experience.
By confronting this innate system we have inside us, we are commending our higher, more versed self. We can then more easily navigate life, drawing in and experiencing things that are positive and beneficial to us. I couldn’t even recount the number of times I realized after the fact that what I thought and felt about someone was right all along; often times it being too late – the damage already done. I’d get annoyed over and over that I never initially listened to myself. Why do we consistently choose to ignore our own voice?
Here are some tips for not only listening to your intuition, but making it your closest, most trusted ally.
Sit with your gut
We are a society made up of instant gratification addicts; we want everything placed right before us, right at the moment we desire it. To most people, the idea of sitting alone in silence for five minutes is non-doable and unrealistic, but if you really think about it, what is five minutes of your day? You can either do this with meditation or when you want to figure out how you really feel about something.
Meditation is useful because even if it is for five minutes, you are choosing to sit with yourself and continuously bring your thoughts back to your breath or whatever focal point you choose. By doing this, you are learning to clear the clutter out of your mind, leaving room for a more conscious, insightful voice to come through.
When you are unsure about something, such as if you can really trust someone or if you should take a certain job, simply think about that person or prospective job, and observe the feelings and thoughts that arise in relation to them. If you’re unsure of what you’re feeling, just take some more time to sit in silence. You’ll know deep in your gut what your intuition is trying to tell you because it’s usually the initial feeling that comes to the surface.
Automatic Writing
All you need for this is a pen and paper. This is a great exercise to come back to again and again when you want answers to things you are indecisive about. Write down the question you are unsure of the answer to, such as: “what do I really feel about (person, event, career, etc.)?” Instead of formulating thoughts on paper, simply write whatever comes to your mind, as if your hand is moving automatically.
The idea is to keep writing and writing without really thinking too much of what ideas and answers are being poured onto the page. You’ll be surprised to find that what you wrote is either something you knew all along, or advice that sounds like it came from a source outside of yourself. That “source” is you becoming more familiar with the voice of your intuition.
Dreams
Some people disregard their dreams as nothing but nonsensical imagery; others believe there are subconscious messages to be received from them. Either way, whatever you believe to be true about your travels during sleep is what’s right for you.
Before going to sleep, set the intention that you will receive guidance from your intuition while you dream. It’s good to keep a journal or paper next to your bed so you can write down everything you were dreaming about upon awakening.
When you wake up, review your dreams as if reviewing a book or film. There is going to be specific imagery, symbols, themes, etc. Try and find a running motif by internalizing what those elements mean to you. Again, it all comes down to how you feel about each component of your dreams.
The more you practice using your intuition, the more stronger and powerful it is going to become. You’ll build up a confidence in your own voice and rely only on yourself to make decisions that are best suited for you. We all have this amazing intuitive system within all of us, not only a select few. It’s a guidance system that is truly working for our highest good, whenever we decide to become silent and listen to it.
