This article is based on our podcast episode, Being an Empowered Empath Series. Listen to the full episode here.
Do you ever get gut feelings?
Do you ever just know something with no logical reasoning?
Does something ever just feel right to you?
Perhaps you have an uneasy suspicion that your friend is lying to you. Or maybe a new opportunity makes your heart flutter, and you just somehow know it’s the right move to make. Or you could have had a conversation with someone, but felt “off” afterward.
No matter how it speaks to you, intuition is real and everyone has the ability to access it. In a way, your intuition is your spiritual compass, always pointing you in the right direction when you’re open and willing to listen to it.
What is Intuition?
Intuition. Sixth sense. Inner voice. Instinct. Divine Mind.
No matter what you want to call it, intuition is the ability to gain information or understanding without conscious reasoning. Intuition moves past the realm of logic and the physical five senses into the heart space, connecting the conscious and unconscious mind.
While decision-making is often based on logical reasoning with one idea building on the other, it’s clear that when we look inside, there is a natural decision-making process built into us. When one chooses to trust Spirit and lean on it for understanding, intuition develops and humans can have access to Divine knowledge.
Although intuition is often talked about in the spirituality space, today even science can’t deny it exists. According to a recent Forbes article, scientists believe that intuition operates through the right side of the brain, the brain’s hippocampus, and through the gut. The gut has a network of neurotransmitters that is often the scientific cause of “gut feelings.”
According to another article, the human mind is wired to see patterns and keeps insights from past experiences. Every experience is stored in your memory, and some say that intuition comes from that memory “storage locker.” From this perspective, intuition is based on data and is a protective mechanism.
However, I believe that it goes much deeper than that. Although there is likely a biological and psychological component, intuition can show up in many different ways that science can’t explain:
An image in the mind.
A color.
A gut feeling.
An emotion.
An outer or inner voice.
An inner knowing.
Dreams or visions.
For me, intuition means connecting with the energy around us, Source consciousness, our spirit guides, and our higher selves. Although it might manifest as a physical process, it starts in the realm of Spirit and in the Divine Mind.
A Broken Feather Opened Up My Intuition
When I first learned how to conduct soul retrieval ceremonies, I was taught that typically a piece of clear quartz is used to transfer the energy. However, it just didn’t feel right to me.
I heard an internal voice in my head: ”You need to use a feather instead of a crystal.”
This wasn’t the norm or what my instructor expected of me, so I hesitated. My stomach clenched up, and thoughts flooded into my head.
What if a feather doesn’t work?
What if I’m crazy?
Who am I to do things differently?
One day I was on a walk, and I heard the same voice in my head: “Take the long way back.”
Again, frantic thoughts filled my mind. But instead of listening to them, I chose to listen and take a different route. And I found a broken feather.
The next day, I used that feather to conduct a soul retrieval, and it was the most beautiful ceremony I had ever facilitated. A warm wave washed over me, and I automatically knew I made the right choice. I decided at that moment that never again would I allow fear to block my intuition.
Following Your Intuition Requires Trust
Everybody has intuition, but not everybody is open to it and many struggle with self-doubt. As both a psychic-medium and therapist, I notice that many people receive intuitive hits, but don’t trust them when they come up. When they receive intuitive information, instead of sitting with the feelings in the body, they bring it right up to the head and use logic, overthinking everything. It’s important to remember that intuition is not logical. Trying to make it logical will only cause unnecessary stress.
If you struggle to trust yourself and your intuition, give yourself some grace. It happens to all of us. Self-doubt is often the result of former trauma and toxicity. Many of us are taught by parents, authority figures, and partners that we can’t trust our own emotions, instincts, and thoughts. So because of this, we stop trusting ourselves and take on the limiting belief that our intuition is not something that’s accurate.
However, this conditioning can be unlearned. By becoming aware of how you were programmed, you can begin to remove the chains of doubt.
How To Tell The Difference Between Intuition And Fear
It’s sometimes difficult to tell the difference between intuition and fear. Discerning between intuition and anxiety can be a challenge when you’re not being mindful or paying attention to the sensations in your body.
Typically, intuition has no thought process. So if you notice a series of thoughts, it’s probably anxiety or fear.
Intuition often feels like a soft whisper, with a gentle certainty about it. It might be accompanied by an “off feeling,” but somehow you just know it’s right. It’s calm and patient.
On the other hand, fear and anxiety feel harsher. It’s probably chaotic, stressful, and overwhelming. Intuition doesn’t tend to show up in this way and doesn’t judge or criticize.
However, the key to knowing the difference is to harness your awareness and truly feel your emotions. Become familiar with what you are feeling, without pushing it away. If you are attuned to your sensitivity and learn how to work with it, you can hold trust in your body, mind, and spirit.
When you feel an intuitive nudge, resist the urge to bring it up to your head. Instead, just notice what emotions and sensations are occurring in your body.
Close your eyes, take some deep breaths, and take a moment to be alone. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling? What feels off? What is my inner voice trying to tell me? Are my thoughts coming from my heart or my brain?”
When you can really feel into what your body is telling you, you can clarify the information you are receiving and act accordingly with full confidence that you are making the right choice.
Awareness, mindfulness, and presence are the true keys to unlocking your intuition.
Unlock Your Gifts
If you’re intuitive, you’re probably an empath, psychic, or highly sensitive person. If so, there’s a chance that you’re so overwhelmed by energy that you’re having trouble even noticing your intuition.
Years ago, I was an empath who felt like I was drowning. I internalized the emotions of others and could almost read the minds of others. Although I would receive intuitive nudges, I was so absorbed in the energy of other people that I couldn’t hear my own inner voice, nor trust it.
A disempowered empath or highly sensitive person is a person who has given their power away. They are so overtaken by energy that they close off their hearts to the world. And because of that, they often become anxious, numb, or depressed.
An empowered empath or highly sensitive person has reclaimed their power and has learned how to manage their sensitivity. They keep themselves open while separating their energy from others. Because of this, they can hear the voice of their intuition, and they feel strong enough to follow it.
So do you have strong intuition but struggle to access or trust it? Do you want to become an empowered empath or highly sensitive person? My Energy Medicine Programs are an opportunity to venture on an empowered path that feels aligned with your purpose. You’ll learn how to sit with and understand your feelings, trust your body, embrace your sensitivity, and open up your intuition. It’s time to overcome doubt and embrace your intuition once and for all!