So, you are ready to start developing intuition. Great choice!
Living in flow with your intuition is the most joyous way to live. But maybe you’ve tried connecting with it and feel like you’re not getting anywhere.
Don’t worry if this is your experience so far.
We all have intuition and can learn to develop it, get better at hearing it, knowing it, and feeling it.
Just because you haven’t been able to consistently tap into intuitive guidance yet doesn’t mean it isn’t there. You just need to practice working with it.
In this post, I’ll show you how.
What is Intuitive Guidance?
Your intuition is the mechanism that your Higher Self (aka, your soul or spiritual self) and Spirit Guides use to communicate with you.
- It’s that soft voice in your ear when you are still.
- Or the feeling you need to do something, without really knowing why.
- It’s that knowing that it’s the right time to take action, even when logically, it’s not.
It’s your built-in radar or compass — the original GPS and Siri rolled into one!
You have probably experienced it several times in your life. For example:
- You felt leery of a person your friend introduced you to, even though they seemed nice. Later, you find out they screwed over your friend.
- You really didn’t want to go to your friend’s party but got the sense that you should. During the party, you “just happen” to meet a person that tells you about a job that would be perfect for you — right when you have been considering quitting your current job.
These are examples of how your intuition guides you, even though you may not have known it at the time.
That said, don’t you think it’s pretty important to work on developing intuition? That way, you can communicate with and get guidance from your Higher Self and loving spiritual guides?
I mean, why go it alone when we have access to all this beautiful and divine wisdom?
Why Doesn’t Everyone Use Their Intuition?
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for adults to ignore their intuition. The reason for this is that we’ve become conditioned to listen to reason, not our gut feelings.
As children, we were encouraged to be open to our instincts and imagination. We lived by our intuition.
We were aware that we are spiritual beings above all else; and knew that we chose to live at this time, in this body, for a specific purpose.
Once we got a little older, though (often when we entered formal educational institutions), we learned that we should only believe what we can see and prove. (Talk about sucking the fun out of life!)
Over time, we got so busy, and our minds got so cluttered, that we heard and felt our intuition less and less frequently.
Society rewards those who are logical and “successful,” but shames those who follow their heart, calling them flaky, overly emotional or just plain weird.
But just because you’ve gotten used to ignoring those subtle feelings or acts of synchronicity when everything seems to fall into place, you can (and should) develop your intuition. And now, I’ll show you how.
11 Ways of Developing Intuition
1. Be Aware
Because your soul and Spirit Guides exist in a high vibration, it’s easier to get intuitive messages when your energy is more closely matched with theirs.
One way to raise your vibe is to be around or do what you already enjoy, because enthusiasm and joy raise your vibration. So, spend more time doing and being with the things that you love!
There is no way you can be separated from your intuition because it is a built-in part of you–the essence of who you are.
Rather than muddle through life feeling lost and confused, your intuition is always available to make your life journey more blessed and magical.
2. Be Still
It’s almost impossible to hear your small, still voice when your mind is constantly bombarded with thoughts, ideas, worries and plans, which is where we spend most of our waking moments.
Take time every day to meditate, daydream, zone out, journal, or be creative. During these times (I like to stare out the window) our mind quiets and we can more easily hear the guidance we seek.
It’s hard to hear your inner voice if you’re always in “go” mode.
3. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences
The other day my husband and I went out for pizza. As we were eating, we heard two of the waitresses complaining about customers.
When you can’t even enjoy some pizza in peace… Geesh!
Negative people are everywhere.
These psychic vampires can pull us down and drain us. And when we feel bad, it lowers our energetic vibration and makes developing intuition harder.
So, starting today, put a ban on drama. Make an effort to put space between you and negative people.
I know it’s hard to escape it, but at least don’t engage in it. When people at the office are gossiping, walk away. Spend your break meditating or relaxing with a cup of coffee or tea instead.
Other Positivity Tips:
- Surround yourself with positive, loving messages. Pin some inspirational quotes on Pinterest!
- Pick up a book by your favorite spiritual teacher and read a little each day.
- Learn about chakras, auras, or crystals. They are all fascinating topics!
- Unfollow negative people on Facebook and other social media.
- Do a relaxing activity like going for a walk, listening to music, reading your bible, or whatever it is that you enjoy.
Even a few minutes of “positive time” each day can transform your vibration and make developing intuition easier.
4. Journal
The written word has power!
There have been many times when my intuition has revealed itself through journaling. It’s like I already know the answer, but I have to get there by writing it all out.
You can journal often or just when you feel the urge to.
When you feel the need to journal, your intuition is nudging you that there is something wonderful to discover!
5. Meditate
This doesn’t have to be a formal, lotus position, 2-hour thing. When people hear meditation, their minds often go to an ancient guy chanting Om for hours at a time.
Meditation is useful in developing intuition because it allows us to be still.
Here are some meditation tips to get you started:
- Set a timer for 5 minutes.
- Find a comfy place to sit. Close your eyes and stay quiet.
- Listen to your breath without trying to alter it. Allow yourself to just BE in the moment.
- When your mind wanders, don’t stress out, just focus on your breathing.
- If you prefer, guided meditation is another wonderful option, and will help you stay focused. You can find free guided meditation videos on YouTube.
In that quiet space, you will be developing your intuition without even trying! (Here’s a full post on How to Get Started Meditating.)
6. Be Grateful
It’s easy to grumble and complain when things don’t go exactly as planned. But we truly have so many things to be grateful for!
Every day, take a minute to focus on three things you are grateful for. It’s amazing how this simple practice can instantly lift you up, raise your vibration, and open you up to divine guidance.
And why not take it a step further? Did the barista at Starbucks make you the yummiest latte ever? Take a moment to let her manager know, and spread good vibes around!
7. Ask for Guidance… then Listen
Developing intuition is possible when we ask for help, so start chatting up your Guides, angels, and loved ones in heaven.
The information and guidance you seek is within you. All you need to do is ask for it to be revealed. And once you ask for assistance, make sure to sit up and pay attention.
Intuitive guidance can come in many different ways, so be open to accepting it from many different, and sometimes unexpected, places.
8. Look for Signs
Okay, so you’ve asked your Spirit Guides for assistance. Now what?
You have to listen. You have to “tune in” and let yourself be open to what they have to tell you.
Be on the lookout for signs. They can come in the form of songs, the next thing a stranger says, or anything!
Tip: Don’t worry if you feel like you missed something. They’ll repeat it.
9. Act on Gut Feelings
Did you ever take a test in school and, even though your gut instinct told you to answer “A”, you answered “B” instead and got it wrong.
Yeah, don’t do that.
When you feel suddenly inspired to do something, do it right then. Don’t give yourself a chance to second guess or analyze it.
Analysis is the death of developing intuition.
Intuition is always for your highest and best good. So obviously, it won’t tell you to do anything mean, or anything that you don’t feel aligned with.
10. Listen to Your Body
There’s a reason why we use the expression gut feeling. It’s because your digestive tract is full of tiny nerve receptors that get information from your brain to determine how they should behave. Crazy, huh?
Your body and mind are interconnected in ways that even Sheldon Cooper can’t understand!
A little psychic secret is that our bodies can help in developing intuition.
Notice your breathing or if there are any tight places in your body when you make a decision. When you are tapped into your intuition you will feel calm and have a peaceful feeling in your solar plexus chakra. You won’t feel tension in your neck, a clenched jaw or fist.
With practice, your body will become a great indicator of whether or not you are tuned into your Inner Being.
11. Be Patient
How long have you only been using your rational, reasonable mind? My guess is probably since you were in kindergarten.
Developing intuition takes time, but so does learning to cook, building a house, or planning a wedding.
It takes practice to develop a strong and consistent connection with your intuition, so don’t give up.
Please don’t think, “I’m not doing this right,” or let your brain tell you that developing intuition is a waste of time or energy. That is the opposite of everything your intuition and Higher Self represents.
Continuing to take regular time to tap into that unseen, but all-knowing intuition will pay off in ways that you can’t even dream of yet!
