Remember that time when you knew something wasn’t the right decision, but you did it anyway?
Like when you took a job that you ended up feeling trapped in; or went on a date that left your evening feeling like a waste of time…and you’d have rather marathon-watched the entire Star Wars series (at least you would have picked up some Jedi tricks…). Or bought the car that ended up being a lemon.
I am sure you – like most of my clients – have tons of examples of when your intuition was brushed aside.
Maybe you thought you were just being too fearful, or overly cautious. But no matter what, in hindsight, you thought, “Damn. I totally had a hit that I wasn’t supposed to do that. Why didn’t I listen to my intuition?”
Well, everything is 20/20 in hindsight.
One of the most common questions I get from clients is some iteration of, “How do I know when I am sensing my intuition…versus if I’m coming from a place of fear, or thinking it’s something I’m just conjuring up?”
A common answer to this question is that when you are tapping into your intuition, it comes across as a calm, deep voice; or “a small still voice,” vs. the cray cray running around that your brain does when it is conjuring things. If your brain is taking over the show, you will often sense the thoughts or input as “above you” and it feels quite scattered and distracted (oh…I should do that…but then there’s that other cool thing…hmmm or maybe I need to explore that instead…).
While this explanation is pretty useful, I have found it is often not enough. I wanted to share a few quick tidbits here so you can practice working with your intuition more.
First of all, there are generally four main Ways of Knowing our intuition, or sensing energy info. This idea is pretty common in many spiritual traditions and cultures. Often they are described as starting with “clair” which means “clear” in French. We have:
- claircognizance (clear knowing)
- clairsentience (clear feeling/sensing…can include claiempathy)
- clairvoyance (clear seeing – yes, literally seeing something)
- clairaudience (clear hearing)
The other “clairs” are:
- clairtangency (clear touching – maybe happens when holding an object)
- clairgustance/ambience (clear tasting)
- clairalience/scent (clear smelling)
But we are going to focus on the main 4 ways of tapping into your intuition.
One way to start playing with this is to learn what your default “clair” is. What is the way you most naturally sense energetic info?
Mariana Cooper, founder of Aha! Moments International, recommends reflecting on what happens to you…after watching a movie! I found it super helpful, and maybe you will too.
Here’s what you do:
When you walk out of a movie, what do you remember most? What impacted you the most?
Do you remember the relationships in the movie and how you sobbed the whole time with the characters? Clairsentience.
Do you comment on the score? Clairaudience.
Did you know the ending from when the moving began? Claircognizance.
Do you comment on the set (the costumes, backdrops, scenery)? Clairvoyance.
You can have one dominant clair, or even all of them! Most professional intuitives have cultivated all 4 of them. Also, different situations can call for different clairs to show up more than others.
Another tip I like for tapping into your intuition is using oracle cards – you can use Angel Cards, Messenger Oracle Cards, Goddess cards, or even good ol’ tarot cards if you’d like. There are tons to choose from! Pick the ones that resonate with you.
I find that when I use them, it helps me surrender to a higher purpose of what’s going on, and reminds me I may not automatically know “why” something is happening…and to be OK with that. It helps give me a context for what I may be experiencing that is not immediately apparent to me. I love that there is a sense of a “reason” for me having drawn that card. Go ahead – try it! There are even online ones you can google for.
Now I’m not saying you need to believe in being psychic or in the powers of channeling etc. (although I strongly recommend you play with those ideas;).
What I am suggesting is that if you’ve ever had a time when you didn’t listen to your gut and regretted it, you owe it to yourself to learn more about your intuition and how it can help you. After all – you’ve seen evidence that it exists yourself!
Let me know below what your dominant clair is. Share a time you did – or did not – listen to your intuition too. It’s always great to learn from other people’s experience!
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If you want to join a tribe of people that will help you navigate this wild and precious life, come check out Freedom School – for rebels like you. It’s not just personal growth for rebels. It’s Jedi training for the new world.