In this monthly series, we offer a guided theme to hopefully ignite and inspire your next 30 days. Think of this as some simple accessible wisdom, and a gentle, actionable nudge, from one soul to another.
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INTUITION

“Our bodies have five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing. But not to be overlooked are the senses of our souls: intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy. The differences between people lie in their use of these senses; most people don’t know anything about the inner senses while a few people rely on them just as they rely on their physical senses, and in fact probably even more.”
~C. JoyBell C.

I’ve written a lot about the senses here on The Girl Who Knows over the years. In fact, they are still a major influence and guiding principle for what we write and share with you each week. But as the quote above states, the senses aren’t just made up of the five physical senses that we all know. There is a sixth sense, one that is a bit more esoteric but no less powerful. And that sense is what we’re exploring this month, with our theme of intuition.

Intuition is a hard thing to write about or describe because it manifests itself differently in all of us. For me, my intuition is a feeling, and sometimes even an inner voice that talks to me. For you, it might be a physical reaction in your body (like chills on your arm or a tingling in your stomach). Or maybe it feels like the force is literally with you – like a pull from the inside that you just can’t ignore. All of these different sensations are ways that our intuition speaks to us. Sometimes it’s through whispers, other times it’s a deafening scream. But no matter what form it shows up in, the key is listening.

Growing up I didn’t have conversations about stuff like this. My family didn’t talk about feelings and intuition or gut feelings. Ours was a more pragmatic household. But I distinctly recall hearing that inner voice inside of me, very frequently from an early age. And I instinctively listened (even if it took a long while to trust it).

Our intuition is like having GPS on board 24/7. It offers us insight, information and even helps us make decisions and keep us out of harm’s way.

But in order to reap the benefits of this onboard GPS system, you have to do two things: tune in and trust. Both of these are easier said than done.

In my experience, the only way to tune-in and begin to hear or feel what your intuition is trying to tell you is by getting still. You have to tune out the rest of life’s noise and settle the overactive mind, in order to hear what’s going on under the surface. And for most of us, this isn’t going to happen in 5-minutes. Because our lives are so fast-paced, it often takes at least 30 minutes to an hour before you start to feel your shoulders release away from your ears, and your heartbeat

And for most of us, this isn’t going to happen in 5-minutes. Because our lives are so fast-paced, it often takes at least 30 minutes to an hour before you start to feel your shoulders release away from your ears, your heartbeat begin to even out, and your mind to clear.

The big question is: how do you quiet the mind when you’re super busy and don’t have tons of time?

Because I don’t like to sugarcoat things, I’m just going to say it – you have to make time. It’s okay if you can only carve out 5-minutes a day, but eventually, if you really want to feel that deep, powerful connection to your intuition, you’re going to want to spend more than 5-minutes a day. Trust me. This stuff gets addictive!

Now you might be wondering how to practice quieting the mind and getting still. There are many ways to do this.

Oftentimes meditation is the first activity suggested for this kind of thing. But personally, I don’t suggest lengthy meditations to beginners. Why? Because it’s super hard and will often leave you discouraged and not wanting to continue on. If you can start with 5-minutes of meditation a day, super!

If meditation isn’t your thing, there are other ways to connect to your intuition. Here are a few creative ways:

• Go for a walk in nature – Nature is healing, soothing and helps you literally connect to the earth and clear you mind
• Create something – Paint, draw, play music, sculpt. Creating art has a meditative effect on some people. If this is you, make time to make art!
• Move your body – Whether it’s yoga, pilates, or a freestyle dance break in your living room, moving your body helps you get out of your head. If you shake your booty long enough, you’ll begin to notice your thought process turning off and your intuition kicking in.
• Submerge yourself – I find that my intuition loves to make itself known when I’m in water. Whether that’s a hot bath at night or in the ocean, I try to get myself into water as often as possible.
• Create a ritual – Creating some form of nighttime ritual for yourself is a great way to invite your gut to speak to you. I have an altar where I place crystals, candles, incense, tarot cards, special mementos and photos of loved ones. Whenever I’m needing some guidance or comfort I sit in front of my altar, light a candle and just watch the flame dance. It’s a simple, powerful way to connect. Find some kind of daily ritual that speaks to you and commit to it for at least a week. See how it feels.
• Sacred space – It’s important to have a space to call your own. It could be a room in your house, or corner of your apartment, a place in your backyard or even in your car. We have a great post from guest editor Agnes Ito all about creating sacred space. Read it and create a space of your own.

Once you’ve started to make time for stillness in your life, and you start hearing or feeling your intuition more frequently. The next step is being able to trust and act on the information it provides to you.

This step is a bit more advanced, and quite frankly is a lifelong pursuit for most of us. While my gut instincts dictate almost every decision I make – I don’t always trust them. Often times I’m worried about “making a mistake” or making a “wrong” decision. But, the more and more I actively make a choice based on my intuitive feelings, the more I trust that there really is no such thing as a “wrong” decision.

We often hear some version of this phrase: “Follow your gut. It will never lead you astray”. And while I do actually believe this, I also know that sometimes my intuition has led me into some pretty emotionally difficult (even dark) places. Places that I needed to go, in order to grow and mature.

So while it’s true that trusting your gut is always the best bet – it won’t always be the easiest one. Knowing and trusting that your inner compass knows the way, even if it feels like you’re taking a HUGE detour, is part of the process. 

I’m so looking forward to exploring more about our intuition together this month. If you want to explore the topic on your own and share any insights on social media, we’d love that! Be sure to tag us (@TGWKmagainze on Twitter & Instagram), so that we can check out your post.

Have an amazing week my friend!

xo,
Steph

Photo by Azusa Takano