Hey there — a number of folks have written to me asking about ways that they can improve upon their intuition. I personally think that intuition something that can be improved with practice. I think its a skill that we can develop over time. Like painting or sculpting, there is are certain people that have a gift of great intuition, but also, certain aspects of Intuition can be strengthened with practice 😉 Soooo, here is an article with some ideas of places to start. BIG DISCLAIMER ~~~~ ONLY practice these on things that you have no emotional attachment to! Like, what color envelopes might be in your mailbox, which way does that door open, who is on the other end of the phone when it rings. Do NOT try this with anything that you have any emotional attachment to! Have a great time and leave me some comments about how you did 😉 Light and Love, Sister Bridget
ALL ABOUT YOUR INTUITION
…AND HOW TO IMPROVE IT
From an interview with Thomas Condon
Intuition
is a lot like dreaming. We don’t know how we do it, but we do it.
Intuition is knowing something – but not knowing how you know it.
Intuitive knowledge comes to us spontaneously and directly, without the
use of reason or logical thought. Some people trust their intuition –
they "believe" in it, and act on it. Example: you bypass a parking
space because you "know" there will be a space closer to where you’re
going.
Others
deny intuitive information, or distrust it as "irrational." But most of
us can recall an instance when we ignored a "feeling" or "hunch" about
someone or something – and later regretted it.
Knowing
how to cultivate your intuition can help in every aspect of our lives.
So, to help our readers get ahead, we spoke to the expert in this area,
Thomas Condon. His insights: Intuition can be loosely defined as the
ability to synthesize and make deductions from all of our accumulated
unconscious experience. Most of the information we use in our daily
lives is unconscious. We "know" much more than we realize.
Example:
Which way doors open – in or out. Our senses provide us with ongoing
information that never reaches our conscious awareness, unless we turn
our attention to it.
Similarly,
intuitive information comes to us through our senses. Examples : Some
people get a "gut feeling" about things. Others hear "a little voice,"
"see the light" or see "a fleeting image." Still others sense good or
bad "vibrations." Those who learn to "tune in" to their intuition find
it a useful tool in their personal and professional lives.
Increasing Intuition
We
can expand our intuitive capacities, like any other of our physical or
mental capabilities, with training and exercise. The process :
1. Evoke, or awaken, our intuitive capacity, by identifying our personal intuitive messages.
2.
Focus our intuition on practical outcomes … improved relationships,
confident decision-making, clear goal-setting, increased creativity and
productivity, correct judging and forecasting.
Your Personal Intuitive Style
In my research and workshops, I have learned that each person experiences intuition in a different, highly individual way.
*
Identify your intuitive style by remembering times you just "knew"
something. Try to relive the experience. How does such information come
to you? Do you see, hear or feel it? Is it loud and clear? Niggling and
vague? Intuitive images, voices or feelings tend to have a consistent
source. Examples:
"Suddenly the big picture flashes before my eyes".
"I feel a sense of sureness in my stomach – a ‘grounded’ feeling."
"I hear my own voice inside my head."
"I literally feel pulled in one direction."
"I get a feeling in my chest that something ‘wants out’."
Object:
Learn where to look, listen, or turn your attention when you want
intuitive information. Exercise: Hone in on the part of yourself that
transmits intuitive information – the voice in your ear, the screen in
your mind, the feeling in your chest and belly. Pose clear "Yes or no"
questions and be receptive to the responses you get. Result: The bridge
between your conscious, active awareness and your unconscious is
strengthened. You will find that intuitive information is readily
available – even if you are highly skeptical at first. Your "inner
translator" will become more clear and accessible with more practice.
Skeptics seem to respond especially well to intuition exercises.
Reasons:
Underutilized intuition often seems to blossom when it is cultivated.
Skeptics don’t "believe" in intuition, so they can play with the
exercises free of any expectations, judgments or defenses. They react
with surprise and delight when it works.
To Improve Your Intuition
*
Notice when you are being intuitive, and squeeze one hand with the
other. Purpose: To create an association response so you can learn to
access your intuition by squeezing your hand.
*
Learn your physical intuitive habits. Do your eyes move in a particular
way ? Do you have a characteristic posture or facial expression ?
Gestures or actions ? Assume these motions to access intuitive
information.
* Practise maintaining an open-minded, playful, experimental, non-judgmental attitude.
* Daydream, doodle, brainstorm, and write down words or phrases that come to you when problem-solving.
*
Practice making wild guesses. Examples : What a salespersons’s name is,
what a new person or place will look like, who is calling on the phone.
Imagine laughing when you are wrong about insignificant facts. Purpose
: To free you to make wild guesses
* Listen to your "inner dialogue."
* Make positive suggestions to yourself … pose positive, specific questions to your intuition.
* Take up rhythmic exercise such as swimming, yoga or t’ai chi. Also helpful : self hypnosis, meditation.
When
seeking intuitive information about yourself or others … relax and
get comfortable. Quiet your inner dialogue and look past the inner
images that run through your mind. Focus your attention on the "blank
screen" behind them. Immerse yourself in the activity of receiving the
information that comes.
Observation
exercises : In restaurants, on trains, shopping, etc., practise
noticing non-verbal behavior in others … posture shifts, hand
motions, vocal tone or tempo. Guess how your subjects are feeling or
what they are talking about.
And
have fun ! Some people may believe that their intuition only works in
tragic or exceptional circumstances. But that is like saying we only
use our common sense in emergencies. Intuition, like common sense, is
with us all of the time – if we are willing to use it.
From: Privileged Information – the Newsletter of Innovation
