A Guide to Our Intuition.

The word intuition can feel confusing. It is used a lot, especially in the world of spirituality, but what exactly is it? Why should we listen to it and how do we know the difference between our intuition and just another thought? There are so many questions to unpack around this. Here is my understanding of this guiding force..

We have three centres of intelligence within the body.

1.       The brain.

This processes information from our five senses. Now I say five senses here, but there is actually a possibility humans have up to 33 senses! Researchers are still debating what constitutes a sense, so the jury is still out on this. If we think back to our hunter gatherer days, where our connection to our senses would be crucial, I’m pretty sure we have more than five. We only have to look at the animal kingdom to see how many they have, from being able to detect invisible forms of energy such as magnetic and electrical fields to being able to see infrared and UV light. The chances are many of our senses are hidden deep within us and no longer used regularly due to modern day life.

2.       The gut.

This does way more than just digest our food. This is the centre of our animal intelligence. The place that tells us when we are safe and when we aren’t. When it’s a yes and when it’s a no. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the feeling of ‘butterflies’ in the tummy or ‘knots.’ Our emotions are translated into a physical form here.

3.       The heart.

This is the home of our inner light. Our wisdom, our deepest intelligence. Our meaning in life and purpose here on Earth all live in the heart space. Some people call it Spirit, Soul, higher consciousness or the divine.

I understand the intuition to be a totality of all three centres of intelligence. A whole body sense of knowing. Intuition is not just processed information, it’s not just our emotions, it’s not just instinctual. It’s all three combined and integrated to create wholeness. It can’t always be explained, which I think makes it difficult to trust. Here in Western culture, we put a lot of our focus on fact and the mind, we want solid research to prove if something is real. If it can’t be explained, it can’t be real. Intuition defies this, which is why it often goes un-noticed, pushed away, ignored. Our trust in its messages can be wavering.

To build our trust, we have to nurture our relationship with it. Our intuition is here to help us. It will help to keep us safe and to thrive in life. It will move us along our dharmic path towards our Souls purpose.

I have found body awareness key in building this relationship with my intuition. The messages can be subtle, so having body awareness helps me to pick up on the finer changes and fluctuations happening within me. Body awareness is the practice of listening – really listening -  to your body and noticing what is normal for you and your system and what isn’t. This sits hand in hand with meditation and quiet time. Giving yourself space to tune into your inner landscape is crucial if you are to strengthen your relationship with your intuition.

My Dad has recently been very ill in hospital. The physical signs weren’t good and my sister prepared me for the worst. I heard the words she was saying, but there was something within me that just knew he was going to be okay. He was going to get better. This was my intuition. It was a whole body knowing, that brought me strength and hope at a very difficult time. It would have been easy to get swallowed up by negativity, but my intuition kept positivity flowing from me. It can really be a guiding light. I’m pleased to say my Dad is now well again and back at home enjoying his gardening.

I’d love to hear how your intuition has stepped in at times of need for you. Please feel free to share in the comments below.

Love & Light,

Natalie.