Intuition works differently than mediumship in that intuitives tend to get a “hit” of insight that needs no translation at all and seem to come out of the blue. Common examples of an intuitive ‘hit’ can be found with almost every mother on the planet — what we often refer to as ‘a mother’s intuition.’
Intuition is something everyone has, and most people experience regularly. We get ideas, creative inspiration, feelings of apprehension, etc. and if we are aware of our intuition, we will act on them. Intuition is like our back-up system if our other senses are not readily available. It is our inner knowing.
Often intuition speaks to us in a familiar voice. It ‘feels’ and ‘sounds’ within like our own thoughts… and that’s because it is our own. Our intuition connects us to a more subtle frequency of what is true for us, our lives, loves and journeys in a specific way.
Intuition is a spiritual safety net that grows more and more clear the more it is honored and followed. Words of gratitude after every intuitive “hit” will ensure that they become more frequent and clearer. I like to think of intuition as a muscle — the more you flex it, massage it, and acknowledge it, the bigger and stronger it will become.
How Intuitive Are You?
1. When I do not have a ready answer, I tend to be
A. patient.
B. uneasy.
2. In challenging situations, I am highly motivated and deeply committed
A. most of the time.
B. infrequently.
3. When working on a difficult problem, I tend to
A. concentrate on finding the solution.
B. play around with possibilities.
4. When I disagree with others, I tend to
A. let them know about it.
B. keep the disagreement to myself.
5. When working on a problem, I change strategies
A. seldom.
B. often.
6. I prefer to be told
A. exactly how to do things.
B. only what needs to be done.
7. When things get overly complicated, I
A. become exhilarated.
B. become insecure.
8. In most cases
A. change makes me nervous.
B. I welcome unexpected changes.
9. My reading consists of
A. a variety of subjects, including fiction.
B. factual material mainly related to my work.
10. When my opinion differs from the experts, I usually
A. stick to my beliefs.
B. defer to authority.
11. When faced with several tasks, I
A. tackle them simultaneously.
B. finish one before going on to another.
12. When learning something new, I
A. master the rules and procedures first.
B. get started and learn the rules as I go along.
13. Unpredictable people are
A. annoying.
B. interesting.
14. At school I was (am) better at
A. essay questions.
B. short-answer questions.
15. When I make a mistake, I tend to
A. second-guess myself.
B. forget it and go on.
16. When offering a description or explanation, I am more likely to rely on
A. analogy and anecdote.
B. facts and figures.
17. I can usually be convinced by
A. an appeal to reason.
B. an appeal to my emotions.
18. When I am wrong, I
A. readily admit it.
B. defend myself.
19. When faced with a difficult problem, I am likely to
A. ask for advice.
B. tackle it myself.
20. At work I prefer to
A. follow a prearranged schedule.
B. make my own schedule.
21. When setting an appointment for the following week, I am likely to say
A. "Let's set an exact time now."
B. "Call me the day before."
22. I am best known as
A. an idea person.
B. a detail person.
SCORING
Give yourself 1 point if you answered "A" on the following items: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, and 22.
Give yourself 1 point if you answered "B" on the following items: 3, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, and 21.
If your total score is 16 or above, you tend strongly toward an intuitive approach to decisions and problems. It's more than likely you trust your intuition.
If your total is between 10 and 15, you tend to vary in style but are more intuitive than analytic or systematic.
If your total is between 5 and 9, you tend to mix styles but lean more toward the analytic and rational than the intuitive. Your intuition might be erratic.
If your total is below 5, you lean heavily toward a systematic rational approach to problems and decisions. Chances are you do not trust your intuition very much, perhaps because of past experiences when it has been wrong.
Here are 5 ways to sharpen that sixth sense:
1. Play with it. Ask yourself which line will move fastest at the supermarket, what the person ahead of you will order at Starbucks, or what your friend will wear to dinner. You can watch a movie with the sound off and speculate on what is happening or even guess the background of a person you are meeting for the first time. By tracking your “hits” you can get a better handle on what intuition feels like.
2. Laugh at your intuitive mishaps. We all make intuitive blunders at times by mismatching the current situation to a past experience or in other ways that are not aligned with what is accurate. A great way to deflect this is with humor. When we can laugh at something it will activate the prefrontal cortex of the brain, as does intuition, helping the brain recalibrate and let it go. If you make yourself wrong for intuitive blunders, you will hang onto them.
3. Learn to relax. By learning to quiet the mind, whether it’s Zen meditation, yoga, breath work or prayer, we open more to our intuition. Once the mind is calm, notice any persistent thoughts or feelings which are hallmarks of your intuition.
4. Get a second opinion. When faced with a decision, check in with your intuition to give you guidance. Then you can run it by someone else with greater experience in that area. Their intuition may confirm what you received from yours or they may offer a deeper insight for you to learn more.
5. Add a shot of intuition when your mind is full. Some people thrive on data and love to crunch numbers and play with spreadsheets. If you do and you find yourself needing a break, you can try a trick psychologists call incubation – give yourself a fun distraction such as working on a puzzle or reading before making your final decision. This will allow your intuition to play a role.
If you would like to explore your intuition further, Shauna works one-on-one with clients to help develop and master their intuitive abilities. Contact our office today 403.923.9894.
Intuition is something everyone has, and most people experience regularly. We get ideas, creative inspiration, feelings of apprehension, etc. and if we are aware of our intuition, we will act on them. Intuition is like our back-up system if our other senses are not readily available. It is our inner knowing.
Often intuition speaks to us in a familiar voice. It ‘feels’ and ‘sounds’ within like our own thoughts… and that’s because it is our own. Our intuition connects us to a more subtle frequency of what is true for us, our lives, loves and journeys in a specific way.
Intuition is a spiritual safety net that grows more and more clear the more it is honored and followed. Words of gratitude after every intuitive “hit” will ensure that they become more frequent and clearer. I like to think of intuition as a muscle — the more you flex it, massage it, and acknowledge it, the bigger and stronger it will become.
How Intuitive Are You?
1. When I do not have a ready answer, I tend to be
A. patient.
B. uneasy.
2. In challenging situations, I am highly motivated and deeply committed
A. most of the time.
B. infrequently.
3. When working on a difficult problem, I tend to
A. concentrate on finding the solution.
B. play around with possibilities.
4. When I disagree with others, I tend to
A. let them know about it.
B. keep the disagreement to myself.
5. When working on a problem, I change strategies
A. seldom.
B. often.
6. I prefer to be told
A. exactly how to do things.
B. only what needs to be done.
7. When things get overly complicated, I
A. become exhilarated.
B. become insecure.
8. In most cases
A. change makes me nervous.
B. I welcome unexpected changes.
9. My reading consists of
A. a variety of subjects, including fiction.
B. factual material mainly related to my work.
10. When my opinion differs from the experts, I usually
A. stick to my beliefs.
B. defer to authority.
11. When faced with several tasks, I
A. tackle them simultaneously.
B. finish one before going on to another.
12. When learning something new, I
A. master the rules and procedures first.
B. get started and learn the rules as I go along.
13. Unpredictable people are
A. annoying.
B. interesting.
14. At school I was (am) better at
A. essay questions.
B. short-answer questions.
15. When I make a mistake, I tend to
A. second-guess myself.
B. forget it and go on.
16. When offering a description or explanation, I am more likely to rely on
A. analogy and anecdote.
B. facts and figures.
17. I can usually be convinced by
A. an appeal to reason.
B. an appeal to my emotions.
18. When I am wrong, I
A. readily admit it.
B. defend myself.
19. When faced with a difficult problem, I am likely to
A. ask for advice.
B. tackle it myself.
20. At work I prefer to
A. follow a prearranged schedule.
B. make my own schedule.
21. When setting an appointment for the following week, I am likely to say
A. "Let's set an exact time now."
B. "Call me the day before."
22. I am best known as
A. an idea person.
B. a detail person.
SCORING
Give yourself 1 point if you answered "A" on the following items: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, and 22.
Give yourself 1 point if you answered "B" on the following items: 3, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, and 21.
If your total score is 16 or above, you tend strongly toward an intuitive approach to decisions and problems. It's more than likely you trust your intuition.
If your total is between 10 and 15, you tend to vary in style but are more intuitive than analytic or systematic.
If your total is between 5 and 9, you tend to mix styles but lean more toward the analytic and rational than the intuitive. Your intuition might be erratic.
If your total is below 5, you lean heavily toward a systematic rational approach to problems and decisions. Chances are you do not trust your intuition very much, perhaps because of past experiences when it has been wrong.
Here are 5 ways to sharpen that sixth sense:
1. Play with it. Ask yourself which line will move fastest at the supermarket, what the person ahead of you will order at Starbucks, or what your friend will wear to dinner. You can watch a movie with the sound off and speculate on what is happening or even guess the background of a person you are meeting for the first time. By tracking your “hits” you can get a better handle on what intuition feels like.
2. Laugh at your intuitive mishaps. We all make intuitive blunders at times by mismatching the current situation to a past experience or in other ways that are not aligned with what is accurate. A great way to deflect this is with humor. When we can laugh at something it will activate the prefrontal cortex of the brain, as does intuition, helping the brain recalibrate and let it go. If you make yourself wrong for intuitive blunders, you will hang onto them.
3. Learn to relax. By learning to quiet the mind, whether it’s Zen meditation, yoga, breath work or prayer, we open more to our intuition. Once the mind is calm, notice any persistent thoughts or feelings which are hallmarks of your intuition.
4. Get a second opinion. When faced with a decision, check in with your intuition to give you guidance. Then you can run it by someone else with greater experience in that area. Their intuition may confirm what you received from yours or they may offer a deeper insight for you to learn more.
5. Add a shot of intuition when your mind is full. Some people thrive on data and love to crunch numbers and play with spreadsheets. If you do and you find yourself needing a break, you can try a trick psychologists call incubation – give yourself a fun distraction such as working on a puzzle or reading before making your final decision. This will allow your intuition to play a role.
If you would like to explore your intuition further, Shauna works one-on-one with clients to help develop and master their intuitive abilities. Contact our office today 403.923.9894.
