Fire Up Your Intuition

By innergoddesstarot on October 29, 2018 in Divination, Intuition, Learn Tarot Reading, Tarot for Empowerment 0

(This article is a shorter version of a talk that I gave at the Wickedly Divine Divination Parlour on Oct 20, 2018 in Toronto as part of WITCHfest North.)

I am a professional Tarot reader and teacher, and I am also a legal wedding officiant, so most of what I do involves ritual, intuition, empathy and holding space for others. I’m a really good listener and the calm rock in the storm.

Trusting my intuition and an awareness of my own energy and other people’s energy plays a huge role in my professional and personal life.

So, not surprisingly, a topic that is often on my mind is how we can fire up and supercharge our intuition.

Let’s start with this: Why would we want to fire up our intuition?

What’s the benefit of recognizing, strengthening and trusting your intuition anyways?

Our intuition is our inner compass, our GPS, guide. I believe it is a connection to the Divine.

Life flows more smoothly when we listen to our gut. When our intuition speaks clearly to us, we can avoid pitfalls, and find ourselves in the right place at the right time. It helps us to make decisions that are aligned with who we really are and what we need, to make decisions without stress or anxiety. It gives you access to a wider source of information than you might otherwise have.

Everyone has intuition but it can be difficult to access it at will or to trust those flashes when they occur. We second guess ourselves, and tell ourselves that we should make decisions based on logic and fact rather than what our gut tells us is true (often much to our chagrin).

So now, let’s explore our intuition and how we can recognize it, strengthen it and use it for our highest good.

First of all, what is intuition?

The Cambridge dictionary defines intuition as an ability to understand or know something immediately based on your feelings rather than facts.

This is the ability to understand or know something without needing to think about it or use reason to discover it.

So, it is knowing something without knowing how you know it.

And perhaps a bigger question: where does this information come from?

It is usually seen as coming from one of two places – internal information you’ve experienced, gathered, and processed at some point at a subconscious level, or from more mystical sources, your higher self, angels, spirit guides, a collective source of knowledge, or the divine.

I personally believe that we are tapping into our own higher self, and also into a source that is bigger than ourselves.

Intuition is not reasoning, rationalizing or deducing an answer. It is often a sudden feeling, or an image or word that flashes into your mind, a particular item or sign or number that catches your eye, awareness of a repeated pattern, a physical feeling.

Intuition seems to strike at random, it can be difficult to call upon it at will.

The information that we get from our intuition is often fragmented, or it takes time for the full answer to emerge.

So, we all have those intuitive flashes, but are there ways that we can strengthen our intuition, that we can call upon it when we need it. I know this to be true, and I have experienced it many times myself, and let’s look at that now.

Here are some things to start with:

Believe that you have intuition, that everyone does, and it’s a skill you can build. Do you believe everyone has intuition? I do, but some people don’t use it, and like a muscle, it gets flabby. You may have those occasional surprising flashes of intuition, but with practice we can access our intuition more regularly, when we need it. So, let go and let it happen. Set your intention to trust your intuition. Know that it will work, even if you don’t understand the message at the time. And know that your skill will increase with practice.
Be open and relaxed, curious, playful, trusting, calm, receptive. The information isn’t coming from your thinking mind, be open to receive whatever guidance comes. Don’t have expectations or be anxious, you won’t be able to tell the difference between your emotional thoughts and the intuitive message.
Get to know how your intuition speaks to you and feels. First, can you think of any instances of when you had a strong intuitive flash? How did it feel? How did you know it was your intuition and not your thinking brain? It is powerful thing, to be able to recognize those intuitive messages. Today, and in your daily life going forward, take note of how you experience intuition.

Ask yourself how you feel when you get an intuitive feeling:

Do you get a feeling in your stomach? Do you feel a tightness in your chest? Do you feel a tingling on your skin? Do you feel it somewhere else in your body? Do you hear words or sounds? Do you see an image? Do you feel nervous, restless, happy, grounded?

Be aware of your energy levels, do some people or places or things make you feel drained, or invigorated? Pay attention to this.

Get to know how intuition feels to you, so that you can tell the difference between intuition and other emotions like fear, anxiety or wishful thinking.

Be observant, be present in the moment as much as possible, and watch for signs outside of you as well as within you. Use all of your senses, pay attention to what is around you, be present and really look at your environment. Watch for messages. You may literally see a street sign or billboard that answers your question quite clearly, or you may notice you keep seeing a particular symbol or animal or person. You may get the answer you need from a snatch of an overheard conversation. You may keep hearing the same song over and over, or hear a beloved song you haven’t heard in years. Be aware and open to receive messages.
Meditate. (Yes, this is the answer to everything.) Spend time alone. Get comfortable with peace, quiet and your own thoughts. This will give you space to see and hear the messages your intuition is sending to you.
Ask a question rather than waiting for random info. Ask a question, something specific or “what do I need to know right now?”, trusting that it will be answered. Be open, receive the message and go with it, don’t judge or second guess the information you receive. If you don’t understand the information, ask for clarity and be open to the answer, until you get the full picture.
ACT ON YOUR INTUITION. This may be the toughest one on the list. Make note of flashes, act on hunches, see where they take you and how your accuracy improves. For example, go for a walk or a drive and just go where your intuition cues you, see where it leads you. If you take the subway, stand where your intuition tells you the doors are going to open. If your intuition tells you to get in touch with someone, do it, they may have a message for you. Get used to following your GUT.
Work with a divination tool like Tarot or a pendulum. Divination tools help us to get out of our own way, they are a way to get past the ego, to access your intuitive mind, and they give your intuition a way to communicate with you through a symbolic language. These tools can help you to translate or interpret the intuitive messages you are receiving.

The more you use your intuition, the stronger it will get. You will get to the point where you trust those flashes, and can call upon them at will. You will know the difference between intuition, fear, and wishful thinking. This practice is worth the effort, as it can bring confidence, ease of decision making, and gives you access to your own personal magic!

What is your gut telling you right now? Listen, feel, act…see where it takes you.