4 Ways to Improve Your Intuition

Trust your gut. We hear this phrase before a big test, when making dating decisions, and when seeking answers to a medical mystery. But certainly this can’t mean to tune in to your stomach. Otherwise, I’d be eating a lot more cookies! Some call it your gut, your sixth sense, intuition, conscience, or describe it as four metaphysical senses: clairaudience (clear hearing), clairvoyant (clear seeing), clairsentient (clear sensing), and claircognizant (clear knowing). However you describe it, there are multiple ways we can more clearly recognize and follow what our spirit is telling us.

Improve your outlook.

Certainly the world around us is full of chaos, and many people are living their daily lives in fear. Riots, racism, pandemics—legitimate excuses to let fear guide our lives. However, taking a hopeful, courageous approach to these challenges will keep them from mucking up your entire worldview. You only have so much attention to give—keeping fear in check will help maintain a clear window into your spirit. So…how do you do it? Set a goal that energizes you. Or start a gratitude journal. Or pray for a more hopeful perspective. If you need help doing any of these, create an accountability group to get some support. Start to look for the good. Every. Day.

Increase your spiritual habits.

If we want to see improvement, perhaps we should start with creating habits that fine-tune our intuition. Here are four easy ways to begin listening to your spirit:1. Start a Morning Ritual of Stillness 2. Spend Time with Nature 3. Create a Quiet Space For Prayer 4. Set Hourly Reminders to Be Present and Listen. Spiritual intuition is like a muscle—tuning in more frequently will develop your muscle memory and give you greater confidence in its ability.

Know your voice.

Your inner voice is different than mine and mine is different than my neighbor’s. Practice listening will give you a better sense of what your intuition “sounds” like. At first, you may only hear it in moments of stillness, but increasingly you’ll recognize it in the noisier times of life.

And how to amplify it.

Your spiritual sensitivity can be heightened in unique ways. Mine is music. Certain kinds of music bring peace to my soul instantly and help me focus on my intuition. For you, it might be a nature walk or reading a good book. Guided meditations, writing, running.Whatever it may be, once you’ve learned to tune in, be sure to tell a confidant how you did it, or write it down. In moments of darkness, when toxic energy dims our spiritual light, it’s easy to forget that you’ve ever felt it. But—in the infamous words of William Edwards Hickson—“if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Practice, be patient with yourself and remember to trust your gut. Every. Day.