How to Develop Your Intuition THIS WEEKEND

If there was any phrase uttered more often in 2019 than any other, it was 'trust your intuition!'  

Having just ushered in the year 2020, we have, in our grasp, a fresh opportunity to develop our 2020 vision, learning to see beyond the obvious, the surface, and the mundane into the deeper truths of our lives.

To benefit from your intuition, you need not hire or become a psychic medium or intuitive healer. We all possess the innate ability to exercise intuition. So, before we reveal how to develop your intuition right away, let's be clear on what intuition is and what it isn't:

How do I know if it's my Intuition Speaking?

To navigate gracefully through life equipped with the power of your intuition, you must first learn to recognize it. Before you know it, your clairvoyant abilities reveal themselves.

Francis P. Cholle, writing for Psychologytoday.com, shares, "Intuition is a process that gives us the ability to know something directly without analytic reasoning, bridging the gap between the conscious and nonconscious parts of our mind, and also between instinct and reason."

While seeking guidance on a person, situation, or decision, you may commonly ask yourself whether your reading of it is genuinely your intuition or if it's coming from a less wise aspect of you. Mediumship in action is: asking from where information comes. 

When tuning into the mind and emotions, thought forms might arise from a personal projection or wishful thinking and throw us off the track of our authentic intuition.  

• Projection:  Your mind stores memories, emotions, and interpretations from your day to day life. You may habitually reference the content when interpreting a situation, which is not intuition. It is possible to project expectations, fears, or judgments based on what has happened in the past. An example: Jason happened to be grocery shopping one day when the store's cashier was held up by an armed robber. Many years later, when grocery shopping, Jason believed his intuition was picking up on danger. Nothing dangerous occurred, and Jason questioned the validity of his intuition. This example demonstrates how Jason projected his expectations and worldview based on past experiences rather than accessing intuition. 
• Wishful Thinking: Very often, our strong desire for a particular outcome or experience may dictate what we interpret as intuition. Because deciphering intuition involves using one's senses and inner awareness, it is easy to confuse personal desire with intuition. For example, Alex sits down to meditate, hoping to access her intuition. She is seeking intuitive guidance to decide whether to go on vacation or repair her roof. Not surprisingly, she feels 'called' to go on vacation. She will be disappointed when a leak reveals itself in the roof during heavy rain. Perhaps this was wishful thinking and personal desire more than intuition. 

Follow These Eight Steps to Develop Your Intuition this Weekend

1. Meditate: Meditation serves as the perfect practice to help you become aware of the levels in your mind. At any given moment, you are processing thoughts, emotions, memories, and sensory input. While meditating, you allow yourself to become the witness to your internal processes. Over time, 5 or 10 minutes spent meditating every day can give you profound insight into the sources of your thoughts and feelings. This clarity can make your intuition more apparent to you.
2. Track your Dreams: Intuition is intimately related to the subconscious mind. When we intuit something, our instinctual nature is involved, alerting us to our surroundings. Simultaneously, a higher source of wisdom and knowing comes through. What better setting to explore this intersection than your dreams? If you do not frequently remember your dreams, a great practice is keeping a dream journal. By becoming aware of your dream content, you will be moving into a deeper relationship with your intuition.  
3. Tune into your Body:  The Danger of being too caught up in your mind is twofold. One, you are susceptible to the stories, memories, and belief structures you have stored and integrated from past experiences. Two, you may be ignoring the wisdom of your body, where intuition often resides. When you find yourself unsure whether your reading is intuition or something else, scan your body. How does this thought feel in your body? Where does it land? This body-listening is where the phrase 'gut instinct' originated. 
4. Do an Intuition Test:  Sharon Franquemont, an intuition coach, suggests asking yourself these questions to determine if you've struck your intuition or not: "Is this an image or a sensation from my past? Did I see, hear, or in some way, experience something like this in the movies, on TV, or in a book? Does this image have anything to do with my fears or worries? How much do I wish that this image would come true?"
5. Journal:  Self-improvement coach Barrie Davenport recommends practicing stream of consciousness writing, using a prompt such as "What do I need to know?" or "What is the best decision?" and then letting yourself write freely without needing to control what comes out. "Set the journal aside for a few hours or days before going back and reading what you've written," she says, "so you have more distance and perspective to consider the message to yourself."
6. Walk, Run, or Shower:  All three of these commonplace activities are famous places to receive spontaneous insights. When walking in nature or around the block, running for an invigorating workout, or taking a soothing daily shower, we free our minds from the daily grind. By giving your brain some fresh air and a break from day to day, your openness to intuitive insights increases.  
7. Notice Sudden Feelings:  Someone close to you makes a hurtful comment, and you feel 'stabbed.' All a sudden, a 'bad feeling' overtakes you, and you feel compelled to seek the reason. Everything seems reasonable, but suddenly you are reluctant to go to your planned destination. A friend relays a story of her experience to you, and the hairs on your arms stand up. A chill runs down your spine. If you're engaging yourself in an activity or interaction and a sudden feeling takes hold of you, give it your attention. These alerts are likely your intuition speaking.

Put it to Work

We all have intuition; it is as ubiquitous a human feature as a digestive or immune system. Yet unlike our purely biological systems, our intuition delivers to us information that may elude our primary senses. With awareness and practice, you'll be reading the signs and listening to your gut in no time.