The Gift Of Intuition

The Gift of Intuition was the theme for our May Red Tent. We are so fortunate as women to have this gift in our tool box. Sometimes it comes on strong and sometimes it’s weak. How can we increase this gift when it’s weak, to fully leverage it? Let’s take a look at what we learned at our Red Tent.

One of the biggest blocks that prevents us from accessing our intuition is trust. How can we be sure it’s our intuition or just some anxiety we’re experiencing? Past traumas may be informing us and playing a part. In order to decipher which is which, the two main things we can do are: de-stressing (whether that’s meditation, exercise, a bubble bath, etc.) and becoming more mindful. Do a little self reflection to decipher if anxiety may be playing a part (meditation and journaling can help with that as well.)

Here are some other ways to increase our intuition or clear the way to access it more readily:

• Change your routine. Doing this will help free up the daily chatter in your head to allow for more openness to hear what your intuition is saying. 
  
• Dream interpretation. Our subconscious speaks to us in our dreams. Becoming aware of this dimension will connect us to the same plane where our intuition resides.
  
• Play with and read divination cards. This is a good way to self reflect and tap into your spirit guides which also help with your intuition.
  
• Listen to and be in nature. Nature has a way of reminding us that everything is connected and that there is much more out there than our little lives. When we exist in this dimension, we are connected to the Greater Universal mind, which in turn connects us to our deeper selves and intuition.
  
• Practice affirmations. Affirmations have been proven to be very effective. You can try ones like: “I trust and am guided by my intuition.” “My intuition is strong and easily accessible.” 
  
• Practice tuning into future events. Do you have an appointment coming up or an event? Try to feel into how it will go. Or you can ask yourself in the morning how your day will play out. 
  
• Notice symbols. Often, the Universe is sending us messages through symbols.
  
• Awareness of people. Learn to read people. Try and sense what a person is all about when you first meet them. Then when you get to know them, see how you did.
  
• Set the mood for your practice. When you’re meditating, journaling or playing with divinatory tools, be in a quiet, comfortable, private space, burn some sage, light some incense, a candle, play some soft music, etc. When you set the stage to get into a contemplative state, it’s easier to access your deeper self. 
  
• Build on your successes. Make a mental note or jot down every time your intuition is correct to build trust in it.
  
• Make it fun. Play with it like it’s a game. The more fun it is, the more you will want to tune in.
  

It’s fascinating that there is a physical reason for our intuition! There are actually three reasons! 

1. The vagus nerve. Visceral feelings and gut instincts are literally emotional intuitions transferred up to your brain via the vagus nerve.
   
2. Each and every one of our cells has a membrane or a mem”brain.” Each membrane has a receptor and an effector protein. The receptor protein acts like antennae, putting out feelers and gathering information. The effector protein processes that information and sends it to the brain. From the book Spontaneous Evolution by Bruce Liption and Steve Bhaerman.
   
3. The right brain. “According to Dr. Orloff, scientists believe intuition operates through the entire right side of our brain, the brain’s hippocampus and through our gut (digestive system has neurons as well). And this is where it gets interesting for us ladies. Women’s corpus callosum, the connective white matter that connects our left and right brain hemispheres together, is thicker than men’s. This more substantial brain super highway gives us women better and faster abilities to access each hemisphere, further integrating our emotion and gut feelings with the more logical left hemisphere into our decision making process. Basically women’s brains have superpowers and are actually optimized for rapid intuitive decision making. “Women are also psychologically more in touch with their emotions (perhaps because they’ve been given more cultural permission to be this way) and are more likely to integrate hunches, emotional ‘hits’ about people and logic. Because men have a thinner corpus callosum they are more compartmentalized in their thinking and less about to move back and forth from intuition to logic.” Forbes, The Science Behind Intuition
   

Increasing access to our intuition or strengthening it elevates the divine feminine. The more we respect and honor our feminine gifts, the more we will see reflections of it out in the world.