What is intuition?

Intuition is a wonderful ability we all are gifted with as human beings. It is often called our Inner Guide, since it secretly reveals to us what we should do or pay attention to in many important situations.

Intuition has nothing to do with our rational thinking, it does, in fact, replace it or complement it, since it works much more precisely, quicker and in tandem with reality.

Rational thinking, on the other hand, works step-by-step in a process over time while our intuition works for us in real time. This means that our intuition communicates with us at that critical and particular moment - just when we need it the most.

Intuition can appear like a clear and powerful message from deep inside us, telling us what to do in important situations when our rational thought processes can`t help us anymore. It can, for example, give us that sudden, life-changing clear conclusion in a critical situation – a decisive conclusion given to us, without our having given it any logical or rational thought.

It can also be that sense of just ”knowing” which decision is the right one to make, especially in critical and time-pressing situations.

Intuition will sometimes come as a distinct feeling that warns us away from situations that just don’t ”feel” right. For example, danger – many people have described how an intuitive ”feeling” has saved them from tragic accidents. And much more.

Our intuition communicates with us in a wonderful way during many important situations in life.

We all have this amazing ability but many of us may not know how to get in touch with it, or even how to use it. But – intuitive thinking is something we can all do! In fact, it’s an ability that can be developed in an easy way and it always improves with use!

Why is it important?

Our intuition is important because we need it in order to handle our lives

successfully. The more we are in touch with our intuitive mind, the more we improve our ability to make the right decisions in life, to solve problems, to find and discover great possibilities, to create well-being and happiness, and much more.

Our brain consists of a right part (where the main part of our intuitive thinking has its source) and of a left part (where our rational thinking comes from). The reason why we have these two parts of the brain is, of course, because we need them and therefore should use them in balance.

Why have so many of us lost our intuitive ability – or at least our confidence

in using it?

The two main reasons are:

A. Our western society, unfortunately, is focused almost exclusively on rational thinking as a “rational” means of conducting our lives and solving our problems.

This process starts in our childhood when our natural intuition is still very keen.

More precisely, somewhere between 4 and 5 years of age we often start to learn through our upbringing that our intuitive thinking needs to be controlled and adapted.

We learn this by noting a growing increase the attention and praise we receive for excising our rational thinking as we grow older, simultaneous with a decided decrease in the attention and praise we receive for the sponta-neous, intuitive things we say and do. Instead, we might have been taught to accept, even welcome intuition and encouraged to understand how we can use in balance with rational thinking, but, unfortunately, this rarely happens.

As a result we lose confidence in our spontaneous intuitive abilities and use them less and less the older we get, until finally, we’re all but completely cut off from them.

B. The other main reason our intuition gets cut off has to do with two emotional mind-states, namely, fear and various kinds of stress – two states many of us will come to have even more difficulty with in our lives if we don't take care of our self-esteem and personal development.

What can someone do to improve their intuitive ability right now?

There are many things we can do– here are two examples.

A. Make room in your daily life for a period of calm and stillness.

Intuition is suffocated by stress and by a tempo in our lives that is far too high and far too constant.You need to find an inner-peace, divorced from all planning and analysis.

Until you do, you cannot perceive intuition’s subtle messages.

You can meditate – do relaxation exercises – take walks in nature – or perhaps take a long warm bath.

The particular method is not all that important – consistency is the key. Be prepared that in the beginning suppressed tiredness, sorrow or anger may bubble up. It can feel uncomfortable, even frightening, but when you dare to meet them, these feelings gradually die away, and you’ll have increased you self-esteem at the same time you’ve been creating an opening for your intuition to communicate with you.

B. Make the most of your dreams. The traditional common-sense advice, “Sleep on it,” reveals an age-old wisdom. Intuition doesn’t sleep simply because you do.

Pay attention to your dreams. Try to remember them and see if you can discover something new about yourself.