The Role of Intuition and How to Tune Into It

spirituality

Jan 30

The same way we are all born with a unique body and personality, each of us is also born with a unique set of intuitive abilities. The problem is, if you expect your intuitive abilities to look like someone else’s, you might not recognize them! I’m hoping that the information and perspectives I present here can help you on your path to getting to know your unique and wonderful intuitive gifts.

What is intuition and what does it feel like?

If I had to define what intuition is and what purpose it serves, I would sum it up as the mechanism your Higher Self (and other higher dimensional beings) uses to communicate to your human self. I know I just used some spiritual terms that you may have never heard of, but the main idea is that there is your physical body (your 3-dimensional meat suit - including your brain, nervous system, hormones, genetics, etc. etc.) and then there is your higher-dimensional consciousness, or Higher Self, that is not effected by 3D principles like time and space. And it is these two aspects of yourself that try to work together to help you navigate through this earthly existence/lifetime. (And sure, we can argue about the validity and “truth” of this system I just described, but let’s leave that for a different day.)

Okay, so let’s say our intuition is like a box of tools we can use to navigate our lives and make the most beneficial choices. The trick is understanding what tools you have and how to use them. And although some people are born with finely tuned “binoculars”, while others might have to throw together a makeshift compass, we all have the ability to tap into our tool boxes and become experts at what we were given.

The key to mastering our tools is to get very familiar with the experiences/sensations they produce in us. However, as I said earlier, the way we each experience intuition is as different and personal as how we experience/perceive anything else. For example, how would you describe or define your experience of the color red? Or the flavor of garlic? Or what it feels like to listen to your favorite song? It’s nearly impossible to put into words, and there will be differences between how I choose to describe my experience versus how you do. And that’s usually why most people either don’t believe they have intuitive abilities, or get frustrated when they try to develop them - because they think that just because they don’t experience intuition the way other people describe that it’s just not there. So I’m telling you now, release all pre-conceived notions you have about being psychic/intuitive - like seeing ghosts or predicting the future - and just start with the belief that you are just as powerful, magical, and equipped with intuition as the next person. And all it takes is knowing yourself completely and authentically to attune to your abilities.

The Clairs

As far as what intuition “feels” like, you have probably heard of intuition being called a “gut feeling”, or “just knowing” something, or “that little voice in my head”. Well, all of these have some truth to them, and they’re a good way to describe what the spiritual community calls "the Clairs”.

Each “Clair” relates to a different physical sensation we experience. The most popular Clairs are clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, and claircognizance. I call these the “most popular” because they are the most widely talked about and referenced in movies and media. Clairvoyance is when you “see visions”, clairaudience is when you “hear voices”, clairsentience is when you can “feel someone there”, and claircognizance is when you “just know”. I put all of those phrases in quotes because those descriptions/explanations are very limiting and exaggerated, and are a big reason why people don’t believe they have any of the Clairs. Experiencing and receiving intuitive information is usually so much more subtle and wide-ranging than that.

I will go through the rest of the Clairs that are talked about these days just for the sake of providing that information, but the main take away is to NOT label or categorize your specific abilities. With naming or labeling anything, as soon as you put a label on it, you are restricting it and putting it in a box. But in reality your abilities will grow and change as much as you grow and change. One day your antennae might be tuned into your clairvoyant frequencies, and then you might not receive “visions” for a year, and while you’re waiting to receive those visions again, your soul might be talking to you on a completely different station (I’m using a radio wave/walkie-talkie analogy now).

But without further ado, here are the 8 Clairs you might read about as you continue to do research, along with a few ways they might be experienced.

Clairvoyance (clear sight):

seeing visions or pictures in your “mind’s eye” - as if you were imagining something but the vision might come to you without you trying/intentionally bringing it to mind
seeing energy, auras, spirits, etc. (these can be seen externally or internally) around people, objects, places
psychic dreams/premonitions - having dreams of future events or of people contacting you with special messages
seeing and being drawn to signs/omens/symbols/synchronicities in the physical world - this can look like things being “highlighted” or drawing in your eyes while you’re scanning your surroundings, or just having a knack for picking up on significant symbols, numerology, etc.

Clairaudience (clear sound)

hearing clear, direct words as internal or external audio
hearing music or lyrics playing internally or externally (like actually playing through speakers somewhere) that have a direct message/meaning for you in your current situation
tuning into or hearing certain sounds/messages emphasized in the physical world - for example, suddenly hearing a portion of a conversation someone else is having that has significance to you, or suddenly tuning into a distant sound that you hadn’t heard until you needed to
ringing or other sounds/sensations in the ear that are not caused by anything physical (usually as confirmation to a thought or question you are having at that moment) - the sound of bells is a popular one, or tinnitus in the ear, or your ears temporary losing all sound (like there’s an air pocket in your ear)

Clairsentience (clear feeling)

that “gut feeling”
feeling sensations throughout your body to know when you are getting “warmer or colder” to the message you need to receive or the place you need to be in or to avoid
feeling energy, vibrations, or presences
feeling physical pain or sensations in your own body that relate to someone else’s pain or experiences (usually in the same place and way that they are experiencing it)

Claircognizance (clear knowing)

“just knowing” something - receiving entire messages or knowledge without specific words or images being perceived, and without using your logical brain
being able to absorb and understand information more quickly and at a deeper level than your typical learning/memorization mechanisms (like understanding algebra versus memorizing your times tables)
understanding a concept in whole without receiving in-depth explanations (like understanding algebra after someone explained how to do one equation)
being able to instantaneously piece together larger, abstract concepts, theories, or philosophies after receiving “insignificant” information (like seeing all the uses and applications of mathematics after realizing that numbers are a language)
knowing/receiving a message instantaneously when you see a sign, symbol, or synchronicity

Clairempathy (clear emotions)

using your emotions to gather information or know something
can feel others’ emotions even when they are not present or talking to you (sensing something is wrong with a loved one)
can feel the emotions of people who have passed on and are trying to communicate
can feel others’ emotions even if they are masking how they are feeling, because you know it is not your emotion you are experiencing

Clairgustance (clear taste)

psychic taste - or tasting something that isn’t physically present in order to receive a particular message
for example, maybe tasting something sweet as a good sign, or tasting something rancid as an omen
can receive messages from passed on loved ones if you taste something that reminds you (or someone else) of them

Clairsalience (clear smell)

psychic smell - smelling something that is not physically there
usually used (like clairgustance) to invoke a memory or receive a message from a spirit - smells with great significance to you or them will be used to send a very specific message (like someone’s perfume, favorite flower, etc.)
warnings/omens of danger or lower vibrational spirits might be perceived as something rotten or unpleasant

Clairtangency (clear touch)

being able to sense energy through the hands - crystals are a common object that will create different sensations for someone with clairtangency; the crystal (or other object) might feel hot, cold, buzzing, prickly, etc.
often used to receive messages or information from objects that have absorbed and carry specific energy and memories, like antique jewelry, furniture, and other sentimental objects
being able to sense the quality or nature of an object or material through touch - like being able to distinguish between a genuine or fake material, or picking up on the differences between different kinds of wood, etc. just based on touch
using touch to feel for energetic or physical blockages/pain within the body (often used for Reiki and massage)

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If you couldn’t relate to any of the bullet points I mentioned, don’t worry. We are still going to go over how you can tune into your abilities, and pretty soon you will be able to come up with your own bullet points.

Sure, there are books and other articles, blogs, and forums that describe the different Clairs, but you’d be surprised how much I just used my own “Clairs” to write half of the bullet points! For example, I had never actually known about “clairtangency” until I did my own research for the sake of writing this post. And when I read a tiny bit about clairtangency, my claircognizance kicked in and I “just knew” that my sensitivities towards crystals and other materials should/would be considered as clairtangency. I have always known that my hands were important and special to how I navigate and absorb information, but until now I never knew this was considered a psychic ability. But it absolutely is! I have even described how I use my hands as tuning into a “sixth sense”. For example, since I was a child, I would be able to pick up any material or natural object, feel it in my hands, and then know how that material should be/wants to be used or worked with. I will often use this ability to know what materials to use when I am making items with spiritual or energetic purpose/significance. And even when I don’t have extensive knowledge or education about a crafting technique, my hands are able to tune into the material and it will tell me what kind of tension, pressure, tool, etc. to use to get a certain result. I would also add that this intuitive ability goes hand-in-hand (no pun intended) with my claircognizance, because I receive this information through my hands but it feels like a knowing.
So you see, there are no boxes and labels when it comes to intuition. Speak to any experienced healer, witch, shaman, or psychic, and they will tell you the same thing - there are not enough words or lists to accurately and comprehensively describe all the ways you receive intuitive messages. It’s all about practice and awareness. Speaking of which…let’s get to the fun stuff.

How to tune into your intuition

Now that you understand how personal and unique intuition can be, it’s no surprise that there isn’t a full-proof way to suddenly wake up to your abilities and start seeing spirits. It takes time and dedication and a whole lot of self-awareness. But if you keep up with it you will see that even if you’re starting from “zero”, one day you’ll wake up and realize you made it to where you wanted to be, and then some. As a little disclaimer before moving forward, make sure that if anything you read makes you feel uncomfortable, insecure, or triggers fear or anxiety within you, don’t keep pushing yourself. We should always approach spiritual practices with confidence, sincerity, and discernment. If you don’t feel good about something, listen to your intuition!

Step 1: Believe in yourself and your abilities

Get psyched that you are about to discover your very own, custom intuitive abilities. When you set the intention and sit in the vibration of hope and gratitude for your authenticity to shine through, your Higher Self, and all of the higher-dimensional beings waiting to support you, will be drawn to you and answer the call. When you are open and actively asking them for help/messages, they will gladly intensify signals and make them more frequent to make sure you receive reassurance and confirmations.

Step 2: Open up your channels and ground/protect yourself

Since we need our bodies to receive intuitive sensations and experiences, it’s important that we create clear channels of energy within our physical and etheric/spiritual bodies. This means drinking lots of water, getting enough nutrients and exercise, and maybe even receiving some energy healing work. It’s also a good idea to make sure you don’t have any thoughts or emotions that are very pressing or distracting. But even if your physical life/circumstances are not ideal it’s just as important and effective to use visualization and intention for clearing your energy channels. You can visualize yourself as a smooth, hollow channel that energy can drop into from the top of your head (the Crown chakra) and travel all the way through to the bottom of your feet (or Root chakra). And if this is hard for you to imagine, you can actually find hundreds of different meditations and visualization exercises similar to this on YouTube if you’re more audio-oriented. Just look for “energy clearing”, “chakra clearing”, or “body healing” meditations.

Next, grounding is extremely important and necessary if your channels are open. The energy and presence of Mother Earth (Gaia) is very protective and conductive when attempting to do any kind of spiritual or energetic work. If you don’t ground yourself to your body and Mother Earth, you can get easily overwhelmed if you’re sensitive or already have very active upper chakras. You can also make yourself more susceptible to other people’s/being’s energies, which is not what you want. For now, until you master your abilities, you are just trying to get in touch with yourself (and your team of guides).

As one last protective measure, you can create an aura of white light around yourself (through visualization), and say a protective affirmation out loud and with authority. You could say something like, “I surround myself with the white light of unconditional love, and only allow the highest vibrational beings and energies to be in my aura and to communicate with me.”

Step 3: Receive and Observe

Once you’re grounded and feel pretty unencumbered by a busy mind, it’s time to just be in your body and observe yourself. Pay attention to all of your physical senses, as well as your thoughts and emotions. You can look around your room or whatever surroundings you’re in (nature is great for this), and see if you become sensitive to certain sights, sounds, or feelings. You might even have certain memories or songs pop into your head, or a picture, or word (visual or auditory). It’s important to consider everything that floats into your consciousness at this time, because since you set the intention to receive, whatever you call into your existence/consciousness is not a “coincidence” or random scenario. For example, did you just decide to turn your head towards your desk? What caught your eye? What did that make you think of? Maybe your mind starts wandering without you realizing it, and then you hear a siren or other loud sound, and it snaps to back to the present. What were you just thinking about when you heard that sound? The message is there.

I can go on and on about all the things you might experience, but the point is for you to become sensitive and aware of your experiences and sensations, and to start getting very familiar with how your body picks things up.

Step 4: Practice with discernment

After you know what it feels like to be in a state of consciousness where you’re clear, grounded, and aware of your body and surroundings, you will be able to go about your day and stay in this state (or tune into it when you want to) to receive messages no matter where you are or what you’re doing. And even if you’re just being a busy-body and mindlessly rushing around, you’ll be better at knowing when your guides are trying to get you to pay attention. For example, do you keep hitting red lights while you’re frantically trying to get to work? Instead of getting angry, frustrated, or stressed, realize that that is probably not a coincidence. Your guides can either be slowing you down for a reason (to avoid something or put you somewhere with divine timing), or because they want you to work on a mental, emotional, or energetic pattern that is stopping you from evolving (maybe you have really bad road rage or your priorities are misaligned). It is important to use discernment in order to tune into the messages being sent, and to make sure it is indeed your intuition/guides versus something else.

For example, my clairsentience is one of my more reliable, frequently used intuitive tools. I am highly sensitive to the signals in my body, and have picked up on other people’s pains/emotional issues as my own discomfort. However, before I knew what clairsentience was, I just thought I was constantly getting sick and getting mysterious aches and pains every other day. I would go from having an acute pain somewhere in my body, thinking I should go to the doctor, to being fine the next hour or day. I am especially sensitive to the vibration of anxiety (since I have spent most of my life feeling my own anxiety), and it took me a long time to realize that sometimes I wasn’t anxious at all, but was tuning into someone else’s anxiety (even when they showed no signs of stress). And then I realized that sometimes what I thought was anxiety was actually just my body in distress from dehydration or lack or sleep. So you see, it’s important to be able to sit with whatever you’re feeling or experiencing, and pinpoint its source (is the anxiety telling me to check in with my thoughts, the energy around me, the person I’m with, or my body?).

Step 5: Document and share

While you’re still getting acquainted with your intuition, it can be helpful to keep a log and document your experiences. Not only does this allow you to put your experiences into words so you can validate and recall your experiences, but there have been so many times that I started writing about an experience I wasn’t sure about, or couldn’t understand, and ended up receiving the intended message as I let my brain digest and work through it. Not only that, but journaling/writing is one of the easiest and most reliable ways to receive messages from your higher consciousness or guides. You’d be surprised how often what people think is a rant, tangent, or train of thought is actually a channeled message.

Besides writing, verbally sharing your experiences (specifically with people who are open to these topics and supportive and understanding of your spiritual journey) can exponentially boost the frequency, confidence, and effects of your intuitive experiences. The more you share, the more you learn to trust yourself and your experiences, and the more likely you are to receive validation (again, if you share with the right people). And if you have no one in your life right now that you would feel comfortable entrusting your experiences with (it can feel very vulnerable sharing these things at first), think about seeking out a mentor or coach that deals within this realm. And if that is still outside of your comfort zone, just keep researching and reading about other people’s experiences online. You are bound to find someone sharing a similar experience that you can gain validation from. Just don’t get discouraged and don’t discount your experiences if you don’t receive validation. Remember, the uniqueness of your intuition is what makes it so special and awesome!

Step 6: Keep evolving and working with your intuition

Once you get familiar with your “stronger”, more obvious intuitive abilities, it can be fun to start exploring different ways to test or get in touch with other abilities. For example, I started using a pendulum to get in touch with my intuition because it would give me very clear yes or no answers that I could see with my physical eyes. But over time I started to notice that I already knew when it was going to give me a yes or no before it moved. That’s when I realized my body already had a built-in pendulum (in this case I experienced the yes or no through my clairsentience…a “yes” kind of felt like excitement or an elevated vibration (also like I was being pulled forward), and a “no” felt like subtle dread or a tightening/dropping/pit in my stomach). The point is, what started out as me learning how to use the pendulum and getting my energy to be clear enough for the pendulum to work, turned into me getting to know how a yes or no felt in my body. If you try this, you might end up realizing a yes is the color red and a no is blue…or a yes is hot and a no is cold, or you might see a “Magic 8 Ball” displaying the answer in your mind’s eye.

Another tool I used that ended up strengthening my claircognizance and clairvoyance were tarot and oracle cards. I first approached tarot cards by reading books about them and watching videos and just using my logical brain to memorize all of the images and meanings. But after a while I started to notice that it was just too hard to memorize all of the different meanings, and I got tired of looking things up - it just felt wrong. That’s when I decided to start practicing trusting the information and messages I was very faintly picking up on, and saying them out loud (if I was reading for someone else), or writing them down. By committing to putting my intuitive messages into words, my ability to receive the messages got faster, easier, and more clear with time. I continue to develop this particular form of intuitive communication to talk to my guides, and it still amazes me every time.

I strongly suggest finding a divinatory or intuitive tool or test to gauge where you’re at with your abilities. It might feel awkward or frustrating or unnatural at first, but if you sit with your consciousness enough and make a sincere effort to try to receive messages, while also not forcing or resisting how it comes in, you will get better and better at understanding and accepting how your intuition works. And you will absolutely strengthen your intuition.

Step 7: Use your intuition for your highest purpose

As fun and amazing as it is to figure out your super powers, it’s just as important to take it a step further and be intentional about how you use them. Like I said at the beginning of this post (what feels like a lifetime ago now haha), the purpose of your intuition is to allow your Higher Self to help your human self to navigate this current existence/lifetime, and to keep you on your path towards fulfilling your life’s mission. Sure, you have free will so you don’t HAVE to fulfill your mission, but the more aligned you are with your highest purpose, the easier and more enjoyable life gets. And, sometimes, aligning yourself to your purpose can mean making difficult decisions and deprogramming yourself from lifetimes of trauma and past experiences - so you will want to be in constant communication with your team of guides while you go through those transitions. But the more you use your intuition and move closer to living in alignment, the more you will fall in love with your authentic self and find what truly makes you happy in life.