If you get my email newsletter then you know that I recently started sending out channeled intuitive guidance every week. I ask the universe what guidance the people reading my email need most and write down the reply; then I send out these insights word-for-word. As with much of the guidance I receive for clients in my one-on-one sessions, the guidance I’ve channeled for my subscribers applies to me, too. It’s exactly what I need to hear, whether I want to hear it or not.
Hearing the guidance and acting on it are two completely different things. In order to act on intuitive guidance you need to learn how to use your own intuition. Because even if I’m channeling guidance for you, you still have to figure out how to apply that guidance to your life! And that’s where learning to use your intuition comes in.
I created this step-by-step guide to help you learn how to use your own intuition in a really practical way. This isn’t a short guide—you can skim and get the gist—but if you really want the details of exactly how to use intuitive guidance to improve your life then you’ll want to read the entire article.
1. Hold space for yourself. I posted about this on Instagram recently, but in case you don’t follow me there I’ll repeat it here. It is absolutely essential to take quiet time for yourself every day, ideally first thing in the morning before the demands of life start up. You can’t grow, heal, or make much progress toward anything meaningful if you don’t take the time for it. Carve out that time whenever and however you can. For me it means waking up early, before the rest of my family.
As far as what to do during the time that you hold for your personal and spiritual development, meditation is always the first thing for me. I practice Transcendental Meditation for 20 minutes every morning. It doesn’t matter if you do this type of meditation or even have a meditation practice at all, but I highly recommend starting your special time each day with at least a few minutes of silence and deep breathing because it will help you tune in to your own intuition.
Once you’ve meditated or had some time for quiet and breathing, you can jump right into the steps below to start developing your own intuition.
2. Be intentional. When it comes to receiving and using intuitive guidance, the first step is to set your intention. What do you want guidance on? Why? Be specific and purposeful when setting intentions.
You can say your intention out loud or in your head, it doesn’t really matter as long as you hold the intention honestly in your heart and have faith that you will be supported.
Play around with the wording when setting intentions until you get something that feels right. You’ll know if it resonates with you or not, and you can change up your intentions as often as you like. Sometimes I’ll set new intentions multiple times per day based on what I have going on. Other times, I’ll hold the same intention for a week. I recently went several weeks setting the same intention every morning: to be patient and compassionate.
It’s so important to allow your gut feelings to guide you when setting intentions, because those gut feelings are a direct line to your intuition. An intention that jives with your intuition is exponentially more powerful than one that you set just because it makes logical sense or you feel obligated to set it.
3. Ask for help. Asking for help goes hand-in-hand with being intentional. First you define what your aim or purpose is (your intention), then you ask for help from the universe, your guides, God, or [insert whatever works for you here] to support you in that intention. Ask for help with the understanding and trust that help will come. Whenever you feel stuck, confused, afraid, or alone ask for help in overcoming those feelings so that you can make progress toward your intention.
Sometimes I get guidance that I just don’t want to deal with, and when this happens asking for help is absolutely essential. Spiritual and emotional growth is hard and often involves digging up all your crap, facing it, and getting over it. I frequently ask for the strength to deal with my issues in an open and honest way.
And when it comes to receiving help, keep in mind that help is frequently subtle. The universe often treats us like a parent treats a child who’s learning to ride a bike: providing just enough assistance to prevent total calamity but also staying out of the way enough so that we can figure things out on our own as much as possible. Manage your expectations of what help is by understanding that we get what we need, not always what we want.
4. Pay attention. Once you’ve set your intention and asked for help, pay attention to whatever comes through. Guidance will come in several different ways including mental images (clairvoyance), words or phrases that you “hear” in your mind (clairaudience), knowledge that you just know even though you don’t know how you know it (claircongnizance), and feelings in your physical body (clairsentience). There are other ways for intuitive guidance to come through but these are the main ones. If you pay attention you’ll notice that you’re already receiving intuitive guidance through these modalities, but you probably just ignore it or discount it.
Keep in mind that intuition is quiet and our brains are loud. This is why tuning in and receiving intuitive guidance takes conscious effort. Most of us don’t grow up being taught to pay attention to the quiet voice, we’re taught to value logic and reason. So pay close attention to the quiet voice in your head, the filmy images you see in your mind, the inklings of ideas that pass through your consciousness. That’s your intuition and the more you pay attention to it the better you’ll become at noticing it in the first place.
5. Write it down. It is immensely helpful to write down your intentions and requests for help. Of course you can say them out loud or in your head, but something about writing them down really solidifies your commitment to do the work. There is so much energy and power in taking a pen to paper and giving form to something intangible.
Likewise, write down any guidance you receive, even if it doesn’t make sense. If you see images, draw them or write a description. Transcribe words and phrases. Write down the thoughts and ideas that suddenly come to you or the feelings you have around certain topics. This is all your intuition and the more you acknowledge it the stronger it will become.
Write it all down, even if you’re not sure what’s your intuition and what isn’t. You can always go back later and use the quick litmus test of how you feel when you read what you wrote to determine if it came from your intuition, logic, or ego. Feelings of warmth, expansiveness, joy, excitement, and love are associated with intuitive information. Feelings of fear, smallness, coldness, and tightness typically indicate that your logic or ego is involved.
6. Act on it. This is where the rubber meets the road. You’ve taken the time to be quiet, you’ve committed to your intention, asked for help, paid attention to the guidance you’ve received, and now…now you have to do something with that guidance. Maybe you need to find a new job, start online dating, or clean out your closets. Maybe you need to work on releasing your limiting beliefs or replacing bad habits with habits that support your goals. Perhaps you’re to spend time every day quietly contemplating a problem or decision you’re facing. Maybe your inner voice told you to pick up milk on the way home from work.
Whatever it is that you’ve been guided to do, please do it. If it feels small and easy, do it. If it feels like the biggest craziest leap of faith, take the leap. This is where the magic happens. Acting on intuitive guidance will empower you to believe in yourself and your intuition and will open you up to the love and miracles that are already waiting for you. Really.
I know this may sound like unicorns and rainbows forever, but it’s true. Following your inner guidance is the only way to step into the power, confidence, and peace that you’re intended to have. This is doing the work in its purest form, and it’s how you become your authentic self, live your purpose, and create the life you really want. Inspired action is the pathway to everything you’re intended to have in life.
7. Stick with it. Okay so if the magic is in your actions, then the super-amazing-blow-your-mind-life-affirming alchemy is in the consistency of those actions. It’s not like you’re going to wake up one day, follow these steps, and all the mysteries of your soul, the human condition, and the cosmos will be revealed to you. Meaningful progress takes consistent effort, and isn’t easy.
Take time every day to be intentional, ask for help, pay attention, and act on any guidance you receive.
