How Do I Know If It's My Intuition Speaking?

Simple ways to begin hearing your inner wisdom more clearly

In my last blog, Harmonizing My Faith, Intuition, and Spiritual Path I shared some thoughts about how I personally view intuition and faith. I wrote about how, for me, intuition doesn't feel separate from God. In many ways, I see it as one of the ways we may experience divine guidance through our bodies, our inner knowing and our discernment.

Not surprisingly, one of the questions I get asked most often is:

"How do I know if it's my intuition speaking?"

It's a great question because most people aren't asking whether intuition exists. They're wondering if they have access to it, how to recognize it and how to trust it.

The truth is, I believe we all have intuition.

I don't believe intuition is reserved for psychics, mediums or people who consider themselves highly spiritual. I believe intuition is part of being human. The challenge isn't whether we have it. The challenge is learning how to hear it amidst all the noise, distractions, fears, opinions and expectations that surround us every day.

As I sit here writing this, I am reminded of a blog I wrote after doing a Winter Solstice ritual just seven months ago. During that ritual, I wrote down 13 wishes for the coming year. One of mine was: “Continue to deepen my intuitive skills."

At the time, I didn't fully understand what that wish would lead to and if you look back at the blog in December, you’ll notice I actually had forgotten I had written it at all! Seven months later, I can see that developing intuition wasn't about suddenly becoming more spiritual or receiving dramatic messages from the Universe. Instead, it has been a process of slowing down, paying attention and learning to trust myself in a deeper way. MAGIC ✨

Many people assume intuition arrives like a lightning bolt, I used to think that too. Intuition is often much quieter. Sometimes it shows up as a feeling in my body before my mind can explain it, a sense of peace around a decision that doesn't necessarily make logical sense yet or a gentle nudge that keeps resurfacing no matter how much I try to talk myself out of it.

A recent example comes to mind.

I was invited to attend a pre-launch Zoom presentation for a new opportunity in the biohacking space. I agreed to attend because I was genuinely curious. As I listened to the presentation, I noticed something happening in my body. I kept having this strong feeling of "yuck.” It wasn't a logical thought. I couldn't point to anything specific to explain why. In fact, part of me was trying to talk myself into liking it because the product seemed good. 

The longer I sat with it, though, the more I realized my body was giving me my answer. That feeling wasn't about the product itself being good or bad. It was about alignment. My inner wisdom was telling me that this wasn't the energy I was looking for at this point in my journey.

Looking back, that's often how intuition shows up for me. It isn't dramatic and it never has a detailed explanation. It often begins as a feeling before it becomes a thought. The more I've learned to pay attention to those moments, the more I've come to trust them.

I've started to notice a few common characteristics of intuition.

For me, intuition is usually calm. Fear tends to feel loud, urgent and demanding. Intuition feels quieter, no forcing.  It's often simply there, waiting for me to notice.

I've also found that intuition tends to be simple. It rarely arrives with a detailed explanation or map; it’s just the next step. I often say to my clients, “What is the first next step?"

AND I have learned, intuition tends to be persistent. If there is something I truly need to pay attention to, it often continues showing up. Like a thought I can't shake, an idea that keeps returning or a feeling that remains long after my brain has tried to dismiss it.

One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that intuition isn't always a "yes." Sometimes intuition is the feeling that helps us recognize a "no."

One of the simplest ways to begin strengthening intuition is through practice. Just as we strengthen muscles through repetition, we strengthen our ability to hear our inner wisdom by creating opportunities to listen.

Here's a simple exercise I often share with clients as a starting point.

Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted for a few minutes. Place one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Take three slow, deep breaths. In through your nose and ahhh out through your mouth. 

Then ask yourself: "What do I most need to know today?"

That's it.

Rather than searching for an answer, simply become curious and notice what arises. It might be a word, a feeling, an image, a memory or even a physical sensation in your body. There is no right or wrong response. The goal isn't to receive an answer, it's to practice LISTENING.

What I have learned through my own journey and through working with clients is that intuition often gets buried beneath overthinking, self-doubt, people-pleasing, old stories and fear. Many of us have spent years looking outside ourselves for answers while forgetting that some of the wisdom we're seeking already exists within us.

This simple exercise is a wonderful place to start, but it is exactly that…a starting point.

The deeper work often involves learning how to distinguish intuition from fear, discernment from anxiety and inner wisdom from old conditioning. It requires developing trust in yourself and creating space to hear what has perhaps been there all along.

That deeper exploration is often part of the work I do with clients through intuitive coaching and guided conversations. Together, we create space to move beyond the noise and reconnect with the wisdom that already exists within them.

Whether you call it intuition, inner wisdom, discernment or divine guidance, I believe we all have access to a deeper knowing. The challenge isn't receiving it, it's creating enough quiet in our lives to hear it.

So perhaps the better question isn't whether your intuition is speaking.

Maybe the question is:

Are you giving yourself enough space to listen?