30 tips in 30 days: #25.

Maybe the only thing I can say for sure about intuition, based on personal experience, is that we can develop our intuitive capabilities through diverse mental and spiritual practices. Here are some useful tools that have worked for me over the years.

• Practice Stillness — I sit in meditation or contemplation as often as possible, at least once a day if I can (I feel it when I don’t). I tune into the stillpoint behind and below the navel. I drop an energetic grounding cord from my tailbone down to the earth’s core. I breathe, letting thoughts drift in and out. I may get “hits” while meditating. Mostly the practice enhances my receptivity to intuition.
• Pay Attention — I note what I see, hear or sense within while in meditation, taking a walk, washing the dishes, doing any project. The universe may be whispering to me (or even shouting), but I need to pay attention to these messages for them to matter.
• Record Impressions — When I get an intuitive “hit,” I often write it down. Doing so helps me pay attention to my messages, gives me a reference point down the road, and chronicles my journey.
• Record Dreams — My unconscious and subconscious mind gives me messages in my dreams. I keep a dream diary and pen by my bed, so I don’t dislodge the dream memory when I move to go record it. I read the dream later and contemplate its meaning.
• Watch for Symbols — Life talks to us with symbols. For example, when I lived in Colorado, seeing a raven usually would herald some major life change for me. Since I moved to Hawaii, I’ve been finding feathers on my path just before pivotal events occur, such as the day before I was hired as an editor at the island newspaper. My symbols will not be the same as yours. Shamanic journeys are among the ways of discovering the archetypal symbols that speak to you.
• Watch for Affirmations — In books on Yaqui shamanism, Carlos Castaneda talks about “affirmations from the world around us.” For me, this could be a passing remark by a stranger in the grocery store or a song on the radio that’s poignantly relevant, like The Jayhawks singing “Smile” as I drove into work at the island newspaper the day I resigned in frustration at the editorial mismanagement. The more I live authentically, the more life affirms my insights.
• Sense Energy Fields — Whenever I do healings, I often start by passing my hands above the person on the table or in a chair, moving head to foot, sensing variations in their energy field. If my hands feel like they’re pushing though molasses, for instance, something likely is clogged. I also use a pendulum to check the chakras.
• Intuitive Readings — We all have an inherent ability to pick up information through the “intuitive arts,” such as through Tarot cards or psychometry. After clearing meditation, I can do intuitive readings for others that may yield helpful messages. You likely can, too.
• Guessing Games — When the phone rings, sometimes I’ll guess who is calling before I check CallerID. At a beach, I’ll guess which wave will reach my feet. At a traffic light, I’ll guess the color of the next car to pass. Whether I’m right does not matter. Such games are a fun way to practice intuition without anything at risk.

If you know more ways of cultivating our intuition as we advance toward mindful self rule, please suggest them here through the contact form at GlobalSense.com.

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