Is Intuition the Same as a Gut Feeling?

Do you ever doubt your intuition? 

Learning to fine tune your inner guidance system takes time, awareness, and practice. As human beings, we have to learn to sort through our many emotions, our egos, and our thoughts and learn to discern what is true guidance from our intuition. 

You may have heard that your intuition is the same as your “gut feeling,” and while it’s true that your body is the instrument of intuition,  true intuitive guidance is so much MORE than just a gut feeling. 

Your intuition is kind of like a radio – tuned into a frequency I like to call “Soul Fm.” It allows you to pick up on the many signs, feelings, and factors that come together to give you guidance and direction from the Universe. It’s both deeper and wider than just the internal nudges you feel that guide you toward or away from something.

What’s the difference between trusting your gut and trusting your intuition?

A gut feeling is an intuitive hunch – but it exists on an instinctual level. Your gut feeling is rooted in fear. It’s the evolutionary measure that is linked to our survival. It helps us stay away from situations where we might get harmed. 

Intuition on the other hand is vast & wide. It opens us up to endless potential and possibility and allows us to make choices. 

One important distinction between a gut feeling and your intuition is that true intuition cannot happen if you’re in a fight/flight/freeze response. When you’re in this state, your view is narrow, and you’re cut off from the part of your brain that allows you to be creative & curious. And curiosity is essential to learning to trust and follow your intuition! 

Intuition is about imagination and what’s possible. 

How to trust your intuition

In order to start trusting your intuition, you have to learn to get yourself out of reactivity to the world around you. 

After two years of a pandemic and a host of other world events, it can feel like there’s always another threat on the horizon. When we feel this way, our lens narrows to one of survival. This is where our gut instinct is all we have access to. 

Your true intuition can only turn on when you learn how to become the eye of the storm. Rather than focusing on the chaos in the world around you, you acknowledge it and bring yourself back to the present moment. Rather than being in fear of what could happen next, you relax into presence and what is possible. 

Those of us who have the privilege of being able to develop this right now in the world have a responsibility to do so! By developing our intuition and living a life guided by Spirit, we open up the potential to not add any more difficulty to the world than what’s already there. We are able to contribute instead of adding more stress. 

You may think that in order to trust your intuition you need to be psychic or have some special ability to talk to spirits or angels, but this absolutely isn’t true! These are myths. 

The truth is, everyone has an inner guidance system they can learn to develop and expand. And, everyone is different! Over time, you’ll learn what following your intuition looks and feels like for you. 

What happens when you start trusting your intuition

When you take the time to develop your intuitive side, you’ll begin to see how just “trust your gut” isn’t enough to live a life that’s guided and grounded in the information the Universe has for you. 

So what does being intuitive mean? 

It means opening yourself up to a greater way of knowing. It’s going beyond logic, beyond reason, and beyond just your instincts. It’s an awareness and a dialogue with the Universe through subtle signs, feelings, thoughts, and experiences.

When you learn to access this soul GPS, it’s like stepping into a stream of information that can guide you toward your highest good and the highest good of all. It will include those inner nudges, but it will also involve signs and messages from all kinds of sources.

It becomes easier to make choices that feel aligned, and to feel clarity in your decisions and desires because you’re being guided by your Higher Power. In fact, your intuition can help confirm you’re on the right path through opening your awareness to signs from the Universe. 

How to trust your intuition when reading Oracle Cards

Did you know there are tools you can use to expand your intuition and tune in with the guidance of Spirit? 

Oracle Cards are my absolute favorite way to create a dialogue with the Universe and to get guidance around choices, challenges, and everything you face on your path. 

When you learn to expand your awareness, you can get incredible information and connect directly with your Higher Power through Oracle Cards. 

When you pull an Oracle Card, you can begin by reading the corresponding message in the guidebook – but the information you receive from the card can go so much further than just the words you read. 

For example, when you look at the image on the card or read the message in the guidebook, what do you feel in your body? 

Does it make you feel contracted or expanded? 

Is there a specific word or phrase that sticks out at you? 

Only you know exactly what the card you pull means for you and the question you’ve asked! 

The great thing about Oracle Cards is that they can help open us up to messages from Spirit that are in service of the highest good of all. Sometimes this may be messages that are difficult for us to hear or accept, but the cards will help us get the clarity and guidance we need. 

Going deeper with your intuition and Oracle Cards

If you’re on a journey of expanding your intuition, working with Oracle Cards can add an enormous amount of clarity and information to your experience. Not only can they offer you clear messages and guidance, using them over time will actually help you train your intuition and expand your capacity for receiving guidance from the Divine. 

If you’re ready to learn more about using Oracle Cards and trusting your intuition, my course, Oracle Cards 101 is the perfect place to start.

This course is perfect for the beginner, the “non-intuitive,” or anyone who wants to sharpen their intuition and tap into Divine guidance — without investing tons of time! Learn more here… 

Share Your Intuition Stories With Me

Have you ever had an experience where your curiosity led you to intuitive guidance that changed your life? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.