What the foop is “intuition” and why should we care? In 250 words or less, here’s my take:
Intuition is our most advanced intelligence. It synthesizes all our knowledge and experience—mental and physical, conscious and unconscious—and pings us an instantaneous insight. Intuition is expressed in the body, in our physical and emotional sensations, which is why you can also call it a "gut feeling" or heart-knowing. Intuition empowers us with a depth of insight I call wisdom; when we listen to it, it always guides us to our next, best step. It’s basically your genius.
All humans have intuition, but it’s especially strong in teenage girls and women—which (like all female qualities in a patriarchy) is probably why it's often been negated.
Instead of honoring the body’s wisdom, most of Western culture has been biased toward rational, left-brain thinking. The rational, left brain is very helpful, of course—but also comically limited. (Fun fact: the left, conscious brain can process 40 bits of data/second while the integrated/unconscious mind processes 40 million bits of data/second!) Unfortunately, the rational mind often blocks our intuitive insights, either because we don't understand them or they run counter to what we think we “should” do. That’s where writing comes in.
Because writing is both rational and intuitive, it’s often the most direct way access our wisdom. And when you write your truth on paper, you get the rational evidence of... (let's call it what it is) your intuitive genius!
Writing / Ruminating Prompt: Body Wisdom
Give yourself 4 minutes to write or think about the following 4 questions. (Write or ruminate on the answers as long as you want. Bonus points if you write or ruminate on these questions on a regular basis. It's basically "intuitive muscle-building!") The last question is obviously the kicker, but we can't know what we really want until we're connected to our body in the present.
What am I feeling right now? (List all your current emotions, even if there's a lot of them. We are designed to feel many things at once.)
Where am I feeling this feeling in my body? (Is it in your stomach, your chest, your head...?)
What does it feel like in my body? (Would you describe it as tension or constriction or is it a metaphorical wolf howling to be heard or...?)
What do I really want right now?
so good, so true.