What is intuition, anyways?
Whenever I come across an article or podcast or even social media post that promises to explain intuition, I eagerly read/listen/consume, waiting for someone to finally help me understand what listening to your gut really feels like, and how to do it all the time. Either I’m very resistant to getting it, or there’s just something inherently inexplicable about it.
Nevertheless, I persist.
In the book The Artist’s Way (which I’ve written about a few times this year, here and here), Julia Cameron asks the reader to pay attention to what she calls synchronicity. This is, essentially, noticing the things that come into your life that offer ideas, connections, and opportunities that are in line with your desires and goals. For Cameron, this happens as you connect to your inner artist/creativity and acknowledge its importance. She insists that when you do this, the universe will start to send things your way to help you along.
Whether we believe that a higher power is sending messages or not, we’ve probably all had experiences where all of a sudden it seems like random events are lining up. It could be as simple as that thing when you hear a word for the first time and then you notice it in the book you’re reading, a tv show, and a news article all in one day. Is it a coincidence? Or the universe really wanting you to expand your vocabulary?
It’s more like we’re probably primed to see things we didn’t notice before. Like a light version of confirmation bias: not likely to make you believe in wild conspiracy theories but just enough that you see things that “confirm” what’s already on your mind.
So what does all of this have to do with intuition?
I’m choosing to define intuition for myself as “noticing the signs.”
I don’t really believe the universe is sending hints (a la synchronicity) but I do believe that our brains are busy filtering an enormous amount of information, only a small fraction of which makes itself known to the conscious mind. When I start to “see” things that I hadn’t picked up on before, or there seems to be an abundance of information coming up on a certain theme, it’s probably my brain saying, I am choosing to show you these things, because on some level I know they’re important, or at least of interest to us right now.
In practical terms, this looks like:
Paying attention when something seems off; and paying attention when I am repeatedly drawn to something (an idea, a place)
Not ignoring information that keeps coming up (i.e., not dismissing or explaining away red flags, worries, interests)
Being willing to act when signs are accumulating
One of my intentions for 2025 is to feel more connected to my intuition. Since it’s such a slippery concept, I’m holding on to the idea of noticing signs as something a little more concrete. Practices like the morning pages also give me a place to note things that seem like they might be messages, so it’s less easy to dismiss them or forget about them.
What does intuition mean to you?
What I’m reading: I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris by Glynnis MacNicol. In this memoir of a late pandemic summer in Paris, MacNicol writes about embracing freedom as a mid-40s single, child-free woman in a world with few scripts for this life. It really makes me want a baguette and cheese, now.
What I’m watching: The Diplomat. I’m almost done season 2 and even though a few things really irk me about the show (just let your staff do their jobs, Katherine Wyler!) it is mostly a fun watch and well-acted.