🌿 What is Intuition?
Thank you to some of my supporters for the thoughtful feedback on the guide I have recently drafted (launch in autumn). I’m truly grateful for it! One question that stood out was about intuition. It feels like an important one to explore.
Most of us know how to describe intuition. It’s a hunch, a feeling, a quiet inner voice that seems to guide us before we've fully analysed a situation. Sometimes, we act on it without even knowing why, only to realise later: “I knew it!” or “I felt it all along!” That’s intuition. 🙂
It’s not just emotions. It’s a deep sensing, held in the body, the mind, and the heart, all combined. And when we step back a little, it’s not so mystical. Think of our ancestors: they relied on intuition to make decisions long before science or data. Living closely with nature sharpened their inner knowledge. That primal connection still exists today. We’ve just become less practiced at accessing it.
🤔 Why Do We Struggle to Hear It?
In our current modern life, especially in cities, we’re often disconnected from nature. This separation is not only a result of circumstances or personal choices, but also of our cultural and societal conditioning. From a young age, we’ve been taught to value logic over sensation, analysing over feeling (if curious, read more about the subject of conditioning children in previous posts). I truly believe that this division contributes to the widespread misunderstanding or even denial of our intuition.
We rely on analysis, logic, data, and mental strategies and sometimes they are valuable! But often at the expense of listening to our bodies. We dismiss the subtle signals, that gut feeling, the quiet “yes” or “no” that rises before thoughts. Worse, we’re so busy that we don't even notice these signals. Some of the myths we’ve heard (and still hear for some) are that intuition is only for spiritual people, that it can’t be trusted in business or that it’s just random or irrational. These myths often led to burnout, chronic stress, and emotional disconnection that could contribute to these results. And over time, we lose trust in our own inner compass. I surely experienced it in the past!
🌱 How Do We Reconnect?
Some people seem more ‘naturally’ in tune with their intuition. Historically, intuition was often (mistakenly) linked to gender or specific biological traits. But over the years, I’ve found that it’s not about biology, it’s about practice and about being present.
The first step for me is to stop.
Pause.
Go to the source: Nature.
It can be as simple as a walk in the park, being barefoot in the garden or a few minutes of sunlight on my skin. And believe me, living in Wales, I jump at any chance to soak up the sun like a lizard when it comes out! 😆 These moments bring us back to the body, back to the present moment. Back to our true selves.
I’ve come to see the brain in our skull as the secondary brain. The first brain? Our gut. It’s where we store our emotions. It helps us digest not only food but life. It often speaks first, long before our thoughts catch up. The connection to our inner self goes up from the gut to the brain, not the other way round! Just like trees, mushrooms and plants, we nourish ourselves from the ground up. In other words, we feed our brain by feeding our guts.
We say:
“I had a gut feeling.”
“I felt butterflies in my stomach.”
“This doesn’t sit well with me.”
“I’m fed up!”
These are all clues. Our language remembers what we sometimes forget: intuition speaks through the body. Our ancestors created languages in order to translate intuition that came first, not the other way round.
(And for those who prefer other languages, I'm working on French and Spanish translations! Hang tight. 🌍)
🧭 So, What Is Intuition?
It’s like an internal map. One that helps us navigate when we allow the body, the heart, and the mind to work in harmony, starting with your guts (the map, the maze). One that connects the inner with the outer. (Read my post on ancient grains for another connection with this post). It doesn’t shout but it shows. When we slow down and listen enough, the outer world becomes clear.
Speaking of maps…I’ve got something exciting coming for you on Monday 12th May! It connects with intuition and it will be fun!
Until then, wherever you are, take a moment. Surround yourself with tree-friends. Walk bare feet on lush and green grass. Breathe. Tune in to your body, your mind, your heart and let your intuition guides you toward clarity, connection and creativity. I'd love to hear how you reconnect with your inner compass! Please share your experiences in the comments below.
Ps : references to my guide on this post go well with week 3, 5 and 7. Whatever the week you want to start your creative and ethical entrepreneurship journey with…guess what? Follow your intuition! 😄
#creativebusiness #ethicalentrepreneurship
I like the idea of nourishing myself from the ground up. Like a tree. This article has reminded me to slow down. Be more Tree 🎄
Super article !
It reminded me of another way we can practice which is to notice where in the body we feel our emotions. For example, you see an amazing rainbow or a fantastic sky , stop and observe where you feel the wonder.