We’ve all heard the old adage, “Trust your gut.” Is your “gut feeling” the same as your intuition? Yes. And no. Sometimes.
Oftentimes your gut is actually your instinct. Intuition and instinct are two distinctly feminine forms of wisdom. Intuition is your link between your current self & your higher self. Intuition communicates through a certain sense or knowing information in alignment with your highest truth. These usually show up as flutterings in my upper chakras. They may also be seen as “light bulb” moment - those moments where an idea or truth seems to fall from the heavens into your head.
Our intuition may also be communicated with visions, signs, or other extra-sensory happenings. These extra-sensory happenings (seeing, hearing, knowing, or feeling things that can’t be explained by the material realms) are deeply shamanic and also deeply misunderstood.
In my opinion, this fear or mistrust of those who are extra sensitive to the spiritual realms (such as psychics, witches, and oracles) is just another product of manufactured fear and distrust of the divine feminine and embodied wisdom. For me, when I get an intuitive nudge, there is often a sense of neutrality (at least until I’ve judged the intuitive hit as “good” or “bad”) - there is a clear absence of fear, and usually an obvious presence of love.
Instinct is primal. It is motivated by information geared towards your survival. It communicates experiences you’ve known (ie past trauma) or have been carried in your DNA via your ancestral line (ie, epigenetics). These usually show up for me as “gut feelings” or butterflies/stomach turnings. There is often a sense of density and groundedness to my instinctual hits.
Both intuition AND instinct can be very powerful allies in growth and healing. Often they are in resonance. Sometimes they are not. Gut feelings and instinct are primarily there to keep you safe - which is super important, especially in situations with legitimate danger ahead. AND instinct can be limiting, especially in circumstance where it is safe to push your edges to create opportunity for expansion.
The actions and mindset that help us survive are not the same ones that help us thrive. We often mistake our instinct for our intuition. This could be holding you in fear based patterns and conditioning that no longer serves you. My suggestion - ask the “nudge” or “hit” where it’s coming from. Feel into the sensations in your body and take note what part of you feels activated.
Trusting yourself and your intuition doesn’t always “make-sense” at first. When I began opening my third eye, miracles and saving graces became my reality in each moment. I narrowly avoided dangers by odd twists of fate. I heard voices and music that others didn’t. I sensed energies that other had no capability to comprehend. And I was TERRIFIED to tell people what was happening to me. So I didn’t. It wasn’t until I became embodied and created love and safety in my being, that I truly began to trust myself and share my intuition with others.