The landscape of spiritual workers and healers is wide and ranging, from tarot readers to mediums to astrologers to numerologists to empaths. These are the labels they use to define themselves, but, more often than not, they'll follow their main label up with another descriptor: "intuitive."
Most of us think of our intuition as our "gut," the instincts that kick in when we feel like something is off or a bad idea. Sure, it can keep us from going on a sketchy blind date, but our intuition doesn't usually help us commune with the other side or divine future events.
To get a better idea of what intuition means to people working in spiritual spaces, we posed the following questions to five such women: How do you define "intuition" for yourself? What aspect of your spiritual practice and work benefits from your intuitive skills?
As mystical as the professional title "intuitive" might sound, the women we spoke with described their abilities in highly sensible, practical terms. Intuition is like a muscle — you need to train it and use it regularly to maintain its strength. Intuition is best utilised if channeled through a more tangible medium, like numerology or tarot. And, most resoundingly, they also made it clear that everyone, spiritual or not, does have a sense of intuition that they can hone beyond that gut feeling. It's just up to the individual whether they choose to do so or not.
Read on to learn more about what intuition means to those who use it in their work every day.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
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Lindsay Mack
Intuitive healer, holistic counsellor, and tarot reader
"I define 'intuition' as the delicate thread that connects me to everything that lies beyond my five senses. A client might come in and state that they would like a reading about their love life, but there is always more than what meets the eye — literally. It might be that a love reading is in their highest and best [interest], but it might also be that the search for love is a distraction from something else, something bigger. To land on that 'something else,' I have to go beyond my senses into the present moment of what comes through for this person, then gently offer whatever I hear for them. Then, we co-create the reading together from a place of deep seeing and honouring. It’s a very beautiful thing...
"I feel that intuition elevates my readings to more esoteric, more unknown spaces, and the tarot helps to ground my intuition in fact and evidence. It has also helped me to interpret cards in unique ways, which will happen when you work with them as you channel."
Felicia Bender
Practical numerologist
"All of us are intuitive. Every person has intuition, yet some people have more pronounced levels of 'natural' intuition (think of people who see spirits, auras, or many other dimensional realms). Yet for most of us, it’s simply a matter of tuning in and wanting to learn what I call our own intuitive language — meaning, starting to notice things differently in terms of how information comes to you. Do you see things that can’t be explained? Do you hear things? Do you get images and other messages through dreams or through everyday occurrences, such as looking at license plates, at the clock, or other conduits of information that others might not stop and take the time to investigate a deeper meaning? Intuition is our tool to be developed — if we choose to develop it — just like choosing to work out at the gym. Using our intuition demands that we slow down enough to notice the nuances in life and connect the dots in ways that many people choose to hydroplane over.
"Every aspect of my spiritual practice and work as a numerologist benefits from tapping into and trusting my intuitive process... Numerology is actually a tool that keys into my intuition and allows a clearer channel for insights to flow. For instance, there are times when I will be working with a client and will say things I would never say (using works or language I literally have no idea why I said them) only to have the client gasp, 'That’s what my mother used to say to me before I went to bed at night!' or I will see an image and share it with the client and it will have meaning for them that I could never have known... Overall, I find that developing and using our intuition is a fun and rewarding process that lasts a lifetime."
Theresa Reed
Intuitive tarot reader and author
"Intuition is the ability to tune in and gather information, even if there are not logical facts to support it. It’s that 'red flag' or that 'knowing' that you can’t quite explain but if you follow it, it will guide you toward making good decisions...
"I believe that we all have intuition. There is nothing special about it. It’s not some gift for the chosen few. Every one of us, at any time, can access it. Some people seem more tuned in, but that’s because they trust it and work with it on a regular basis. In a way, it’s like a muscle: If you exercise it regularly, it will get stronger.
"My spiritual practice and work benefits from my intuition in a few ways. For one, by listening closely to the small voice within, I am better able to determine what I need to feel whole in my spiritual life. I can access this through daily meditation practice. By turning inward, I keep my connection to myself and the divine strong. This allows me to show up with greater presence in my life. That helps with my business because my clients need me to be 100% present so that my intuition can help them...
"True story: Years ago, I met a man who seemed to be 'my type.' Long hair, thin, big eyes, and funny as can be. By all means, I should have gone for it, but something felt 'off' about him, so I turned him down and said we’d just be friends. A few months later, he’s front page news for murdering his girlfriend and dismembering her! I think back to that time and how strongly that vibe was — and how glad I am that I followed my gut instead of my loins. LOL."
Sydney Campos
Alignment specialist and intuitive guide
"Intuition is the voice in which my soul speaks to me, which oftentimes communicates through feelings in my body... It took me some time to activate my intuition, let alone fully trust the guidance it was providing me so powerfully. Truly trusting my intuition has everything to do with self-worth and a recognition of my innate truth being the guiding light for living my most extraordinary life. When I can really listen and trust that my intuitive feelings are guiding me toward what I truly desire, life becomes such a fun, truly magical game. I often have people ask me: How can I start listening to my intuition? To which I normally respond: Are you giving yourself what you need when you feel the need for support or acknowledgement? How's your relationship with yourself, with your soul? Do you believe you deserve to have everything you desire? Do you know what you truly desire? Do you know what you stand for? These are some activating questions that are powerful tools for self-inquiry...
"My spiritual practice really revolves around freeing stagnant energy from my system so that I can tune into my core knowing more easily. Intuition functions differently for all of us — we are all such uniquely designed beings meant to operate with incredibly diverse intuitive gifts."
Wren McMurdo
Intuitive artist and tarot reader
"As a water sign (Cancer), I see life as a series of currents akin to interconnected rivers, existing at the beginning, middle, and end simultaneously. My intuition is my sensitivity to these subtle currents. It’s also my ability to perceive time and space in a nonlinear way. This enables psychic and empathic talents, gut feelings, déjà vu, etc. Sometimes my intuition shows up in a flood of tears or extraordinary impulses because it is acting as the voice of my soul.
"I notice that my business thrives, and my spiritual practice is less wrought with mental exhaust, when I’m acting in line with my true desires. My intuition reveals these desires, while also unveiling the vibrational currents of my life and the currents I’m interacting with. I’ve discovered life-altering personal agency in noticing my ability to flow or resist. This awareness gives me an empowering sense of choice along with a soothing sense of destiny."
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