You Already Have Intuition. So How Does It Speak to You?

• Header: Woman with long curly hair facing a golden sunset, listening to her intuition

The Quiet Knowing, part two: how your intuition speaks to you

One of the things I hear most often is a quiet, almost apologetic, "I don't think I'm very intuitive." After more than 30 years of working as an intuitive here at InnerVisions, I can tell you this with real warmth: you are. You've been using your intuition all your life. You just may not have noticed, because nobody ever told you what to look for.

Think about it. Have you ever had a hunch about someone the moment you met them? Felt a nudge to check on a friend? Known the answer before you could explain why? That was you, listening.

Your intuition isn't missing. It's been speaking all along, in a language you're about to learn.

Everyone has it

The University of Minnesota's Taking Charge programme lists "only gifted people have intuition" as one of the most common misconceptions. They describe intuition as a normal human experience, reported in cultures all over the world, and say plainly that "all people have the capacity for intuition." Some of us simply have more natural talent, or have strengthened it with practice.

And it grows. Psychologists have found that our ability to read people and situations, our social intuition, improves from childhood into adulthood. In other words, it's something you can learn.

Why it feels different for everyone

Here's the part that frees so many of my students. A 2023 research chapter from ETH Zurich notes that every person experiences intuition differently. Some people sense it as a thought or a quiet knowing. Others feel it in their body.

So if you've been waiting for a dramatic vision and never had one, that doesn't mean you're not intuitive. It may simply mean your intuition speaks in a different way.

The six ways your intuition speaks

In my classes, we call these the six clairs. "Clair" simply means clear.

Woman meditating by the sea with six circles: see, hear, feel, know, smell, taste •

Clear seeing (clairvoyance): a picture, a symbol or a little scene that pops into your mind's eye.
Clear hearing (clairaudience): a word, a name or a phrase that drops into your thoughts at just the right moment.
Clear feeling (clairsentience): a nudge in your body. Goosebumps, a heavy feeling, a sense of lightness.
Clear knowing (claircognizance): you just know, without knowing how you know.
Clear smelling (clairalience): a scent with no source, like a loved one's perfume or pipe tobacco.
Clear tasting (clairgustance): a taste that arrives out of nowhere, often tied to a memory.

None of these is more special than the others. Most people have one or two that feel natural, and the rest can grow with practice.

Here's how it can look in everyday life

You walk into a meeting and your shoulders tighten, or maybe your head starts aching, before anyone says a word. Later, you learn there was tension in the room. That's feeling.

You're hunting for your keys and a picture of your blue jacket flashes into your mind. There they are, in the pocket. That's seeing.

A phrase your grandmother used to say keeps popping into your head: "Sleep on it." So you do, and the next morning the answer is clear. That's hearing.

The sky is clear blue, but as you head out the door you just know to grab your umbrella. An hour later, the rain comes down. That's knowing.

Which one sounds most like you?

Your answer is a lovely clue to how your intuition speaks. But… how often have you brushed that hunch aside because it didn't arrive the way you expected?

When you know your intuitive style, you stop waiting for the wrong signal and start hearing the right one.

Try this week: notice how your intuition speaks

1. Keep your intuition journal close

Use the little notebook from Part One, or start one today.

2. Jot down every hunch, nudge or 'pop'

Each day, write down at least one, however small.

3. Note how it arrived

Was it a feeling, a picture, a word, a song or a phrase, a simple knowing, or even a scent or taste you associate with a loved one or experience?

At the end of the week, read back through your notes. Which way shows up most often? That's your first lovely clue to how your intuition speaks to you!

Ready to go deeper?

In my new six week online class, Liberate Your Intuition, you'll take a very special quiz to discover your own intuitive style, and learn tried and tested ways to grow your strongest clairs, gently and personally, with plenty of practice.

We start on Saturday 6 February 2027, with just six places in each class. Early bird is NZ$399 until 31 December.

With warm blessings, Yolanda.