I’m often asked how to decipher between the intuition and the ego – or more simply, which voice in the head should you listen to and how is it possible to know which one is“right”?
This is a common human struggle, for there are two alternating points of view within your mind – one nudging you in a direction that feels right and the other practically yelling at you, “Have you lost your mind!?”
And far too often, you agree with the voice that appears like it is trying to keep you safe from self-sabotage but you continue to feel stuck, unfulfilled or even listless and begin to wonder if you should start listening to the other voice instead.
Well, you should.
And here’s why: the gentle, soothing voice, the one that just “feels” right, is your intuition.
The other is your ego, aka your logical mind that wants to compartmentalize, assess, decode, and intellectualize every decision you try to make. That sounds like it is actually a good thing (and really, yes, sometimes it is) but most of the time the other voice has a much greater depth of knowledge without really having to do any of that computing first. It just knows. How?
Intuition is defined as “the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.” In late middle English, intuition referred to “spiritual insight” or “immediate spiritual communication.”
Today, it is what many refer to as “gut instinct” or “gut feeling.” You likely hear this all of the time when talking with others, such as “I had a bad feeling in my gut and I knew it would happen before it did.”
Those gut feelings that you can’t quite explain are in fact your intuition connecting with you.
There are many other ways your intuition can communicate with you. Here are a few of the most common:
You may “hear” your intuition, which is really just your own voice in your own head, but it may sound a little gentler and calmer, or more loving than the voice you usually hear. It may even speak with a more refined vocabulary or grammar than you ordinarily use. If you notice that the thoughts are more eloquent than your usual stream of internal consciousness, that’s a good sign you’re actually connecting with your intuition and to pay close attention to what it is saying. Also good – write it down, for often your intuition will pop in, drop the info, and bounce, and just like a dream, it’s over and you’ve forgotten it pretty quickly.
You may “feel” your intuition, which will vary from individual to individual, but may be a feeling you feel deep within your core – perhaps in your stomach or your heart. You just know deep inside, even though you can’t quite explain it with words or your intellect. It’s just this feeling within and it feels so right.
You may “see” your intuition, by having visions (kind of like an awake dream or a quick picture that comes up and then vanishes in your mind) but that you did not feel you created but rather you “received.”
You may have sudden bursts of clarity or insight. These feel almost like a lightbulb has gone off and you suddenly just know. It can be accompanied with either a “hearing” intuition thought or a “feeling” intuition knowing or both. It will feel deeply calming and safe and provide peace within your heart.
Your intuition may speak to you in your dreams, setting up scenarios that will show you a deeper part of yourself that you may not be aware of in your waking hours. It may also guide you through dreams with particular situations and emotions occurring or through the use of animal totems. If a dream is particularly vivid or feels like it is trying to tell you something, pay close attention to the emotions or feelings that arose within the dream and once you awoke from it, as well as any type of symbolism that stood out in the dream and look it up in a dream dictionary to see if there is a deeper meaning your intuition wants you to know. It is also helpful to write down any intense dreams you may have and see if there is a pattern or if they are foretelling your future.
Your intuition may speak to you through writing. If you are a writer or a poet, your intuition will often reach you through the themes in your work. If you aren’t into writing in that way, try simply journaling and allowing just your thoughts and feelings to flow out onto the page and as you continue on you may notice a “switch” in the energy flowing through your body or even a change in your words. Did your grammar and vocabulary suddenly take on a higher level than you would ordinarily use? Have you switched from writing in the first person “I” to writing in the second person “You”? If so, you’ve just tapped into your intuition.
Your intuition may speak to you through your voice. If you sing and write your own songs, this is a particularly easy way for your intuition to connect with you. Also, if you engage in “self-talk” (which is kind of like journaling without the pen and paper and simply just speaking your thoughts out loud and letting them flow) you may notice as you are speaking that your flow will change slightly and the words you begin to hear yourself saying will almost take on a life of their own and help to calm you down or provide direction and understanding of a different level. It is advised to record these self-talk sessions so that you can re-listen to the wisdom and advice you gave yourself later, as often this, just like dreams and internal intuition, may quickly fade away once the moment has passed.
Your intuition may speak to you through signs and symbols. You may see the same number patterns over and over again – popping up in the cost of items you buy or the license plates of the cars in front of you on the road or when you check the time. You may see the same symbols, for example, an animal totem or key word or phrase continually pops up. You might be considering making a change in your life and all of the sudden you are inundated with that particular theme several times over the course of a few days. You may even see “literal” signs – such as a billboard that catches your attention and feels like it is answering the question you had in your mind, or maybe it comes from a magazine, or the first thing that pops up in your social media newsfeed.
Your intuition may speak to you through music or other people. This one requires a bit of diligence in making sure that you don’t overanalyze (which then moves you into the ego mind) but that you do take note of synchronicities that occur around you. Have you ever walked into a store, or perhaps gotten into your car and switched on the radio and the song playing just feels like it was meant for you to hear right here right now in this very moment? Or maybe you were behind someone in the grocery store checkout line or in an elevator and the person just starts chatting with you about something that is so key to what you’re going through in that moment? These are also ways in which your intuition will try to reach you, most especially if it cannot get through in one of the more direct methods mentioned above.
But how can you know for sure that it is actually your intuition communicating with you?
The number one way to decipher between the intuition and the ego is the feeling behind it.
If your intuition is speaking to you, it will feel right. It will feel peaceful, calm, and gentle. It will feel like it is the only decision you could possibly make. You just know deep within that it is right for you.
When your ego speaks to you, it comes from a place of fear.
It likes to act like it is protecting you – but really, it is keeping you stuck. It is the voice that tells you that you aren’t enough, that you don’t know enough, and that you’ll never be enough. It may tell you that there are other people that are better than you at what you do, it might tell you not to waste your time, it might tell you just stay where you are and with what you have because then you will be safe.
It is important to look at the feeling behind what the ego says. Does it feel like the ego wants you to grow? Does it feel like the ego wants you to be the very best version of yourself?
Your intuition wants nothing more than to see you shine in all of your possible brightness.
The ego will keep you dim from your truest expression of yourself. The ego is rooted in fear, in questioning, in suspiciousness. It seems like the safe route is to listen to the ego, and in all human respects, yeah, the ego has a point and if you listen to it you will probably stay “safe” from a human aspect. But is that why you are here? To allow yourself to be minimized? To allow yourself to stay in the safe comfort zone instead of see how far you can actually expand your wings and fly?
You are here to live out your life in the very greatest possible aspect you can reach. Your potential is only limited by how much you listen to your ego – and nothing more. You are actually your only limitation. And news flash: you are always safe. You are, no matter how it might feel or seem or appear from a human aspect, always, always, always safe. Once you can really resonate with that, and open up the doors within to listen to the intuition instead of the ego, you are on your way to become the very greatest version of you that could ever possibly exist. Your intuition thinks so already. It had you read this article.
I wish you the very very best on your life’s journey and hope you discover the immeasurable strength and wisdom within to become all that you are truly meant to be. Live from your heart, and be forever free.
Book a session and begin the journey towards listening to your intuition.
Connect with yourself on a deeper level and begin living from your heart instead of your head.
Let’s Connect:
You’ll find information and inspiration here:
You’ll find yin yoga, meditations, and other content here:
Hi, I’m Erica
Over the years I have taken great risks in life all thanks to listening to my intuition and it has never steered me wrong.
I get it, its totally scary to listen to the quiet, gentle voice within when your mind is shouting all the “bad” things that will happen if you do. But I urge you to do it anyway.
If you need some help tuning into your intuition, you’re in luck. That’s what I do for a living.
Book a free consult call with me to see if what I offer is what you need.
Remember, everything you want might just be on the other side of fear, but don’t let that stop you. You didn’t come here to play small. You came here to fly.