One of the questions I hear over and over is “what is intuition anyway?” The short answer is that intuition is a natural gift that we are born with. Along with our five senses of touch, taste, sight, sound and smell, we have a sixth sense: intuition.

For most of us our intuition went underground in early childhood. When we sensed things at a subtle energy level we were often told it was “not real.”  It is “just your imagination.”

You can credit René Decartes, 17th century French philosopher who is famous for the phrase “I think, therefore I am” for giving our sixth sense a bad name. As an early proponent of rationalism he taught that if it can’t be measured and studied, it is not real.

As patriarchy took over, rational thinking became valued and imagination became devalued. Bit-by-bit humans lost touch with their sixth sense.

The positive side of this was it made the space for humanity to develop its intellectual capacity. However, now that we have a fully developed intellect, it is time to “come to our senses.” It is time to get back into balance with all of our capabilities. And this means recognizing, cultivating and using our sixth sense.

Here are 8 steps for developing your sixth sense:

1. Acknowledge that your imagination is real. Imagination is a sensing device and a creative tool. It is a major component of our sixth sense. Can you think of anything that has been created that didn’t first show up in someone’s imagination?

2. Set your intention to develop your intuition. Simply decide it is important to you. When a door opens up that leads to developing your intuition, walk through it.

3. Start paying attention to the little whispers that pop up in the back of your mind. Things like “take an umbrella today” or “call to confirm the appointment before you go.” Usually when we get these little whispers we run it by our logical mind and let it decide. For instance, if you get the “hit” to take an umbrella, it is natural to take a look outside and see if it looks like rain. If not, we usually ignore our intuition and leave our umbrella at home.

4. Keep a journal of the “hits” you get each day and record how many were right on. The main purpose of this is to encourage you to pay attention. Secondarily, it validates how often your “hits” are on target.

5. Hang around other people who are intent on developing their intuition. You will learn faster when you can share your experiences with others.

6. Keep a daily meditation practice. It will make you more alert to the whispers.

7.Take classes in intuition development. The more you know the quicker your progress.

8. And lastly, channeling psychic energy through your body affects your body’s systems. Eating right and exercising will help keep your body in balance.

Keep in mind that your sixth sense is a natural gift. There is nothing unusual or out of the ordinary about it. It is not a talent reserved for a few special people. Anyone can develop their intuition. Begin by following the 8 steps outlined above. Especially gather with others who are interested in developing their intuition. Take classes. Pay attention. Practice, practice, practice.

Having a fully developed sixth sense will help you be in the right place at the right time while you navigate the topsy-turvy world we currently find ourselves in.