He walks in and your heart skips a beat. “He is the one,” you hear a voice from within. You want to believe it, but how do you know it’s genuine intuition? Maybe it’s just mind chatter. Maybe it’s your heart voicing its yearning.

With so many misunderstandings surrounding intuition, it becomes hard to put your finger on what’s what. Here are the 5 myths you should remember next time you hear an inner voice.

Myth #1 Intuition is always right

Yes and no. In the moment intuition comes, if you identify it correctly, it is always right. But a moment is just a moment. Time changes you and the situation on the ground.

An intuition that was right last month may not hold true today. Is your relationship the same as it was when you were first dating? Are you the same person with the same desires?

Time exists to give you power - power to change your thoughts, feelings and outlook. Power to change the future of your relationship. Time is also a buffer: it’s a good thing that you don’t get everything you want right away. Time gives you the ability to fine-tune your desires. Through Law of Attraction, as you work to create the life you want, you send the universe new requests. As you change, so does your intuitive wisdom and previous intuitions just expire.

Myth #2 Intuition is supposed to make sense

Mostly, intuition makes no sense at all! Intuition doesn’t work like a systemic machine, or a math problem. There are no formulas.

You meet a guy and your inner voice utters, “Stay away.” It makes no sense: he is charming, polite, and treats you well. He has a good job and a house, and he says he is looking for commitment. His sun sign is the most compatible with yours. So what is your intuition talking about?

Renowned Jungian analyst Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes says:
“A lover has to be chosen from soul-craving. To choose just because something mouthwatering stands before you will never satisfy the hunger of the soul. And that is what the intuition is for; it is the direct messenger of the soul.”

So, you can listen to your intuition or you can write it off as silly, but it doesn’t change what your soul in intuiting in that moment. Your soul always speaks love - divine and true.

Myth #3 Only a select few get psychic insights

Everyone is born with the gift - few have the chance to feed it while most others have to let it wither away. The fact is, we still live in a time where the society attacks even proven psychics.

Dr. Estes puts it beautifully:
“Though her soul requires seeing, the culture around her requires sightlessness. Though her soul wishes to speak its truth, she is pressured to be silent.”

It will take a transformation of your inner landscape to give your intuition room for expression. It will take courage to follow your hunches.

The more you practice it, the better you’ll get at it. But it may take a long time to reverse your decades of cultural and societal training.

Myth #4 Intuition is loud and clear

Not unless you are a practiced psychic. If you’re like most people, your intuition is subtle. It is a serene, low voice that comes from within. Or a fleeting, symbolic image that momentarily flashes on your mental screen.

But your mind is busy and chatty with many voices, and your imagination is wild with many images. Before you even recognize the intuition, poof, it’s gone.

To find out your own intuitive wisdom, psychics recommend meditation to calm and clear your mind. They recommend keeping an intuition journal, which can help you remember things you intuited. This kind of journaling is also a good way to let your intuition know that you’re willing to listen.

Myth #5 Women are better at intuiting than men

Women and men are born with the same gift, but the society allows women to practice their intuition much more than men. We call it “women’s intuition.”

Men are constantly given the message that they need to be strong, rational and realistic. It is this mental training that makes most men lose touch with their own inner wisdom.

It is true that there are more practicing female psychics but we believe this has to do with social influence, and not differences in ability.

Man or woman, one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself is to learn to hear and follow your intuition, no matter what.

Moving on…

Some psychics say they use intuition when they do readings. And others use divination methods such as the Tarot. Is one better than the other? Why isn’t psychic ability uniform?

Last in our series - 5 Common Myths about Psychic Readers.