Maybe you’ve had a thought come seemingly out of nowhere. A feeling you couldn’t explain. An image that flashed through your mind. A quiet sense that you should—or shouldn’t—do something.
And then comes the inevitable question:
The funny thing is, your intuition is part of you. Discernment isn’t necessarily about figuring out which thoughts belong to you and which came from somewhere else. It’s about becoming familiar with your own inner landscape—your thoughts, fears, hopes, habits, emotions, and expectations—so you can begin to recognize when something feels different.
There isn’t a foolproof formula. But there are things you can begin to notice.
We tend to imagine intuition as something unmistakable, but more often it’s remarkably ordinary—a thought, image, feeling, word, or sudden knowing that seems to arrive without you looking for it.
Someone unexpectedly comes to mind. You feel you should take a different route. An unrelated image appears while you’re talking with someone.
Often, it arrives before you’ve had time to make sense of it.
This can be one of the trickiest distinctions, especially when something matters deeply to us.
Intuition often arrives simply and directly: Don't go that way. Anxiety is more likely to take the thought and run with it: Why? Is something wrong? What if something happens?
When you’re unsure, go back to the beginning. Before the fear, explanation, or story took over, what did you actually notice?
The more we want a particular answer, the harder it can be to separate intuition from hope. We look for signs that support what we want or give meaning to things that otherwise might not have it. Our expectations can quietly shape what we notice and how we interpret it.
That doesn’t mean intuition isn’t there. It just means it’s worth holding the impression lightly and asking: What did I actually receive, and what did I add afterward?
Intuition and imagination aren’t necessarily opposites. An intuitive image may appear on the same inner screen you use to imagine something, and intuitive words may sound much like your own thoughts.
Instead of asking whether you could have imagined it, consider how it arrived. Did you consciously create the image, word, or idea—or did you simply notice it? Did I create it, or did it arrive?
Our brains are constantly collecting information—tone of voice, facial expressions, patterns of behavior, and details we may not consciously notice. Sometimes a gut feeling may be your brain connecting those dots before your conscious mind catches up.
That doesn’t make the information any less valuable. You don’t always need to know where an impression came from. Sometimes the better question is: What is this asking me to notice?
Suppose you’re talking with someone and suddenly see a red rose in your mind. The impression itself is simply a red rose. It means love. It must be their grandmother. Someone is sending me a sign. Everything after the rose is interpretation.
Discernment means leaving a little space between what you perceive and what you decide it means. Start with what you actually noticed. Meaning can come later.
Not every thought is intuition, every coincidence a sign, or every uncomfortable feeling a warning. Sometimes an impression that feels incredibly clear will simply be wrong—and that’s okay.
Discernment isn’t about becoming infallible. It’s about becoming more observant, curious, and honest about what you’re experiencing. When you don’t need every impression to mean something, you’re free to simply notice and see what unfolds.
Over time, you may begin to recognize your own patterns. Perhaps your clearest impressions arrive as images, a particular physical sensation, or a quiet knowing that disappears almost as quickly as it came. Your intuition may not look like anyone else’s.
Pay attention to what arrives, write it down before explaining it, and look back over time. Little by little, you may begin to recognize the difference between what you think, fear, or hope for—and those curious moments when something simply seems to arrive.
There may always be some uncertainty. Perhaps that’s part of the practice.
Images, words, feelings, knowing and more, explore the different ways intuitive information may make itself known.
Explore the Clairs
Record impressions before you interpret them, then look back over time to begin recognizing your own patterns.
