Physalis wrote:
do you think it is a skill that can be strengthened, a force you can tap into, or just purely natural instinct?
yes, for sure.. I had a pretty strong intuition when I was younger (and I believe most of us a born with it but grow away from it because we don't nourish these type of abilities in our day and society -sadly).
But I was told a lot by logical thinkers how that was just an imaginary thing. So I tried to ignore it for a long time, and intentionally suppressed my ability to connect to my intuition.
To say the least, in the long run, this didn't end well for me. I ended up being reckless and putting myself in bad situations, thinking I could easily get out of them (with i.e. logic).. until eventually i found myself in a life threatening situation I couldn't just easily get out of.. (a psychologically abuse relationship).
I've come to learn that your intuition is something to honor, and definitely strengthen to the best of your ability. After all, it is one of your inherent strongest instincts that you are born with -helping you to keep yourself safe and alive in situations that won't necessairily "make sense" to the logical mind. I could physically feel my soul and energy being drained over time and being nearly crushed beyond redemption.
Today, I am alive, because I took the mindful decision to trust my intuition -that's what helped me realise what situation I was in at the time, and how I could safely get out of it without putting myself in harms hand in the process. It didn't make sense, and I didn't have a plan. Keep in mind my ex abuser were also, as I mentioned, a psychological abuser (and in fact a diagnosed sociopath), so he had his grip around my seemingly predictable and easy mind -my intuition saw a way out neither of us did at the time.
So, YES. I believe it's something most of us are born with. And if you are or not, it's something you'll be able to tap into and strengthen. You could translate the term intuition to gut feeling, which might seem more digestible by people who innsist they are non-believers. And I would recommend any and every person to do so, as you have everything to win and nothing to loose. It's a survival instinct -we have this to keep us alive.
And of course, some of us choose to strengthen in further, in order to apply it in daily life such as making daily decisions and such. What you are basically doing is connecting to and listening to your higher self.