Fear vs Intuition

 One of the first questions I get asked is, "How do I distinguish fear from intuition?"

Fear and intuition are often confused because both arise as subtle inner signals, yet their origins and effects are profoundly different. Fear is the echo of past conditioning; it is rooted in memory, in the mind’s attempts to protect you based on what it already knows. It constricts the body, quickens the breath, and narrows the field of possibility. Fear speaks in urgency and tension, and its message is almost always colored by doubt or limitation.

Intuition arises from a deeper, quieter dimension of awareness. It does not come from memory, but from presence. It feels expansive, calm, and almost effortless—like a gentle knowing without justification. Whereas fear agitates, intuition settles. You may not always like what you intuit, but the information comes with a grounded feeling.

The key is to pause in stillness. If the signal contracts you, tightens you, or makes your awareness feel small, it is fear. If it expands your being, brings peace, and aligns with a sense of inner truth, it is intuition.

My mentor, Marie Manuchehri, gives a great example.  Intuition will not say, "Don't go down that road, something bad will happen."  Intuition works by saying, "I need go an extra 2 blocks and stop for a cup of tea."  Intuition steers you without the somatic threat of fear.

1. Pause and Breathe

   When a decision or feeling arises, close your eyes and take three slow, conscious breaths. Allow the body to soften.

   
   

2. Ask the Body, Not the Mind

   Place your hand on your heart or solar plexus. Silently ask: “Is this fear, or is this intuition?”

   • If it is fear, you will notice tightness, agitation, a sense of urgency.

   • If it is intuition, you will feel openness, warmth, and a subtle inner ease.

     
     

3. Notice the Energy Direction

   Fear pulls you backward into the past or forward into imagined danger. Intuition arises only in the present moment. If the sensation is timeless and clear, trust it.

   
   

4. Sit with the Signal

   Do not rush to act. Give the message space, without force, judgment or trying to make it go away.