Trust your gut.

Get in tune with your intuition

It's the classic scenario in just about every horror flick: a curious teen hears a thump in the basement and decides to go down and take a look. As he tiptoes slowly down the creaking stairs, he completely ignores the tension mounting in the pit of his stomach. With a shaking hand, he turns on the light--and wham! You can fill in the rest....

Many people don't know how to tap into their intuition--that illogical and uneasy feeling that naturally occurs when something just doesn't seem right (like making a wrong turn into an unfamiliar area); or the warm, comforting feeling that comes when something is intrinsically right (when you know you've answered a test question correctly). But it is intuition--the ability to perceive or know things without conscious reasoning--that can lead us toward good and steer us away from danger.

"There are usually plenty of signs when your intuition is trying to tell you something," indicates Suzee Ebeling, director of the Center for Intuitive Learning in Scottsdale, Arizona. She says the evidence manifests itself in "subtle signs at first that get louder and more blunt when you don't pay attention."

Ebeling offers, the following clues that your intuition is speaking--and that you should listen:

* You get that funny feeling in your body.

* You notice weird coincidences.

* No matter how hard you try, things keep going wrong.

* There is a repetitive theme in your dreams.

* Your attention keeps getting drawn to a particular image, word, or phrase.

* You become increasingly uncomfortable about something but can't explain why.

Getting in tune with your intuition will become easier with practice. The more you can instinctively avoid people and situations that are harmful to you the more listening to your intuition will be worth it. "It takes great courage to know things you can't explain, stand up for your intuition, and honor your inner wisdom," says Ebeling.

For more on intuition, read:

* Awakening Intuition: Using Your Mind--Body Network for Insight and Healing by Mona Lisa Schulz Three Rivers Press; $14

* Developing Intuition: Practical Guidance for Daily Life by Shaleti Gawain New World Library; $16

* Bringing Intuition to Work: A Quick Step-by-Step Approach by Gina Giacomini Inner Visions Publications; $14.95