Intuition
By
James Harvey Stout (deceased). This material is now in the public
domain. The complete collection of Mr. Stout's writing is now at
http://stout.mybravenet.com/public_html/h/
>
Jump to the following topics:
- What is intuition?
- Intuition
communicates with us in various ways.
- Intuition is always
accurate.
- What is the source
of intuition?
- Intuition
is not the product of rational analysis.
- Intuition
is part of a process of communication.
- The
techniques by which we can become more aware of intuition.
What is intuition? It can be
defined in various ways:
- What it is: It is a process by which the conscious mind is
aware of the dynamics of spirit and matter in a situation. (Spirit
is the tangible, non-material substance of which the soul is
composed.) In any situation, intuition discerns all dynamic
factors -- everyone's needs (material, emotional, mental,
spiritual), everyone's psychological state (i.e., emotions,
thoughts, etc.), everyone's archetypal-field elements (i.e.,
residual thoughts, etc., from previous similar archetypal
encounters), all material objects (e.g., the available resources
including money, any material hindrances to our goal, etc.), and
so on.
- What it is not: Intuition is a means of acquiring
information by an inner process other than rational
analysis (which would use logic to process data from our facts,
memories, physical senses, and other input).
- Synonyms for the word "intuition": Intuition has also been
called insight, revelation, inspiration, direct apprehension, gut
instinct, a flash, a hunch, a premonition, "Eureka" or "Aha," a
sixth sense, an inner voice, "vibes," a feeling, "reading between
the lines," "red flags," a "nagging" feeling, sensitivity,
"ringing true," "an educated guess," "reading him (or her) like a
book," "inner radar," "a light coming on," preconscious concept
formation, and ESP (or "being psychic," although intuition is not
truly a psychic phenomenon).
Intuition
communicates with us in various ways. There are three main modes:
mental, emotional, visual, and physical. As we read about these
modes, we can ask ourselves whether we experience intuition in some
of these ways; we might discover that a sensation that we had ignored
is actually one means by which our intuition was relaying messages.
(Of course, these signs are not always related to intuition; for
example, in a given situation, "goose bumps" might be caused by cold
weather, not intuition.) Please note that these modes correspond to
the techniques of fieldwork: mental intuition corresponds to
affirmations; emotional intuition corresponds to energy toning;
visual intuition corresponds to visualization; physical intuition
corresponds roughly to the as-if principle (at least to the extent
that they both are related to our physical existence).
- Mental intuition. In mental intuition, we receive input
through thoughts. These thoughts might be expressed as individual
ideas, or as a recognition of conceptual patterns or relationships
(as when a concept "clicks into place") or models (which are the
larger, wholistic framework in which we "put it all together"). We
might experience this type of intuition as an inner voice, or as a
thought which comes "out of nowhere" from an "intuitive leap."
- Emotional intuition. The difference between simple emotions
(such as anger or fear) and emotional intuition is that
the cause is not on a superficial level (e.g., a rattlesnake at
our feet), but instead we must interpret the emotion or
feeling; for example, we wonder, "Why am I uncomfortable?" or "Why
do I have a strange feeling about him?" In emotional intuition, we
might feel nervousness, emotional turmoil, excitement or
depression, an instinctive liking or disliking (i.e., attraction
or repulsion), or a sense of "vibes" regarding a person or object
or situation.
- Visual intuition. We might experience these images as
"visions," or sleep-time dreams, or daydreams and fantasies, or
simple imagination. The images might be literal or symbolic.
Visual intuition is particularly important to painters, sculptors,
architects, and people like Albert Einstein (who developed many of
his theories by visualizing light beams and other images).
- Physical intuition. The message is perceived in bodily
sensations: a headache or stomach ache, muscular tension or
relaxation, a change in heartbeat or respiration, warmth or chills
(i.e., "goose bumps" or a shiver), lightness or heaviness,
tingling (perhaps in our ears), a distortion in our senses (i.e.,
a darkening or dulling in our eyesight), or "sympathy pains" (as
though we are sensing someone else's pain inside of our own body).
When we are experiencing physical intuition, we use expressions
such as "gut instinct" and "I feel it in my bones."
Intuition is always
accurate. By definition, intuition is the part of us which perceives
our surroundings; as such, this instrument is infallible, just as our
eyes are infallible in seeing unless they have a defect
(which is not an inadequacy in the eyes themselves but rather it a
condition which is inflicted by the presence of an alien element). If
we receive a message which seems to have originated in our intuition
but is incorrect, we will discover that the message actually came
from a different source; the possibilities include the following:
- We used analytical thinking instead of intuition. This is a
fundamental error; we used one instrument (i.e., the intellect)
when we believed that we were using another (i.e., the intuition).
- The source was a dysfunctional archetypal-field element which
had asserted its preferences (as in "wishful thinking").
- We misinterpreted the message. For example, a vision of "the
Grim Reaper" could be translated as an omen of our impending
death, when it instead was referring to the death of someone else,
or simply the ending (i.e., a metaphorical death) of an
aspect of our life (such as our marriage).
What is the source
of intuition? We can consider various possibilities:
- Perhaps the source is the soul (and spirit -- the substance of
which soul is composed). In How To Find God, Harold Klemp
said that, "We are learning to work with intuition, which actually
is Soul speaking to us ..." When we compare the qualities of
intuition with the qualities which are attributed to soul, we do
find similarities:
- Its awareness. Intuition considers all relevant factors in
a situation, even the factors which we do not know consciously.
These factors can include the needs of the people (including
their thoughts, emotions, physical body, and archetypal-field
elements), the needs of objects (including inanimate objects,
such as a car about which our intuition detects a potential
problem) -- and generally unknowable elements such as future
events, and past-life involvements with the people. This
profound quality of awareness is associated with spiritual
wisdom.
- Its balance. Intuition is impersonal; it does not favor our
advantage at the expense of people around us. Thus, if we
follow its guidance, we discover that the result is "for the
best of all"; we achieve a "win-win situation" in which we all
gain what is possible and proper for us to gain (considering
our needs, the available resources, any limitations which have
been created by dysfunctional a-field elements, etc.). And so,
intuition's balance allows us to perform our activities without
creating undue animosity and other friction. This type of
detached, "ego-less" action has always been recommended by
spiritual leaders; actually, the ego is still present as a
legitimate representative of our human self and needs, but it
does not dominate.
- Its benevolence and even love. Because our actions are
balanced (i.e., non-aggressive), the texture of our behavior
resembles that of kindness, good-heartedness, and relationship.
This quality inspires people to cooperate with us, and to
support us in our endeavors. The "love" is merely the character
of the spirit-substance which flows between the souls when we
are directed by the spirit-derived intuition.
- Its feeling tone. The brief exhilaration which we
experience when receiving an intuitive message is somewhat akin
to the ecstasy which has been described by mystics who have
experienced "enlightenment."
- The information which we receive. We can associate
intuition with the soul simply on the basis of the specific
ideas which arise; for example, intuition is likely to tell us
that "we all have a common spiritual essence" rather than "we
are totally separate individuals." Of course, one person's
intuitive ideas might be very different from another person's
intuitive ideas; for example, someone might say, "I just
know that my religion is the only true religion,"
while someone else says, "I feel certain that there
are many paths to spirit." Despite the occurrence of
contradictory interpretations of mystical experiences,
spiritual teachers generally regard intuition -- in contrast to
intellectual knowledge -- as the way in which we can gain
spiritual understanding. (These differences might occur because
of varying interpretations, or perhaps they occur because the
messages are not from intuition at all but are instead
originating in our intellect or our charged a-field elements.)
- The wholism of the experience. The concept of wholism is
generally associated with spirituality and mystical states of
consciousness. We can examine various dimensions of the wholism
of intuition:
- The message is a whole. Just as the process is
wholistic -- presenting realizations without having used
individual stages of analysis -- the product also
has an aura of "completeness" and meaningfulness in its own
right. However, despite the completeness of the message, it
can be built upon; the data can be used for rational
analysis or for the information-base from which further
intuitive messages might arise.
- This quality of wholeness can be discerned in
intuition's capacity for the recognition of
patterns; when intuition occurs, we recognize
cycles, and we discover relationships among otherwise
unrelated ideas and objects.
- We experience wholeness during the experience itself. At
the moment when we are receiving a message from intuition,
we might perceive a variance from our usual sense of self
(in which there is a separation between the person who would
know, and the object of knowing, and the process by which
the knower gains knowledge); instead, we momentarily
transcend that typical state into a quasi-mystical state
which we might term "knowingness," in which the three
elements are not distinguishable but rather there is simple,
impersonal awareness, with the content of awareness
being that of the intuited idea.
- Perhaps the source is the unconscious mind. Carl Jung said
that intuition is "perception by way of the unconscious, or
perception of unconscious elements." However, the "unconscious
mind" is not a thing-in-itself; the term is simply a vague,
catch-all phrase that refers to a hypothetical field which
contains everything of which we are not aware at this moment, and
thus it could refer to forgotten memories, or repressed thoughts,
the archetype-filled "collective unconscious," or even the soul
(which is not part of the mind but it could be assigned to the
category of "everything of which we are not aware"). Thus, to say
that the intuition comes from the unconscious mind is to make a
meaningless definition which states only that intuition comes from
a part of us of which we are not aware.
- Perhaps the source is the "psychic senses." Again, this is a
vague, catch-all phrase; it refers to the reception of information
by any means which we cannot identify or explain. Our messages
might be presented to us in the form of psychic phenomena or the
revelations of a divination technique (e.g., tarot or a crystal
ball), but divination techniques are merely means by which our
intuition communicates with us; they have no information in
themselves. Psychic phenomena (e.g., clairvoyance, telepathy,
etc.) are media of perception by senses (which are similar to the
physical senses, but they are attuned to a different
"frequency"); they are separate from the specific function of
intuition -- as separate and different as the eyes are from the
ears. However, from the theories of parapsychology and
metaphysics, we do gain some ideas which help us to understand
intuition: (1) the five physical senses are not the only way by
which we can gain information; (2) we live in a universe which is
not static and fragmented but instead it is a sea of energy -- as
emitted individually by people and objects -- which can be
detected and understood intuitively. (Point #2 is stressed
particularly in the practice of psychometry.)
Intuition
is not the product of rational analysis. In that linear, step-by-step
analysis, we examine various aspects of a problem; we advance from
one point to the next, toward a conclusion. However, in intuition,
the "conclusion" arises without being preceded by these logical
steps. We might have analyzed the problem previously, but the
intuition-derived idea does not appear as the next step in the
analysis; instead, there is an unexplainable "leap" into a new
insight, as the idea comes to us "out of the blue" -- spontaneously,
instantly, involuntarily, and effortlessly "knowing without knowing
how we know" -- sometimes as if the idea has always existed
in its own right (in some ethereal world) and we merely
discovered it. Because the intuition process differs from
that of the analysis process, we might say that intuition is
nonrational. But our decision to rely on intuition is
eminently rational, when we realize that intuition is a way of
sensing (and deriving a strategy based upon) all relevant factors in
a given situation; we would be irrational to rely instead on
rationality, which has limitations (as listed in the chapter
regarding the intellect). Sometimes our intuition tells us to do
something which seems irrational -- but the proposal seems irrational
only because it is based upon a consideration of factors of which we
are unaware; if we comply with intuition's guidance, we discover that
the problem is resolved impeccably and to the satisfaction of our
rational function. Indeed, intuition and intellect can work in a
partnership; each system contributes, in its own way, to our
knowledge and efficiency (i.e., our input and output). We can achieve
a balance in two ways:
- We know whether intellect or intuition is the correct tool
with which to manage any given situation. We might notice that we
are using the improper mode in some circumstances; for example,
during sex, instead of being intuitive and sensitive with this
unique person, we might be over-analyzing our technique, or using
a recommended method without regard for this individual's
particular response to it.
- We realize that both intellect and intuition participate in
virtually every action. (Einstein said that "... an idea is the
product of intuition as well as reason.") Thus, we are continually
open to input from both inspiration and analysis.
Intuition
is part of a process of communication. It seems to be an accurate
representative for soul's perspective; previously in this chapter, we
examined the soulful qualities of intuition (e.g., its awareness,
balance, benevolence, feeling tone, quality of information, and
wholism). Intuition is a communication system from soul to the human
mind; intuition translates soul's wishes into a format which can be
understood by our mind. This translation process is necessary in
order for soul's information to be usable in the human milieu; for
example, soul might have an intention to create a particular human
condition such as the experience of wealth, but it is the mind which
(1) explains the definition of wealth as it exists in the human
world, and (2) understands the material processes by which wealth
might be obtained. In any communication system -- and particularly in
any translation process -- the information is altered; thus, the
information which is received in the mind is accurate for our human
purposes but it is not the same information as it exists in soul. In
the communication from soul to mind, the information is filtered
through various mechanisms until it has a format which is
recognizable to the mind -- perhaps as a concept or a vision or a
physical sensation. At each step of the filtering process, the
information is converted into a metaphor of its previous state (in a
process which is analogous to the way in which the light rays in our
eyes are converted into nerve impulses to be sent to the brain).
Thus, in the mind, we receive intuition's information through layers
of metaphor. As we experiment with intuition, we refine our ability
to understand these metaphors so that we can translate them more
precisely into usable mental concepts; we have less distortion at
each step of the translation process. But still, we are dealing with
mere metaphors as long as we are working from the standpoint of the
mind. However, instead of experiencing intuition through the mind, we
can experience perception as it exists in soul. From our position in
soul (while, of course, we also live in a human body), we are on both
the sending and receiving end of the communication, being both soul
and human. Mind is no longer our identity; instead, it is merely a
tool of soul, like a microscope by which soul examines parts of
itself, and we realize that the nature (and indeed, the purpose) of
mind is to perceive reality in archetypal fragments so that they may
be studied one-at-a-time. Mind is not a separate, dualistic object
which is separate from soul but rather it is the part of the soul
which is used for this purpose of self-examination. Intuition is the
message which tells mind where to focus its narrow attention, and how
to respond to the archetypal situations which it perceives. Why does
soul create this process, and then participate in it? Because those
archetypes are aspects of spirit, which is the substance of soul (in
the same manner in which water is the substance of a lake); as we
learn about each archetype, we learn about a facet of spirit. Our
experiments with intuition -- receiving it and enacting it -- are
experiments in our ability to respond to the archetypal situations of
life, of spirit, with precision and balance and love. And for that
reason, we have created our human body, our human life, and our human
world.
The
techniques by which we can become more aware of intuition. Intuition
is a natural function which we all possess. It cannot be
developed; it is already fully functioning, such that this
part of us always knows everything which is affecting our lives or
will affect our lives (at least in the near future).
What we can develop is our awareness of intuition, so that
we can differentiate its message from those of our ego, our a-field
elements, our external influences, our rational thinking, and our
other forms of input. Intuition continually monitors our environment,
because our circumstances are always changing; even if we are alone
and unmoving (or even asleep), intuition is sensing the distant
activities which will affect us eventually, e.g., the thoughts of
someone who is planning a surprise visit to our home tomorrow. To
develop our cognizance of intuition, we can use the following
techniques:
- We can become more aware of our inner life. If we are
excessively extraverted, we might not be noticing the subtle
messages from intuition. We can have a balance between outer
activity and a cognizance of our inner affairs -- our emotions,
feelings, fantasies, sleep-time dreams, physical sensations (e.g.,
tension), and other events, including intuition. To achieve this
"fully present" balance, we don't need to spend long hours in
introspection and meditation (although we can choose to do so);
instead, even in the midst of a busy day, we can periodically
check our intuition and feelings: "Is my intuition saying anything
that I need to know right now?" And in the occasions when we feel
uncomfortable (or when we experience one of the phenomena which is
associated specifically with mental, emotional, visual, or
physical intuition), we can go directly to our intuition to see
whether a message is being delivered. Intuition is continually
streaming messages to us -- but, at first, we might notice only
the most urgent messages. As we refine this balance between inner
and outer, we can transcend that duality such that we no longer
have to switch back and forth; instead, the two merge into one
subjective experience in which the external objects are perceived
not as physical entities which are separate from our response but
as part of a seamless, wholistic experience which includes the
objects, us, and the interaction itself, as a single unit.
- We can become more aware of the types of messages within us.
We are constantly receiving information and suggestions from
various sources: intuition, ego, a-field elements, the physical
body, emotions, feelings, etc. The study of intuition is a
sorting-out process -- learning to distinguish the voice of
intuition from those other voices, as though we are listening for
a particular person's voice in a noisy crowd. To sort out these
impulses, we need to know ourselves very well -- the nature of
ego, the elements of our a-fields, the ways in which intuition
speaks to us personally (perhaps as a tension headache), and the
normal sensations of our body (so that we know, for example, the
difference between a headache which is caused by intuition and one
which is caused by simple eyestrain). Our first error might be
that we are mistaking an entirely separate impulse for that of
intuition; our second error could be that intuition's message is
being colored by factors such as our preferences, desires, hopes,
fears, hatreds, likes and dislikes, and the other thoughts and
emotions that are telling us what we want rather than
what is. We can recognize intuition by these
characteristics:
- Its objectivity. Intuition arises from a transcendental,
impersonal part of us which knows and weighs the best interests
of everyone and everything in a situation. Its messages protect
us and benefit us, but they do not press for our advantage at
the expense of other people; thus, the messages are not
selfish, greedy, or cruel. Although all of our actions (even
those which have been suggested by intuition) cause some type
of destruction (e.g., something must die in order for us to
eat, or to build a road, or even to breathe in this atmosphere
of microscopic life-forms), intuition has an overriding
kindness and wisdom which grants the greatest benefit to all
within the range of resources at hand. If we have an impulse
which is intentionally vicious, it comes from a dysfunctional
a-field element, not from intuition.
- Its directness and simplicity. Intuitive messages tend to
be graceful and quick, in contrast to the lengthy, complex
intellectualizing of the analytical function. Intuition's
messages might require time for us to interpret them, but the
phenomenon itself occurs in an instant.
- Its lack of a "logical path." Intuition's ideas do not
exhibit a step-by-step path of logic from other people's ideas
to its own. If we discern a logical path by which we came up
with an idea, we know that the idea did not come from
intuition.
- Its originality. This quality derives from these factors:
- The absence of a logical path. Instead of building our
ideas upon those of other people, intuition is experienced
as a "leap" which culminates in a fresh viewpoint, a new way
of putting together our data or physical materials.
- The temporal nature of intuition's messages. They are
based on a "snapshot" of the dynamic factors of each unique
situation. Dynamics are constantly changing, so an intuitive
revelation at one moment is unlike a revelation at any other
moment.
- Its precision. Intuition is accurate; if we do what it
tells us to do, we look back later in amazement at how well
everything came together. This type of precision is impossible
from the intellect because (among other reasons which are
listed in the chapter regarding the intellect) the intellect
works only with known facts while intuition works from a body
of information that is always much larger.
- Its accompanying experiences. At the moment when intuition
strikes us, we have particular sensations -- perhaps
exhilaration, excitement, a thrill, or a feeling of something
"clicking" together. We might experience those sensations
during an analytical process, e.g., when we struggle and then
finally understand a mathematical problem, but again this is an
occurrence of intuition, because intuition (not intellect) has
introduced a new perspective on the problem such that we now
understand it. In contrast, if we had solved the problem
without intuition (as in a simple 2+2=4 equation), we would
have a simple analytical agreement, without sensations.
- We can practice relaxation techniques (physical and mental). A
state of relaxation is usually more conducive to the process of
intuition. For example:
- We can set aside some time for relaxation (physical and
mental). Many people say that their best ideas come to them
when they are relaxed -- when awakening in the morning, or when
bathing, or when daydreaming. Contrarily, if we are hurrying
all of the time, we are not likely to notice the subtle voice
of intuition -- although some people are able to maintain a
type of inner silence and stillness even when they are busy, as
though they are in the motionless eye of a hurricane.
- We can be more relaxed in regard to the messages
from intuition. If we have asked for information but we are
worried that intuition's response will be contrary to our
wishes, our tension will interfere with our ability to discern
that subtle response. To diminish the worry, we can have faith
(or knowledge, based on past experience) that intuition's
message will be truthful and benevolent (or even that it comes
from a spiritual source and thus it cannot be harmful). This
state of relaxation requires detachment regarding our
situation, and trust in intuition.
- We can refrain from substances which artificially either
relax us or stimulate us. These substances include coffee,
tobacco, and drugs. Our mind needs to be clear in order to
notice the quiet voice of intuition.
- We can be relaxed with regard to our progress in developing
our awareness of intuition. In this approach, we have a gently
check for input from intuition periodically; if we detect
nothing, we accept the matter, and go on with our lives. (In
this process of growing, we also accept our errors, and the
possibility that we are more intuitive in some situations than
in others, i.e., more intuitive in crises than in calm
circumstances.) When intuition develops in its own gradual
course, it regulates the amount of information which it
delivers to us; we are told whatever we need to know, but we
are not deluged by irrelevant data from the infinite sea of
information which surrounds us. Contrarily, if we become
forceful and impatient in our desire to be more aware of the
subtle areas of life, we are likely to become too introverted,
and we might trigger an "inflammation" of the psychic senses --
resulting in many problems, including an overwhelming influx of
information such that we are continually barraged by a
distracting awareness of people's thoughts, and of our intense,
over-sensitive feeling-reaction to everything around us.
- We can cultivate joie de vivre. When we love life, we
develop the qualities which enhance our awareness of intuition: we
want to experience more of life; we are curious and alert
regarding the people and things around us; we have a
light-heartedness which is open and willing and warm and playful;
we are self-motivated to pursue our wide range of interests; we
like to explore and experiment in new areas of life; we like to
interact with people and things (so we are responding to their
actions and being creative in our own actions). These traits lead
us to cultivate intuition as a way to achieve more pleasure and
adventure in life. We discover that intuition is the voice of life
itself, and so we trust it and we follow its encouragements.
- We can learn to accept and enjoy the activities which are
associated with the right hemisphere of the brain. Because
intuition is associated with the right hemisphere, our willingness
to trust it and use it depend somewhat on our comfort with that
hemisphere in general. We can explore this half of ourselves
through our feelings, emotions, daydreaming and visualizing,
creativity (in the arts and in day-to-day life), color, spatial
awareness, first impressions, rhythm, spontaneity and
impulsiveness, the physical senses, flexibility and variety,
learning by experience, relationships, mysticism, play and sports,
humor, motor skills, and a holistic way of perception which
recognizes patterns and similarities and then synthesizes those
elements into new forms. Our life can have a balance between right
and left hemisphere, just as it can have a balance between
intuition and intellect; this "balance" does not mean that we
spend exactly 50% in each activity but instead that we are
balanced in our willingness to operate from whichever mode is
appropriate in a given situation.
- We can broaden our body of knowledge. Intuition is capable of
acquiring any piece of data, even in a topic which is unfamiliar
to us. But generally, particularly in a problem-solving process,
intuition seems to make use of our known facts; instead of
acquiring new data, it rearranges the known data to give us a new
perspective which helps us to resolve the problem. Thus, Edison
said that innovation was the result of "99% perspiration and 1%
inspiration"; the "perspiration" is the fact-gathering, analysis,
and real-life experiments. Our intuition in a given subject is
likely to be more rewarding if we have "primed the pump" with a
large amount of data. However, there are possible dangers in the
accumulation of data:
- We might become too specialized. Instead, we can also
familiarize ourselves with an eclectic range of
life-experiences -- meeting many different types of people,
reading books which are unrelated to our main focus, traveling
to other cultures (even within our own city), learning foreign
languages, participating in hobbies and sports, etc. This
liberal education enriches us with hard data and also with
other rewards which will be helpful in our use of intuition: a
discovery of new talents, a recognition and examination of
common patterns in life and human situations, and an
opportunity to look at the world through the perspective of
people who are very different from us.
- We might become self-satisfied "experts." As we gather
knowledge, we might become so comfortable with our facts, and
with our status as an expert, that we avoid our intuition.
Intuition threatens our status because:
- It always knows more than we do.
- It might provide a fresh viewpoint which shatters the
brilliant conceptual models upon which we have built our
career, our published works, and the admiration of other
people.
- Its frequent imposition of new viewpoints can be so
disorienting that we give up on any attempt at "storming the
gates of heaven" intellectually, and instead we begin to
believe (perhaps rightly) that we truly "know" nothing at
all.
- It allows even a non-expert to experience a revelation
in the subject matter (and, in fact, it occasionally
favors amateurs because they are not committed to
the preconceptions and the traditional way of viewing the
subject matter).
- We can question the cultural attitudes regarding intuition.
Our society generally emphasizes analytical skills; we are
encouraged to be logical in most situations. For example:
- In school, a "correct" answer is one which is true and also
is justifiable by rational reasoning (instead of being
defensible only by the statement, "my response just
feels right"); some teachers dismiss students' hunches
as mere "guesses." Obviously, intuition can be nurtured in
courses such as art, music, and athletics -- but it could
instead be repressed in those classes if the teacher
penalizes students for creativity and impulse in favor of
strict technique. (Ideally, we have a balance between
technique and imagination). Intuition can be encouraged (or at
least permitted) even in analytical classes such as
science and math -- subjects in which, ironically, the greatest
discoveries have been made through intuition, not through rote
memorization or traditional ways of thinking. A teacher can set
an example by using his or her own intuition when exploring a
subject with the students.
- In childhood, our parents might have discouraged us from
using our intuition. They might have believed that intuition
was mere fantasy, and that analytical thinking was more
important (rather than equally important) in the quest
for maturity and for success in life. A child is likely to be
ridiculed: "Oh, that was just your imagination" or
"That was a just a dream."
- Women have been expected to be intuitive (as in "women's
intuition") while men have not -- although this stereotype is
changing as gender roles evolve, such that men now feel more
free to talk about their intuition. Some women might
begin to repress their awareness of their intuition as
they enter previously male-dominated segments of society (e.g.,
business management), and they might mistakenly believe that
they must now relinquish their intuition in favor of the hard
facts of the intellect.
- Traditionally, businesses (and business schools),
have focused on rational decision-making. However, in recent
years (as indicated by books and by articles in business
journals), businesspeople are beginning to acknowledge openly
the value of intuition, even if they must use mundane
terminology such as "gut feeling" and "instinct" and "following
my hunches." As in the non-business world, intuition is useful
when (1) we must make a decision in a hurry, (2) we do not have
enough information (even though we are inundated with
it), and (3) we are dealing with material which is not subject
to rational analysis (e.g., the character of a job applicant).
Some intuitive businesspeople use statistics and market
research as a "reality check" (to verify that their hunch is
not too far out) but -- for these people -- the primary purpose
for data is merely to justify their intuition-based decisions
to their analysis-oriented boss. But even that type of boss
will generally consider the feeling regarding the data
-- and he or she might go so far as to agree with General
Motors' Alfred P. Sloan when he said, "The final act of
business judgment is intuitive."
- Every subculture has its own values, some of which might
either deny or advance the value of intuition. (A "subculture"
is any group of people -- a family, a corporation, a
profession, a social club, etc.) For examples, some families
encourage their children to be imaginative, creative,
spontaneous, adventurous, fun-loving, and emotional and feeling
-- the qualities of the right hemisphere, which is associated
with intuition.
- We can become more willing to accept this mysterious form of
guidance. We all select the standards by which we live; for
example, (1) some people feel more trust and security in their
intellect; they believe that rationality is the ultimate standard
and guide in life; (2) other people believe in the authority of
religious books; these people feel that any action must be
justified by a religious quote (although every religion is open to
so many interpretations that its quotes can provide the basis for
virtually any action, including the murderous deeds of an
inquisition); (3) some people obey their sensations; they
do whatever feels good. These guides, and others, are based on
materiality: (1) an intellect which we seem to possess (because it
associated with the brain which is in our head) and which we
understand (according to rules of logic); (2) a book which we can
hold; and (3) sensations in our own body. Contrarily, intuition is
ethereal: we neither own it nor control it (and thus it can seem
to be an external authority which is issuing commands); its
instructions are unpredictable and they do not create any pattern
by which we could proudly predict its next bulletin; it delivers
one-way messages rather than invitations for debate; it speaks in
accordance with its own timing (and thus the incubation phase
cannot be hurried, even if it continues for years). In order to
enhance our experience of intuition, we must surrender to
this voice which neither compromises, nor responds to our
arguments or complaints, nor crystallizes into dogma or technique,
nor complies with our will or preferences or attachments or
impatience or dishonesty or vanity. At first, our experimentation
with this strange force might be tentative, but it gradually earns
our confidence as we discover that it might still be mysterious,
but it is not alien; instead, it simply arises from a benevolent
part of us which we did not recognize previously. And we can
discard any fear that the intuition is a dictator; it makes
observations rather than demands -- and so, if we dislike some of
its messages, we have free will with which to disregard them.
- We can allow ourselves to be different. From the viewpoint of
intuition, every moment is unique; there is no standardization in
its perception of situations or people. Intuition simply responds
to the particular factors which are present, regardless of our
static ideas regarding who we are, or how we fit into society. In
one situation, it might prescribe a generous action, but in the
next moment it might warn us to be protective; thus, we are
different not only from other people, but different also from
whomever we might have appeared to be in a previous instance.
- We can learn about our "type." According to Jungian typology,
there are four categories of people -- the "thinking" type (i.e.,
those who tend to relate to the world intellectually), the
"feeling" type (i.e., those who tend to relate through emotions
and feelings), the "sensation" type (i.e., those who tend to
relate physically), and the "intuitive" type (i.e., those who tend
to relate on the level of instinct and hunches). In all of these
groups, the people have intuition, but Jung said that the facility
is more pronounced within the "intuitive" type. We cannot change
our type, but we can become familiar with it so that, if we are
not in the intuitive category, we will recognize our possible
tendencies not to be intuitive.
- We can ask our intuition how to enhance our awareness of it.
Because we can use intuition in problem-solving, we can use it in
solving the "problem" of not recognizing its messages.
- We can test our intuition more frequently. Intuition isn't
applied only in major events; it is a constant process which gives
information regarding everything in our environment (and
everything which might enter our environment in the
future). For practice, we can test our observations, and our
courses of action:
- Observations. Where did I leave my car keys? Who is calling
me (when our phone is ringing)? Is the sky cloudy today (before
we look outside in the morning)? What do my feelings tell me
about that stranger, or that news report, or that painting?
What will that person say or do next? Whose letters will be in
my mailbox today? Which tie will my boss wear tomorrow? What do
I believe with regard to this moral, political, or religious
issue (knowing that our beliefs are based on intuition and not
facts)? Is this person trustworthy?
- Courses of action. What should I do next? What should I say
next? Will I be happy if I date that person? Will I be
successful I accept that job offer? Which highway will have
less traffic congestion? What is the solution to this household
problem? How can I earn more money?
- We can use our journal. The journal allows us to test many
aspects of the process of intuition.