“Intuition is a way of knowing that transcends intellect and reason.” Frances Vaughn.
Intuition is for everyone! I was once Geocaching with a friend and just for fun, I took my pendulum along. My friend’s husband, a gold miner, asked what it was and I shared that it was a “finder” tool. His eyes lit up and he said that he doused for water while mining. I said it was the same thing, just a different way of “finding” something. I asked if he used his dousing to find gold and he demurred…..
We often use intuitive skills without consciously recognizing them. We might say: “I have a hunch,” or “I get a feeling in my right hand,” or “My eyelid twitches,” or “I feel it in my gut.” All of these are intuitive clues that will help bring Intuition to our consciousness in everyday life. The challenge is to pay attention. To me Intuition is tuning in and blending mind and body intelligence in a pool of stillness, using “soft focus.”
In another example of a fun use for intuition, I attended a concert where two gifted young men, Andy Armstrong, a spectacular concert pianist, and his friend James Ehnes, an amazing violinist, were performing together. They had a visibly obvious connection which came through in the music they created together. While listening to them, I asked my inner knowing to give me an image that would describe their connection. Immediately the words peanut butter and jelly popped into my head and I grinned at the totally descriptive image. At intermission, I was chatting with two other audience members that I did not know and the man commented on John and Andy’s visible connection as they played. Delighted, I told him that I had sensed the same thing and took a risk and gave him my image. A big smile appeared and he spontaneously said, “That’s it! Perfect!”
Small surprises and highlights like this bring me back to working on strengthening my intuition muscle and to risk sharing what I receive. I love hearing stories of people’s intuition presenting itself. There is a wonderous, “magical” quality in how we receive intuitive hits that is unique to every individual. Do you have an intuition story to tell? Share if you wish……
Just for fun, here are some suggestions for different ways to flex our “intuition muscle”.
One: A beginning, baseline, exercise for Inner Knowing for the development of Intuition is given by Frances Vaughn.. Once again a reminder to “Suspend Judgements, Make No Comparisons and Delete the Need to Understand” as you proceed. You are in the epi-center of exploring the Feminine Principle!
Take a few minutes to quiet your mind, relax, and tune into your breathing and you present awareness of sensations, feelings, and thoughts, then reflect for about five or ten minutes on your own life experiences of intuition. How does intuition operate in your life? What experiences have you had that you would consider intuitive? What type of intuition is most readily available to you? What type of intuition would you particularly like to develop further?
Reflect on how you have treated your intuitive abilities up to this point in your life. How important to you think intuition has been for you up to now? Remember to maintain a nonjudgmental, conscious awareness of whatever comes into your mind in response to these questions.
No doubt intuition is already working in your life. Maybe not as much as you would like but you to start from where you are not from where you would like to be. To find out where you are, write down answers to some of the questions above. Consider the intuitive experiences that come to mind as a result of the exercise. Your experiences, of course will be unique. As you examine them, you intuition itself will emerge more clearly into your conscious awareness. Vaughn, p. 35.
Two: Another exercise that Vaughn suggests has been one of my favorites for engaging my intuitive intelligence for making life. It is a method that helps separate external dictates, and generates possible solutions for making conscious choices that come from my own inner truth.
Make a list of all the “Shoulds” you can find in your mind. Everyone has some beliefs about “Shoulds” hanging on even when one has consciously tried to acknowledge them as choices. Try digging a bit, to see what “Shoulds” are running your life. Perhaps you will find something like: “I should be more honest,” “I should be more loving,” “I should be working on my latest project,” I should quit smoking,” or any number of other “Shoulds.” Write them all down or tell someone about them, making your list as long as you possibly can. When you have finished, go back to the beginning of the list and rewrite it or resay it, but change the wording so that each one becomes, “I could…..but I have a choice.” for example, “I should be more honest” would change to “I could be more honest, but I have a choice.” I should be more loving would be, I could be more loving, but I have a choice.” Review your list carefully and consider each item and feelings that change when you shift from thinking of it in terms of “Should” to thinking of it in terms of “Could,” having a choice. The next step is to take your knowing and put it in a declarative sentence, “I choose to….”, thereby taking responsibility for your clear choice. Vaughn, p. 42
“Letting all the possible and, impossible alternatives into one’s awareness can stimulate the creative process, which is so easily stifled by restricting awareness to a narrow range of alternatives bound by preconceptions that perpetuate unsatisfactory patterns of behavior. Learning to play with opposites is the first step toward reconciling and transcending them. Intuition is thus a key to unlocking your creative (intuitive) potential in everyday life.” p. 43.
Using images for accessing one’s Intuition facilitates the extension of one’s mind beyond logical thought. Dreams are a person’s natural manifestation of this intuitive capacity and will be covered more fully in a future blog post.
The third exercise from Vaughn, uses imagery to tap interpersonal intuition that helps create an understanding of others. It is done with a partner.
An “I have been seen” partner exercise.
Three: Sitting opposite a partner, (someone you don’t know is preferred), take a few minutes to become centered and quiet. Close your eyes and be aware of your breathing and notice any physical sensations that are present for you at this moment. Be aware of any feelings that are present for you, and notice the thoughts that are going through your mind. Be aware of how it feels to be you in this moment, and what your energy field feels like. If you were to visualize an energy field surrounding your body, what would it be like? Give yourself a few minutes of silence to be fully aware of your experience right now.
Open your eyes now and give your partner your full attention. Without talking, simply allow this person into your awareness. Close your eyes again and see if you can get a clear picture of your partner in your mind’s eye with your eyes closed. If some details are not clear, open your eyes again and fill them in. Look at your partner long enough and carefully enough to get a clear picture of what he or she looks like with your eyes closed.
For the remainder of this exercise, your eyes can be either open or closed. Do not try to make anything happen. Simply notice what images come to mind when your are given a suggestion. If nothing comes to mind, that is O.K. Do not try to interpret or judge your images as they appear, simply notice them and let them be.
If this person were an animal, what type of animal would it be? If this person were a plant, what type of plant would it be? If this person were a landscape, what would it be? If this person were a body of water, what would it be? How deep? How clear? What temperature? How much movement? If this person were a light what color and intensity would it be?. If this person were a geometrical symbol, what would it be? If this person were a type of music, what would it be? If this person were a tool, what would it be? If this person were a character in history, who would it be? Can you visualize your partner as a little child. As a very old person? How do you experience your partner’s energy field? What is the energy field like between you - the energy field in which you both participate? Take a moment of silence now simply to be quiet and receptive to any images that may emerge spontaneously as you continue to focus your attention on your partner.
Now take as much time as you want to share with your partner the images which emerged for you. You can share any feelings you have about the images, but do not attempt to interpret them. Share your impressions and then have your partner do the same exercise for you.
The most clear, concise and fun book I have encountered on Developing Intuition is the most recent on the resource list, Intuition on Demand by Lisa K. I highly recommend it for those who wish to further develop your intuition “muscle”. Lisa K. gives a simple, direct path of how to do so. She calls it the Intuition on Demand Technique which involves, A. Asking a question. B. Being open. C. Collect and Receive. D. Do it again. P. Practice, Practice, Practice.
She gives a step by step explanation and many examples of “How To” are given.
.. Here is just one example:
1. Write a Person’s name on a piece of paper and put your attention on the name. Ask your intuition to the question, “What does this person need? or What can you tell me about this person?” or something that is relevant for you about this person.
2. Be open to receiving what you feel, see, hear, about the person in your mind, or perhaps what thoughts pop up about them.
3. Write down what comes up first. As you receive information, you may get more and mor or it may come in little spurts. Keep writing what you receive. Do not edit anything.
Just for fun after writing this blog, I tried this exercise. Believe it or not, I got up from having written a half page full of words and my phone phone rang. It was the person I had been thinking about! Her first comment was, “I need some help.” That was instantaneous results and I was blown away! All exercises may not work this fast but they are amazingly effective if you give them time and receive info without judgement. It may not come in a form you expect, either. Be alert to the unexpected.
Other exercises Lisa K. suggests are:
Ask for a sign. Be confident that your intuition will guide you to the sign. Joyful, surprising, responses are always welcome. Sometimes they make me laugh out loud.
Your intuition will draw your attention to look in certain places or perhaps catch a glimpse of something passing by. Be open to what is around you.
For Intuitive Writing and Drawing she gives a step by step process for your goal of developing intuition.
One of the most helpful intuitive hits I received came when I was on a Black Madonna Quest in France. On the bus going to the next site, I would ask, What would be the most helpful to me in this search?” The answer came very quickly…”Look under and behind.” Those words became my guidance for the trip and I found many unexpected things using it. To this day I use those words when searching for something whether it is a missing cell phone or a misplaced book. It was particularly powerful in searching out Black Madonnas because so many have been literally or figuratively “buried” or hidden in quite devious ways
My Black Madonna quest stories will be coming in future blog posts. In the meantime, enjoy developing your intuition!