"The act or faculty of knowing directly, without the use of rational process." American Heritage Dictionary
"...intuition is not felt as a perception, nor as a group of perceptions, but as an insight into the significance of the whole of an experience" Van der Hoop 1939
"ideas or thoughts of objects not immediately present to the senses" Webster 1974
Intuition has been called many things by many people. Descriptors have ranged from witchcraft to genius, and been treated accordingly. Intuition is one of the many talents women were burned for at the stake for in the 19th century. Many of our so-called geniuses profess to use intuition to solve crucial problems in the development of new theories and inventions, i.e., Einstein, Galileo, Newton, Carl Jung, Ray Kroc who followed the advice of his "funny bone" and purchased McDonalds. You've probably eaten the results.
Today, intuitional management is a highly valued skill in the corporate world. Intuition remains a skill that is not acknowledged or taught in our schools. Yet, everyone seems to agree that they have a way of knowing things that are not concrete and empirically provable.
Words or creative works are the most common form of expression for intuitive ideas. Words are translated from preverbal impressions into symbols then into meaning by the listener's intuition. The communication of ideas through words is vitally dependent upon the intuitive function. The more abstract or symbolic verbal communication becomes, and the more removed it is from practical concerns, the greater the need for intuitive comprehension. Intuitions deal not with what is, but with what could be, and yet, our capacity to grasp the whole far exceeds our means for expressing it..
The verbal expression of intuitive insights is often very difficult for intuitive types. Many times highly intuitive types know information and are unable to articulate their source of knowledge and are challenged for concrete proof, lacking that they are invalidated by others. What can result is a personal lack of trust in ones intuitive abilities and decreased use of the intuitive skill. A tool that is helpful to create a concrete structure for intuitive knowledge is Mind Mapping. A non-linear system of gathering information and shaping it into clusters of information that describe what is intuited. Given this concrete structure the intuitive information can be more easily communicated to others and used personally in problem solving and planning.
Let's begin with something we all do, dream. To catch your dream, have pen, paper and a small flashlight or light, or a tape recorder by your bed. Before you go to sleep repeat to yourself "I remember my dreams. During the day you may look forward to your problem solving dream that evening. Before you go to sleep, look over your problem mind map and identify the areas you feel are moving slowly or where you feel completely stuck. When you wake up in the morning, remain in your waking physical position and remember any thoughts or images that come to mind, no matter how silly they may seem. They may be pieces of a larger puzzle. Include things like emotions or feeling tone, colors, voices, plot. A Dream Journal can help you track your subconscious journey.
Take yourself, in your minds eye, to a secret garden or beach. Sit or lie in the sun and feel the warmth and peace of the moment. Feel yourself becoming light as a feather and float on the water or a soft cloud. As you rise, view your problem in a gentle manner, as if you were watching a movie. Return to your resting place, stand and walk a few feet where your personal teacher awaits. Speak to him or her about your concerns, ask for their ideas and suggestions. When you believe there is no more to be considered, return to your seat, clear your mind, and count from 1 to 5. Awake refreshed. Write down whatever comes to your mind immediately. Trust that other pieces of information will come to you throughout the day and or evening. Now, be aware of thoughts that pop into your mind while you are going about your life, driving, exercising, eating or listening to music Be sure to write down these pieces of information in your journal. They may not make sense now, but later, when you go over your notes, the pieces may make a whole.
Take yourself, in your mind's eye, to a secret garden or beach. Sit or lie in the sun and feel the warmth and peace of the moment. Feel yourself becoming light as a feather and float on the water or a soft cloud. As you rise, view your problem in a gentle manner, as if you were watching a movie. Return to your resting place, stand and walk a few feet where your personal teacher awaits. Speak to him or her about your concerns, ask for their ideas and suggestions. When you believe there is no more to be considered, return to your seat, clear your mind, and count from 1 to 5. Awake refreshed. Write down whatever comes to your mind immediately. Trust that other pieces of information will come to you throughout the day and or evening. Now, be aware of thoughts that pop into your mind while you are going about your life, driving, exercising, eating or listening to music. Be sure to write down these pieces of information in your journal. They may not make sense now, but later, when you go over your notes, the pieces may make a whole.
Keep a journal of your intuitional insights. Use mindmaps to gather and cluster information. Take your mind map and keep it with several blank pages of paper. As new ideas come to you, write them down. Review your problem daily considering the new ideas that have come to you.
When you have your thoughts and feelings straightened out begin to try out your intuition in small matters. Play games with yourself. For instance, guess the best route home in rush hour or the best corner to catch a cab. When you find yourself in a large parking lot, follow your intuition to the closest parking slot to your destination. When waiting at an elevator bank guess which one will get to your floor first
When you feel your intuition working, begin to determine how it works for you. Do you get a feeling a some part of your body, do you get mental image or voices, does it wake you up at night or come to you first thing when you wake up. Sometimes intuition works in reverse, i.e., should you go right when you think left? Also become aware of what disrupts your intuitive thinking, stress, pain, exhaustion, emotional crisis. Use relaxation exercises, physical exercise, biofeedback to get yourself back on-line.
When you feel yourself stuck draw a line with numbers from 1 to 10. One being total calm and 10 maximum stress. Identify where you stand on that line right now. Now find a way that works for you to bring your score down at least 1-2 notches. You will soon find what works for you the quickest.
Creative arts such as painting, drawing with the whole brain, creative writing, poetry draw on the intuitive function. Pay attention to the symbols that arise and relate them to the question at hand.
Think of the problem you are solving or the decision you are struggling with as a mystery play or giant puzzle. The pieces may come to you in various forms that are not clearly marked as pieces to your puzzle unless you consider them as such. Fun isn't it.
*********************** WATCH OUT FOR **************************
Ego attachment to your decisions, personal agenda's, personal fears, upper limits issues (fear of success), private "buttons". You may be on the right track to the perfect decision for yourself but you stumble over individual obstacles that keep you from proceeding down the correct path. Watch for your first few reactions after you think/feel you have made the "right" decision. Then ask yourself where those reactions came from. Try to be as honest with yourself as possible. Look for habitual responses that get in your way. Most important, have fun. Play with alternatives, explore absurdities, laugh at your mistakes and move on.
Intuition is something we all have. The more you use it and believe in yourself, the easier it becomes!