In his novel, ‘Angels and Demons’, Dan Brown writes:
‘Remarkable solutions to seemingly impossible problems often occur in moments of clarity. It’s what gurus call ‘higher consciousness’. Biologists call it altered states, psychologists super-sentience. Sometimes divine revelations simply mean adjusting your brain to hear what your heart already knows.’
A common term for higher consciousness is ‘intuition’. Intuition is an inner sense that can quickly reach accurate conclusions from limited data. It is often referred to as ‘the sixth sense’.
Some argue that it is simply the sum total of all our learning experiences coming to our aid when we need it. This can happen when an experienced doctor immediately pinpoints the root cause of a patient’s problems without having to go through a sequence of steps. They draw on their deep knowledge and with experience an expert’s hunches get better and better.
Others argue that the human body and brain subconsciously pick up signals from the environment which are so small they are not noticed consciously. If someone is lying, for instance, their body language and voice quality are subtly altered.
Many neuro-scientists believe that our minds exist only inside our brains, with consciousness located in the cerebral cortex. However, brain activity cannot account for the overwhelming evidence of intuition, telepathy and other so-called ‘psychic’ abilities. Not even the most rigorous investigators have been able to find a physical explanation for how Uri Geller is able to do what he does, yet his abilities are beyond dispute.
Psychic phenomena are ‘logically’ impossible. They ought not to happen, and yet they do. There’s obviously a lot more to it than can currently be explained by science alone.
How well developed is your intuition?
‘If a man (sic) can quietly listen to the voice of the unconscious and understand that the power works through him, that he is not in control, then he is on the way to a genuine development of his personality.’
Dr Carl Gustav Jung
Intuition is a fundamental survival mechanism. It not a gift that some have and some don’t – it is possessed by everyone. In animals, we call it instinct.
Survival intuition is located primarily the solar plexus, although you can feel it throughout your whole body. If you choose not to follow it, you have to rationalise why not.
The most important thing when developing your intuition is to know you have it. Do you use it confidently? Are you suspicious of it? Do you know you have it and try to ignore it?
The problem is, most of us (especially males) are systematically taught to ignore and/or mistrust it from an early age. We’re encouraged to put names to things, to count, calculate, analyse and intellectualise – all left-brained functions. We are taught to examine the evidence, and if there isn’t any that can be measured, seen and touched, mistrust it.
If you don’t use your intuition, like a muscle it contracts and gets weaker. Our intuitive and creative abilities are a natural part of us, and the more we use them, the more reliable they become.
Intuitive Problem Solving
When your intuition starts to develop, you’ll find you:
- Improve your decision making abilities
- Tune in to people, even when meeting them for the first time
- Solve problems more easily
- Generate new, more creative/ innovative ideas
- Become more spontaneous
Let’s suppose something has been praying on your mind. You’ve tried to think it through, perhaps even attempted a few practical solutions, but nothing has worked.
Now try this:
1. Be clear on the problem
Do your homework. Gather as much information as you can. Consider what is stopping you from solving it. Feed all this into your Superconscious data processor. We tend to have the most reliable hunches about what we know best. Careful homework prepares the ground and stimulates intuition and insight.
2. Immerse yourself in the problem
Discuss it with people who you think may be able to help. Write down all the possible solutions you can think of. Try a few and monitor the results.
3. Put it to one side
So far, you’ve use purely left-brained thinking, but this can lead you only so far. There comes a time when you have to make a leap of faith. That’s when you put the problem to one side and turn to something else. Affirm that the answer will come at the right time, then let go.
Do something else for a while and see what happens. Go for a walk, read a book, tidy the house, clean the car. Distance yourself from the problem for a while, allow your intuition free rein and the answer will come.
4. Ask your intuitive mind to help
If the problem proves really stubborn, consciously ask your intuitive mind for help. Ask a question as you’re dozing off at night, with an air of expectancy that the answer will be revealed to you in your dreams or will pop into your head in the morning. You may find that you wake up knowing exactly what to do.
5. Use the Alpha State
If you’re still not getting anywhere, put time aside, relax into Alpha and ask for help. The answer is unlikely to pop into your head there and then, but sooner or later it will come. Keep your wits about you. Intuition is rarely loud and insistent – more like a whisper, a gentle nudge in the right direction.
6. Write down the answer
When an answer comes, write it down. You may think you’ll remember, but don’t take the risk. Then try it out. Even if it’s not yet 100% correct, action can clarify the issue and lead you to the solution.
7. Stay open
Be open to the possibility that more answers may come. Trust your experience, but don’t be naive. Check out your intuitions before you go off and do something rash.
‘Pure’ intuition is nothing less than your spiritual self communicating with you. Ignore it at your peril! You cannot stop intuition flowing once you’ve opened the tap, but you have to put your intellectual inclinations on hold and go with your deepest feelings. Once you’ve started, it grows.
Intuitively-intelligent people know that guidance is available and that solutions to seemingly intractable problems come when they have turned their attention to something else.
‘Pure’ intuition is ignored at your peril! Put your intellectual inclinations on hold and go with your deepest feelings. Then it gets stronger.
©David Lawrence Preston, 1.7.2016
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @David_L_Preston
How to Books, 2007
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