Part 1 of a 4-Part Series
Albert Einstein said,
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
What if we shifted this narrative?
I’d like to explore intuition at a deep level over the next few articles so you and I can have more happiness and satisfaction. Think about it . . . when we experience fear, anger, frustration or overwhelm, intuition can lift us up.
When we’ve tried all the ways we can think of to solve a problem, intuition’s a portal to a solution. When we’ve got to choose from several different options—and they’re all good ones—intuition can guide us to the best one for us . . . right now, right here.
Most of western culture today ties the concept of intuition to women. You’ve heard the phrase “women’s intuition,” implying that women have the edge in this realm. However, (as with pretty much everything minimized in popular culture) this commentary’s just society making fun of what it doesn’t understand. Consequently, we tend to ignore this innate gift—when, in fact, we need to increase our awareness of it!
Let’s start with a common touchpoint, like the Merriam-Webster definition of intuition:
- Quick and ready insight
- Immediate apprehension or cognition
- Knowledge or conviction gained by intuition
- The power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and interference.
To take it deeper, let’s break it down:
The Seven Facets of Intuition
Who It Is: It’s You! Your Divine Self, Wise Self, Higher Self. Maybe your Future Self reaching back in time to help you? A wise, invisible guide. Our sixth sense.
What It Is: Intuition communicates guidance to you. It affects your body chemistry. And while we all will experience it differently, I find that intuition feels warm, harmonious, and expansive. Often the message is illogical and can be dismissed by our minds. We certainly experience the guidance in different ways—a thought, a voice, a knowing, or a rising of energy in the spine. For me, I feel intuition in my relaxed and open heart. Where do you feel your intuition?
What It Is Not: Intuition isn’t fear. Fear is our instinct that ensures our physical survival. While intuition aims to expand our life, instinct aims to keep us contracted and safe. Instinct also uses our body chemistry to communicate with us. However, instead of warm, expansive feelings, it creates cold, contractive, and alarming feelings. Examples of how instinct might feel would be hair-raising on your skin or a tightening of the heart. For me, I typically feel instinct in my gut. Where does your instinct show up?
When It Occurs: Intuition happens anytime, either spontaneously or invoked (such as in meditation).
Where It Occurs: Intuition happens everywhere—awake on the physical plane, asleep on the astral plane, and in any meditative state.
Where It’s Located: The location of our intuition has no bodily correspondence that we know of yet. However, in yoga, it’s associated with the pineal gland in the center of our brain and called “the Third Eye.” It’s also called the 6th chakra or energy center.
Why It Exists: This is a whole other discussion full of infinite perspectives! For myself, a simple way to answer this is that intuition’s a Divine part of me that wants to experience a joyful, inspirational life through me.
Next Time: What about the consequences of minimizing, dismissing, or ignoring our intuition? I’ll have some heart-wrenching stories to share with you, and one of them’s about a man and his intuition!
Written by Laura Abernathy