Finding Your Intuitive Self
Articles By Robin Newman
"To touch the stars I must feel the Earth beneath my feet."
Everyone is intuitive - doesn't matter who you are we are all born with a varying degree of intuitiveness. Often we hear of a wife saying how she knew when her husband was in danger and though it was only a feeling it turned out to be true. Mothers have the same sense about their children. There are also moments in everyone's life when they have a inner knowing not to go in a certain direction and how many of you have heard the phone ring and knew who was on the other end? Having intuitive abilities is like being able to tune into television stations. The majority of people have those Rabbit Ear antennas that look like a big V and sit on top of the televisions set, some though have upgraded to cable so are able to get even more information and then there are people like Psychics and Mediums who have the big satellite dish and are able to get information beyond this world. Whatever your intuitive abilities look like it is possible to increase your ability to tune in.
I am not saying everyone can be a Medium or a Psychic because it doesn't work that way. Just like everyone is not born to be a Doctor or a Lawyer or a Teacher not everyone's purpose on that planet is to pass on messages from beyond. But you can increase your ability to hear your own guidance, you can learn how to shut the world of noise out so things become clearer, you can reach a place of spirit where it is possible to feel the presence of the Angels even if you do not hear them at first, you can gain greater insight into a life situation and be able to make more informed decisions about what pathway to chose. All these things are possible. I am not an expert I can only share with you the knowledge I have gathered throughout my own journey, the wisdom of my guides, the Angels and the experiences shared by others on their journey. What you must do is take the knowledge that is given in this workshop, build on it, add your own experiences to it, change and adapt the material to suit who you are and ask others on the same journey what has worked for them. There is no right way or wrong way there are only different ways and that is what makes this world of ours great.
YOUR INTUITIVE. Grounding
There are many ways to ground some as simple as walking in nature or visualizing a connection with Mother Earth or simply reading a book or working out in the garden. People are like electrical wires being charged by the energy in the environment and as any good electrician will tell you if you overload a system with too much energy it will eventually explode. That is why there is a wire specifically used to ground electrical units. And we as humans are no different we need to find a way of grounding ourselves so excess energy can be released.
Symptoms of being ungrounded
• Mind racing with a million thoughts
• Panic attacks
• Indecision
• The need to hurry
• Increased nervousness.
• Extremes in emotions
These are signs our body is starting to overload and we need to take time to ground ourselves. If you do not feel like you can achieve a feeling of being grounded on your own perhaps seeking a mentor to help you may work or going to someone who is a legitimate Reiki healer (Always double check credentials). Sometimes it is a case of giving yourself time to find what works for you having some patience for the process and making a commitment to practice. That is what the saying "To touch the stars we must feel the Earth beneath our feet" means to be grounded in this world.
No Mind ~ Meditation and the concept of letting go
Here I will share what my guides told me about the process of meditation and letting go of thoughts. I was told to close my eyes and visualize sitting in the middle of a big Oak tree with those massive branches reaching to the heavens and the strong thick roots reaching down into the earth. Then after I could feel myself in the Oak tree these words came to me.
'To touch the stars you must feel the Earth' The Owl sits and allows itself to be still Thoughts are allowed to come and go without attachment Only when our minds are quiet Can we see that which is before us. Allow all thoughts to come and go do not hold onto them As they will become attached to your subconscious ego Breathe in from the stars Release to the Earth Let go breath feel the thoughts come and go Allow the quiet to settle around you It will take time
In the beginning man survived by his senses to hunt to gather to mate to survive As these roles in man's life became obsolete so did his reliance on his senses Close your eyes and you must see with the rest of your body Hear the world move Smell the world move Feel the world move The blind man sees that which you cannot You must learn to see with your eyes closed Sit close your eyes do not imagine the world around you for this is an illusion of mind See the world around you using the senses that you have neglected
Eagle Feathers
Eagle Feathers makes a very good point about seeing with your eyes closed. You will find most blind people have heightened senses and a greater level of intuitiveness than people who can see. Sitting with your eyes closed and trying to listen to the world with your other senses decreases your reliance on sight (the visual). Some people after sitting for a while doing this actually find themselves unaware of time and where they are some even enter a meditative state. But the real beauty of heightened senses is the world becomes a different place and you no longer rush unaware of that which surrounds you. I personally would start with this exercise of closing your eyes then move on to the traditional
Meditation
For a lot of people meditation is defined as a state of not having any thoughts but this is not the case. When I first started meditating I was so worried about not thinking any thoughts that my mind just filled with thoughts about not having thoughts!!!! The trick is to let the thoughts come and go without being attached to them, to think of any thoughts which enter as little white clouds that you watch drift away. Eventually with practice you will find less and less thoughts entering and your mind will wander less.... keep in mind people who get to a stage of pure non attachment in meditation usually practice every day. There are no rules with meditating its whatever works for you if a CD of whales singing makes you at peace then go for it, if nothing but a flickering candle makes the world disappear again go for it, if you have to sit on a chair, sit on a cushion, sit in a group whatever works for you. For me when I am sitting drawing I go into a mini meditative state unaware of everything but what I am doing. When I talk to my guides I sit with a single white candle no music and a say a prayer then I close my eyes and drift I have friends who use Buddhist chants again what ever works for you.
The goal in meditation is to have no goal or no expectations to let go of any attachments and just be There are no time limits start off small and build up to longer or just do what feel right sometimes closing your eyes in the middle of a stressful day for five minutes can bring you back into balance and peace within Meditation is the way most Psychics, Mediums connect with their Guides Angels or Higher Power. If you find the process to frustrating find a group to meditate with or see if there is anyone who runs guided meditations. There are lots of groups who meet every month to simply meditate for world peace. Keep in mind you may not connect with anybody during your meditations but do not let that put you off. Simply taking a moment to de-stress to find balance to bring calm into our life will make your vision clearer and give you greater insight into your life situations. You will become more in 'tune' with your surroundings and the people around you
No mind state
To be of no mind state is to be completely at one with the universe. This is not the same as when athletes say they are in the "zone", being in the zone is having total focus on one thing while being of no mind state is having no focus on anything it is the state of just being. I am not a religious person in the church sense nor am I affiliated with any religious organization but I to get across the point of no mind it is useful to use a bible analogy. When Jesus stated in the bible the words "I am" he was actually referring to being in a no mind state being one with everything. The Native Americans say the same thing "I am one with the trees I am one with the animals I am one with the rocks etc." When you are of no mind state there are no reactions no emotions no fears doubts you just are. This is what my guides have to say about no mind
Without self there is nothing emptiness I am Without self we are one I am Without time there is nothing emptiness I am Without time we are one I am Close your eyes does your mind tell you what you do not see? Close your eyes do your fears and emotions dictate what you hear? Close your eyes does your physical body determine the outcome your mind decrees? I am I am not here not there I am I am not afraid or fearful I am I am not walking not talking I am
Eagle feathers
Submitting to the 'I don't know' is the releasing of ego the freeing of the soul it is the ultimate freedom. Only from emptiness can your body be filled.
Portious
As a Psychic/Medium when I am with someone and I am tuned in I am of no mind state. The divine energy comes through me I speak the words I have an awareness but I am not attaching anything to either what is being said or the person I am with. "I am" The reason I mention this state of 'no mind' is because it is when we are at our most intuitive and I might add peaceful. It is the next rung of the ladder in meditation but it can also be that moment when you are completely in the now just being. The advantage of being of no mind state is that you can see things with great clarity because there isn't any B....S getting in the road no emotional attachment to outcomes no judgments no looking for agendas just what is. Why all these things are important? Part of tuning in or bringing forth the gift of insight is being able to let go of all the attachments we have.
Image a single Mother working full time trying to raise her children the best she can. Then imagine her thoughts as solid objects floating around her like small balls. There would be school meetings in a little ball, work commitments in another one, maybe issues with a mother or ex-husband in another one, money worries in another one and so on. Now picture this woman with all those little balls rotating around her like a mini hurricane do you think she is going to be able to see anything with absolute objectivity and clarity? Do you think she will be able to be at one with anything with all those balls floating around her? Probably not which is why concepts like no mind, non attachment, releasing ego, meditation etc are important when it comes to being able to increasing your intuitiveness. You are not going to be able hear your inner voice unless you can lessen the noise of the outside world and your ego self. Ego self is that voice saying "How can you sit here meditating when there is so much else to do"
Your intuitive self
There are many articles on how to become more intuitive but most focus on increasing your psychic abilities. But that is not solely what being intuitive means. Being intuitive is being able to recognize the person who walks into your life and is not the healthiest person to have around. Being intuitive is being able to step back in arguments and see all sides objectively. Being intuitive is having a knowing when the people you care about are hurting. Being intuitive is being able to hear the inner voice over the ego voice. Being intuitive is being able to hear that Angel voice that say "not a good idea" or "we are with you always". Being intuitive is being in tune with not only your own emotions and feelings but those of the people around you. Being intuitive is being able to make informed choices rather than ones based on emotion and past 'stuff'. Ultimately these things are going to be more useful to you than knowing who is on the other end of the telephone when it rings or what card will be turned over next. So what can you do to be more tuned in?
Try automatic writing. Light a candle say a prayer ask for guidance ask for all things to come in unconditional love divine light and for your highest good and write what ever comes into your head. At the very least this will allow you to clear your mind of thoughts and you may even start to tune into your inner voice.
Meditate. Find what works for you. Try and get into the habit of meditating at a set time and day. But do not be anal about it. Even a walk along the beach or around the neighborhood or a quite moment with a good book and a cup of tea are all forms of bringing your body down into a peaceful state.
Let go and let God as they say. What this means is do not try and change the world in a day. Change what you can change and accept there are just some things you can't change. Let go of outcomes let go of expectations. Be at peace with who you are and where you are in your life. Live in the moment do not allow your ego self to take you into a future that hasn't even been created yet.
Learn about yourself who you are if you know yourself you have no need to worry about what other people think about you or worry about the future because you know what you want and where you want to be and you are happy with all in your world as it is.
Fill up your spiritual toolbox. Go to classes, join a group or read up on things which interest you. Find a mentor. Learn different ways to meditate to tune in try a Reiki class etc.
The thing most people do not realize is everything is meant to be simple. The higher power whoever and what ever you perceive him/her/it to be did not set out to turn tuning in into an exam that was humans looking to set themselves up as 'experts' so they could make a lot of money by saying listen to me 'I know'. I know people who talk to Angels and it is simply faith and belief that allows them to do so. They are able to let the outside noise die down and then they listen for the Angel Whisper and they are able to do that simply because they believe it will come. I hear my guides speak to me when I am with a person because I am able to let go of ego mind and attachment and be of no mind. Did it take a while to get to that stage absolutely but it was not a complicated process but a simple one of perseverance, trust and commitment.
Conclusion
To find your intuitive self you first have to get to know who you are. You have to find out what you want and where you want to be. And in this process of finding out who you are you will let go of all attachment to the past to old dreams lost hopes past hurts grudges they will start to fall away and as they do you will start to see with greater clarity you will start to hear a voice an inner voice of spirit that is your heart song. There are no party tricks when it comes to finding your intuitive self. And all those exercises designed to "bring out the psychic in you" are useless if you cannot be of a no mind state can't sit in the now, can't have empathy for others and let your own stuff go. I am a Medium and a Psychic but I still have to live and breathe in the 'real' world still have stuff to deal with and again knowing who is going to walk into the room next doesn't help me very much in the middle of an argument with my partner, doesn't make any money problems disappear, doesn't take away an abusive childhood. What does help though is being able to step back and shut out the noise and hear the voice of spirit. My guides and the Angels do not give me answers but the help me gain clarity and balance.
If you want to find your intuitive self find out who you are why you react certain ways why things are triggers for you what things work to bring you into a state of peace. Nurture yourself in body mind and spirit. That is what bring forth the gift of insight is. It is bringing forth the knowledge of inner self and letting go of ego self it is knowing who we are at the core of our being. Being psychic is great but that is only a small part of who I am and knowing all the parts that make me who I am is for me the true gift of insight.
sexta-feira, 19 de março de 2010
intuição
Harness Your Intuition
Articles By Irene Martina
So how do you learn to harness your amazing intuition? Your intuition sends you information in the following five different ways:
1. The most common is physically.
In receiving information through your physical body, you might explain intuition as having a "gut feeling" or "your stomach is in knots." Another popular way is when the hair stands up on the back of your neck. For me, a strong message of awareness is goose bumps.
2. Secondly, and probably more common to women is emotions.
We know instantly when something doesn't feel right, or a mood changes, and a fast like and dislike of something.
In our world today we are often feel pressured to "do something, join something, or buy something" and we intuitively know we should say "no!" - yet we go ahead. Moving forward on this decision often brings regrets. When our first instinct is to reject something, we often cannot explain "why" to someone. To us, it just didn't feel right. This is intuition in action and working for you.
3. Thirdly, we receive information mentally: Our mind often gives us a second voice in the background that says: "No, yes, turn here, etc." Again, we often ignore our intuitive voice and find ourselves caught in a traffic jam or something to that effect. We constantly second guess ourselves and regret listening to that inner voice later.
4. The fourth way we receive is spiritually. For me, this means there is something far greater than us in the universe. When we are connected to this Source, our intuition is greater than anything we can imagine.
5. Lastly, we receive through the environment. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. From my childhood, I was taught to pay attention to symbolism and events as messages being given to us.
For example: Your computer ups and quits and you are forced to stop working and look after the problem. Now this can cause stress, but I also know that it happened for a reason and I was being told to stop what I was doing. Perhaps you are given a sign to take some time off to do something you may have been putting off for a long time, like updating your insurance policies or call a sick friend. Maybe, it's time to call and connect to a real cute "techie" support guy. I just know that it does not pay to get upset, but instead to ask yourself, "Why and what do I need to look at or do?
So how do we harness out intuition more? I like to say that finding your intuition is like finding a trail. In this case the T.R.A.I.L (an acronym) represents the following:
T-Trust the information you get when you get it. -Try to think back to times when you did pay attention to your intuition and recall what you experienced. As you recall your success's, you will eagerly and confidently trust your ability and inner voice more and more to make the correct decisions for you.
R-Relax your mind: Make "why not and what if?" two of your favorite questions. Give yourself time to do crossword puzzles, and play more games to keep your mind open to new things and ideas. Meditation is very powerful in helping you hear your inner voice and to relax more.
A- Awareness- Intuition can be so subtle that we often miss its messages, so live your life consciously and be more aware of your thoughts. We cannot s hear our intuition speaking if we do not learn to stop the chatter in our mind or find some quietness. Suggestion- shut off the radio, CD player and stereos when you are alone in the car or at home, so you can hear your inner voice better.
I- Imagination- this is the ability to think outside the box, which is very helpful in developing your intuition. Here are a few ideas:
• When you get dressed each day, ask your self why did you choose the red suit or the blue dress? Colors carry energies and we choose them because we need its energy at that time. You ask yourself what that color means to you. Does red make you feel confident, powerful, relax and assured? Does the blue make you feel more feminine, softer, more attractive and perhaps serene and peaceful?
L-Listen: - intuition is not logical. If we are caught up in our lives we cannot give our intuition a safe place to work and hear its message.
Have you noticed that if you let go of ego, fears, or any negative thoughts, you get better results with hearing your intuition?
Intuition is a wonderful and natural sense that we all have, and if you think about it, you couldn't stop being intuitive this moment any more than you could stop hearing the sounds around you. Simply allow yourself to report what you're picking up in response to a question. Be in a state of allowing and see the miracles happen!
Articles By Irene Martina
So how do you learn to harness your amazing intuition? Your intuition sends you information in the following five different ways:
1. The most common is physically.
In receiving information through your physical body, you might explain intuition as having a "gut feeling" or "your stomach is in knots." Another popular way is when the hair stands up on the back of your neck. For me, a strong message of awareness is goose bumps.
2. Secondly, and probably more common to women is emotions.
We know instantly when something doesn't feel right, or a mood changes, and a fast like and dislike of something.
In our world today we are often feel pressured to "do something, join something, or buy something" and we intuitively know we should say "no!" - yet we go ahead. Moving forward on this decision often brings regrets. When our first instinct is to reject something, we often cannot explain "why" to someone. To us, it just didn't feel right. This is intuition in action and working for you.
3. Thirdly, we receive information mentally: Our mind often gives us a second voice in the background that says: "No, yes, turn here, etc." Again, we often ignore our intuitive voice and find ourselves caught in a traffic jam or something to that effect. We constantly second guess ourselves and regret listening to that inner voice later.
4. The fourth way we receive is spiritually. For me, this means there is something far greater than us in the universe. When we are connected to this Source, our intuition is greater than anything we can imagine.
5. Lastly, we receive through the environment. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. From my childhood, I was taught to pay attention to symbolism and events as messages being given to us.
For example: Your computer ups and quits and you are forced to stop working and look after the problem. Now this can cause stress, but I also know that it happened for a reason and I was being told to stop what I was doing. Perhaps you are given a sign to take some time off to do something you may have been putting off for a long time, like updating your insurance policies or call a sick friend. Maybe, it's time to call and connect to a real cute "techie" support guy. I just know that it does not pay to get upset, but instead to ask yourself, "Why and what do I need to look at or do?
So how do we harness out intuition more? I like to say that finding your intuition is like finding a trail. In this case the T.R.A.I.L (an acronym) represents the following:
T-Trust the information you get when you get it. -Try to think back to times when you did pay attention to your intuition and recall what you experienced. As you recall your success's, you will eagerly and confidently trust your ability and inner voice more and more to make the correct decisions for you.
R-Relax your mind: Make "why not and what if?" two of your favorite questions. Give yourself time to do crossword puzzles, and play more games to keep your mind open to new things and ideas. Meditation is very powerful in helping you hear your inner voice and to relax more.
A- Awareness- Intuition can be so subtle that we often miss its messages, so live your life consciously and be more aware of your thoughts. We cannot s hear our intuition speaking if we do not learn to stop the chatter in our mind or find some quietness. Suggestion- shut off the radio, CD player and stereos when you are alone in the car or at home, so you can hear your inner voice better.
I- Imagination- this is the ability to think outside the box, which is very helpful in developing your intuition. Here are a few ideas:
• When you get dressed each day, ask your self why did you choose the red suit or the blue dress? Colors carry energies and we choose them because we need its energy at that time. You ask yourself what that color means to you. Does red make you feel confident, powerful, relax and assured? Does the blue make you feel more feminine, softer, more attractive and perhaps serene and peaceful?
L-Listen: - intuition is not logical. If we are caught up in our lives we cannot give our intuition a safe place to work and hear its message.
Have you noticed that if you let go of ego, fears, or any negative thoughts, you get better results with hearing your intuition?
Intuition is a wonderful and natural sense that we all have, and if you think about it, you couldn't stop being intuitive this moment any more than you could stop hearing the sounds around you. Simply allow yourself to report what you're picking up in response to a question. Be in a state of allowing and see the miracles happen!
intuição
Listening Within: The Awakening of Intuition
By Julie Redstone
We live at a time when the capacity to hear God's voice speaking within heart and mind has become greater due to the intensification of light within
the physical plane. As a result, even for those who have wandered far away from a spiritual path, the way back is more possible than ever before, given
a wish to return, and given time and attention paid to the voice of an inner knowing that may have previously been rejected.
This inner knowing is what we call intuition. It takes place in silence and in the presence of inspiration that arrives from another level that often
requires asking and waiting. Though some intuitive perceptions are primarily focused within the human plane, for example, knowing someone well so that we
can anticipate how they might react to something or what they might do, the kind of intuition that may be called 'higher intuition' comes from a
different place. It is the voice of understanding that translates messages from the level of the soul where Divine truth, light, and wisdom can be
heard, to the level of the personality or embodied self that receives such messages.
In point of fact, there need be no great difference between these two levels, and humanity is progressively moving in this direction.
And yet for
many, there still remains a large gap - a space that makes it more difficult to hear the words that are being whispered to and from the soul. In order to
bridge this gap, mind and heart have to be willing and there needs to be at least the beginning of trust in one's capacity 'to know'.
Intuition does not need to be taught; it needs to be allowed. It is a capacity that has always been within us in a dormant state, awaiting our
turning to it as a flower turns to the sun. We can start with a small willingness to know more of truth, light, and wisdom as it applies to our
own life and to the lives of those we love. We can begin to pray to have the obstacles removed that cloud understanding or diminish our perception of
what this truth might be. Prayerful desire to make contact with higher truth begins to open the doors to inner knowing, especially when such desire is
accompanied by a willingness to receive and to pay attention to what has been heard or sensed. There are people who know things who do not believe
what their inner senses tell them. They invalidate and reject what they feel or believe. This choice begins to close the doors to higher perception as it
gives more power to fear - fear of being wrong, fear of being different, fear of needing to change one's life based on what is heard. In order to
open the doors to intuition and to keep them open, we need to be willing to hear and know, and we need to be willing to trust.
Trust is not a simple thing, for it often involves a reevaluation of how we have lived our lives. It may be that life has compelled us to be more
practical, more focused on the daily tasks of living and providing for others. Or, it may be that we have made mistakes in the past concerning who
or what to trust. It also may be that we have forgotten that we have the capacity to feel more, to sense more, or to be more open to life on all
levels. Trust involves not only a willingness to receive something from another level of our being.
It also involves a willingness to believe in our
own capacity to flow with life and to change what needs to be changed on the outside or on the inside in order to do so. There are many who know a great
deal but who are afraid to let themselves recognize this because of where it might take them. This fear must be let go of in order to open the doors
further to intuition and to the greater perception of light and truth.
Especially today, when there are so many great issues before us as a collective humanity, and so many actions taken that can have a profound
effect on all of mankind, it is especially important that we reclaim our ability to know and to trust that gives rise to intuition. To do otherwise
leaves us in the precarious position of not knowing what or who to believe - not knowing which direction to go in, in terms of making the world a better
place and relieving the immense suffering that currently exists.
Without access to the deeper intuitive sense that is part of us, we live at the
mercy of public opinion rather than in the presence of truth.
For reasons that are both personal and are part of our belonging to the human family, it is essential, now, for us to open to the light that is
present so that we can participate more fully in the collective life of humanity as well as in the circumstances of our own lives.
For it is a time
in which the planes are coming closer together, and we are being asked to do this for our own sakes and for the sake of all - to allow our inner senses
to awaken and to become the light-filled beings that we are. The time we are in asks this of us, and for each of us, our hearts ask this of us so that we
can begin to solve the problems and challenges that are immediately before us. We can begin with a prayer to open; we can follow it with a period of
silence and emptiness in which we do not know and wait to be shown; we can make ourselves ready to become vessels of truth and light.
The recognition of intuition's gifts may not happen immediately, but it will happen, for all of life supports this growth in each citizen of planet Earth
at this time, and all of life celebrates when one who has left the path of recognizing their Divine self begins to tread the path of return.
About Author
Julie Redstone is a teacher, writer, and founder of Light Omega - http://lightomega.org - a center for spiritual teaching and healing in
Western Massachusetts. The purpose of Light Omega is to create an understanding of the sacred transition into light that the earth is presently going through and the changes this will bring to individual and planetary consciousness.
By Julie Redstone
We live at a time when the capacity to hear God's voice speaking within heart and mind has become greater due to the intensification of light within
the physical plane. As a result, even for those who have wandered far away from a spiritual path, the way back is more possible than ever before, given
a wish to return, and given time and attention paid to the voice of an inner knowing that may have previously been rejected.
This inner knowing is what we call intuition. It takes place in silence and in the presence of inspiration that arrives from another level that often
requires asking and waiting. Though some intuitive perceptions are primarily focused within the human plane, for example, knowing someone well so that we
can anticipate how they might react to something or what they might do, the kind of intuition that may be called 'higher intuition' comes from a
different place. It is the voice of understanding that translates messages from the level of the soul where Divine truth, light, and wisdom can be
heard, to the level of the personality or embodied self that receives such messages.
In point of fact, there need be no great difference between these two levels, and humanity is progressively moving in this direction.
And yet for
many, there still remains a large gap - a space that makes it more difficult to hear the words that are being whispered to and from the soul. In order to
bridge this gap, mind and heart have to be willing and there needs to be at least the beginning of trust in one's capacity 'to know'.
Intuition does not need to be taught; it needs to be allowed. It is a capacity that has always been within us in a dormant state, awaiting our
turning to it as a flower turns to the sun. We can start with a small willingness to know more of truth, light, and wisdom as it applies to our
own life and to the lives of those we love. We can begin to pray to have the obstacles removed that cloud understanding or diminish our perception of
what this truth might be. Prayerful desire to make contact with higher truth begins to open the doors to inner knowing, especially when such desire is
accompanied by a willingness to receive and to pay attention to what has been heard or sensed. There are people who know things who do not believe
what their inner senses tell them. They invalidate and reject what they feel or believe. This choice begins to close the doors to higher perception as it
gives more power to fear - fear of being wrong, fear of being different, fear of needing to change one's life based on what is heard. In order to
open the doors to intuition and to keep them open, we need to be willing to hear and know, and we need to be willing to trust.
Trust is not a simple thing, for it often involves a reevaluation of how we have lived our lives. It may be that life has compelled us to be more
practical, more focused on the daily tasks of living and providing for others. Or, it may be that we have made mistakes in the past concerning who
or what to trust. It also may be that we have forgotten that we have the capacity to feel more, to sense more, or to be more open to life on all
levels. Trust involves not only a willingness to receive something from another level of our being.
It also involves a willingness to believe in our
own capacity to flow with life and to change what needs to be changed on the outside or on the inside in order to do so. There are many who know a great
deal but who are afraid to let themselves recognize this because of where it might take them. This fear must be let go of in order to open the doors
further to intuition and to the greater perception of light and truth.
Especially today, when there are so many great issues before us as a collective humanity, and so many actions taken that can have a profound
effect on all of mankind, it is especially important that we reclaim our ability to know and to trust that gives rise to intuition. To do otherwise
leaves us in the precarious position of not knowing what or who to believe - not knowing which direction to go in, in terms of making the world a better
place and relieving the immense suffering that currently exists.
Without access to the deeper intuitive sense that is part of us, we live at the
mercy of public opinion rather than in the presence of truth.
For reasons that are both personal and are part of our belonging to the human family, it is essential, now, for us to open to the light that is
present so that we can participate more fully in the collective life of humanity as well as in the circumstances of our own lives.
For it is a time
in which the planes are coming closer together, and we are being asked to do this for our own sakes and for the sake of all - to allow our inner senses
to awaken and to become the light-filled beings that we are. The time we are in asks this of us, and for each of us, our hearts ask this of us so that we
can begin to solve the problems and challenges that are immediately before us. We can begin with a prayer to open; we can follow it with a period of
silence and emptiness in which we do not know and wait to be shown; we can make ourselves ready to become vessels of truth and light.
The recognition of intuition's gifts may not happen immediately, but it will happen, for all of life supports this growth in each citizen of planet Earth
at this time, and all of life celebrates when one who has left the path of recognizing their Divine self begins to tread the path of return.
About Author
Julie Redstone is a teacher, writer, and founder of Light Omega - http://lightomega.org - a center for spiritual teaching and healing in
Western Massachusetts. The purpose of Light Omega is to create an understanding of the sacred transition into light that the earth is presently going through and the changes this will bring to individual and planetary consciousness.
intuição
On Inner Work, Intuition and Love
By Craig Chalquist
Quotations taken from "Women Who Run With the Wolves",
By Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ballantine Books, New York, 1992
Throughout most of recorded history the idea of becoming who you are has drawn blank stares. People ask: become who you are? Don't you do that automatically anyway?
No, you don't. You aren't you in the same way that a tree is a tree or a tiger a tiger. We aren't merely blocks of wood or patterns of habit or bundles of instincts. As visionary human beings have always known, becoming yourself not only requires an effort, but perhaps the most sustained effort there can be.
And that is because of a fact unique to sentient beings: self-consciousness can be fragmented. Identity remains a figural island floating in a background sea of unconsciousness. The choice is to live on a larger island or a smaller one, to visit and sail upon the sea of potentiality or wall it off sharply.
We experience ourselves as fully alive, fully human, only when the island of self-consciousness is an unfragmented whole. Walling off huge portions of ourselves —thoughts, feelings, fantasies, memories, powers, potencies, even dreams and aspirations— makes us sick. It is even possible in extreme cases of self-alienation for one's waking self to be almost entirely false. When that happens, we usually cling to the assumption that we know who we are, that nothing inside is a mystery; and meanwhile the real self, its interior voices ignored, slowly dies.
The purpose of getting to know oneself, a process that goes by names like inner work, self-actualization, self-realization, self-study, and individuation, is to open up the waking consciousness to its unconscious foundations by reclaiming disowned aspects of oneself. We undo our repressions, make contact with our bodies, rediscover our feelings, study our wants and needs, exercise our dormant talents, dream our dreams. We work through long-standing emotional conflicts. We unblock the creativity we all possess. We "listen with a third ear" to the quiet movements of the emotional/intuitive depths in us, knowing that feedback from our entire organism is more trustable than the limited, one-sided reactions of the waking self.
So where does one start?
The Four Attitudes.
Carl Rogers has identified three therapist attitudes that facilitate personality change: congruence (genuineness), empathy, and unconditional positive regard. (He also speculated about a fourth: the subtle spiritual power that emanates, often unconsciously, from every sincere healer.) Oddly, he did not, to my knowledge, discuss the necessary client attitudes. I believe there are four: innocence (e.g., the Beginner's Mind of Zen), commitment, courage, and self-responsibility (fully owning the work).
These attitudes also apply to self-awakening. If all are present, then one will move forward; if any are lacking, then one will remain where one is. The reason is obvious: becoming oneself is the most difficult task there is and so requires complete seriousness, willingness to suffer, inward integrity, total involvement; in short what Karen Horney called wholeheartedness.
Here are some other tools for your self-work toolbox:
Never, never assume you know yourself or are completely familiar with a particular facet of yourself.
This grandiose assumption kills inquiry: why look at what you already "know"? It may also be the single greatest deterrent to finding out about yourself.
Be brutally honest with yourself.
You can assume right up front that you have some illusions to lose —illusions about yourself, about loved ones, about beliefs and values, norms and standards— and that you will resist seeing them for what they are. Everyone resists finding out too much too soon. The resistance is a problem only when it's not temporary. If you find yourself hanging on to something, defending a vulnerability, or losing interest in self-work, then realize that you may be closing on a sensitive area of your life. Give yourself permission to proceed with caution. (You might also wish to acquire a list of Freudian defense mechanisms, the devices we use to hide things from ourselves.)
Trust your impulses.
You have good reasons for feeling, thinking, imagining, acting the way you do. If you are prompted from within to try something and it won't hurt you or anyone else, then why not try it? Such promptings are attempts to teach yourself something. Outwardly, certain actions should be curtailed if there's any question of causing harm —but inwardly, anything is allowed.
Avoid people who invalidate your efforts to know yourself.
All the great spiritual teachers agree that it's best to avoid people who subtly or overtly knock down who you're trying to become. The world is filled with unhappy, routine-ridden, envious emotional vampires who avenge their personal failures by demeaning your strivings. All are cynics, though some go about as surface idealists who quickly turn away when you wish to discuss your anger or loneliness or spiritual bewilderment. Avoid them all. Having secretly given up on themselves, they have nothing to offer the seeker.
Spend time with people who support your work on yourself.
This includes seeking out people to whom you can safely share your uncertainties and express your feelings. Look for them with the eye of a hungry tiger: those who strive seriously to explore themselves are far and few between, and it's almost impossible to do this kind of work without such support.
Read good books.
Seek out the books that seem to have something to say to you. Use your own feelings to guide you to them. Generally, they will be books that develop "deep" themes —identity, personal growth, inner healing, spirituality, meaning vs. meaninglessness. There are plenty of people who've walked the way of individuation ahead of you; read what they've written about the journey.
Expect to hurt.
People who start to listen to themselves usually encounter those painful emotions that lie just under the surface of consciousness: anger, shame, guilt, loneliness, depression, sadness, confusion... This is normal, so don't let it scare you. Bear firmly in mind that feelings are temporary states that take care of themselves when you find appropriate ways to express them. And that you are always more than your feelings. At most they indicate to you where you need to grow.
Keep a journal.
If only to write down what you learn about yourself so you won't forget it. Some people collect whatever "speaks" to them: paintings, photographs, plants, rocks, soil, songs, magazine clippings, childhood possessions, crayons, seashells... Just about anything can be a part of your record of the journey.
Decipher your dreams.
Dreams are not random brainwaves or the remnants of last night's meal. They are snapshots of your state of mind —but snapshots from the point of view of the unconscious, which talks to you in images rather than words or linear logic. If you make it a habit to sleep with paper and pen next to your bed, your ability to remember your dreams will grow steadily. When you have one, write it down (or talk into a recorder if that works better) so the next day you can do what Freud called free-associating to each symbol. The associations indicate what aspects of yourself the symbols stand for —e.g., in my dreams rain stands for a release of emotional tension, plants for growth, cars for conscious ways to move forward. As Jung discovered, later dreams will correct you if you misinterpret the symbols in a current dream.
Construct a "mental health" family tree.
Amazing psychological patterns surface when you draw a family tree and then write in who was depressed, who was addicted to something, who was abandoned by a parent, who was chronically ill, who was a rager, and other such details. (Refer also to my paper "Twelve Characteristics of a Family System".)
Look at events through the eye of initiation.
"Eye of initiation" is Michael Meade's term for seeing things in terms of initiation into selfhood. Old wounds, a divorce, a layoff, the death of a loved one, illness, a painful argument: properly understood, these can provide raw material for inward growth. See them as lessons to be learned about who you are.
Take care of your body.
In part your self-esteem is based on your "body ego", the bodily image with roots that go back to infancy. Exercising, resting enough, and eating right help maintain self-esteem and support your work on your psychological self. A fit body is also less likely to hang onto buried emotions.
Replace victim-thinking with survivor-thinking.
It's important to be aware of what something or someone has done to you and how you feel about it, but it's also important to own that you have options, that you can always choose what stand to take. Victim-thinking creates a "responsibility leak" that drains your life of energy and your activities of sincerity. As I often tell clients, having someone to blame is the best way to stay stuck. Focus on what you will do with the past and present givens in your life —including protecting yourself assertively from oppressive or abusive situations at home, at work, or anywhere else they occur. Becoming yourself is incompatible with letting someone mistreat you.
Live on your ground floor first.
Using an image of Freud's, Sam Keen points out that quite a few people seek to skip the "first floor" preliminaries of inner work and live instead on the second or third floor —the spiritual floor. That is so. If you listen carefully to some of the folks who talk most about archetypal this and New Age that, you can hear a certain pomposity, a tone of "look how deep I am" that signifies some very important emotional homework left undone. Remind yourself that a spiritual activity of the highest significance consists in integrating your flaws and weaknesses into your human, all-too-human everyday consciousness.
Make use of amplification.
"Amplification" is C. G. Jung's term for applying associations, ideas, readings, and other material to themes that emerge in your dreams and fantasies. If you dream, say, about dragons, then try fantasizing about them, looking them up in the library, drawing pictures of them, examining paintings of them, learning a bit about their cultural history, and getting a hold of any other material that might clarify what that symbol means to you.
Look for magical thinking.
"Magical thinking" is a therapy term for the very early fantasizing we do as infants and toddlers. At that age, wishes and reality are indistinguishable. Remnants of magical thinking usually surface in relationships, when we alternate between idealizing and despising a partner. Expecting them to be perfect, to always be nurturing, to "know" what we want from them, or to depend entirely on us for emotional self-fulfillment are examples of magical thinking. It helps to learn to tell such thinking from realistic thinking.
Look for splitting.
"Splitting" is a term from object relations psychology —a series of schools that evolved from Freud's psychoanalysis— and refers to the early tendency to divide self, internalized parent-images, and the accompanying feelings (Fairbairne) into good self/bad self, good mom/bad mom, good dad/bad dad, pleasant/painful feelings. We generally focus on the good stuff and repress the "bad"; the result is a tendency to alternate between idealizing and hating, being really up and crashing, feeling confident and feeling helpless. Getting in touch with both sides of an internal image, feeling, or other aspect of ourselves heals these splits and permits us to see ourselves and other people more realistically.
Make use of the mirror of relationship.
Krishnamurti was fond of saying that who we really are emerges in "the mirror of relationship." Watch how you behave with your partner. Monitor your fantasies, feelings, interior self-talk. Check out how your body feels at different times. Relationships are wonderful opportunities to find out more about who you are.
Befriend your shadow and the rest of your "cast of characters."
As Jung discovered, what we fail to integrate into our waking selves tends to collect into autonomous "complexes," meaning that unowned aspects of ourselves manifest in dreams and fantasies as mini-personalities. A prominent one is the shadow, a deposit of those aspects of ourselves we consider negative, unpleasant, or inferior. In dreams the shadow is the same gender as the dreamer and often shows up at first as an attacker, a criminal, a lunatic, or some other strange or alien figure. Owning what we don't like about ourselves —our insecurities, our fears, our anger, our less acceptable drives— turns the shadow into a more benevolent figure. His (or her) job, after all, is to bring back to us those aspects of ourselves we try to throw away.
Size up your ego.
Probably all of us receive ego wounds; even the best of families inflicts them. We usually compensate for them by reinflation, by feeding a mostly unconscious self-importance. Even low self-esteem can reflect this: "He who despises himself still respects himself as someone who despises" (Nietzsche). Mentally catalog your customary methods of reinflation (e.g., fishing for affection or compliments, being a class clown, workaholism, controlling a mate, pontificating, lecturing, sex, passive aggression, etc.). Explore the pain that goes with failing to restore your ego to its normal size after something has deflated it.
Allow personal constructs to become tentative.
"Personal constructs" are conclusions, convictions, beliefs, attitudes...anything conceptual we use to make sense of our world. When rigid they become dogmatic filters over the eyes of awareness, thereby blocking our openness to new experiences, viewpoints, meanings. Allowing constructs to be "what I think or value or believe just now" isn't wishy-washy; rather, it's a mature recognition that constructs are always working hypotheses constructed by an imperfect being who is always open to new learnings.
Ground yourself in the everyday.
Some of us go to the extreme of getting so absorbed in inner work that we let everything else —work, school, bills, health, relationships— go to hell. Don't. It not only works against you outwardly, it eventually dams up your inner process too. Divisions in your life should decrease, not increase, as you get to know yourself better. Inwardly and outwardly, pace yourself and stay fully present.
Get comfortable with being different.
Erich Fromm once put it well: the fact that millions of people believe a lie does not make the lie a truth. And Abraham Maslow used to discuss "the pathology of normalcy." The fact that you explore yourself more than others, that you dress differently, that you don't find idle chatter entertaining, that you aren't faddish, that you despise television, or that you don't respect "public opinion" (an oxymoron if ever there was one) may mean that you live, not below the standard of normalcy, but above it. And believe me, it's a pretty low standard these days. Being thought of as strange by chronic conformists who are afraid to stand out from the crowd or question authority figures or form their own opinions can be a mark of distinction. It can also mean you belong to the perennial community of those who are bravely trying to be their real selves.
Expect miracles.
I seldom meet a person newly committed to self-exploration without sighing to myself, "Ah, how wonderful to be just at the beginning of the adventure again!" Getting to know myself better has hurt more than I could ever have foreseen; it has also brought me immeasurable joy, meanings to live by, answers to what I thought were unanswerable questions, healing for old wounds I believed would bleed forever. It has decanted a strange serenity such that very little wrenches at me anymore. And it has made my life indescribably rich in magic. If you haven't walked this path until now, you can't imagine the miracles you will meet with. Prepare yourself for them.
By Craig Chalquist
Quotations taken from "Women Who Run With the Wolves",
By Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Ballantine Books, New York, 1992
Throughout most of recorded history the idea of becoming who you are has drawn blank stares. People ask: become who you are? Don't you do that automatically anyway?
No, you don't. You aren't you in the same way that a tree is a tree or a tiger a tiger. We aren't merely blocks of wood or patterns of habit or bundles of instincts. As visionary human beings have always known, becoming yourself not only requires an effort, but perhaps the most sustained effort there can be.
And that is because of a fact unique to sentient beings: self-consciousness can be fragmented. Identity remains a figural island floating in a background sea of unconsciousness. The choice is to live on a larger island or a smaller one, to visit and sail upon the sea of potentiality or wall it off sharply.
We experience ourselves as fully alive, fully human, only when the island of self-consciousness is an unfragmented whole. Walling off huge portions of ourselves —thoughts, feelings, fantasies, memories, powers, potencies, even dreams and aspirations— makes us sick. It is even possible in extreme cases of self-alienation for one's waking self to be almost entirely false. When that happens, we usually cling to the assumption that we know who we are, that nothing inside is a mystery; and meanwhile the real self, its interior voices ignored, slowly dies.
The purpose of getting to know oneself, a process that goes by names like inner work, self-actualization, self-realization, self-study, and individuation, is to open up the waking consciousness to its unconscious foundations by reclaiming disowned aspects of oneself. We undo our repressions, make contact with our bodies, rediscover our feelings, study our wants and needs, exercise our dormant talents, dream our dreams. We work through long-standing emotional conflicts. We unblock the creativity we all possess. We "listen with a third ear" to the quiet movements of the emotional/intuitive depths in us, knowing that feedback from our entire organism is more trustable than the limited, one-sided reactions of the waking self.
So where does one start?
The Four Attitudes.
Carl Rogers has identified three therapist attitudes that facilitate personality change: congruence (genuineness), empathy, and unconditional positive regard. (He also speculated about a fourth: the subtle spiritual power that emanates, often unconsciously, from every sincere healer.) Oddly, he did not, to my knowledge, discuss the necessary client attitudes. I believe there are four: innocence (e.g., the Beginner's Mind of Zen), commitment, courage, and self-responsibility (fully owning the work).
These attitudes also apply to self-awakening. If all are present, then one will move forward; if any are lacking, then one will remain where one is. The reason is obvious: becoming oneself is the most difficult task there is and so requires complete seriousness, willingness to suffer, inward integrity, total involvement; in short what Karen Horney called wholeheartedness.
Here are some other tools for your self-work toolbox:
Never, never assume you know yourself or are completely familiar with a particular facet of yourself.
This grandiose assumption kills inquiry: why look at what you already "know"? It may also be the single greatest deterrent to finding out about yourself.
Be brutally honest with yourself.
You can assume right up front that you have some illusions to lose —illusions about yourself, about loved ones, about beliefs and values, norms and standards— and that you will resist seeing them for what they are. Everyone resists finding out too much too soon. The resistance is a problem only when it's not temporary. If you find yourself hanging on to something, defending a vulnerability, or losing interest in self-work, then realize that you may be closing on a sensitive area of your life. Give yourself permission to proceed with caution. (You might also wish to acquire a list of Freudian defense mechanisms, the devices we use to hide things from ourselves.)
Trust your impulses.
You have good reasons for feeling, thinking, imagining, acting the way you do. If you are prompted from within to try something and it won't hurt you or anyone else, then why not try it? Such promptings are attempts to teach yourself something. Outwardly, certain actions should be curtailed if there's any question of causing harm —but inwardly, anything is allowed.
Avoid people who invalidate your efforts to know yourself.
All the great spiritual teachers agree that it's best to avoid people who subtly or overtly knock down who you're trying to become. The world is filled with unhappy, routine-ridden, envious emotional vampires who avenge their personal failures by demeaning your strivings. All are cynics, though some go about as surface idealists who quickly turn away when you wish to discuss your anger or loneliness or spiritual bewilderment. Avoid them all. Having secretly given up on themselves, they have nothing to offer the seeker.
Spend time with people who support your work on yourself.
This includes seeking out people to whom you can safely share your uncertainties and express your feelings. Look for them with the eye of a hungry tiger: those who strive seriously to explore themselves are far and few between, and it's almost impossible to do this kind of work without such support.
Read good books.
Seek out the books that seem to have something to say to you. Use your own feelings to guide you to them. Generally, they will be books that develop "deep" themes —identity, personal growth, inner healing, spirituality, meaning vs. meaninglessness. There are plenty of people who've walked the way of individuation ahead of you; read what they've written about the journey.
Expect to hurt.
People who start to listen to themselves usually encounter those painful emotions that lie just under the surface of consciousness: anger, shame, guilt, loneliness, depression, sadness, confusion... This is normal, so don't let it scare you. Bear firmly in mind that feelings are temporary states that take care of themselves when you find appropriate ways to express them. And that you are always more than your feelings. At most they indicate to you where you need to grow.
Keep a journal.
If only to write down what you learn about yourself so you won't forget it. Some people collect whatever "speaks" to them: paintings, photographs, plants, rocks, soil, songs, magazine clippings, childhood possessions, crayons, seashells... Just about anything can be a part of your record of the journey.
Decipher your dreams.
Dreams are not random brainwaves or the remnants of last night's meal. They are snapshots of your state of mind —but snapshots from the point of view of the unconscious, which talks to you in images rather than words or linear logic. If you make it a habit to sleep with paper and pen next to your bed, your ability to remember your dreams will grow steadily. When you have one, write it down (or talk into a recorder if that works better) so the next day you can do what Freud called free-associating to each symbol. The associations indicate what aspects of yourself the symbols stand for —e.g., in my dreams rain stands for a release of emotional tension, plants for growth, cars for conscious ways to move forward. As Jung discovered, later dreams will correct you if you misinterpret the symbols in a current dream.
Construct a "mental health" family tree.
Amazing psychological patterns surface when you draw a family tree and then write in who was depressed, who was addicted to something, who was abandoned by a parent, who was chronically ill, who was a rager, and other such details. (Refer also to my paper "Twelve Characteristics of a Family System".)
Look at events through the eye of initiation.
"Eye of initiation" is Michael Meade's term for seeing things in terms of initiation into selfhood. Old wounds, a divorce, a layoff, the death of a loved one, illness, a painful argument: properly understood, these can provide raw material for inward growth. See them as lessons to be learned about who you are.
Take care of your body.
In part your self-esteem is based on your "body ego", the bodily image with roots that go back to infancy. Exercising, resting enough, and eating right help maintain self-esteem and support your work on your psychological self. A fit body is also less likely to hang onto buried emotions.
Replace victim-thinking with survivor-thinking.
It's important to be aware of what something or someone has done to you and how you feel about it, but it's also important to own that you have options, that you can always choose what stand to take. Victim-thinking creates a "responsibility leak" that drains your life of energy and your activities of sincerity. As I often tell clients, having someone to blame is the best way to stay stuck. Focus on what you will do with the past and present givens in your life —including protecting yourself assertively from oppressive or abusive situations at home, at work, or anywhere else they occur. Becoming yourself is incompatible with letting someone mistreat you.
Live on your ground floor first.
Using an image of Freud's, Sam Keen points out that quite a few people seek to skip the "first floor" preliminaries of inner work and live instead on the second or third floor —the spiritual floor. That is so. If you listen carefully to some of the folks who talk most about archetypal this and New Age that, you can hear a certain pomposity, a tone of "look how deep I am" that signifies some very important emotional homework left undone. Remind yourself that a spiritual activity of the highest significance consists in integrating your flaws and weaknesses into your human, all-too-human everyday consciousness.
Make use of amplification.
"Amplification" is C. G. Jung's term for applying associations, ideas, readings, and other material to themes that emerge in your dreams and fantasies. If you dream, say, about dragons, then try fantasizing about them, looking them up in the library, drawing pictures of them, examining paintings of them, learning a bit about their cultural history, and getting a hold of any other material that might clarify what that symbol means to you.
Look for magical thinking.
"Magical thinking" is a therapy term for the very early fantasizing we do as infants and toddlers. At that age, wishes and reality are indistinguishable. Remnants of magical thinking usually surface in relationships, when we alternate between idealizing and despising a partner. Expecting them to be perfect, to always be nurturing, to "know" what we want from them, or to depend entirely on us for emotional self-fulfillment are examples of magical thinking. It helps to learn to tell such thinking from realistic thinking.
Look for splitting.
"Splitting" is a term from object relations psychology —a series of schools that evolved from Freud's psychoanalysis— and refers to the early tendency to divide self, internalized parent-images, and the accompanying feelings (Fairbairne) into good self/bad self, good mom/bad mom, good dad/bad dad, pleasant/painful feelings. We generally focus on the good stuff and repress the "bad"; the result is a tendency to alternate between idealizing and hating, being really up and crashing, feeling confident and feeling helpless. Getting in touch with both sides of an internal image, feeling, or other aspect of ourselves heals these splits and permits us to see ourselves and other people more realistically.
Make use of the mirror of relationship.
Krishnamurti was fond of saying that who we really are emerges in "the mirror of relationship." Watch how you behave with your partner. Monitor your fantasies, feelings, interior self-talk. Check out how your body feels at different times. Relationships are wonderful opportunities to find out more about who you are.
Befriend your shadow and the rest of your "cast of characters."
As Jung discovered, what we fail to integrate into our waking selves tends to collect into autonomous "complexes," meaning that unowned aspects of ourselves manifest in dreams and fantasies as mini-personalities. A prominent one is the shadow, a deposit of those aspects of ourselves we consider negative, unpleasant, or inferior. In dreams the shadow is the same gender as the dreamer and often shows up at first as an attacker, a criminal, a lunatic, or some other strange or alien figure. Owning what we don't like about ourselves —our insecurities, our fears, our anger, our less acceptable drives— turns the shadow into a more benevolent figure. His (or her) job, after all, is to bring back to us those aspects of ourselves we try to throw away.
Size up your ego.
Probably all of us receive ego wounds; even the best of families inflicts them. We usually compensate for them by reinflation, by feeding a mostly unconscious self-importance. Even low self-esteem can reflect this: "He who despises himself still respects himself as someone who despises" (Nietzsche). Mentally catalog your customary methods of reinflation (e.g., fishing for affection or compliments, being a class clown, workaholism, controlling a mate, pontificating, lecturing, sex, passive aggression, etc.). Explore the pain that goes with failing to restore your ego to its normal size after something has deflated it.
Allow personal constructs to become tentative.
"Personal constructs" are conclusions, convictions, beliefs, attitudes...anything conceptual we use to make sense of our world. When rigid they become dogmatic filters over the eyes of awareness, thereby blocking our openness to new experiences, viewpoints, meanings. Allowing constructs to be "what I think or value or believe just now" isn't wishy-washy; rather, it's a mature recognition that constructs are always working hypotheses constructed by an imperfect being who is always open to new learnings.
Ground yourself in the everyday.
Some of us go to the extreme of getting so absorbed in inner work that we let everything else —work, school, bills, health, relationships— go to hell. Don't. It not only works against you outwardly, it eventually dams up your inner process too. Divisions in your life should decrease, not increase, as you get to know yourself better. Inwardly and outwardly, pace yourself and stay fully present.
Get comfortable with being different.
Erich Fromm once put it well: the fact that millions of people believe a lie does not make the lie a truth. And Abraham Maslow used to discuss "the pathology of normalcy." The fact that you explore yourself more than others, that you dress differently, that you don't find idle chatter entertaining, that you aren't faddish, that you despise television, or that you don't respect "public opinion" (an oxymoron if ever there was one) may mean that you live, not below the standard of normalcy, but above it. And believe me, it's a pretty low standard these days. Being thought of as strange by chronic conformists who are afraid to stand out from the crowd or question authority figures or form their own opinions can be a mark of distinction. It can also mean you belong to the perennial community of those who are bravely trying to be their real selves.
Expect miracles.
I seldom meet a person newly committed to self-exploration without sighing to myself, "Ah, how wonderful to be just at the beginning of the adventure again!" Getting to know myself better has hurt more than I could ever have foreseen; it has also brought me immeasurable joy, meanings to live by, answers to what I thought were unanswerable questions, healing for old wounds I believed would bleed forever. It has decanted a strange serenity such that very little wrenches at me anymore. And it has made my life indescribably rich in magic. If you haven't walked this path until now, you can't imagine the miracles you will meet with. Prepare yourself for them.
sensivel ou intuitivo?
Sensor or Intuitive: The Forest or the Trees?
By Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
Each of us continuously takes in millions (perhaps billions) of pieces of information every day, the great majority of which are processed unconsciously. Some people take in this information primarily through their five senses—what they see, hear, touch, taste, or smell—hence the name Sensors. Others take in information through their sixth sense, focusing not on what is, but rather on what could be. We use the word Intuitives to describe these people. Remember that no one is a pure Sensor or Intuitive any more than a person is a pure Extravert or Introvert. Each of us has the ability to use both Sensing and Intuition, and all of us do use both every day. But we have a natural, inborn preference for one over the other.
Below are several questions to ask yourself to determine whether you are a Sensor or an Intuitive.
Do I usually pay more attention to the facts and details or do I try to understand the connections, underlying meaning, and implications?
Sensors see the trees, while Intuitives see the forest. By this we mean that Sensors naturally pay attention to what they are experiencing at the moment. Handed a flower and asked to tell you about it, the Sensor will note how vivid the colours are, the smooth texture of the leaves, the delicate fragrance, and how light and fragile it is—in other words, what her three senses tell her about the flower. Hand the same flower to an Intuitive and ask her to tell you about it, and you are likely to hear something more like: "This reminds me of my grandmother. She used to have these growing in her yard, and when we'd visit each summer, we'd pick them to put on the table for family meals." You'll notice that the Intuitive perceived the flower in a very different way than the Sensor. Instead on focusing on what is, she immediately focused on her connection to the flower, and her associations with it.
Here's another metaphor that can help demonstrate how different the focus is for Sensors and Intuitives. Imagine a photographer taking a picture with a single-lens reflex camera (the kind of camera that you focus by turning the ring on the lens). The photographer is shooting a person who is standing in front of a huge panoramic view of a mountain range. With Sensors, it's as if they turn the lens until the person in the foreground (the detail) is in sharp focus, while the view behind (the big picture) is blurry. With Intuitives, it's just the opposite: they turn the lens so that the view (the big picture) behind the person is in focus, but the person in the foreground (the detail) is blurry and out of focus.
Arnie, a very clear Intuitive, learned just how attentive to details Sensors are when his apartment got robbed. Fortunately, he was away at the time and discovered the intrusion upon returning home. When the police arrived, they gave a cursory look around the kitchen first and asked him: "Was that drawer open when you left the house?" So inattentive to details was Arnie that he was embarrassed to admit he had never even noticed there was a drawer where the officer was pointing!
While Sensors tend to think in a linear fashion, one thought following the next, Intuitives frequently engage in intuitive leaps in thinking.
Jessica and Ian were driving in their car one afternoon' when she happened to notice and point out an exceptionally beautiful tree they were passing. After only a few seconds of looking at the tree, Ian turned to Jessica and said: "You know, I'm really ticked off at Jimmy." Now Jessica and Ian had been together long enough for her to understand the way his mind worked, and to often be able to track the origin of his many intuitive connections. But she was at a total loss this time. "Okay, explain how you got from seeing that tree to being mad at Jimmy [one of Ian's oldest childhood friends]." Ian explained: "When we were growing up, Jimmy had a tree house in a tree that looked a lot like that one. As soon as I saw it, it reminded me of him and the fact that he hasn't called me in two months. So that's why I'm mad at Jimmy."
These fundamental differences also may be seen early on in children. While one child has memorized every one of his favourite baseball player's stats, and can reel them off with impressive accuracy, his brother can't remember where he left his sneakers five minutes after he took them off.
Am I a more down-to-earth and sensible person or an imaginative and creative one?
It bears repeating that it is not better to have one preference over another. However, there are definitely gifts that are unique to each. Intuitives are often (but not always) creative; able to see possibilities and alternatives that aren't immediately apparent. Typically, they have rich imaginations, which they use to engage in fantasies of all kinds.
By this, we do not mean to imply that only Intuitives possess creativity, for this is certainly not the case. Creativity, like intelligence, takes many forms. But the ways that Intuitives express their creativity seem to be in seeing or doing things differently from the way they've been seen or done before. Sensors more often demonstrate their creativity by finding a new application for something that has already been invented or established. This tendency stems from their natural inclination to trust what they know from experience, their own or others'. One of the reasons
Sensors like data so much is that data are just facts that have been collected in a purposeful way. Intuitives are generally satisfied with less empirical proof in order to believe something is possible, or doable, since they have greater faith that although an answer may not be apparent, it just means it hasn't been found . . . yet!
Which do I trust more: my direct experience or my gut instinct? Am I more tuned in to the here-and-now or do I often imagine how things will affect future events?
Many Type experts believe that of the four type dimensions, the Sensing and Intuition scale represents the greatest differences between people, since it really influences one's worldview. A research project we conducted demonstrated this vividly. People were presented the facts of a murder case that involved a young woman accused of stabbing her live-in boyfriend. The boyfriend had abused the defendant in the past while intoxicated. Her attorney argued that she suffered from "battered woman syndrome." And so, at the time of the incident, she had reason to believe that her life was in jeopardy, and acted in self-defense. On the other side, the prosecution claimed she offered no proof that she had reason to fear for her life, could have left the scene, and therefore had no justification for killing her boyfriend.
While the majority (75%) of both Sensors and Intuitives voted "not guilty," Sensors were more than twice as likely to vote for murder as were Intuitives. These results were consistent both with Personality Type theory and with our experience as trial consultants. "Battered woman syndrome" is a theory; an idea, a concept that requires jurors to imagine how an abusive relationship can cause a particular psychological response. It is not a condition that can be documented or verified scientifically. Since Intuitives are naturally interested in the psychological workings of human relationships, they are much more likely to accept this theory as valid than their Sensing counterparts.
Sensors, on the other hand, prefer clear, tangible proof, and are naturally drawn to practical, rather than theoretical, explanations. In this case, the Sensors focused on the murder itself, and the fact that the defendant was physically able to leave her boyfriend that evening, while the Intuitives focused on the defendant's motivations and psychological justification for her behavior.
Sensors and Intuitives tend to have different attitudes about important issues such as crime and punishment, as their answers to this question demonstrate
To fight crime, tax dollars would be better spent on ( 1 ) more police, tougher sentencing, and more prisons or (2) more social programs for disadvantaged youth.
Twice as many Intuitives as Sensors answered "social programs," and Sensors were more than three times as likely to answer "more police and prisons" as Intuitives. Predictably, Sensors favoured established actions designed to have an immediate effect (such as adding more police or building additional prisons), and whose effect could be somehow measured. Intuitives sought solutions that took into account the underlying causes of societal problems (such as how the lack of social programs is related to increased crime), and were more eager to seek new, untried, and innovative solutions. And their focus was on how actions taken today would affect future generations. The results reinforced the belief that, politically, Sensors tend to be more conservative and Intuitives more liberal.
Do I like new ideas just for their own sake or only if they have practical utility?
Many Sensors are most comfortable with what is familiar, while Intuitives are usually drawn to what is new and different. Theories, concepts, and hypotheses appeal to most Intuitives because they represent possibilities. The fact that something is untried and unproven is not a turnoff to Intuitives. Rather, it is the potential offered by the new idea or situation that excites them the most. Sensors, of course, are also interested in new ideas, but only once they are convinced that something real and useful will come of them.
Sal was always inventing something. If it wasn't a brand-new idea, he could find ways of improving just about anything. His latest idea was a new kind of bracket to hang pictures on the wall that would keep them straight—eliminating the need for constant straightening. As he had with countless other ideas, Sal discussed this with his brother-in-law, Jack, with hopes of persuading him to invest the necessary seed money to make a prototype. Jack, a clear Sensor, had his doubts. First, he questioned whether the world really needed a better way of hanging pictures. After all, the old way must be good enough, since it had been around forever. He was sceptical that this new mechanism would really work as Sal promised, and, even if it did, wondered whether Sal had the patience and single-mindedness required to make his idea a reality. Fortunately, Sal met another amateur inventor, who had a contact at a fastener company. Sal met with a representative there, who expressed genuine interest in his project. When Sal reported this to his brother-in-law, Jack's attitude changed completely. Having received validation from a credible source that Sal's gizmo might really be marketable, Jack became more enthusiastic and eventually provided Sal's seed money.
If Intuitives are the "thinker-uppers"—people who love to invent the better mousetrap—then, certainly, Sensors are the "getter-doners"—the people who actually make the idea work. As we've said before, people of both preferences have different gifts, and it is easy to see the important role each plays in so many areas of life. Take business, for example. Each year, thousands of new businesses are started up in this country. Many are franchise operations, which duplicate already successfully tested ideas. But others are truly entrepreneurial, the result of someone's vision (or intuition) about a product or service which doesn't yet exist, but that the entrepreneur believes people will want.
Would I rather use an established skill or do I become bored easily after I've mastered it?
For many Intuitives, it is the creative part of the process that is most energizing. Once their inspiration has been given life, and the bugs have been worked out, they would rather go on to something else, leaving the details to others. Fortunately, those people are usually Sensors, who often enjoy and excel at setting up systems and following procedures so that things run smoothly. This is called being efficient. While the exact statistics of all the many hundreds of new businesses started each year are often disputed, it is common knowledge that a high percentage of them fail. Although many reasons are cited for this, including undercapitalization, lack of experience, and unanticipated market forces, there is another possible explanation that has a lot to do with Type preferences. Quite simply, the people who are talented at thinking things up are seldom as talented at making them work. This rests primarily on the fact that they dislike, and therefore avoid, any routine or repetitive activity for any period of time. Their interest tends to wane as soon as the creative challenges have been met.
Conversely, Sensors enjoy learning a skill, then using it repeatedly in an effective way. Whether as a surgeon performing an operation, an artist painting a portrait, a bookkeeper tallying figures, or a plumber installing a toilet, Sensors' combination of being very aware of their bodies and living totally in the present moment enables them to derive pleasure from performing the act itself. Intuitives often have a very different experience. For them, what the act means or represents is often more important than the act itself. And coupled with their future time orientation, they are often less than fully engaged in whatever task they are performing at the time. Therefore they don't usually experience the same pleasure Sensors take in repeating a task or using the same skill once they've mastered it.
From the time he was a young boy, Thomas, an Intuitive, thought he wanted to be a dentist. Of course the fact that both his father and grandfather were dentists may have influenced his decision a little bit. By his second semester of dental school, Thomas realized he had made a big mistake. For while the other students enjoyed learning standard tooth repair techniques, such as filling a cavity, Thomas thought he would go crazy if he had to do the procedure the same (excruciatingly boring) way, even one more time. When he found himself fantasizing about all the other ways a tooth could be filled, even outrageous ones like going in through the ear, or removing the top ofthe head, he realized he would never be happy as a dentist and fortunately (for him, and future patients!) changed professions.
That Sensors and Intuitives are often drawn to different subjects in school should come as no surprise. Intuitives are often more interested in theoretical studies like philosophy, psychology, sociology, and literature, while Sensors are often interested in more tangible subjects with practical applications, such as engineering, science, and business. This is not meant to imply that there are no Intuitive engineers, or that Sensors can't be successful psychologists, only that they don't tend to gravitate to these types of occupations in nearly the same percentages.
Sensors represent about 65 percent and Intuitives about 35 percent of the American population, giving Sensors somewhat of a numerical advantage. By now you should have a fairly good idea of whether your preference is for Sensing or Intuition.
By Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
Each of us continuously takes in millions (perhaps billions) of pieces of information every day, the great majority of which are processed unconsciously. Some people take in this information primarily through their five senses—what they see, hear, touch, taste, or smell—hence the name Sensors. Others take in information through their sixth sense, focusing not on what is, but rather on what could be. We use the word Intuitives to describe these people. Remember that no one is a pure Sensor or Intuitive any more than a person is a pure Extravert or Introvert. Each of us has the ability to use both Sensing and Intuition, and all of us do use both every day. But we have a natural, inborn preference for one over the other.
Below are several questions to ask yourself to determine whether you are a Sensor or an Intuitive.
Do I usually pay more attention to the facts and details or do I try to understand the connections, underlying meaning, and implications?
Sensors see the trees, while Intuitives see the forest. By this we mean that Sensors naturally pay attention to what they are experiencing at the moment. Handed a flower and asked to tell you about it, the Sensor will note how vivid the colours are, the smooth texture of the leaves, the delicate fragrance, and how light and fragile it is—in other words, what her three senses tell her about the flower. Hand the same flower to an Intuitive and ask her to tell you about it, and you are likely to hear something more like: "This reminds me of my grandmother. She used to have these growing in her yard, and when we'd visit each summer, we'd pick them to put on the table for family meals." You'll notice that the Intuitive perceived the flower in a very different way than the Sensor. Instead on focusing on what is, she immediately focused on her connection to the flower, and her associations with it.
Here's another metaphor that can help demonstrate how different the focus is for Sensors and Intuitives. Imagine a photographer taking a picture with a single-lens reflex camera (the kind of camera that you focus by turning the ring on the lens). The photographer is shooting a person who is standing in front of a huge panoramic view of a mountain range. With Sensors, it's as if they turn the lens until the person in the foreground (the detail) is in sharp focus, while the view behind (the big picture) is blurry. With Intuitives, it's just the opposite: they turn the lens so that the view (the big picture) behind the person is in focus, but the person in the foreground (the detail) is blurry and out of focus.
Arnie, a very clear Intuitive, learned just how attentive to details Sensors are when his apartment got robbed. Fortunately, he was away at the time and discovered the intrusion upon returning home. When the police arrived, they gave a cursory look around the kitchen first and asked him: "Was that drawer open when you left the house?" So inattentive to details was Arnie that he was embarrassed to admit he had never even noticed there was a drawer where the officer was pointing!
While Sensors tend to think in a linear fashion, one thought following the next, Intuitives frequently engage in intuitive leaps in thinking.
Jessica and Ian were driving in their car one afternoon' when she happened to notice and point out an exceptionally beautiful tree they were passing. After only a few seconds of looking at the tree, Ian turned to Jessica and said: "You know, I'm really ticked off at Jimmy." Now Jessica and Ian had been together long enough for her to understand the way his mind worked, and to often be able to track the origin of his many intuitive connections. But she was at a total loss this time. "Okay, explain how you got from seeing that tree to being mad at Jimmy [one of Ian's oldest childhood friends]." Ian explained: "When we were growing up, Jimmy had a tree house in a tree that looked a lot like that one. As soon as I saw it, it reminded me of him and the fact that he hasn't called me in two months. So that's why I'm mad at Jimmy."
These fundamental differences also may be seen early on in children. While one child has memorized every one of his favourite baseball player's stats, and can reel them off with impressive accuracy, his brother can't remember where he left his sneakers five minutes after he took them off.
Am I a more down-to-earth and sensible person or an imaginative and creative one?
It bears repeating that it is not better to have one preference over another. However, there are definitely gifts that are unique to each. Intuitives are often (but not always) creative; able to see possibilities and alternatives that aren't immediately apparent. Typically, they have rich imaginations, which they use to engage in fantasies of all kinds.
By this, we do not mean to imply that only Intuitives possess creativity, for this is certainly not the case. Creativity, like intelligence, takes many forms. But the ways that Intuitives express their creativity seem to be in seeing or doing things differently from the way they've been seen or done before. Sensors more often demonstrate their creativity by finding a new application for something that has already been invented or established. This tendency stems from their natural inclination to trust what they know from experience, their own or others'. One of the reasons
Sensors like data so much is that data are just facts that have been collected in a purposeful way. Intuitives are generally satisfied with less empirical proof in order to believe something is possible, or doable, since they have greater faith that although an answer may not be apparent, it just means it hasn't been found . . . yet!
Which do I trust more: my direct experience or my gut instinct? Am I more tuned in to the here-and-now or do I often imagine how things will affect future events?
Many Type experts believe that of the four type dimensions, the Sensing and Intuition scale represents the greatest differences between people, since it really influences one's worldview. A research project we conducted demonstrated this vividly. People were presented the facts of a murder case that involved a young woman accused of stabbing her live-in boyfriend. The boyfriend had abused the defendant in the past while intoxicated. Her attorney argued that she suffered from "battered woman syndrome." And so, at the time of the incident, she had reason to believe that her life was in jeopardy, and acted in self-defense. On the other side, the prosecution claimed she offered no proof that she had reason to fear for her life, could have left the scene, and therefore had no justification for killing her boyfriend.
While the majority (75%) of both Sensors and Intuitives voted "not guilty," Sensors were more than twice as likely to vote for murder as were Intuitives. These results were consistent both with Personality Type theory and with our experience as trial consultants. "Battered woman syndrome" is a theory; an idea, a concept that requires jurors to imagine how an abusive relationship can cause a particular psychological response. It is not a condition that can be documented or verified scientifically. Since Intuitives are naturally interested in the psychological workings of human relationships, they are much more likely to accept this theory as valid than their Sensing counterparts.
Sensors, on the other hand, prefer clear, tangible proof, and are naturally drawn to practical, rather than theoretical, explanations. In this case, the Sensors focused on the murder itself, and the fact that the defendant was physically able to leave her boyfriend that evening, while the Intuitives focused on the defendant's motivations and psychological justification for her behavior.
Sensors and Intuitives tend to have different attitudes about important issues such as crime and punishment, as their answers to this question demonstrate
To fight crime, tax dollars would be better spent on ( 1 ) more police, tougher sentencing, and more prisons or (2) more social programs for disadvantaged youth.
Twice as many Intuitives as Sensors answered "social programs," and Sensors were more than three times as likely to answer "more police and prisons" as Intuitives. Predictably, Sensors favoured established actions designed to have an immediate effect (such as adding more police or building additional prisons), and whose effect could be somehow measured. Intuitives sought solutions that took into account the underlying causes of societal problems (such as how the lack of social programs is related to increased crime), and were more eager to seek new, untried, and innovative solutions. And their focus was on how actions taken today would affect future generations. The results reinforced the belief that, politically, Sensors tend to be more conservative and Intuitives more liberal.
Do I like new ideas just for their own sake or only if they have practical utility?
Many Sensors are most comfortable with what is familiar, while Intuitives are usually drawn to what is new and different. Theories, concepts, and hypotheses appeal to most Intuitives because they represent possibilities. The fact that something is untried and unproven is not a turnoff to Intuitives. Rather, it is the potential offered by the new idea or situation that excites them the most. Sensors, of course, are also interested in new ideas, but only once they are convinced that something real and useful will come of them.
Sal was always inventing something. If it wasn't a brand-new idea, he could find ways of improving just about anything. His latest idea was a new kind of bracket to hang pictures on the wall that would keep them straight—eliminating the need for constant straightening. As he had with countless other ideas, Sal discussed this with his brother-in-law, Jack, with hopes of persuading him to invest the necessary seed money to make a prototype. Jack, a clear Sensor, had his doubts. First, he questioned whether the world really needed a better way of hanging pictures. After all, the old way must be good enough, since it had been around forever. He was sceptical that this new mechanism would really work as Sal promised, and, even if it did, wondered whether Sal had the patience and single-mindedness required to make his idea a reality. Fortunately, Sal met another amateur inventor, who had a contact at a fastener company. Sal met with a representative there, who expressed genuine interest in his project. When Sal reported this to his brother-in-law, Jack's attitude changed completely. Having received validation from a credible source that Sal's gizmo might really be marketable, Jack became more enthusiastic and eventually provided Sal's seed money.
If Intuitives are the "thinker-uppers"—people who love to invent the better mousetrap—then, certainly, Sensors are the "getter-doners"—the people who actually make the idea work. As we've said before, people of both preferences have different gifts, and it is easy to see the important role each plays in so many areas of life. Take business, for example. Each year, thousands of new businesses are started up in this country. Many are franchise operations, which duplicate already successfully tested ideas. But others are truly entrepreneurial, the result of someone's vision (or intuition) about a product or service which doesn't yet exist, but that the entrepreneur believes people will want.
Would I rather use an established skill or do I become bored easily after I've mastered it?
For many Intuitives, it is the creative part of the process that is most energizing. Once their inspiration has been given life, and the bugs have been worked out, they would rather go on to something else, leaving the details to others. Fortunately, those people are usually Sensors, who often enjoy and excel at setting up systems and following procedures so that things run smoothly. This is called being efficient. While the exact statistics of all the many hundreds of new businesses started each year are often disputed, it is common knowledge that a high percentage of them fail. Although many reasons are cited for this, including undercapitalization, lack of experience, and unanticipated market forces, there is another possible explanation that has a lot to do with Type preferences. Quite simply, the people who are talented at thinking things up are seldom as talented at making them work. This rests primarily on the fact that they dislike, and therefore avoid, any routine or repetitive activity for any period of time. Their interest tends to wane as soon as the creative challenges have been met.
Conversely, Sensors enjoy learning a skill, then using it repeatedly in an effective way. Whether as a surgeon performing an operation, an artist painting a portrait, a bookkeeper tallying figures, or a plumber installing a toilet, Sensors' combination of being very aware of their bodies and living totally in the present moment enables them to derive pleasure from performing the act itself. Intuitives often have a very different experience. For them, what the act means or represents is often more important than the act itself. And coupled with their future time orientation, they are often less than fully engaged in whatever task they are performing at the time. Therefore they don't usually experience the same pleasure Sensors take in repeating a task or using the same skill once they've mastered it.
From the time he was a young boy, Thomas, an Intuitive, thought he wanted to be a dentist. Of course the fact that both his father and grandfather were dentists may have influenced his decision a little bit. By his second semester of dental school, Thomas realized he had made a big mistake. For while the other students enjoyed learning standard tooth repair techniques, such as filling a cavity, Thomas thought he would go crazy if he had to do the procedure the same (excruciatingly boring) way, even one more time. When he found himself fantasizing about all the other ways a tooth could be filled, even outrageous ones like going in through the ear, or removing the top ofthe head, he realized he would never be happy as a dentist and fortunately (for him, and future patients!) changed professions.
That Sensors and Intuitives are often drawn to different subjects in school should come as no surprise. Intuitives are often more interested in theoretical studies like philosophy, psychology, sociology, and literature, while Sensors are often interested in more tangible subjects with practical applications, such as engineering, science, and business. This is not meant to imply that there are no Intuitive engineers, or that Sensors can't be successful psychologists, only that they don't tend to gravitate to these types of occupations in nearly the same percentages.
Sensors represent about 65 percent and Intuitives about 35 percent of the American population, giving Sensors somewhat of a numerical advantage. By now you should have a fairly good idea of whether your preference is for Sensing or Intuition.
Art of Following Intuition
By Shakti Gawain
Listening to, trusting, and acting on your intuitive inner guidance is an art. Like any other art or discipline, it requires a certain commitment. It is an ongoing process in which we are always being challenged to move to a deeper level of self-trust.
For most of us, the practice of allowing our intuition to guide us is really a new way of life, very different from what we have been taught in the past. At times it may feel uncomfortable or even a bit frightening. If we have been conditioned to try to approach life entirely rationally, to follow certain rules (or to automatically rebel against them), or to do what we think other people want us to do, then beginning to follow our own inner sense of truth is a major shift. It's natural for it to take some time and it may be a little difficult and confusing at certain moments. It's important to be very compassionate with ourselves in this process.
At times we may be very aware of the conflicting voices inside of us. One part of us may be excited about making changes while another part of us is terrified about it. If we can acknowledge and honour all our different inner voices and their feelings, our intuition will show us an appropriate step to take -- one that moves us in the right direction without being too frightening for our vulnerable selves or too radical for our conservative parts.
Opening New Doors
The more we practice following our intuition, the more faith we get, because we see that it really does work. Not only is nothing disastrous happening (as in our worst fears), but our lives are actually getting better and better. Remember to start with small steps until you build a sense of confidence in yourself and can gradually tackle bigger issues.
Your intuition will most likely push you gently toward taking some appropriate risks and trying new things. For example, you might have a fantasy of doing something creative that you haven't done before, such as taking art, dancing, or music lessons. An inner critic voice might try to stop you from risking failure or embarrassment by whispering in your ear, "Don't be silly, you're not creative!" or "You're much too old to start something totally new." You can acknowledge your inner critic and thank it for its attempt to protect you from humiliation. Then you can go ahead and give it a try anyway.
Your intuition may be trying to show you that you have a new direction in which you need to move or that there is something within you that is trying to come through. If you give yourself permission to try it, you don't have to be great at it; just do it for fun. Follow your intuitive impulse and see what happens. It may open a new door for you. It may give you a chance to play and discover a new part of your personality that you haven't learned to express before.
Suppose you have always wanted to start your own business. Allow yourself to fantasize about it. Start thinking about what steps you could take in that direction. Ask your intuition to show you what to do. Try following any impulse you might have to explore this possibility. It may be that nothing will happen, or that you take a few steps and then feel blocked. This may be an indication that this is not the best course of action for you at this time. Or it may mean that you need to be open to it happening in a totally different and unexpected way. Stay open and see what happens. I know many people who have become very successful this way.
As you learn to live from your intuition you may find that the process of making decisions changes. Rather than just trying to figure things out in your head, you follow your intuitive feeling for a while and let things unfold. In the process, the right decisions usually get made.
For example, if you are unhappy in your job, don't immediately make a decision to go in and quit, unless you truly have a strong gut feeling that that is the best course of action. Instead, explore and acknowledge your feelings, such as, "I'm really unhappy here, I'd like to work with people more," or whatever. Then turn it over to your intuition and allow it to show you step by step what you need to do. You will probably find that something will emerge. You may find that your current job changes and improves, or you may get an inspiration about a different career and begin to explore that possibility. You may follow an impulse to interview for another job and find that it is right for you. Or you may get very clear that you need to resign, and it will feel appropriate to do so. The right action will emerge from the process.
If you have a problem to solve, or a desire to fulfill, try turning it over to your intuition. For example, if you feel like your social life is boring or unrewarding and you'd like to make new friends, consciously ask your intuition to guide you in this process. You might find that a week or two later you read about a hobby group and you intuitively feel drawn to attend. You may end up joining a camera club or a hiking club and find a new circle of friends with a common interest.
Some people fear that trusting their intuition will lead them to do things that are purely selfish, irresponsible, or hurtful to others. In reality, the opposite is true. Since intuition is connected to our souls and to the universal intelligence, it is always guiding us to our own highest good and the greater good for all concerned.
When we follow our intuition, we sometimes behave in new and different ways, and others may sometimes be temporarily disappointed or upset. For example, if you are a very giving person who has always tried to please and care for others, your intuition may push you to learn to say "no" when you really don't want to do something, and to set better boundaries with people. At first, this might upset someone. In the long run, however, you and everyone else you relate to will be healthier and happier because of this change.
It's actually quite amazing to watch how the intuitive process sorts things out so that everyone ends up exactly where they need to be, doing exactly what makes them happiest.
A Guiding Force
In the process of learning to trust intuition, some people go through a period of time where they feel like their life is falling apart. Relationships may end or change dramatically, you may move, change jobs, lose interest in familiar pastimes. These are indications that you are letting go of certain aspects of your old identity. If you tried to hold on to it, you would limit or imprison yourself. The forms in your life have to change because you are changing. It's a matter of trusting that even when things are not going exactly the way you expected, there is a deeper perfection in the process. New forms of relationship, creativity, work, and home will come into being and they will reflect your growth and development.*
*For more understanding about how following your intuition can change your life, I suggest reading my book Living in the Light.
It's important to have emotional support while you are going through these kinds of changes. Find a friend or group of friends that you can talk to about your hopes, dreams, and fears, someone who can support and encourage you as well as give you honest feedback.
Sometimes family or old friends feel too threatened by the changes you are going through and are unable to give real support. You may need to seek out people who are interested in personal growth. One of the best ways to do this is to go to a workshop or join a support group (or create your own).
Learning to follow your intuition can sometimes feel a bit like "living on the edge". In a sense, it's learning to live without the false sense of security that comes from trying to control everything that happens to us. It's recognizing that as we follow our inner guidance, wonderful things are going to unfold for us, things that we may not yet even imagine.
Gradually we become less afraid and more comfortable with uncertainty. We can learn to enjoy not knowing! It's actually a very exciting, alive feeling. We can learn to move into the unknown with the confidence that we have a guiding force within us that is showing us the way.
FOLLOWING YOUR OWN ENERGY MEDITATION
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and relax your body. Take another deep breath and relax your mind. Continue to breathe slowly and deeply and let go of all tension or anxiety. As you relax, you find yourself in a deep, quiet place inside. Allow yourself to just rest in that place for a few moments, with nothing you need to do or think about.
From this deep, quiet place, begin to sense the life force within you. Imagine that you are following your own energy, feeling it, trusting it, moving with it in every moment of your life. You are being completely true to yourself, speaking and living your truth. You feel alive and empowered. Imagine that you are expressing your creativity fully and freely, and let yourself enjoy the experience.
Do this meditation as often as you like. I send you my blessings on your journey.
By Shakti Gawain
Listening to, trusting, and acting on your intuitive inner guidance is an art. Like any other art or discipline, it requires a certain commitment. It is an ongoing process in which we are always being challenged to move to a deeper level of self-trust.
For most of us, the practice of allowing our intuition to guide us is really a new way of life, very different from what we have been taught in the past. At times it may feel uncomfortable or even a bit frightening. If we have been conditioned to try to approach life entirely rationally, to follow certain rules (or to automatically rebel against them), or to do what we think other people want us to do, then beginning to follow our own inner sense of truth is a major shift. It's natural for it to take some time and it may be a little difficult and confusing at certain moments. It's important to be very compassionate with ourselves in this process.
At times we may be very aware of the conflicting voices inside of us. One part of us may be excited about making changes while another part of us is terrified about it. If we can acknowledge and honour all our different inner voices and their feelings, our intuition will show us an appropriate step to take -- one that moves us in the right direction without being too frightening for our vulnerable selves or too radical for our conservative parts.
Opening New Doors
The more we practice following our intuition, the more faith we get, because we see that it really does work. Not only is nothing disastrous happening (as in our worst fears), but our lives are actually getting better and better. Remember to start with small steps until you build a sense of confidence in yourself and can gradually tackle bigger issues.
Your intuition will most likely push you gently toward taking some appropriate risks and trying new things. For example, you might have a fantasy of doing something creative that you haven't done before, such as taking art, dancing, or music lessons. An inner critic voice might try to stop you from risking failure or embarrassment by whispering in your ear, "Don't be silly, you're not creative!" or "You're much too old to start something totally new." You can acknowledge your inner critic and thank it for its attempt to protect you from humiliation. Then you can go ahead and give it a try anyway.
Your intuition may be trying to show you that you have a new direction in which you need to move or that there is something within you that is trying to come through. If you give yourself permission to try it, you don't have to be great at it; just do it for fun. Follow your intuitive impulse and see what happens. It may open a new door for you. It may give you a chance to play and discover a new part of your personality that you haven't learned to express before.
Suppose you have always wanted to start your own business. Allow yourself to fantasize about it. Start thinking about what steps you could take in that direction. Ask your intuition to show you what to do. Try following any impulse you might have to explore this possibility. It may be that nothing will happen, or that you take a few steps and then feel blocked. This may be an indication that this is not the best course of action for you at this time. Or it may mean that you need to be open to it happening in a totally different and unexpected way. Stay open and see what happens. I know many people who have become very successful this way.
As you learn to live from your intuition you may find that the process of making decisions changes. Rather than just trying to figure things out in your head, you follow your intuitive feeling for a while and let things unfold. In the process, the right decisions usually get made.
For example, if you are unhappy in your job, don't immediately make a decision to go in and quit, unless you truly have a strong gut feeling that that is the best course of action. Instead, explore and acknowledge your feelings, such as, "I'm really unhappy here, I'd like to work with people more," or whatever. Then turn it over to your intuition and allow it to show you step by step what you need to do. You will probably find that something will emerge. You may find that your current job changes and improves, or you may get an inspiration about a different career and begin to explore that possibility. You may follow an impulse to interview for another job and find that it is right for you. Or you may get very clear that you need to resign, and it will feel appropriate to do so. The right action will emerge from the process.
If you have a problem to solve, or a desire to fulfill, try turning it over to your intuition. For example, if you feel like your social life is boring or unrewarding and you'd like to make new friends, consciously ask your intuition to guide you in this process. You might find that a week or two later you read about a hobby group and you intuitively feel drawn to attend. You may end up joining a camera club or a hiking club and find a new circle of friends with a common interest.
Some people fear that trusting their intuition will lead them to do things that are purely selfish, irresponsible, or hurtful to others. In reality, the opposite is true. Since intuition is connected to our souls and to the universal intelligence, it is always guiding us to our own highest good and the greater good for all concerned.
When we follow our intuition, we sometimes behave in new and different ways, and others may sometimes be temporarily disappointed or upset. For example, if you are a very giving person who has always tried to please and care for others, your intuition may push you to learn to say "no" when you really don't want to do something, and to set better boundaries with people. At first, this might upset someone. In the long run, however, you and everyone else you relate to will be healthier and happier because of this change.
It's actually quite amazing to watch how the intuitive process sorts things out so that everyone ends up exactly where they need to be, doing exactly what makes them happiest.
A Guiding Force
In the process of learning to trust intuition, some people go through a period of time where they feel like their life is falling apart. Relationships may end or change dramatically, you may move, change jobs, lose interest in familiar pastimes. These are indications that you are letting go of certain aspects of your old identity. If you tried to hold on to it, you would limit or imprison yourself. The forms in your life have to change because you are changing. It's a matter of trusting that even when things are not going exactly the way you expected, there is a deeper perfection in the process. New forms of relationship, creativity, work, and home will come into being and they will reflect your growth and development.*
*For more understanding about how following your intuition can change your life, I suggest reading my book Living in the Light.
It's important to have emotional support while you are going through these kinds of changes. Find a friend or group of friends that you can talk to about your hopes, dreams, and fears, someone who can support and encourage you as well as give you honest feedback.
Sometimes family or old friends feel too threatened by the changes you are going through and are unable to give real support. You may need to seek out people who are interested in personal growth. One of the best ways to do this is to go to a workshop or join a support group (or create your own).
Learning to follow your intuition can sometimes feel a bit like "living on the edge". In a sense, it's learning to live without the false sense of security that comes from trying to control everything that happens to us. It's recognizing that as we follow our inner guidance, wonderful things are going to unfold for us, things that we may not yet even imagine.
Gradually we become less afraid and more comfortable with uncertainty. We can learn to enjoy not knowing! It's actually a very exciting, alive feeling. We can learn to move into the unknown with the confidence that we have a guiding force within us that is showing us the way.
FOLLOWING YOUR OWN ENERGY MEDITATION
Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and relax your body. Take another deep breath and relax your mind. Continue to breathe slowly and deeply and let go of all tension or anxiety. As you relax, you find yourself in a deep, quiet place inside. Allow yourself to just rest in that place for a few moments, with nothing you need to do or think about.
From this deep, quiet place, begin to sense the life force within you. Imagine that you are following your own energy, feeling it, trusting it, moving with it in every moment of your life. You are being completely true to yourself, speaking and living your truth. You feel alive and empowered. Imagine that you are expressing your creativity fully and freely, and let yourself enjoy the experience.
Do this meditation as often as you like. I send you my blessings on your journey.
Benefios de intuir corretamente
O poder da intuiçãoA intuição, característica mais atribuída às mulheres que aos homens, é a sensação que muitas pessoas têm e que consideram como um aviso, uma voz interna que diz como agir, que direção tomar, que pessoas aceitar como confiáveis e o que dizer em certas situações.
É aceita até mesmo pela ciência. Envolve a comunicação dos dois hemisférios do cérebro: o esquerdo, que é racional e armazena dados concretos - números, palavras e regras -, e o direito, responsável pela linguagem não verbal – símbolos, imagens e sensações -. A intuição pode surgir quando ocorre o relacionamento de dados vindos dos dois hemisférios. Para os cientistas, intuir significa correlacionar fatos que aparentemente não possuem ligação. É uma capacidade do cérebro e nada tem de sobrenatural, apesar de ser conhecida como sexto sentido.
O lado racional do cérebro tende a desprezar o acaso, as emoções e as impressões, por isso torna-se difícil conseguir relacionar e interpretar dados objetivos e subjetivos armazenados no inconsciente. Para trazer para a consciência o conhecimento interior é necessário resgatar os sinais dos cinco sentidos. Estar atento e definir um foco de atenção tem peso decisivo para a intuição. A atenção pode tornar as coisas evidentes. Não é por acaso que “intueri”, do latim, significa “olhar atentamente”. Também é necessário aprender a fazer a pergunta certa, de forma objetiva e sem ambigüidades, para conseguir a intuição correta.
“Para os cientistas, intuir significa correlacionar fatos que aparentemente não possuem ligação. É uma capacidade do cérebro e nada tem de sobrenatural, apesar de ser conhecida como sexto sentido ”
A pessoa é mais intuitiva quanto maior for o seu conhecimento armazenado e a sua capacidade de interpretar esses dados. Portanto, o conhecimento é utilizado pela intuição, apesar da informação ser elaborada de maneira diferente da usada pela mente lógica. É um processo de compreensão instantânea que pode começar pela mera percepção do acaso.
A intuição pode ajudar muito as pessoas a usar de maneira mais sábia o seu conhecimento técnico. O cientista Isaac Newton conseguiu ver que por trás de uma macieira repleta de frutos suspensos pelos pedúnculos, existia a lua fixa no firmamento. Até aí muitos de nós também somos capazes de ver, mas ele foi além das maçãs e da lua, e visualizou a inércia e a atração entre os corpos. Ele combinou a visão normal, isto é, o ato puro e simples de olhar, com a visão sofisticada, ou seja, o ato de ver, de perceber, de discernir e de pressentir, onde reside o segredo da intuição. Na intuição chega-se à verdade por meios não apenas racionais. É mais difícil intuir quando há grande pressão e tensão. Conseguir relaxar e se distanciar do problema ajuda a focalizar o que parece estar escondido. É necessário distrair a mente e permitir que a intuição aflore.A intuição, muitas vezes, pode ser confundida com o desejo de que algo aconteça. Nem sempre é fácil distinguir entre a intuição e os desejos e pensamentos produzidos pelo cérebro. As manias, os medos e as teimosias conseguem confundir a compreensão pela intuição. A educação voltada para o raciocínio lógico e objetivo pode bloquear a capacidade de interpretar fatos e dados que a pessoa percebe e sente de forma intuitiva. A maneira como cada um consegue resgatar seu mundo interior e confrontá-lo com os dados do conhecimento adquirido ao longo do tempo é sempre uma característica individual. A vida fica mais fácil para quem consegue ouvir a própria a intuição!
Coluna assinada por:Flávia Leão FernandesCRP 06/68043Psicóloga clínica, Mestre em Psicologia pela Universidade de Londres, Inglaterra e especialista em Psicologia Hospitalar com enfoque em obesidade.
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É aceita até mesmo pela ciência. Envolve a comunicação dos dois hemisférios do cérebro: o esquerdo, que é racional e armazena dados concretos - números, palavras e regras -, e o direito, responsável pela linguagem não verbal – símbolos, imagens e sensações -. A intuição pode surgir quando ocorre o relacionamento de dados vindos dos dois hemisférios. Para os cientistas, intuir significa correlacionar fatos que aparentemente não possuem ligação. É uma capacidade do cérebro e nada tem de sobrenatural, apesar de ser conhecida como sexto sentido.
O lado racional do cérebro tende a desprezar o acaso, as emoções e as impressões, por isso torna-se difícil conseguir relacionar e interpretar dados objetivos e subjetivos armazenados no inconsciente. Para trazer para a consciência o conhecimento interior é necessário resgatar os sinais dos cinco sentidos. Estar atento e definir um foco de atenção tem peso decisivo para a intuição. A atenção pode tornar as coisas evidentes. Não é por acaso que “intueri”, do latim, significa “olhar atentamente”. Também é necessário aprender a fazer a pergunta certa, de forma objetiva e sem ambigüidades, para conseguir a intuição correta.
“Para os cientistas, intuir significa correlacionar fatos que aparentemente não possuem ligação. É uma capacidade do cérebro e nada tem de sobrenatural, apesar de ser conhecida como sexto sentido ”
A pessoa é mais intuitiva quanto maior for o seu conhecimento armazenado e a sua capacidade de interpretar esses dados. Portanto, o conhecimento é utilizado pela intuição, apesar da informação ser elaborada de maneira diferente da usada pela mente lógica. É um processo de compreensão instantânea que pode começar pela mera percepção do acaso.
A intuição pode ajudar muito as pessoas a usar de maneira mais sábia o seu conhecimento técnico. O cientista Isaac Newton conseguiu ver que por trás de uma macieira repleta de frutos suspensos pelos pedúnculos, existia a lua fixa no firmamento. Até aí muitos de nós também somos capazes de ver, mas ele foi além das maçãs e da lua, e visualizou a inércia e a atração entre os corpos. Ele combinou a visão normal, isto é, o ato puro e simples de olhar, com a visão sofisticada, ou seja, o ato de ver, de perceber, de discernir e de pressentir, onde reside o segredo da intuição. Na intuição chega-se à verdade por meios não apenas racionais. É mais difícil intuir quando há grande pressão e tensão. Conseguir relaxar e se distanciar do problema ajuda a focalizar o que parece estar escondido. É necessário distrair a mente e permitir que a intuição aflore.A intuição, muitas vezes, pode ser confundida com o desejo de que algo aconteça. Nem sempre é fácil distinguir entre a intuição e os desejos e pensamentos produzidos pelo cérebro. As manias, os medos e as teimosias conseguem confundir a compreensão pela intuição. A educação voltada para o raciocínio lógico e objetivo pode bloquear a capacidade de interpretar fatos e dados que a pessoa percebe e sente de forma intuitiva. A maneira como cada um consegue resgatar seu mundo interior e confrontá-lo com os dados do conhecimento adquirido ao longo do tempo é sempre uma característica individual. A vida fica mais fácil para quem consegue ouvir a própria a intuição!
Coluna assinada por:Flávia Leão FernandesCRP 06/68043Psicóloga clínica, Mestre em Psicologia pela Universidade de Londres, Inglaterra e especialista em Psicologia Hospitalar com enfoque em obesidade.
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buscar: em: todo o site casos de sucesso diet vip nutrição psicologia fitness beleza motiv - Rui motiv - Daniel receitas especiais saúde motiv - Kika
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