Many people think that
learning to develop their intuitive senses is
frivolous and time-consuming. Notice I use the
verb "think." For if instead we can say, "I
believe," we are affirming a feeling. And
responding from feelings is utilizing our
intuition. To discount the realm of intuition is
like deeply discounting the value of something
we hold dear. It is denying one of the powerful
gifts Creator blessed us with, in order to help
us feel our way through life. Denying our
intuitive faculties is like functioning solely
from the perspective of "if I can see it, I can
believe it."
Let's examine this
statement. For most of us, seeing is
believing. Yet it is precisely how
we "see" that is in dispute when we speak of
intuition. What is the definition of sight? How
do we value it? If you and I look at the same
object and comment on it, our comments will
vary, sometimes widely. Each one of us has our
own perceptions, our own views on any given
object or subject. Likewise, our individual
beliefs about how life works and what Creative
force drives the universe vary, as well. Seeing
is not simply a visual exercise. It is
experiential. When we look at a tree,
for example, we not only view it visually but we
may feel the tree. We hear the wind
blowing through its boughs, taste the smell of
its fragrance, or remember how sharp the needles
felt last time we touched them. Seeing in this
way is a kinesthetic, felt sense.
Some of us feel/see more than others. And the
longer any of us observes the tree, the more we
may glimpse its subtleties. We may notice the
color variation of new growth, perhaps viewing a
bird nestled among its branches. Our focus may
wander to the tiny woodpecker holes along the
trunk, or the small scar left by a fallen limb.
Perhaps we also see/feel something more about
the tree which we can't define, but which
somehow feels part of it. If asked about the
tree, we might unthinkingly include such words
as "glorious" or perhaps "sad." In this way, we
are exercising subtle perception.
This is where the term
imaginary comes in. For imaginary simply
means activating images. Images, like
photographs, are pictures that represent
something which exists on a deeper, more
profound level. When we look at a photo of
a person, that image does not convey the rich
complexities existing within the human being. We
have to imagine something about the person in
order to infuse the picture with meaning,
especially if we don't know them very well. In
practicing with imagery, however, we must be
careful to utilize our feelings rather than our
judgments. Judgments are based on surface
observations and give us no depth perception. I
am sure none of us would want to be summed up by
another as one-dimensional, but in fact our
judging mind habitually practices this
summing-up all the time. Even summing up
something as literal as a written report can
best be accomplished by thoughtfully sensing
what is hidden between the lines, as well as
reading what is on the printed page. Taking
anything at face value gives us only one
perceptual edge. Delving beyond face value
requires that we engage something more,
something deeper. It often requires that we
engage our intuition, our hunches, our gut
feelings about a person, place or thing. Even
the most logical and rational among us engages
intuition without knowing it, from time to time.
What does choosing to
engage more of our intuition provide us with?
What's the benefit of developing it further?
First, we are able to more fully observe events
and circumstances that surround us. Second, we
learn to trust ourselves more. Trusting solely
in our intellect is like saying, "I trust my
computer, I just don't trust the person punching
the keys." The brain is like our body's
computer. And though it is a valuable resource,
it is principally a tool to help us gather and
sort information. Like a computer, its animation
is derived solely from the person operating it.
And that person is not only flesh, but soul and
spirit as well. The greater Mind we all have
access to through utilizing our intuition is
more mysterious. It is not something we can
dissect out of the body; not something we can
view in a concrete, third-dimensional way.
I have a theory that
Creator gave life to us, to all life on Earth
and all that exists in the cosmos, in order to
experience itself through its creations.
If this is true, one of the most important
aspects of life may be to delve into its more
mysterious aspects experientially, intuitively,
in order to flesh out our God essence or
Divinity. This inner work, our creative
work, allows us to resonate more harmoniously
with the unseen forces of Creation. We can then
be in more acceptance of what is given, in our
lives. No matter what our challenges are, we
accept what they have to teach us more
gracefully, even if those challenges arrive in
the guise of something or someone that brings up
our deepest fears and inadequacies. We are then
more open to learning, or to our "tuition," or
as Webster defines it, our instruction.
Utilizing our in-tuition is simply choosing to
acknowledge the learning that takes place
within. Often we are taught not to trust
ourselves.
From childhood on, we are
taught to discount our "imagination." Yet
this world of imagery, including that which is
provided to us symbolically in dreams, can be
key to unblocking the channels to a rich and
abundant existence.
