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.
