- Johann Kaspar Lavater
Albert Einstein once remarked that „the only real valuable thing is intuition. Here is a person who fathered a new paradigm of thought about space and time, and gave us a deeper understanding of the Universe. It is unusual to hear a physical Universe scientist proclaiming the virtues of intuition. But then again, he was no ordinary scientist. It is clear to everyone who understands his work that he was tuned in to something extraordinary. It is just as clear he had mastered the harmony of the two phases of mind, his intellect and intuition.
Unlike intention, intuition does not involve the use of reason or intellect. Intuition is simply a „knowing without reason. It is the passive principle of mind and resides in the domain of the Higher Self, or Universal Mind.
The very notion of intuition can stimulate a fiery response from the intellect. Bound by logic, its only conclusion is that a knowing without reason is impossible. The intellect simply cannot grasp it directly, and it never will.
INTUITION AND THE UNIVERSAL MINDSo what then is all this fuss about intuition? Was Einstein embellishing when he said it was the only real valuable thing? After all, you have travelled along just fine for decades without paying any attention to intuition. Right?
Well, the secret to manifesting is to realize there is a vast and unbounded intelligence behind the world of form. It effortlessly orchestrates the chain of events required to transform exploding stars into everything you see around you now. Everything! Moreover, it is trying to communicate with you right now; it wants to express through you, to become more than it was yesterday, through you. And it is doing all of this through the passive polarity of mind – your intuition.
Even though we experience our everyday reality from the perspective of individual mind, intuition opens the way to the Universal. Through intuition, you can connect to the wholeness far beyond the veils of separation, beyond your fragmented Ego. As you progress along the journey of realizing your Higher Purpose, you will learn that intuition is the key to illuminating your path. Without intuition, your life will continue as a drawn out battle of the intellect, of trial and error, of second-guessing and merely hoping you are on the right path.
EXPRESSIONS OF INTUITIONIntuition expresses through awareness in a variety of ways, including:
² Flash of insight
² Urge or Impulse
² Epiphany
² Inner knowing
² Gut feeling
² Revelation
² Hunch
² Aha or Eureka! moment
Considering this list, it is clear that intuition is far removed from the domain of reason. We have all had experiences of intuitive guidance, but many people are reluctant to call it such. That is because we have such highly developed reasonbased intellects. This basis of thought effortlessly dismisses intuition with its seemingly infallible logic. That is because the intellect is merely doing what it does best – reasoning.
The intellect cannot fathom it let alone understand the mechanism by which it could possibly work, so it concludes it does not exist. However, do not allow its powerful reasoning abilities to confound you. Like an addict, the rational mind is in denial. While it can see the evidence and effects of intuition everywhere, it cannot come to terms with it.
You will notice that you can group the above list into two broad categories. One relates to flashes of thought, the other to feelings. We are going to refer to these as creative and spontaneous intuition, respectively. To help clarify this distinction, study the following diagram for a moment and try to discern the differences for yourself:
Creative Intuition
• Flash of insight
• Aha or Eureka! moment
• Inspiration
• Impulse or urge
• Inner knowing
• Gut feeling or hunch
Creative intuition is just what it sounds like. Whether it is a perfect solution, profound insight or just a new way of looking at something, it smacks of „creativity. That is, it is a novel way of looking at things that surmounts all the issues or explains all the results. It often involves recognizing new connections between existing knowledge. The flashes are very sharp and clear, they cut through the fog of confusion – you see the way! You will have clarity and a sense of elation and excitement.
In most cases, creative intuition comes after you have applied your intellect intensively to a problem or question. Later on, the answer „pops into your head or „flashes across your mind. Most stories behind great discoveries share this pattern of intellectual intensity followed by a revelation. These two features are the cornerstones of creative intuition. In the manifesting process, it is intention that focuses the intellect.
So what is happening here? Deep below the horizon of your conscious awareness, ideas are bubbling, coupling, synchronizing and preparing for birth into your awareness. Once synthesized, the Universal Mind expresses the solution to you through intuition.
Your intellect might be protesting at this thought; it would no doubt like to take credit for your magnificent insight. It is probably even dismissing the possibility of Divine Inspiration altogether. Well, how about you stop and ask your intellect if it knows how stardust transmutes into the unimaginably sophisticated brain in which it now resides. Any answer? Enough said!
When you receive intuitive guidance, you will always have your intellect suppressed; you could be walking in nature, taking a shower or even meditating. Archimedes had his famous Eureka! moment while he was having a bath. You never know when or where the creative inspiration comes, it just „comes from nowhere. It might take an hour, a day or weeks, you never know.
SPONTANEOUS INTUITIONSpontaneous intuition is your everyday intuition. It works much differently to creative intuition. It manifests as the impulses, urges and attraction that you feel toward people, ideas and events. It is clearest when you have a tranquil and clear mental space. Unlike creative intuition, it is faint and subtle. Some common examples of spontaneous intuition are:
² Knowing who is calling you before you answer ² An urge to take a different route than normal ² A bad feeling about someone
² A sense of certainty in your next course of action
There is another important distinction between creative and spontaneous intuition. That is, how it flows into your awareness. Intuitive guidance can flow into your awareness in three ways, as shown in the following diagram:
Physical Body - Spontaneous Intuition
• Gut feeling, expansive or contractive physical response
• Feeling, impulse or urge
• Flash of insight, Aha! moment, revelation, epiphany
Notice that clarity and strength of the intuitive message is lowest in the physical body and highest in the mental body. Flashes of insight hit you like a lightning bolt, whereas a gut feeling radiates gently from within. In addition, notice that the mental body corresponds with creative intuition, while the emotional and physical body corresponds with spontaneous intuition.
Developing both of these types of intuition is important for your growth along the path of mastering the art of manifesting. The key to receiving the guidance offered through intuition is to become receptive to it. The Alchemists Toolkit at the end of this book is devoted to teaching you some simple techniques to become highly receptive to intuitive guidance. I recommend that you turn to it now and familiarize yourself with them before continuing.
CHANNELLING SPONTANEOUS INTUITIONA powerful method for channelling spontaneous intuition is with the coin flip technique. Take a coin and assign a yes/no outcome to either heads or tails. Ask yourself a question that is genuinely important to you. Flip the coin to reveal either heads or tails. When you see the outcome, pay close attention to your spontaneous feeling in the instant you see the result. If you feel a sense of expansiveness or relief, then taking action to realize that outcome is in alignment with your Higher Self. If you feel contracted or disappointed, then that outcome does not align with your Higher Self. The key is to disregard your intellect altogether, go with your spontaneous feeling about the result. Your intellect will only serve to inform you of everything that could go wrong. It is trying to protect you from harm, not help you to grow into the magnificent creative force that you are capable of becoming.