Should we be learning to rely on our intuition for perceiving information?
For a few years now, I've been having the feeling that maybe I would benefit from using more of my intuition. I wasn't quite sure why, except that I knew it was part of my personality and so was considered a skill of value. My perception of intuition with regard to my Myers-Briggs personality type was that I was a big picture person who preferred to imagine what could be rather than to perceive so-called realities through my five senses. Intuition in relation to my personality type refers to creativity, self-expression and ideas. It means that I tend to look outside the box and between the lines and that I am able to make connections between things that others might not view as being related. It probably means that it is easier for me to believe in things that can't be seen or touched and that I am curious about things that are out of the ordinary. It also means that I can easily project my mind into the future and consider possibilities, and that often I don't feel the need to experience things physically - I can imagine whether or not I will enjoy them.
In this article, I would like to explore some aspects of intuition, explain why it is our natural state, and discuss why it is time for us to begin to tap into this superpower that we were born with and have carried throughout the ages.
Merriam-Webster defines Intuition as:
The power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.
So, intuition is about 'sensing' or 'knowing' something rather than putting the pieces together with our logical or rational mind. I don't believe that as a society we've been taught to use intuition, and I have a feeling that most of us have not learned to value and use this faculty to the level that we could have.
To sense or experience a feeling of knowing without having concrete evidence of something has not traditionally been viewed as adult or intelligent in our society. Believing in things that cannot be seen can be viewed as somewhat childish. Voicing these beliefs can even mean that you may be seen as ''not quite right'' - deluded or mentally affected. We tend to dismiss people who 'sense' things, not understanding just what we're dismissing. We overlook this ability because we do not understand it or trust it. We've been taught to trust others - people in power or people with letters beside their names - rather than our own inner knowing. From birth we have been told to listen to our parents, our teachers, other adults, church leaders, scientists, celebrities, politicians, rich people, and royal figureheads. We have learned to listen, learn, trust, respect and comply, but how often did anyone tell us to trust ourselves?
Yes, there were people who might have encouraged us to question - progressive parents and teachers - I'm not wanting to make a blanket statement here, but this was not the overarching narrative. There is so much happening in the world right now, and we need to see these events through fresh eyes and sharpen up our powers of discernment. It is time to take all of these 'important' people off their pedestals and go inward to determine the truths that are relevant to us. Two years ago we would never have predicted the world we are experiencing today, and over the next few years we will see society as we have known it being turned further on its head. On some level we have always known that we're existing in a world of mystery, madness and magic, and that there are so many unknowns to explore. Some of these will soon become apparent, and they might even surprise and shock us. We will need to find out where we stand. There have always been those who have had knowledge, confidence and authority and it's easy to place our faith in them, but we will never feel truly safe within this reality until we develop our own inner conviction.
If we're unable to draw on this sixth sense, our intuition, we are unable to truly differentiate between truth and fiction, good and bad, and right and wrong. Without intuition, we lack the skills to establish appropriate boundaries to keep ourselves healthy and safe, and to find our true path and contribution. Remember that this is not our first time at the rodeo. We have brought with us wisdom and knowledge from many lifetimes - possibly even DNA from other galaxies and dimensions. We are not limited in the ways that we have been led to believe. Somewhere deep inside we know why we have come here at this time and what we are here to create and experience. As a young woman, I was able to walk away from organised religion without a shadow of doubt or fear. My path was clear. Maybe there's a reason that we choose to experience polarities like these, and somehow my soul knew - it remembered. I trusted my inner knowing above everything that I had been told and never looked back.
Often we place our trust in powerful others or in the status quo out of fear. This is our indicator that we might need to question our direction. Every decision in life should be made from a place of inspiration. We should feel peace, relief and ease. No decision should be made from a place of fear. Much of intuition is about how we feel - our gut feelings. Intuition can come from our gut, from how we feel in our body. Our body has the capacity to show us how we are feeling emotionally - if we are joyful or excited. It can also alert us to danger, to whether a situation or person is safe, so it might take us some time to trust our gut feelings, to differentiate them from habits of fear of the worst case scenario. The advice is, don't automatically dismiss these feelings. Sit with them and reflect on where they might be coming from. At first they might be due to longtime habits of thought, but as we work on shifting ingrained patterns and barriers, our inner wisdom will start to shine through.
I knew when I was very young that I didn't need a middle man to connect to all that was larger than myself, and that I was born with that capacity because it was intended that I apply it. There is no need to sift our values through someone else's value system or assess our priorities according to theirs. We can choose our path and take it valiantly, and with trust. As long as our intentions align with the good of humanity, we cannot go too far off course. Keep assessing, keep feeling into your decisions rather than staying with them because they are the most comfortable options. Speak out against the things that you know are not right and trust that the universe will support you in your decisions. We are all on a journey of learning and discovery, and outcomes are not always clear. Knowing that we have an inner compass to guide us will help us navigate what is to come. I believe that we are creating a world that is beyond even what I had thought to imagine. This is what my inner knowing tells me, and I am excited every day to watch this unfold.
There is more to intuition - the intuition of the third eye/the psychic sense, but I might save this for another day. For now, I would urge you to:
Step outside of the bubble of not wanting to know.
Look beyond the information / the mainstream media / the accepted narrative.
Read between the lines / look for hidden agendas / reflect, contemplate and evaluate.
Tap into your feelings / your body's wisdom / your inner knowing.
Look to inspiration rather than being swayed by fear.
And, remember that we are powerful creators who can shift timelines and provoke outcomes with our thoughts and beliefs. We are not at the mercy of anyone's agenda. We can use the energy within us to change the course of our lives and of the world. If we can come together to pool our positive energies and convictions, we can speed up these desired changes until we are living in a world of our choosing. There is no teacher. There is no saviour. Our chosen experiences are our teachers and we are our own saviours. It's time for us to step up and be part of something incredible. Step out of the shadows. Start feeling, creating and expressing. We have everything that we need inside of us, and this is our time!
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