The Gift of Intuition
Intuition is something we frequently talk about without really understanding what it is, how we can trust our own intuition, or how we can relate to the intuition others have about our lives.
What is intuition? Intuition is a knowing…different from the knowledge we possess already… it is not a knowing that comes from books or education. It is an apparent ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason. The word “intuition” comes from the Latin word “inturei” which is roughly translated as meaning “to look inside” or “to contemplate.” While our intuition may be informed by our experiences it is not a knowing derived purely of it. It is a knowing that comes from within. It is almost an instinctive sense of something that may be in existence in some realm.
Often our intuition is something that we describe as a “gut” feeling. Well, there is actually very little difference between the cells in our brain and the cells in our intestines. So when we say we have a “gut” feeling about something we literally do…our brain is not just in our head. Our “brain” is in our bodies giving us information, instincts, knowing all the time.
Recently, someone told me that that they had the image of me being like a bonsai tree. Sounds very strange I realize. It was an intuitive image that came to this person. She didn’t know why but she offered her intuition to me anyway. At first, I thought that’s interesting (and maybe a little weird) and I didn’t see any immediate connection. But upon pondering her intuitive image, I remembered that when I first met my husband, he had 2 bonsai trees. They were beautiful and required a good deal of care and attention on a regular basis to flourish. Eventually when we had our first child and did not give the trees the attention they needed, they stopped flourishing and eventually died. Upon further reflection, I saw the image of me as a bonsai as useful guidance and a reminder of my own needs for care and attention (that I can skillfully ignore). The bonsai tree intuition was shared with me at a time when caring for myself was very much called for in my life. It then occurred to me that it didn’t matter whether her intuition was accurate or inaccurate (or weird) because what it did was allow something to occur in me. It allowed me to connect with my own needs.
After this experience, I recognized I could relate to intuition in a new way. Instead of thinking of it as something that is right or wrong, I can see it as a gift, as an offering of guidance that can allow for something that otherwise might not be possible. It is not a righteous knowledge. In other words, intuition is not right or wrong; true or false; accurate or inaccurate. This knowing of intuition need not be about prediction or control. Rather, it can allow for something, create an opening in ourselves or others or make something possible that wasn’t possible before. One reason, I believe, we often don’t listen to or trust our intuition is because our minds bring the idea of intuition into the duality or true or false; accurate or inaccurate. When we instead think of intuition an offering and as the possibility of offering guidance or wisdom without having to assess it as correct or incorrect, then the true gift of intuition can be given.
What are your thoughts on intuition?
How do you use your intuition for yourself and others? What stops you for trusting your intuition?
If you listen to your “gut” as a possible guidance that allows for something, as an offering, what impact may that have on you?
