INTUITION

Every one of us possesses the faculty, the interior sense, which is known by the name of intuition, but how rare are those who know how to develop it! It is, however, only by the aid of this faculty that men can ever see things in their true colours. It is an instinct of the soul, which grows in us in proportion to the employment we give it, and which helps us to perceive and understand the realities of things with far more certainty than can the simple use of our senses and exercise of our reason. What are called good sense and logic enable us to see only the appearances of things, that which is evident to everyone. The instinct of which I speak, being a projection of our perceptive consciousness, a projection which acts from the subjective to the objective, and not vice versa, awakens in us spiritual senses and power to act; these senses assimilate to themselves the essence of the object or of the action under examination, and represent it to us as it really is, not as it appears to our physical senses and to our cold reason. "We begin with instinct, we end with omniscience."

As we're passing by the phone in the house, we stop suddenly, not knowing why, and look at the phone with a strong feeling that it is about to ring. Immediately the phone starts to ring.

We suddenly have a feeling that something has happened and become very unease. Shortly after, we receive terrible news about someone we know.

The phone rings and as we reach out to pick it up, the image of someone flashes in our mind or someone's name comes to mind. We pick up the phone and the person whose image or name crossed our mind is at the other end of the phone.

We haven't spoken to, or seen a relative for years and suddenly we thought of this relative and plan to call the person. Before we could place the call, the person calls us.

Those are just a few examples of the experiences that most people have had, or will have at some point. We often describe these and similar experiences as premonition, psychic impressions, or intuition. However we describe these experiences, they all have one thing in common: they all come from within us. These experiences should indicate to us that there's more to our existence. Well-developed intuition can be our most trusted guide. It is always right and responds in our best interests.

Developing our intuition is not as difficult as it may seem. We all have it and it's always working even without any effort on our part. It is a force within us that is constantly yearning to express itself especially when so much is at stake for us. Our challenge is to recognize its powers and follow its directions more often than most people currently do. All that is required is for us to pay more attention to what it has to tell us.

Allowing our intuition to express itself may be as simple as asking who's at the other end of the line before picking up the phone; where should I go for dinner?

Which road should I take? Should I make this call now or wait, or will I get this job? These are simple questions we sometimes ask ourselves without allowing the answers to come from within us. The tendency here is to immediately interrupt the response with objective analysis or try to guess the answers: maybe it's my mother calling; I don't like this or that about that restaurant; or that road is always too busy.

Developing our intuition is as simple as allowing the answers to these simple questions to come from within, without interruption, guesswork, or objective analysis. Unlike probing the subconscious where we seek general guidance and the response to which is not expected to be immediate, we ask these questions with the expectation of an immediate, direct response from within.

Let's examine more closely how we can begin to nurture and cultivate the power of intuition. The easiest way is to begin with simple questions and make a conscious decision to wait for answers from within. We can begin with asking out loud or thinking, as we reach out to pick up the phone, "Who is calling?" "Who might this be?" "I wonder who this might be or any other similar question. As we ask this question and without time to analyze before we have to pick up the phone, we would naturally wait for a few moments. These few seconds are the most critical point. Resist the tendency to guess, analyze, or think of anything else. If we're close to the phone when it starts to ring, simply reach for it without picking it up right away.

With our hand on the phone, mentally ask the question and wait momentarily before picking it up.

As in any exercise dealing with development, we may not observe the results in the beginning. Practicing this exercise persistently will eventually produce the desired result. The result could come as an image of the person on the phone, the name, some activity, a place, or an incident that will indicate, without doubt, who the person is. The most common response in my personal experience is the name.

We're not limited to the telephone for practicing this exercise. Asking about where to go eat or what to have for dinner is another good example of a simple question we can use for this exercise. We may even have narrowed our choices to two or three restaurants or types of food to have for dinner. Although we may have narrowed our choices, don't be surprised if the response that comes to us is completely outside those options. This is likely to happen if there's a similar but better restaurant or dish similar to the one on our short list that we may not have thought of when we decided on the few restaurants or dishes. It may occur for our own protection. There may be something we don't know about our options, and not following the inner guidance could result in the so-called ill-luck, bad coincidence, or "being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What time is it?" Asking this question out loud or holding that question in mind is another exercise to use. In the beginning, it would be purely guesswork on our part, and we would be way off, but as time goes on we would come close to the nearest hour, half-hour, minutes, and finally the exact time. Be aware that it is easy to cheat with this exercise, but don't. It is best if we've lost track of time. Maybe we've been very busy for a long time, and before checking our time, we should ask the question, allow a few seconds, receive some impression, and then look at your watch. Knowing the time, or checking the time an hour or half-hour before this exercise is not a good idea. Doing so would interject guesswork and objectivity into the exercise and influence the result.

If we have alternate routes to take on a trip or to work, asking or thinking to ourself which of the routes to take would be another good exercise. Before leaving home, simply ask ourself the following or any other similar questions: "Which road should I take?" "Should I take route 'A' or 'B?'" However, there are things we should know if we are to use this exercise effectively. The effective use of this exercise requires a higher degree of "confidence in acceptance." We must be committed. For example, let's assume that we're ready to leave the house and have asked the appropriate question and have received a response to take road "A." Upon entering our car and turning on the radio, we hear a traffic report that road "B" should be used because of very light traffic. What would we do? Would we change our mind or trust our intuition over the traffic report?

If indeed what we received is an intuitive response to our question, we would be better off taking road "A" no matter what the traffic report says. Because intuitive feeling is always right, chances are great that by the time we enter road "B," conditions would have changed and road "B" would be impassable. There is always the possibility of auto accidents occurring. No matter the traffic conditions, it may very well be that we're being directed to an alternate route for our own good. By taking an alternate route, we may have avoided a serious accident, and probably saved our life in the process.

It is also possible that we're being directed to one of those so-called coincidences when we're being directed to take an alternate route. Some of these coincidences do have direct and positive impact on our lives, and the help or answer we seek may well lie on following up with intuitive responses.

Relying on intuition may sometimes test we resolve to the limit. Knowing that true intuitive feeling is always right, those "tests" will give us the opportunity to prove the powers of this inner feeling when developed.

Another thing to be aware of about this exercise is that the intuition may be right at the time we ask and receive the response. However, in some cases, we may change the outcome, leading some people to think that they've been mislead by their intuition. Let's assume that after we received an intuitive response on which way to take to work, we decide to run some errands before leaving for work. An hour or two had passed before we actually leave for work. It would be better to repeat the exercise. Road conditions may have changed since we asked and received an intuitive response to take one route over the other. If you don't, your intuition was not wrong. We didn't act on it when it was given. Again, intuitive response is immediate and often requires an immediate follow up.

The response to these questions shouldn't take more than a few seconds. Waiting for minutes for the response would indicate that we've either missed the response or that we may not yet have awakened the faculties within us that are responsible for these intuitive responses. The response we receive after waiting for a longer period of time may not come from intuition, but may be the result of our objective analysis. This may explain why some people sometimes claim that their intuition was wrong. True intuitive feeling is never wrong!

After listening to a story, we can mentally ask, "Is this the truth?" "Is there anything else I need to know?" "Can I trust this person?" Or for purchasing decisions, "Should I buy or sell?" These are simple questions requiring a "Yes" or "No" answer. However, the response from within may not be in those exact words. Instead, we may momentarily have a strong feeling that would unmistakably be positive or negative. Although we may receive a direct answer to these questions, we should not expect our intuition to engage in a conversation with us.

For example, if the response to the question, "Is this the truth?" is a "No," you shouldn't expect your intuition to tell you what the truth is, what else you need to know, or why you shouldn't trust a person. It would be up to you to pursue it further to find the truth. As you practice the exercises in this chapter, the main thing to remember is that you're working towards awakening certain faculties in you that may have remained dormant for a very long period of time. Don't be discouraged if you don't notice the intended results in the beginning. It takes time, but your persistence will eventually pay off.

You've been given only a few simple exercises to help you become in tune with your intuitive feelings. You can think of many other ways you can consciously engage your intuition. In the beginning, you would be asking questions and making efforts to listen and follow the responses from within you. These exercises would enable you to become more sensitive to your intuitive feelings. Later, after you've become more sensitive to your intuitive feelings, you'll begin to pick up on these feelings even without your asking questions.

Trusting and following your inner, intuitive feelings can make a difference between realizing the things you petitioned for. Some answers to petitions come through intuitive feelings and following those feelings eventually lead to the resolution of those needs.

Time and time again one is brought up against the paradoxical duality and unity of the Deity. The personal 'I', in the form of a reflection. This fits one of the interpretations of the parable of the prodigal son. The personal 'I' is the prodigal son who has descended to the level of the material world and forgotten his origin, to the point where of his own free will he resorts to all the foolishness he is capable of, all the errors ('errors' both in the sense of making mistakes and of going astray), and only then feels a longing for his father's house, sets out in search of it and eventually finds it.

It is not enough, however, merely to admit or give intellectual assent to this duality in unity: this needs to happen, but it is only one step. One must then make it a reality by living it out. And before attaining reunification there is a time of dramatic 'inner dialogue' appeals, questions and answers followed by a gradual coming together and by ever more frequent and vivid sparks between the two poles as they approach one another until the point where they meet. They then separate again until that moment of great peace when the two become one.

One of spiritual teachers once told that we are always telepathically tuning in with many, many others up to six thousand people at any given time even though it is usually not conscious. It sounds incredible, but this is what creates mass consciousness. Groups of people band together and "group think" about things: pro-lifers, animal rights activists, rebels, and fundamentalists, to name a few. People think in blocks all around the world, and these blocks of mental energy float and move in space, influencing political ideas, religious beliefs, and social and moral values.

Telepathic connections can be useful and amusing, as in the case of the telephone call from the old friend we were concentrating on. If we are lazy and undiscerning about our thoughts, however, we can become a psychic garbage pail, in which all sorts of negative or mass beliefs settle and take over our mind. An example of this is the telepathically relayed belief that cities are now extremely dangerous and suburban areas are safer. Many people telepathically accept this belief as fact. In reality, some aspects of city living are dangerous, and some are vitalizing and marvelous. The fact is also that many suburban areas are riddled with dangerous people, and one is not really in any more or less danger in one area versus another. Safety is governed by awareness more than geography. If we are susceptible to negative mass beliefs, we will overcome this problem when we begin our psychic development. We cannot be psychic if we are mentally lazy.

We'll need to snap out of our dreamy state and be here now. If we have a sharp focus to our mind, telepathy will automatically become more specific, filtering away unnecessary and unconsciously unexamined "group thought", and will attract only what is helpful to our focus. One way to do this is to set goals so that we will focus our attention and eliminate mass thought influences. Setting goals keeps us free of collective negative emotion and attracts telepathic support.