Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Experiencing Intuition
In an essay entitled "Perspective: The Importance of Versatility," from the book Awakened Attitude, Gary Stewart has written:
…the Confraternity of the Rose Cross [CR+C], is not supplying us with answers to the questions related to the ontological essence or mystical enlightenment, but rather, it is guiding us in the understanding of mysticism itself so that we may expand our realities to the maximum of our abilities.
He further clarifies that the CR+C "…does not deal with the tarot or other systems such as astrology, etc, for the reason that such systems are not necessary to the essential basics of mysticism."
It is clear that organizations such as the CR+C and OMCE are concerned with helping individuals learn to more directly access illuminating states of consciousness rather than indoctrinating them into specific occult perspectives or rigid schemas of spiritual progress. The development of intuition is therefore an essential element of such approaches, for it is one of the most important and yet most commonly misunderstood means of accessing illumination.
Anyone who seriously thinks about what intuition is and how it works is bound to find that our common use of the term is severely lacking. In this essay we will carefully examine the meaning of intuition. Before diving into that task, it must be stated that different people have different things to say about intuition, and within certain occult or mystical schools the word may have more or less specific meanings. This essay is not intended to contradict any other perspective, though it may do so, but is simply an exposition of one person's thoughts and experiences in the study and practice of intuitive illumination.
Staying true to the definitions and etymologies, the contemplative methods of mysticism and magic are the means by which we focus our minds, purifying and consecrating an inner space to be filled by the Light. In such moments we lift up our desires and then join our consciousness with the still and silent void. In essence, we make a sacrifice of our desires and intentions, offering and releasing them to the heavens. Our attentiveness remains and we simply abide in complete faith that we will receive what we need, even if it seems to be nothing at all.
As noted by Stewart, this process does not require occult mechanisms such as Tarot, astrology, the I Ching or Runes, though they can serve as excellent catalysts for achieving intuitive insight and mystical illumination. The important thing to remember is that these physical tools, their symbolism and traditional explanations should not be accepted as a substitute for the real magic of intuition, which occurs within one's consciousness in that place referred to by Jesus when he said:
But thou when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret, and thy father who seeth in secret will repay thee.
Matthew 6:6, Douay-Rheims Bible.
In this place of attentive rest, we may actually witness a sudden pulse of energy entering consciousness in that fraction of a second before an idea or an image begins to take shape in our minds. Sometimes the energy comes in a very simple and gentle manner, as though a voice has whispered a few words that instantly bring a clarity that only moments before was completely elusive. At other times, the energy spawns images that flash into our minds to provide a perspective or a chain of associations that lead to deeper levels of understanding.
While we can receive intuition with such readiness that a complete understanding seems delivered all at once, it is often the case that an intuition has a mysterious quality to it. We know that we have received something profound, and yet we are at a loss to comprehend it, to form an adequate concept or verbal expression of it. In these cases intuition is much like the planting of a seedling that must be nurtured for it to bloom into the gnostic flower that is its potential.
All of the scenarios noted above can be classified as intentional experiences of intuition, those more directly perceived because of a contemplative effort to receive understanding from higher sources. However, intuition can be experienced in other ways and, in fact, we are receiving it all the time whether we are aware of it or not. Everyday, and in countless situations, we do not even notice that we have ideas, words, images and feelings enter our consciousness that cannot be directly linked to our preceding thoughts by the processes of logic and conscious association. Though not all of these situations are truly intuitive in that they come directly from higher sources, those which have the qualities of prophecy, genius, creativity, elegance, perfect accuracy or completeness are very likely to be gifts "from on high."
As noted earlier, intuition is commonly thought of as a hunch or a gut feeling. It is certainly true that some of our hunches and gut feelings lead to actions or realizations that have the qualities of prophecy, genius, creativity, elegance, perfect accuracy or completeness, though often they do not. Dreams may also have these qualities. So might hunches and dreams also be intuitive in nature? Before we can answer that question, we must take a closer look at what happens when intuition enters consciousness.
When intuition enters the personal levels of the psyche, it has effects in the intellect, emotions and physical body. In the intellect, intuition often first produces a simple and instantaneous knowing that something significant has been received, and then tends to quickly stimulate the formation of new or more refined concepts that reflect a deeper level of understanding and wisdom. Sounds, words, and visions may arise in the imagination. In the emotions, intuition often produces some sense of excitement or desire, often of a pleasant nature though not always. Physically, intuition can produce feelings like a jolt of electricity, a shiver of nervous energy in the spine, a vague but persistent agitation or urge, or even specific feelings of pressure or temperature in certain points of the body. The combination of physical and emotional sensations can often produce a very strong drive to take a particular action.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
