As a child, one of my favorite books was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It was L’Engle who wrote, “Don’t try to comprehend with your mind. Your minds are too limited. Use your intuition.” Although schools and society in general tend to favor knowledge that is built upon facts and analysis, people use intuitive knowledge all the time—when making split-second decisions, when following that “gut reaction” to a person or situation, or when coming to a conclusion that is based on an inner knowing more than numbers or facts. Gavin de Becker, author of The Gift of Fear among other books, defines intuition as “the journey from A to Z without stopping at any other letter along the way. It is knowing without knowing why.” While there are some people who cling devotedly to their perceived intuitive knowledge even in the face of overwhelming conflicting evidence, most people fall on the other end of the spectrum by ignoring, discounting, and/or minimizing the role intuition in their day-to-day lives.
The human brain is a magnificent machine. People invariably know more than they realize they know; they observe and mentally “file away” details that were never reflected upon consciously. Imagine the veteran police officer who is able to take in all the important details of an active crime scene in literally just a few seconds, or the lifelong athlete who seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting what other players are going to do on the field. The subconscious brain excels at efficiently and correctly identifying patterns. Intuition is the message that is delivered from deep within a person’s subconscious mind, across the chasm where there is no easy bridge, to the surface into conscious awareness. The more frequently such messages are delivered, the easier the journey becomes; thus, intuition can be improved and developed over time.
In recent years, even the most successful companies have come to recognize that intuition can be a powerful and effective tool. Because intuitive “hunches” in the work force are then tested (ie. will teenagers love this new game that is being developed even though there are no data to support the assumption that they will?) and validated, intuition has evolved from being a fluffy, new-age concept to being another legitimate means of knowing—an idea, a solution, the best course of action, or something else.
Every person’s subconscious mind contains a wealth of information. Dreams give us a peek into this internal realm. Spending time alone and without distractions can lead to enhanced intuition, as well as meditation and other similar practices. Images (on paper or in the form of 3D figures), rather than words, are the “language” of the subconscious mind; therefore, images allow for easier, or more direct, access to the subconscious mind than would a written article.
Our conscious thoughts and “over-thinking” can sometimes get in the way of intuition. For instance, when participants in several different studies were asked to justify their intuitive conclusions, accuracy consistently decreased. That said, conscious, analytical reason should not be discounted or under-valued. When both conscious and subconscious processing and avenues of knowing are appreciated and utilized cooperatively, a person can begin to flourish in ways they might have once thought were impossible or far-fetched.
The subconscious mind is vast and already knows the answers to our questions. We need only to listen.
My Luna Moth Days 