A memory before it happens…

I've been thinking about intuition a lot recently and you specifically asked the question regarding how society might help foster healthy and useful intution. I think we can take a cue from young children who have not been socialized to edit, shut down and not react to naturally intuitive processes which inherently lack social judgement, i.e. I really should or shouldn't do or say "xyz" because..." A child's natural state is to be receptive, emotional, inquistive, joyful, creative and quickly moving from one interest or process to another... they live in a very intuitive state. And if they are fortunate enough receive guidance and modeling from adults who value this inner voice, then all the better. I think I am beginning to understand the value of self-directed studies and allowing people to move consciously and naturally into experiences that are driven by living intuitively.

<abbr>Jennifer Hill Robenalt´s last blog post..My Journey: Dharma Zen Center, Los Angeles</abbr>

A very interesting discourse. I've always valued my intuition, relying on it on many occasions, from trivial tasks to important decisions where I just "felt" that a certain course or action was the most prudent one, prudent being a key term. I see intuition as separate from imagination. While imagination can help me conceptualize a situation by thinking it through in advance intuition, in my experience, is much more immediate, something that is tied to making a decision here and now without weighing the pros and cons in a rational manner first. Intuition, it seems, taps into a pool of prior experiences and conclusions and evaluates a solution based on the resulting emotional response triggered by that process.

I also think that some people are much more intuitive than others depending on their core personality. According to the MBTI personality type evaluation I am an INFJ (introverted, intuitive, feeling, judging). I am someone who constantly interprets, on a rational as well as emotional level, everything that happens around me. So if intuition is indeed an integral part of my core personality that means I naturally rely much more on it than someone who is, say, sensing - who is focused on taking in information, physical realities. I 'trust' my intuition and feel comfortable using it while an opposite personality type would rather depend on information collected. Add to that the feeling part which enables me to pick up on the emotional state of those around me and I am even more inclined to act intuitively, just like a previous commenter mentioned regarding driving and picking up on someone changing lanes without signaling. I've observed more rational personalities who get stressed out easily in tense traffic situations as they do not perceive enough rational data within the confinements of their car to comfortable judge the situation around them. Asking them to trust their intuition often worsens that sense of disadvantage as they do not feel comfortable using their intuition, something that to them is a rather abstract concept (it cannot be quantified).

<abbr>Thorsten Becker´s last blog post..Faith</abbr>

Hello Thorsten,
Thanks for your contribution. Bringing in the personality types makes a great deal of sense. While I gently disagree about the relationship of intuition to the capability to envision, or as Jung points out "All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination?" We all recognize what it is to follow a irrational decision in the moment because of intuitive recognition. Certainly this too is intuition. But think of the range that the function can operate at: I can apply my thinking to write a grocery list addressing my current needs or to design, and here I men draw up the plans for, the Brooklyn Bridge. The scope of the functions activity is very different, but the same tool none the less.

Your sense of the how personality is structured do I agree with. I love your insight into the guy in the car. Hope you continue to drop by.

Thank you Richard.

<abbr>ted villa´s last blog post..February Train Ride</abbr>

Hi Richard:
A question, how does intuition relate to instinct? The definition you site of a memory before something happens makes me think of instinct.

As far as your last question about the educational system beating play out of our kids I'd have to say that the beating-out happens even before they hit school. Parents over-schedule their kids, and give them no time to play in the mud, alone, in the yard. They then need constant stimulus to fill the voids that arise when not in dance class, skating class, sewing class, reading class and on and on . . . you've inspired me to write a post on my blog about kids & play. Thanks!

Finally, Henie, your comment made me think of my daughter, now 5. When she was little, she used to mispronounce wizard as "dowser." That memory just came back to me and I'd never associated with a real dowser.

<abbr>ted villa´s last blog post..February Train Ride</abbr>

Great question Ted.
Intuition, like thinking, feeling and sensation are functions of the ego, tools the ego has at its disposal to navigate through life. The instincts are not tools of the ego, but of the entire organism. The ego does not have control of hunger, sex drive, or body temperature regulation, though it can respond to the fluctuations caused by the instincts. What's of interest here is that Jung taught that the instincts are intimately tied to the archetypes, those often unconscious energy clusters of meaning. He felt that instincts and the archetypes were opposite poles on the same continuum. That being said, perhaps it is possible to see how both the instincts and the archetypes can act autonomously of the ego, whereas intuition, thinking feeling and sensation as functions are tolls at the disposal of the ego. (one last note, feeling is not the same as emotion, which often erupt from the instinctual level...)

I would say intuition is the ability to connect with our non-rational and non- conscious capabilities of perception. So I would see intuition as a function of perception, but I would imagine imagination as a function of perception, too.

Intuition leaves me when I have to make a rational decision. I don't have the ability to turn off rationality to tap intuition. Where I experience intuition most is when I'm driving in my car. Sometimes I just know: this car is going to change into my lane without blinking, that car is going to ignore my ROW. It's not divination, it's something in the driver's behaviour - but I couldn't say what it is.

<abbr>Detlef Cordes´s last blog post..Caring, Sharing, Weird Dialogue</abbr>

Hi Detlef, Yes intuition is irrational, in the same manner that sensation is irrational, but I'm not sure we always realize it to be so. I love your example because it shows how intuition and sensation are related...you are picking up subtle, irrational clues though your observations, and trusting what they are telling you.

I've learned never to ignore "my little professor!"

I learned to master this many years ago when I studied under a "Master Dowser"...initially, I needed a "divining rod" which symbolized "intuition" to search for water...in the end, I could masterfully find water without the rod...purely using my own intuition.

Thank you for yet another cerebral massage, Richard! :~)

<abbr>Henie´s last blog post..The Ninety/Ten of It</abbr>

Yes Henie, divining is a pure intuitive art...glad you brought that to the discussion.

I've always had trouble trusting my intuition, but lately I've been reflecting on how often I was right and the person who argued against what I believed was acting based on fear. Often I think fear and intuition are at war, and the fear-based action is the one you really want to avoid. Intuition, if you trust it, can lead you away from that.

<abbr>Sonja Cassella´s last blog post..Fort Worth Social Media: Meet Mamma D’Jane, A Mom who Blogs</abbr>

Hello Sonja,
Interesting how fear a fundamental stumbling block for all development. My favorite line out of the New Testament is simply, "be not afraid."

There exists a tendency to use intuition as a tool of divination -- for profit. More likely, it is a voice gently guiding to a more natural and harmonious path; indifferent to the simple principles of pleasure and pain, reward and loss.

Hi Aaron,
Neat point. In as much as intuition is a function of the ego, and one of the ego's tasks is to make a place in the world, then I think it's not only true but useful for intuition to be used for that. But you point to a higher value, one that intuition can and does certainly serve, the principled visioning of a life of wholeness. All four functions have that range of values. I can think about what to have for dinner or I can think about the role of ethics in the banking system...I can feel that my son's comment is inappropriate, and I can feel that Monet's late work is his greatest. And with sensation, I can walk without tripping, or can enter the zone during an athletic competition. Great comment Aaron, thanks.

What helped me? Ignoring my intuition a few times over the last 3 years has taught me lessons. I'm not as inclined to ignore it now. As a matter of fact, I probably rely on it now. Pay attention to your gut feelings, it's there for a reason.

<abbr>Steve Sherron´s last blog post..Saving Money in Union County, NC. Finders Keepers/Operation Reachout Video</abbr>

Hi Steve, In as much as you are connected to your gut feelings, they are exactly that...the 'feeling' function of the ego. While many struggle to follow those feelings, they are quite rational and result from the ability to judge the values of a given situation.
The intuition function envisions that what doesn't yet exist. The point of this post has been to use the thinking function to discriminate between the two. Your comment gives credence to the need.