Intuition is not irrational; it’s another way of arriving at a conclusion with as much accuracy as using analytical thinking. It’s the way Einstein developed his theorems. Do you want to learn how to think like Einstein? Come and see how it’s done.
Intuition has degrees of functionality. It is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Hearing the messages from the inner voice is a gut feeling telling you something is right or wrong. Intuitive awareness is a skill that can be cultivated. Einstein practiced intuitive thinking to reach many breakthroughs in physics.
To better hear intuition, you must exercise it regularly. It’s just like any muscle in the body. If you do the proper exercises, it will become stronger. Exercising your intuition increases your trust in your inner voice. This cultivates and strengthens the connection with your intuition, allowing you to hear those messages from your soul from the inner voice.
Many ask the question, I want to know how to develop my intuition, but few want to spend even a few minutes exercising it. Then, they wonder why they never hear the voice of intuition,
Connecting with Your Intuition
Your intuition is always on; it is never off. The challenge is learning how to hear it. Several things impede these communications. It is the hyperactive mind which is the chief obstacle. Unfortunately, we train the mind to be “on” all the time. It creates a conflict, which presents challenges when we want to quiet the mind to hear our inner voice.
“Intuition is a whisper of the soul.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
The first question we must answer is: can we trust intuitive thought? How do we “know” if we are connecting with our intuition or being manipulated by external stimuli or harmful memories? Are these messages from the inner voice, are they from your soul, or do they come from some other source?
Here’s Why Intuition is Not Irrational
Reasoning is the process of arriving at conclusions based on common sense and logic. This is not the opposite of intuition. Intuition is the ability to understand or arrive at a conclusion without thinking about it consciously. Intuition is like a fast internet connection. It is not illogical; it is a way the mind arrives at a conclusion based on the depth of experience and intelligence.
Irrational means thinking which is unreasonable and illogical. So, neither intuition nor reasoning is irrational; they arrive at conclusions based on the logical functions of the mind. One is analytical, and the other is immediate.
According to researchers (1), the accuracy of intuition depends on two things. First is the depth and breadth of our life experience. The second is our proficiency with critical thinking skills. The greater our experience with e subject, the more accurate are quick decisions. We can increase this accuracy if we combine the study of rational thinking skills.
So, if intuition is not irrational thinking, where do the “immediate answers” come from?
“Intuition is the only true guide in life.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
However, this theory has some flaws. It does not account for gifted children who lack experience and formal education. It shows us how these messages from the inner voice are mysterious and unpredictable. Some believe that wisdom is another way intuitive thought is accessed.
There is an art of seeing things as they are: without naming, without being caught in a network of words, without thinking interfering with perception.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
Intuitive thinking is a way of reaching conclusions without using rational thought. We run into situations where we need to make a quick decision and don’t have time to analyze data or conduct research. The answer is to practice intuitive thinking to be ready when needed.
Einstein used intuitive thinking to go beyond the data. He then used mathematics and physics to prove these conclusions. Intuition works outside the boundaries of the data which is available. Intuition is not irrational; it’s just not quantifiable.
Intuition is a method used to decide without conscious consideration. As rational people, we like to show we have made an informed decision. All we are doing is finding ways to justify a conclusion already made by the subconscious. We decided to buy a new vehicle based on emotional concerns. We find ways to rationalize our decision. In fact, most people buy vehicles based on emotion, not rational and objective criteria.
For example, suppose you have childhood trauma related to the basement of your childhood home. When you decide to purchase a home as an adult, you will bring this experience into your decision-making process even if you don’t consciously know it. If you consider buying a home with a basement that “reminds you” of your childhood home, you’ll decide not to buy. You’ll tell the realtor you aren’t interested in the property, although you may not consciously register the similarity. (2) In this case, it is not intuition driving your decision but past trauma.
Instinct Versus Intuition
Some scientists believe that the brain is the source of the thinking process we call intuition. Thus, the brain is a predictive framework, constantly comparing sensory input and memory for connections. So, we are back to the level of influence of experience and subconscious mind activities. They theorize that this network of connections in the mind is really responsible for the immediate conclusions we call intuition. Here again, intuition is not irrational thinking but rather the result of the complex connections in the mind.
Don’t confuse instinct for intuition. Our instincts are hardwired preferences. These preferences drive thinking and values. Most people are unaware of how instinct shapes their likes or dislikes. We each have a mixture of the triad of instincts, self-preservation, social and sexual, but one is dominant.
We each have a mixture of nine personality traits. The combination of personality and instinct gives us the default settings of ego. Since these operate subconsciously, we don’t see them unless we do some inner work. The Enneagram system uses a questionnaire to identify these mechanisms of the mind.
The bottom line here is the subconscious mechanisms of ego have nothing to do with conscious thinking processes of either analytical or intuitive thought. However, it is easy to confuse the two unless we can discern the difference between subconscious preference and the results of thinking. Intuition works behind the scenes outside the ego beyond the conscious and subconscious mind. It operates in that place we call the spirit, the soul, or the observer.
It’s not instinct versus intuition but rather about learning to understand which one is being used. Connecting with your intuition takes us beyond the ego.
For example, you (3) are driving down the road singing along to your favorite song when you get the “feeling” you need to shift to the side of the road. You move over only to miss a large pothole. You don’t know where the “feeling” to move over came from and attribute it to intuition. In reality, the car ahead of you swerved over, and your subconscious mind prompted you to avoid the hazard because your conscious mind was absorbed in the music.
The evidence points us to the conclusion that the source of the intuitive voice is a complex collection of different things, some of which are beyond measurement. But we have yet to find a way to measure the aspect of consciousness we call the soul, the spirit, or the observer.
The soul or the observer is the person you are talking to right now inside your head. But the machine doing the thinking and processing of the data isn’t the real you. The real you is the one watching and observing your experience. We can commune with this inner self if we just shut off the machinery momentarily.
“If you are willing to take an instant to withdraw attention from whatever your internal dialogue is, to withdraw energy from whatever the latest point of view about your suffering is, it is immediately obvious what is here: the fullness, the richness and the love of oneself as conscious life.” — Gangaji
Our culture tells us we must be productive, constantly thinking and doing. We must have a purpose and entertain the mind, and we never allow ourselves to be calm. The first challenge is to silence our internal chatter. It is the first obstacle. If you want to learn to hear the voice of intuition, you must conquer the inner dialogue. It’s how to develop my intuition.
Silencing Internal Chatter
How do you exercise intuition? First, you must learn to set aside the constant chatter of your analytical mind. Meditation is the most direct way to silence the active mind.
If you don’t know how to meditate, you can learn in less than 2 minutes with a simple two-step process. Eventually, you will want to learn how to use a mantra to reach the state of pure consciousness. This partition of awareness is significant for the absence of internal dialogue. Wow!
After you reach the 4th state, your intuition can speak to you without interference. The process we use for this is Japa meditation, the generic version of Transcendental Meditation (TM) (4). TM is the term coined by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (5).
Many inner work tools require access to the subconscious mind beyond the superficial chatter of the inner critic and analytical mind.
The result is a deeper awareness of intuition in waking consciousness. This intuitive state operates outside the realm of the analytical mind. This awareness level is ever-present and is what Jiddu Krishnamurti (6) calls this “choice-less action.” Similarly, Zen Buddhism has at the center of its practice learning how to act without consciously choosing. Learn to hear the voice of intuition because it is a natural outcome of silencing the mind.
Learning How to Develop My Intuition and Reasoning
Experience tells us intuition does not click on and off like a light switch. It operates more like rainwater collecting and then flowing downhill. If you watch the rain falling in a gully, at first, the ground is dry. Then, as the rain falls, you see a tiny trickle of water form and run downhill. As the rainfall increases, the water flowing down the gully becomes a stream or river.
So, once you stop the internal chatter, you can learn to encourage messages from your soul. That’s how to develop my intuition which complements analytical reasoning.
Use a Sutra to Hear Your Intuition
How does one increase the flow of our intuitive awareness? You can learn to hear the voice of intuition by using sutras. A Sutra is a word or phrase you introduce while in a state of pure consciousness.
A Sutra is like a formula for the subconscious mind. When you add 2 + 2, it results in 4. The same principle applies to the Sutra with the subconscious. When we introduce the proper Sutra, the mind can connect with pure consciousness.
What Are Messages from the Inner Voice?
Some people tell us we are a part of the universe made conscious. Therefore, the messages from your soul are also messages from the universe. There isn’t any way to tell where one ends and the other begins.
Consciousness is like a rainbow with many colors which overlap. Your soul or spirit is a part of the greater whole, which means intuitive thinking is a way to link with the source of our awareness.
Learn to Hear the Voice of Intuition, How to Develop My Intuition
Intuition is not irrational thinking but a way of connecting with our essence. Some believe that this is the voice of the universe. The universe is always on, never off. So, whether it is your soul or the universe, you must learn to receive these critical messages from your soul.
References
(1) On Making the Right Choice: The Deliberation-without-Attention Effect:
(2) Can We Rely on Our Intuition?: Scientific America
(3) The science behind going with your instincts: We Forum
(4) Transcendental Meditation: Wikipedia
(5) Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Wikipedia
(6) Jiddu Krishnamurti: Wikipedia
