Courageous Intuition
In a time when we are beginning to understand the shortcomings of only approaching our lives from a rational standpoint — more of us are becoming drawn to working with our intuition. Intuition is what separates ‘excellent’ from ‘genius’. Yet, connecting with our intuition can bring up our subconscious fears, as it represents parting with an old, familiar way of operating. Understanding the historical roots of the old programming can help us liberate ourselves from its shackles and commit to discovering our way boldly back to our intuitive capacity.
I recently hiked through a (self-proclaimed) Portal. We were surrounded by a thick, rolling cloud with the nearly full moon shining above us and the city of angels somewhere below. I had never been there before and the Universe blessed us with an evening of magic.
My friend asked if I wanted to set an intention for our passage.
I did. I always take up an opportunity to set an intention.
So we thought of the question: “What do we wish to meet us on the other side of this Portal?”
One of mine was ‘courageous intuition’.
My friend liked the sound of this concept and so, we spent a while talking about it whilst continuing our magical walk. What resonated about it for both of us was that it was an energetic combination of something strong and something sensitive: a daring approach to further step outside of the ‘status quo’ and boldly state: “This is where I stand”.
And perhaps, most importantly, to stand up to the parts in us that are afraid to do so. The parts in us that want to fit in, that want the safety and the security of a well-trodden path. The part of us that wants the guarantee of success, as ‘success’ has been defined by our environment.
Intuition is the spanner in the works.
It’s the wild card when it comes to the game of life.
It’s the essential ingredient if we wish to create a life beyond the cut-out model. If we wish to see ourselves as a unique blueprint on the planet at this time — here to make our special contribution, rather than as a blank slate or an anonymous agent.
Intuition vs. instinct
People call it the hunch, the “gut feeling”. Some call it ‘The Ping’ — an enlightened idea that arises from your subconscious rather than the ‘busy squirrel’ mind.
In this way, intuition differs from instinct, which I think is the more appropriate definition for ‘gut feeling’.
Instinct is the intelligence that arises when our nervous system is on alert or activated. Perhaps we are walking in a new environment, competing in a game, trying to solve a pressing problem, or avoiding imminent danger. Instinct is what tells us whether we trust someone when we meet them. When we walk into a room full of people — our instinct tells us who we want to be close to and who to avoid.
Intuition, on the other hand, arises when our nervous system is regulated. It’s the moment of genius that arises from nothingness. An inspiration that arrives when a space is made for it. A message that pours down when an empty container is presented.
If ‘instinct’ is the intelligence of being able to navigate choppy seas into the safety of land, intuition might tell us whether to sail off again the next day or whether we should stay put.
Instinct and intuition are two sides of the same coin — the key difference being the state of our nervous system. What they have in common is that they represent a form of understanding that goes beyond the rational mind.
Instinct is an ‘animal intelligence’ that computes information and makes decisions much faster than our rational minds. It is turned on by situations where there simply is no time to use our logic. In a split second, we have decided whether to go left or right, to run or to hide, to defend or attack.
Intuition, on the other hand, excels the rational mind in breadth rather than speed. It can take in subtle information at different layers of our experience and understand something that isn’t completely obvious to the ‘naked eye’.
It’s as if intuition can take into account all the subtle nuances of a person’s body language, and all our past experiences of people’s behaviour, and give us a feeling of whether we trust this person or not. It’s not necessarily something we can explain in terms of logic or why we trust one person and not the other, but the information is there, and if we attune to it, we can make use of that.
Intuition is everywhere
We can make use of intuition in all professions, areas of life, and social situations. Developing a successful way of using our intuition is probably a key factor that determines whether someone is ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ at what they do.
Creators, innovators, and leaders have always understood the value of intuition. Relying on logic and rational calculation alone isn’t enough to make ground-breaking discoveries, explore uncharted territories, or find solutions to ‘unsolvable’ problems.
Albert Einstein said, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.” His theory of relativity initially elicited fierce opposition, but he followed his intuition and stood by his work.
Even the CIA spent decades investigating whether extra-sensory abilities could be used for intelligence purposes (spoiler alert: the conclusion was ‘no’ due to the methodology not being reliable enough). They did, however, catch a mole who had infiltrated the organisation by requesting ‘intuitive feedback’ from other members of the organisation and investigating these intuitive hunches.
Another place where intuitive hunches can prove useful is in the stock market. Investment analyst Bert Dohmen wrote in Forbes magazine and described intuition as:
“The ability to draw a conclusion based on decades of experience with relationships and correlations in the markets, pattern recognition, and information that is somewhere in that big database in the brain”.
Intuition is that moment of insight where one recognises having seen something before and, thus, knowing what is likely to follow.
In a field where you are constantly trying to predict what might happen next, how others behave, and how quickly change will occur, it would be a foolish strategy to ignore a potentially powerful way of obtaining that knowledge.
The intuitive challenge
If intuition is so great and celebrated by the geniuses of the world, why are we not all going around and intuiting the hell out of things?
Well, firstly, how many of us were taught how to listen to — and follow — our intuition?
If you had similar influences as me, it was quite the opposite.
Intuition may have been mentioned in places in a positive light, but in practice, I was taught to override my intuition and replace it with the ‘wisdom’ of the collective.
“Do this to be successful and have a good life.”
“Follow these steps to grow up into a responsible adult.”
“Meet these standards to be worthy of love and respect.”
These are a few examples of the subconscious programming at play that removes us further from our intuition. Even more significant than that, I didn’t see many people living their lives from a place of intuition. Or if they were, they kept it hidden from me.
It was much more “This is what the magazine says the economy wants right now, so I’m going to go and do that” or “This is what my neighbour did to be successful and buy his new car. I want the same car so I will replicate what he has done”. These are simplified examples, but you get the idea.
Intuition vs. rationality?
Do we have to abandon logic and rationality in order to embrace our intuitive capability?
I believe not, although we may need to temporarily suspend it from use while we find our way back into connection with our intuition. Ultimately, we want the two to work together, balancing one another.
The full quote from Einstein goes like this:
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
Our task, therefore, is not to abandon the rational mind but to establish a more appropriate relationship to it. To treat it not as the superior authority that we externalise our power to but as something that can help us develop our intuition and our full understanding of the world.
In his article, Dohmen — who published in January 2008 his book A Prelude to Meltdown predicting the financial crisis later that year — presents this idea well, citing Bruce Kasanoff:
“If you merely sit in your hammock and ask me to trust your intuition, I’ll quickly be out the door without saying goodbye.”
and
“Do your legwork, use your brain, share logical arguments, and I’ll trust and respect your intuitive powers.”
Burning intuition at the stake
To me, when I think about intuitive versus rational ways of knowing, I can’t help but think of the witch hunts and the subsequent period of ‘enlightenment’. The Cartesian principle of the mind being wholly separate from the body underlies many of the socio-economic developments of the last centuries. Industrialisation, urbanisation, displacement of people from the land, and the rise of global corporate capitalism, to name a few.
Meanwhile, our experience of life has become more characterised by stress, competition, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. We have increasingly ignored the health of our bodies, surrounding ourselves with screens rather than green leaves. We live completely in our heads and then we wonder why we struggle with insomnia, ADHD, and the regulation of our nervous system.
The good news is that this is beginning to change. There is increasing awareness about the effects of blue light and screens on our mental health. More people are becoming interested in incorporating meditation, yoga, and other calming activities in their lives. More people are seeking to change their consumption habits and diet to take environmental impact into consideration. More people are becoming interested in moving away from synthetic scents and substances towards more natural ones.
Thinking about the witch hunt naturally makes me think about the position of women in society over the last centuries as well. The parallels are clear: the witch hunt represents an attack on the feminine principle as well as the feminine way of knowing. I’m sure I don’t have to convince you of the collective demoralisation of women that has taken place over the last centuries.
As women are finding their way to liberation from Patriarchy and renewed self-worth, men are also reconnecting with the feminine pole in themselves. Men are becoming more emotionally attuned, connected to their feeling side, and allowing themselves expressions of ‘manhood’ beyond The Soldier, The Breadwinner, or the Competitive Alpha Male. From this perspective — it makes sense that both men and women would be exploring more ‘feminine ways of knowing’ as part of these processes.
It makes sense to me when people describe ‘right brain / left brain’ in terms of feminine and masculine. From this perspective, ‘intuition’ falls in the realm of the feminine pole together with creativity, empathy, spirituality, and connectedness. ‘Logical rationality’ falls on the masculine side — together with drive, external expression, security, and protection. While both are accessible to all sexes, the collective consciousness of the last centuries has been heavily skewed towards valuing the masculine whilst devaluing the feminine.
Therefore, it makes sense that in order to reconnect to our intuition — we need to heal the legacy of the witch hunt. The disconnection from the feminine, from nature, and the learned distrust that we may subconsciously view these with.
Reclaiming our intuition
To this end, I want to introduce the concept of ‘courageous intuition’.
It’s about imagining a person or a character, or even a version of ourselves, who embodies magic and sensitivity in a bold, unapologetic way. Imagining that this person was in our situation and asking ourselves how might they approach our situation.
How crazy and ‘out there’ would they be?
What options would they dare to entertain?
How much would they dare to go against the dominant narrative of what is ‘sensible’ or rational?
What would be the most outrageous act of faith in their intuitive abilities?
This thought experiment is kind of fun in its own right, but it can also help loosen the grip of our old programming a little bit. It can help us access this place within that we’ve perhaps kept locked away for centuries, since the time that the flames of persecution were burning hot.
Another interesting aspect of ‘courageous intuition’ is that it’s contagious — at least among those who desire to embrace this way of being within themselves. When we desire to be more connected to our intuition, we will feel inexplicably drawn to a person who embodies courageous intuition. It’s as if they are paving the way for us to do so as well, providing permission and inspiration in how they navigate decisions in their own life.
Therefore, developing our own capacity to embody courageous intuition in our lives will also contribute to the well-being of others. Every such decision, every day that we embody this energy — we are effectively saying to the people around us:
“I support you to honour your wisdom and your inner guidance system too — I welcome you to bring your authentic contribution into this world”
And what greater gift can we be giving one another?
