InnerSelf.com

Awareness & Intuition

by Nancy C. Pohle
and Ellen L. Selover

Information is all around us. By merely turning on the radio, tuning in to a television channel, or clicking onto the Internet, we can have instant access to an incomprehensible amount of data. The key to sending and receiving this information is the intricate network of transmitters and receivers around the globe. We would be astounded if we could see all the sound waves, laser beams, impulses, and signals that cross back and forth beyond our levels of perception.

Our bodies are also powerful transmitters and receivers. We transmit through our voice and inflection, choices of words, facial expressions, actions, and body language. Likewise, our physical senses -- hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch -- are powerful receptors, able to retrieve immense amounts of information every second. They send signals through the nervous system to the brain, which then processes and responds to that information with messages and impulses.

A simple way to become aware of these processes is to think about the information we receive upon stepping outdoors. Our senses instantly perceive and relay to the brain signals regarding the change in temperature, the moisture content in the air, the intensity of the sun, the flight of a bird, or the whine of a nearby lawnmower. We might smell the pungent odor of grease and oil or the unmistakable aroma of a backyard barbecue. All of these elements provide us with instant information about this new environment.

On the mental level, we transmit information through every thought we think and each emotion we express. These go out from us in the form of energy which can be perceived by others. Though we may often be unaware of the source of the signal, we still may pick up on the finer vibrations of thought and emotion, just as we do the physical sensations. We transmit and receive this information in a similar pattern, even though the energies are difficult to measure.

Mirka Knaster, author of Discovering the Body's Wisdom, suggests that the body's internal network of sensory receptors provides us with proprioception (awareness of the precise position of our body) and kinesthesia (the awareness of direction of movement) which, combined, function as a sixth sense, allowing us to know where we are in space and time. According to Knaster, it is these proprioceptors which pick up energy emanating from other people and other creatures around us.

On yet another energy level -- the spiritual -- we become aware of influences and information through intuition. When we lay the groundwork for a spiritual connection to one another and to God, we sharpen these higher senses of receptivity. Intuition is our greatest link to our higher selves (our spiritual selves) and thus to God.

The regular practice of meditation allows us to tune in to our higher senses and clear our sensory systems of the static of other influences. We become cognizant of the impulses that arise from within with which we truly resonate. Everything we do to become more spiritually attuned improves our ability to understand, interpret, and follow through on the guidance we receive.

One way to understand how this process works is to imagine a playground full of excited children, with a parent sitting on a sideline. That parent is so well attuned, so familiar with his or her own child's voice, that he or she can, at any given moment, instantly pick out that voice from all the others on the playground. So it is with intuition. As we become more spiritually attuned, we can better pinpoint the "sound" of our higher self, or of God, and learn to recognize it.

How People Actually Experience Intuition

The intuitive impressions we receive come to us in a variety of different ways. As you read the following descriptions and examples, we hope that you catch a glimpse of the intriguing and often unanticipated ways that intuitive impressions can be experienced. Perhaps you will recognize your own talents below and realize that you are psychic after all!

Clairvoyance (clear seeing or clear vision) is experienced when an individual discerns objects, people, or situations, not with the physical eyes, but with an internal sense sometimes referred to as the "third eye". Such "visions" concern something beyond one's physical view, e.g., in the next room, down the street, or a thousand miles away.

Clairaudience (clear hearing) is the ability to receive thoughts or information about a person or situation through an auditory sense instead of a visual one. This information is actually inaudible to the normal hearing range. It can be experienced as delicate sounds such as music, bells, or singing. It might also manifest as a knocking, siren, or other attention-getting sound. Most often, it comes as a voice that is literally heard either directly in the brain or through the auditory sense, as if it comes from beside or behind the person.

This voice can have many aspects, at times sounding like the person's own, and at others taking on a change of tone, volume, or pitch and sounding like someone else. It can take on an authoritarian tone or that of warning, gentle prodding, or encouragement. It can also be very objective and matter-of-fact.

Clairsentience (clear sensing) is probably the most frequent way intuition manifests in our lives, through hunches, gut feelings, or a sense of knowing without knowing how one knows. This "sensing" is often accompanied by a physical sensation -- for some people in the solar plexus, for others in the heart area. Some feel a prickling of their skin. The physical sensation can vary with each person.

This information comes to us in a variety of ways. At times, it comes as a thought that walks across the mind in a natural, subtle manner. When intuition comes to us in this way, it is so much like the regular musings of our mind that we can easily miss it, dismiss it, or mistake it for our own ruminations.

Intuition Through the Other Senses

We can also experience intuition through our senses of taste and smell, known as clairsavorance and clairscent, respectively, though these are not as common as the others. In one reading (5163-1), a woman asked Cayce what was the meaning of a particular scent that she smelled in the house periodically. His response was that it was the intuition that she needed to cultivate -- not an omen, but an influence that would be ever present. Some people have reported the experience of smelling a particular scent, such as lilacs or warm chocolate chip cookies, that they associated with a special person at the moment when that person passed away. It is also reported that people frequently smell the scent of roses whenever apparitions of Mother Mary occur.

The Perception of Vibration

Intuition can also manifest as the discernment of energy or vibration, which can take many forms.

Telepathy is thought transference from the subconscious of one individual to that of another. This takes place nonverbally and is commonly referred to as "mind reading".

Aura Perception is the ability to see the energy field surrounding all living beings and inanimate objects as well. The Cayce readings refer to this field as an "emanation of the soul". The aura's colors and vibration can indicate the condition and health of one's physical body, the mental/emotional state of one's mind, and the level of one's spiritual development.

Perception of other realms. Yet another way this type of intuition manifests is the ability to visually perceive life forms from other dimensions. These forms might include loved ones who have passed on, spirit guides, angels, nature spirits, and others.

Psychometry is the ability to discern information from the vibration of an object. By holding an object in one's hand, it is possible to pick up intuitive information about the object and/or the person to whom it belongs. Impressions can be received through visual images, words, thoughts, or physical sensations about the object, or through a combination of these. Insights can also come from the vibrations in a particular location or setting.

Intuition Through Time

Sometimes the intuition we receive relates to a time other than the present. 

Precognition is the ability to know about something before it actually occurs. This insight into the future can happen in the conscious state as well as in the dream state, and can be experienced through any of the "clear senses" mentioned earlier.

Retrocognition is the ability to know details about something that has taken place in the past without having been told or having read about it. As with precognition, we can experience these insights through any of the "clear senses" mentioned earlier. Past-life memories are an example of retrocognition.

Recognizing Intuitive Insights

How do we know when we are receiving intuitive information? How do we discern that particular type of information from the thousands of impulses we receive every day? As with the different types of information experienced by individuals, confirmations of intuition come to us in a variety of ways. Many people, especially those whose intuitive strength is through clairsentience, experience physical sensations that are harbingers of truth. If the impressions are of a warning nature, the physical indicators might include restlessness, physical pain, or discomfort in the stomach. Positive insights might trigger "goose bumps", a spinning sensation at the top of the head, spontaneous tears, warmth in the hands or at the base of the spine, or a sense of opening in the heart area.

Other people experience the existence of intuitive information through the emotions, such as a feeling of uneasiness, concern, or confusion. When the information is of a positive nature, joy, euphoria, or profound peace may prevail. Another indicator of intuitive information is a sense of great clarity, whether the insight comes as a thought, impression, voice, or vision.

Intuitive Development: Purpose and Intent

Hugh Lynn Cayce, eldest son of Edgar Cayce, worked a great deal with the material in the readings, particularly that which covered the inner workings of psychic abilities. After many years of interacting with Search for God study group members and experimenting with various ways of developing his own intuition, Hugh Lynn concluded that there are three valuable outcomes of developing intuitive attunement:

1. Improved communications. When we learn to use our intuition in positive ways, a greater understanding of the motivations, thoughts, and feelings of others may result. This allows us to become more tolerant, accepting, and loving toward them.
   
2. Unleashed creativity. Intuitive insights motivate us to grow closer to the creative source, thereby igniting our own creative spark and expression, which is the essence of our true self.
   
   
3. Healing of others and ourselves. As we attune to the highest within ourselves and feel motivated to help humanity, we open ourselves to the One Force and allow its healing energy to operate through us.

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