“The rational mind is a servant. The intuitive mind is a sacred gift. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Albert Einstein
There are times in life when we know that something is the right thing to do. Not from reason, not from analysis, but from a deep, stillness inside that just knows. It’s not that fashionable these days to listen to our own inner depth of wisdom, I found it striking that when Einstein was writing this was also the case, it is not a new phenomenon.
Our unconscious mind has a huge processing capacity. Outsiude our own awareness we perform thousands and thousands of ongoing processes necessary for life. Much of our sensory and emotional life also operates beyond conscious attention. Given we can only hold consciously in mind between five and nine things at once, it’s just as well.
Part of the process of personal growth as we mature is learning how to listen to ourselves more deeply. When we can be still and access that which is beyond our conscious knowing, and come into a relationship of trust with our broader selves, much in life becomes more obvious.
I’ve said before a question I like to ask is ‘what’s good to do?’ Good for me, good for those I love, good for my communities, good for the planet…you can ask this question in so many ways, and yes, you could get lost in analysis and philosophy. Or, you can listen to the stillness, and allow direction to emerge not just in words, but in sensations, in what pulls attention, in what feels and seems deeply right. At the times you do this, your judgement will be bang on.
Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink explores the power of ‘thinking without thinking’, and its an interesting read. If you’re one for getting caught up in rumination, listening to your intuition may be an interesting topic for you to explore.
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