Can you afford not to know how to access your intuition on demand?
In this age of radical change and unprecedented encounters, my answer is "No"- much like you wouldn't willingly agree to navigate a treacherous terrain blindfolded.
May 10, 2024— Zurich, Switzerland
I don’t think there is anyone who hasn’t experienced that profound feeling of knowing something without knowing how they know it. Most of us have also heard that the greatest artists, scientists, and leaders share that their inspiration, and especially their breakthrough moments, are connected to such Aha! moments. I remember reading a research published by Harvard Business Review a while back saying that intuition was found to be a major or determining factor in 85% of thirty-six major CEO decisions that they studied. That’s pretty substantial if you ask me.
I myself have taken my most profound and life-changing decisions purely on intuition and often against common sense and logic. It’s difficult to know how things would have developed if I didn’t, but here is what I know for sure— I have made some of my biggest mistakes as a business leader by not following what I intuitively knew because I could not find “the rationale behind” it. In some cases, I would completely disregard my intuitive feeling; in others, I felt so strongly that I communicated it to my partners. The result was the same. Unless I can justify it with data, it would be neglected, and sometimes, it would even backfire on me.
In my humble experience, in such moments of “deep knowing without thinking”, we connect to the highest intelligence available to us.
You might question whether this is the highest intelligence available to us but would probably agree that intuition is playing a major role in our lives. According to ChatGPT, intuition is one of the ways in which we humans outperform the machines. I call that “the Human Advantage” and you can read more here.
And yet, for something so important, I find that there is major confusion what intuition is and what it is not, and how we can access it. What I know for sure is that in the digital age we live in, the role of intuition has become a lot more important. I also know for sure that there is a difference between the mass rhetoric and the practices of the “wealthy and the mighty”. Let me just say that:
You would be utterly surprised how many alternative and totally out-of-the-box methods are used by the “wealthy and mighty” while the official rhetoric for the masses remains focused on the so-called scientifically proven methods.
Given all of the above, I find it troublesome that most people will find it difficult to explain in clear terms what intuition is, where it comes from, and the vast majority of us would not be able to differentiate between intuition and instinct, the role biases play, and also how we can differentiate between the voice of our ego and our intuition.
My hypothesis is that in the times of AI and the overwhelming quantity of information, we cannot afford not to know what intuition is and how to access it on demand.
So what are Intuition and Instinct?
The confusion with intuition starts immediately after you ask Google about it. What comes as a definition is “the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.” No wonder, there is so much confusion around these terms if we define intuition by using the word instinct. That could not be further from the truth, by the way.
If you, however, continue with the basic Google research, you may find out that instinct is an innate, fixed pattern of behavior in all animals usually there to protect us, while intuition, on the other hand, accesses the highest form of wisdom available to us.
There are many resources with regard to this. I personally recommend two sources: the seven Levels of Decision-making of Richard Barrett and the four levels of intuition by Simone Wright. Both of them have helped me make sense of my own experiences and findings, and I am grateful to them for their contribution.
Instinct—the Voice of Safety and Survival
Our (gut) instinct is primarily driven by biological factors and designed to keep us safe using knowledge connected through the centuries. It is innate, automatic, unlearned, and present in all species following basic drives such as hunger, thirst, reproduction, fear, etc. It communicates in simple terms, and as far as it is concerned, things are either good or bad for us, either safe or unsafe.
One of the problems associated with it is that our lives today are very different from the lives of our predecessors and what was once true might be confusing or even completely false today.
Also important is that we do not have the capacity to develop instincts—they come automatically to us.
Instincts guide our behavior without the involvement of conscious thought. As such they are valuable and needed for our survival, but they will keep us just there—surviving and not thriving.
Instinct is sometimes considered to be the most basic level of intuition. I personally recommend you to keep them separate.
Intuition—the Sacred Voice of Wisdom
Just as we all have instincts, we all have intuition and that allows us to access wisdom — in other words, the highest form of intelligence available to us.
As such, it is the direct perception of truth and refers to the ability to understand or know something immediately without reasoning, deduction, or any other form of thinking and analysis. It comes as spontaneous insights or a deep sense of knowing something for sure.
While instincts are innate, unconscious and biologically driven behaviors, intuition can be cultivated consciously.
Some people have a more developed intuition. Yet, it’s accessible to all of us if we develop it. The more connected we are to it, the more empowered we are to thrive and face life's greatest challenges and opportunities.
Intuition as the Intelligence of the Heart
At this level, we have the capacity to connect to ourselves, other people, and the rest of Nature, and experience beauty, joy, connection, compassion. When we are aligned with the intelligence of the heart, we want to do what we love, and what makes our heart sing. We also develop sensitivity for the magic of life, and we can find joy and beauty in the present moment. This gives us the courage to live our life to the fullest beyond the mere drive to survive.
Inspiration—the Promptings of the Soul
Inspiration is the way we receive soul‐based promptings into our mind. This is the guidance system leading us in the direction of our soul’s purpose. This Guidance system show us the right next step for us. These promptings are by Nature very subtle and gentle. If we do not hear them, they become “loud knocks”. And sometimes, they can even “knock us down” in illness, so that we finally “have the time” to hear them.
Having a purpose is a very popular theme in the last decade, but I personally feel that there is a lot of confusing advice coming from otherwise prominent voices.
Our purpose is not a beautiful sentence we define once and then follow.
Being purpose-driven is the readiness to tune into our soul’s guidance system and follow what’s right for us in the present moment.
These promptings of our soul come as inspiration, imagination, visions, dreams, creative ideas, groundbreaking possibilities, or just a sense that there is no other clarity right now other than this very next step. People who are tuned into this level of intuition are the ones who come with out-of-the-box and groundbreaking solutions.
The promptings of our soul may come as something that feels as a (strategic) vision or as a (tactical) next step. Unlike the common logic goes, the leading principle is to trust the next step which feels right in the present moment as opposed to staying committed to the long-term vision.
As such, this capability is critical for thriving in today’s world which is characterized by constant change, complexity, and disruption. It is exactly this flexibility and readiness for an instant recalibration in the present moment that is at the core of thriving in this environment.
Intuition as access to Universal Wisdom
At this level, it is about our readiness and ability to tune into universal awareness and unity consciousness. When we are aligned with this level of intelligence, we recognize a sense of oneness, interconnectedness, and love with all living beings. We also recognize the highest level of intelligence and we are open and trusting to tune into it. This level is accessed through advanced practices but it may become available to us after some extreme experiences.
Knowing the Voices in our Head
On this journey of tuning to “knowing without thinking,” we need to be aware of the difference between the voices of the Ego and the voice of our Intuition. It’s critical to learn to differentiate between them.
When the Ego speaks:
It is loud, talkative and bossy.
The energy feels tense and contracted.
It uses long sentences and stories.
It loves logic, rationality, debate, and insists on being right.
It believes that we live in an unsafe world with scarce resources.
It is externally focused and feels good when we are recognized and rewarded.
It keeps postponing the time of joy and happiness to “when I …”
It tends to try to put us down.
On the other hand, when we hear our Intuition:
It is gentle, subtle and magic.
The energy is expansive and uplifting.
It communicates with short insights and does not engage in a debate.
It feels right in a way that does not need an explanation or a justification.
It is founded on the belief that we live in abundance.
It comes from the inside out.
It urges us toward joy and creativity in the present moment.
It makes us feel good about ourselves.
Rationality in Humans —Overrated?
One of the common arguments against intuition is that it’s not rational. The reality is that we are not that rational even when we try to be. The reasons for that are way too many to cover here but let’s take just the cognitive biases.
According to Wikipedia, “cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from norm and/or rationality in judgment.” The Visual Capitalist site has listed 188 confirmation biases so if your objective is to be more rational, knock youself out, and try to study them.
In my opinion, rationality is great in certain cases but is completely overrated. It gives us a sense of control but that’s a false sense of control. “Being in the norm” is also overated by the way, but that’s a whole other article.
Intuition as a Human Advantage
In one of my earlier articles, I mention that we are living in times which call us to make a choice— do we want to be rational and logical machines (pretty much like AI), or would we step into the full spectrum of being human? If the answer is the latter, then we need to recognize and master our Human Advantage and step into our human powers.
Our Intuition is one of the key aspects of our Human Advantage. Once we decide to be human, we need to learn how to access our intuition on demand.
That requires a blend of:
Openness to the magic of life and willingness to explore beyound the norm and the scientifically proven.
Courage to slow down the pace of our lives, quiet the noise of the mind, and cultivate the ability to attune to the subtle whispers of our inner guidance.
Learning to recognize that profound sense of deeper knowing that is clearly different from any other form of knowing.
It’s like learning a new language. Or to be more precise, it’s like remembering to do something that was natural for us before we supressed it and denied its existence. It requires guidance, patience, and practice to distinguish its voice amidst the clamor of daily life. However, by honoring these intuitive nudges and insights, we invite a deeper sense of alignment, clarity, mistery and mastery into our existence, empowering us to navigate life's complexities with more grace and wisdom.
Are you ready to learn to access your intuition on demand?
If yes,
Drop me a message and ask me for a free consultation online or
Read about the services I offer.
Whatever you do, keep in mind that living today without having access to your intuition is like making a choice to navigate a treacherous terrain blindfolded. You wouldn’t do that, would you?
Hi Natalia,
I am currently doing a deep dive into intuition! It is the wave of the future for the humans who do not believe it exist. For those who utilize it know they are ahead in this game of life. With tsunami of A.I being let into the human space we will see intuition suffer because individuals will be so enamored by this A.I packaging. This A.I will take individuals further away from intuition. On another level I say that is the game plan by the Digerati to get humanity away from there source of clarity and discernment
As an artist and a wanderer I have always relied upon my intuition. It was so natural that I was not aware that I functioned this way. As I got older and began to experience "the workplace" I began to encounter structures that formalized decision-making and I noticed that they were mechanistic, less economical and lacking in elegance. What was more striking to me was how little people trusted themselves or their own knowing. Many, if not all of the great inventions, were born of intuitive inquiry and spontaneity. Having a 'hunch' or a real curiosity to understand something is an aspect of our intuition. The intrepid and often ridiculed biochemist from Cambridge university, Rupert Sheldrake, has formally studied intuitive states in his research on what he calls Morphogenic Resonance Theory. Over time, Sheldrake has been vindicated and continues to provide valuable insight into the intuitive and 'self organized' aspects of biological systems. His research reveals uncanny abilities on the individual and collective levels of both human and animal behavior. Many anthropologists, biologists and physicists observe intuitive behaviors in advanced systems. Why are we not encouraging this innate gift in more formal areas of modern life?
One drawback though, is that I cannot always explain my reasoning in a methodical manner and this makes some people skeptical and, in some cases, they may feel I am being careless or making assumptions when this is inaccurate. Using your intuition is different from making assumptions but those who do not trust their own inner voice do not see this distinction easily. I hope this topic receives more validation and appreciation. Thank you, Natalia, for getting this ball rolling.