Intuition – Udvikling af åndelig intuition

A comprehensive and advanced article that defines the nature of intuition, how to develop it, what blocks it, and what effects it has.

By Douglas Russell, translation Annabritt Jakielski

Introduction to intuition

The purpose of this article is to convey practical techniques for developing intuition, especially in its transpersonal or spiritual aspects. The approach is through the theory, methods and values ​​of psychosynthesis. The author has a background as a psychotherapist who trains therapists.

An important aspect of psychosynthesis is to “develop undeveloped faculties”. These psychological functions can include memory, sensation, emotion, feeling, imagination, thinking, intuition and will. We can use “active techniques” to bring latent functions to the surface. The aim of psychosynthesis is therefore to learn to harmonize these psychological functions and to consciously direct the energies through any function or combination according to our purpose or need (Assagioli, 1973).

Before we examine the active techniques for developing spiritual intuition, we will examine the nature of this abstract function. Since intuition is a living process that is difficult to understand, it is difficult to define. However, as Assagioli writes, it is not necessary to define the ultimate nature of a thing in order to study and use it. Physicists can study the properties of electricity, and many people use electrical energy every day without knowing its fundamental nature (Assagioli, 1965). We will move toward an understanding of spiritual intuition by examining the different types of intuitive consciousness and then discussing the term “spiritual” as used in psychosynthesis.

One form of intuitive awareness involves the use of information received through the physical senses. The person receiving intuitive information about another person may be aware only of an inner knowing and may not be aware of body language or hearing a voice. That is, we have a feeling about another person that is actually based on subconscious signals (Cohn, 1968). This view of intuition has been prominent in psychological understanding in experimental studies (Clark, 1973).

Within psychosynthesis, the emphasis is on a form of intuitive consciousness that requires little or no sensory input. In this case, the information that comes to consciousness comes primarily from the individual’s own inner world. In fact, we can seek intuitive information about a person who is not physically present. The quality of such information can vary, and Assagioli suggests a distinction between day-to-day intuitions and true spiritual intuition. He also recommends a distinction between sensations and the imaginative glimpses of “true intuition.” Finally, he points to the Jungians, who distinguish between levels of intuition (Assagioli, 1965).

Clark (1973) discusses these levels in several ways. Intuitive levels can be placed on a continuum from extrasensory perceptions (such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and telekinesis) to mystical experiences (revelation of truth, intuitive awareness). There is also a distinction between intuitive experiences that have no apparent practical application (as is the case with certain mystical experiences) and those that are practically oriented (creative problem solving, scientific discoveries, inventions). Different intuitive experiences can be distinguished by their “clarity,” which describes the quality of the intuitive insight.

Finally, one could work with a model where one distinguishes between the different levels of inner knowledge that are registered as the physical (body sensations), the emotional (emotional sensitivity or assessment), the mental (problem solving via a leap in imagination) or the spiritual (where we sense another person’s inner core).

In the latter model, spiritual intuition is knowledge gained through a level of consciousness beyond the personality, i.e., through an abstract or superconscious level. This involves a loving connection with and understanding of others. This interpersonal intuition arises through contacting the essence of the other person (Gerard, 1972).

When we use the same four hierarchical levels – body, emotions, mind and spirit – there is an interesting parallel between these levels and Jung’s four functions: the physical (sensation), the emotional (feeling), the mental (thinking) and the spiritual (intuitive). The intuitive function is here naturally related to the spiritual reality. Such a relationship is also suggested in the book Psychosynthesis – A Collection of Basic Writings   (Forlaget Levende Visdom, 2005), where intuition is the only psychological function whose development is thoroughly discussed in the section on “spiritual psychosynthesis” (Assagioli, 1965). Intuition seems to have several levels and yet to be spiritual in its purest or highest form.

We will now seek a deeper understanding by examining what is “spiritual” according to psychosynthesis and Assagioli. First of all, he relates the spiritual to the realms of the superconscious and the Higher Self. These realms are the aspects of the individual where the higher energy frequencies are contacted. The release of such energies has to do with growth towards our spiritual core. Examples of people who are in contact with the superconscious are the creative geniuses of the world. One of the goals of spiritual psychosynthesis is Self-realization or identification with the I-consciousness of the Higher Self.

The techniques of spiritual psychosynthesis that Assagioli teaches are designed to evoke higher energies so that they can be used creatively in daily life. These techniques include: (1) Contacting the Higher Self through symbols and dialogue; (2) Exercises that connect our personal journey with the Grail legend and Dante’s Divine Comedy; (3) Visualizing a rose budding, the growth of wheat or coffee plants, or the development of a seed into a tree; (4) Developing intuition; and (5) Inducing serenity (Assagioli, 1965).

In the above list of techniques, there are certain implications regarding what is spiritual. These include:

(1) a. An ability to contact transpersonal levels or to transcend the personality.

b. Working with the symbols of the Higher Self (the transpersonal Self or transpersonal center) through meditation on symbols and inner dialogue.

(2) The idea of ​​a journey along the spiritual path, which involves searching, testing and hardship, and ascension towards the higher reality.

(3) The spiritual path is an evolutionary growth that unfolds, takes place in cycles, and expands.

(4) Knowledge and guidance along the way come intuitively – from within.

(5) The importance of a calm personality, free from blockages to the influx of higher consciousness.

In this way, we can provisionally define spiritual intuition in psychosynthesis as a transpersonal guiding function. It is a method of sensing the next steps that lie ahead of us, within the framework of our growth as individuals, groups, and all of humanity. Intuition is therefore closely connected to the core of our purpose and direction in life – the Transpersonal Self. The personal self is the center around which the body, emotions, and mind are integrated in the personal psychosynthesis. The Higher Self seeks to integrate the entire personality with all other people in the cosmos and with the cosmos in the spiritual psychosynthesis.

When the individual and the universal are united through the Higher Self, there is a direct knowledge through an inner experience of all life forms. The inner being, the I, can identify with an atom, a cell, another human being, a planet, a galaxy. The I can therefore sense the purpose of the Universal Will (through identification) and bring a greater perspective on the direction of the path unfolding for humanity back to the personality. Spiritual intuition is therefore a synthetic understanding that arises when the (at least at this time) integrated personality connects with the transcendent levels of being through the Higher Self.

Attention promotes intuition

To develop intuition, we must give it attention (Assagioli, 1965; Clark, 1973; Cohn, 1968). Attention energizes the function that is the object of its focus. This may necessitate a preliminary step in which we remove blockages. Some blockages come from a cultural conditioning in the West where intuition is generally denied, or is said to be available only to women, or is considered inferior to logic and “science.” Reading about intuition is therefore useful in correcting certain misconceptions, and the direct experience of our intuitive ability is a good incentive to continue developing it.

We can experience intuition in collaboration with a partner or a group, as we can receive immediate feedback on the correctness of our inner impressions. A good introductory exercise is the following:

Exercise: Intuitive assessment

Purpose: To begin the process of seeking knowledge from within and to demonstrate that everyone has some intuitive ability.

Preparation: Participants should ideally have little preparation. The exercise is presented early in a group process, when group members have not yet had enough contact to know each other well.

Procedure:

1. Hand out A4 pages with the words “spiritual”, “mental”, “emotional” and “physical” on the left side. Under each word there is a blank area of ​​about 5 cm, so the page is divided horizontally into squares with space under each word.

2. Group members are told to make an intuitive assessment of each other. Intuition is defined as inner knowledge. Participants are given little information and are asked to do their best. Little time is given for questions or objections.

3. Group members are asked to choose a partner and sit together facing each other in silence. One of the partners is asked to start by being the assessor. The other, who is being assessed, is simply asked to sit quietly.

4. Those who are to rate their partner are asked to relax for a moment, look briefly into their partner’s eyes and then write down whatever comes to mind about the other person’s physical life, feelings etc. Those who are rating are asked to act as if they knew everything about the other person. They can choose to close their eyes to contact their inner self if they wish. They are told that they only have 10 minutes. Any resistance is met by asking them to do their best – even a single word or symbol about each aspect is fine, and they are informed that time is running out. They are told that “then there are only 5 minutes left”, and “then there are only 2 minutes left”.

5. Once the two minutes are up, those who have rated their partner are asked to put their paper aside, and then the other partner goes through the same 10-minute process.

6. The two parties are then given 10 or 15 minutes to exchange what they have written and to reconcile possible relevant symbols or precise perceptions.

7. The group can then discuss the exercise as a whole.

Comment: Most participants have some experience with being accurate in their inner perception. The leader can explain that attention to one’s own inner world is key and that “acting as if” they know is also important. Intuitive abilities are developed through practice. Group participants are encouraged to try more intuitive exercises as homework and to begin writing down working examples of their intuition in their daily lives. An extension of this exercise is to ask all group members to assess another person who is not present. Another variation is to elicit more symbolic responses by asking questions such as, “If this person were an animal, what animal would he be?” (Gerard, 1972).

Group members are often amazed by the precision of the information they receive during the exercise. One man, during his first experience in an intuitive exercise, reported seeing a picture of a coffin halfway down the ground. His partner told him that her husband was in the terminal stages of an illness. A woman who thought, “My partner is sad,” dismissed this thought because her partner did not seem sad. Later, her partner shared with her that she was deeply concerned about some problems she was experiencing with her children. Another man saw his partner happily dancing alone in the woods, and later learned that this partner had actually lived alone for many years in a small community in the mountains; a lifestyle she was very happy with.

Development of intuition therefore begins with the cultivation of a habit of focusing inward for information, reading about intuition, and writing down intuitive experiences in a journal. At the same time, the mind’s ability to focus attention inward can be developed through regular meditation. A very good way to begin meditation is through disidentification and self-identification (Assagioli, 1965). A certain meditative practice of serenity and disidentification from the contents of personal consciousness is necessary for the further development of intuition. Spiritual intuition can be achieved by people who have practiced the self-discipline of developing specific meditative abilities.

Definition of intuition

Since spiritual intuition cannot be defined in its essence, it must be experienced directly or understood through contemplation. In this connection, it is beneficial to reflect meditatively on certain key words related to the highest expression of the intuitive function. Eastcott (1969) and Assagioli (1973) discuss the techniques of reflective meditation, and later in this article a concrete example of a reflective meditation is given.

The following words could each serve as a key to a deeper understanding of this difficult-to-access phenomenon: UNIVERSALITY – TRANSCENDENCE – PLANETARY CONSCIOUSNESS

True intuition comes from a plane beyond personal or individualized consciousness. In “The Act of Creation” (1964), Arthur Koestler points out that innovations and scientific discoveries often occur simultaneously in different parts of the world by independent researchers. He speaks of a “maturity” in humanity to receive such new discoveries, combined with the requisite abilities of a creative person or group.

Creative people seem to transcend the ego and even the individual self to a more universal plane of consciousness. The individual has sensed the evolutionary process of humanity and has become a vehicle for this unfolding. This ability to directly experience transcendental states of consciousness is documented by personal accounts from mystics and saints throughout many times and cultures, as well as by modern researchers such as Bucke (1951), Clarke (1973), Gerard (1972), James (1902), and Maslow (1971). To be intuitive, therefore, is to be able to transcend culturally conditioned states of consciousness and experience direct knowledge of a truth or reality that has suprapersonal applications.

REVELATION – ILLUMINATION – DISCOVERY

The individual experiences intuition as a revelation, a revelation. He looks deep within himself and brings back to the individualized consciousness an insight, an idea, which is apparently also available to others. The new idea is revealed in the individualized mind, which is illuminated by the light of the intuitive consciousness. Perhaps human evolution is a matter of uncovering what already exists in the collective unconscious as the potential of humanity. What was beyond our understanding a hundred years ago is now common knowledge, and what is impossible or miraculous today may be quite common tomorrow.

The exploration of our physical space has led to an expansion of the boundaries and the revelation of what already existed: namely, the 18th-century American West and the far side of the moon. The exploration of the inner space of man has led to the revelation of what already existed within: LSD experiments in the 20th century (Leary, Metzner, and Alpert, 1964) led to the rediscovery of experiences documented in Tibet centuries earlier. The discoveries of modern physics led to technological inventions that unleashed the nuclear force that had always existed, although it was unknown to human consciousness until Einstein revealed it. Intuition in its highest form therefore expands the boundaries of human consciousness and reveals the ideas that promote our growth as a planetary group.

SYNTHESIS – SYNERGY

Intuition is a holistic, nonlinear, and relational aspect of consciousness. As an abstract mental process, it can be associated with the right hemisphere. In contrast, we have the sequential, rational-logical aspect of consciousness, which is associated with the left hemisphere (Ornstein, 1972). Intuitive perception is related to a complete, synthetic whole.

The intuitive flash that reveals the answer to a scientific problem often comes when rational problem-solving stops and the mind is not engaged in arriving at a solution through rational deliberation (deRopp, 1972; Koestler, 1964; Vargiu, 1972). In the creative process, exploration and information gathering often reach a point of frustration, where further progress is only made when logical processes are set aside and the information gathered matures; then a sudden illumination or inspiration makes it all fit together or reveals a unifying understanding. In this process, previously disjointed elements are joined together in new combinations.

UNDERSTANDING – TRUTH

A new way of understanding arises in the mind. We see the solution to a problem. The inner essence of a situation or person is experienced by identifying with it and the truth about it is then recognized directly in consciousness. What lies “underneath” is recognized and the essence behind the form is sensed and appreciated for what it truly is. Behind the form perceived through the senses, the meaning and purpose of it is experienced through the intuitive mind.

An idea is born, which points the way to a creative action. A universal principle, pattern or law is experienced as whole. The visionary understanding thus arises through the intuition, which precedes intelligent action.

PROGRESS

Intuition is a vision of the possible or of a potential ready to be actualized; a glimpse of something new, of what is possible. Intuition is thus a guide to the future, an abstraction that must be formulated mentally and manifested through action. Spiritual intuition guides. It is true to the universal pattern and points to new trends emerging in human development that an individual must choose to cooperate with. Here we see the connection between the Transpersonal Self and a greater whole, and the reception of an intuitive insight suggests an offered opportunity to serve the whole – to take responsibility by promoting a group process (Erikson, 1964).

LOVE – COMPASSION

Intuition transcends the personal ego – the reality that has to do with my needs, my desires, my thoughts or views – and suggests that which is emerging in the evolution of the whole. Intuition can thus provide an empathetic understanding of others. It unites different points of view by revealing the underlying essential unity. Just as is true of love, intuition includes and unites elements that were previously separate and unconnected.

IDENTIFICATION

As discussed above, spiritual intuition can be an empathetic understanding of other people, achieved through identification with them. In a broader sense, intuition is a tool for directly connecting with all of creation. The ability to connect our sense of identity, the self, with a rock or a tree or a planet or a star, while retaining some sense of ourselves, involves a direct knowledge of other forms of existence (Gerard, 1967). This inner knowledge of the nature of another being, of the “not-self,” is the key to transcendence, leading from individual to universal consciousness, from the sense of separate human existence to the realization of oneness with the entire cosmos.

These seven key words can serve as tools for contemplation and reflection, expanding our understanding of the nature of spiritual intuition. Similarly, reflecting on quotes that emphasize the role of humans in the evolutionary process can inspire deeper awareness. The following quotes are particularly relevant:

Intuition is the creative progress towards reality.

(Assagioli, 1965)

When we find ourselves on the frontier of new knowledge about consciousness, we must invariably rely on intuition in the formulation of new concepts. Whether we are creating a new reality through discovery or uncovering a form that already existed, intuitive formulation precedes proof and verification.

(Clark, 1972)

The history of man seems to demonstrate his ever-increasing conscious participation in the hitherto spontaneous, universal evolution …. My continuing philosophy is based on …. the assumption that – in dynamic counterbalance to the expanding universe, which is characterized by entropically increasing random disorder – there must be a universal pattern of all-contracting, convergent, forward-writing order, and that man is the non-entropic function that recreates order ….

(R. Buckminster Fuller, quoted by Vargiu, 1972)

Intuition is a valuable source of information about our life course. It has to do with personal dynamics that seek to find expression through the themes and motifs that we are instruments for the realization of. The pursuit of these intuitive images is very difficult: the path contains many risks, traps and selfish illusions. However, the ability to utilize intuition effectively is, I believe, the crown of our efforts towards personal maturation and possibly a prerequisite for our individual synthesis with the human community.

(Haronian, 1975)

The differences between the creative and emotional patterns create a fundamental cognitive dissonance and a consequent stress…. When we become aware of this, we describe it in terms of “divine dissatisfaction”…. “the search for a deeper meaning”…. Whatever the term, when we find the strength to accept this stress as part of our nature, we will also find that it creates an imperative, irresistible urge to improve, reunite, harmonize, and ultimately unite the two patterns projected by the one, transcendent source: the perception of an imperfect present and the partial vision of a more perfect future. In this relentless effort lies the entire drama of human existence, because in order to achieve this goal, man must change himself and his universe.

(Vargiu, 1972)

Those who are able to transcend are far better able to be innovators and discoverers of the new than the healthy self-actualizers, who are better suited to doing a really good job of what needs to be done “in the world.” Transcendent experiences and illuminations bring a clearer vision of the B-values, of the ideal, of the perfect, of what should be, what actually could be, and what potentially exists—and therefore of what can be made to happen.

(Maslow, 1971)

Again and again,

Step by step,

Intuition opens the doors,

Which leads to man’s destiny

About more beneficial changes

Of the complexity of physical events

What we call the environment

If evolutionary transition always leads

Against all of humanity

Physical and metaphysical success.

(Fuller, 1972)

Fortunately, as evolution progresses, more and more individuals are able to demonstrate higher psychic abilities that enable them to connect with the higher mental and spiritual levels and thereby invoke and evoke the spiritual energies and ideas that can constructively advance the evolution of humanity. This is the higher counterpart of ordinary telepathy. It involves the ability to stay in tune with new ideas and to translate them into practical plans for the benefit of humanity in a specific area. In this way, we all contribute according to our ability to the evolutionary growth of this world.

The spiritual destiny of man lies in this higher science of impression and radiation. Our human destiny is to become conscious co-creators and collaborators with the cosmic psycho-spiritual evolution.

(Gerard, 1972)

Summary of being mindful

Attention to intuition promotes its development. We must foster the ability to turn inward to obtain information. We can achieve a higher degree of harmony with the inner worlds by writing down experiences of intuitive awareness in a journal. Reading about intuition develops an intellectual understanding and creates a deeper interest, and the practice of meditative abilities allows us to directly experience the deeper intuitive processes. Reflective meditation on key words and contemplation of quotes related to spiritual intuition leads to intuitive understanding of this abstract human function.

Symbols linked to intuition

The study of symbols is the royal road to intuition. Intuition usually speaks through symbolic language. Reading about symbolism, as well as practicing an ability to understand symbolic language, is an important source for developing intuition.

It is of special value to see people, circumstances, and events as symbolic occurrences. The world of the senses reflects in a way our inner being. Observing a chain of events in our waking life as if it were a dream can lead us to an understanding of the underlying meaning or purpose of the experience. Fostering a habit of observing the significance of every event and the inherent quality of external forms, the essence of everything and all beings, develops the ability to experience the inner world behind what the senses register—the intuitive world.

The following meditative analysis is one method for developing this sustained orientation toward inner reality:

Exercise: Meditative analysis of the meaning of a symbol

Purpose: To develop a deep understanding of a symbol’s meaning on many levels and to establish a habit of searching behind the apparent for meaning and purpose.

Preparation: This technique is of special value and interest to people who are experienced in meditating, or who are highly motivated to develop and use their meditative abilities.

Procedure:

1. The physical aspect of the symbol: Draw the symbol or write down the words (a word is also a symbol) and place them in front of you. What are the physical characteristics of the symbol in terms of line, shape and color? Write this information down.

2. The emotional aspect: As you observe the symbol, tune in to your feelings and write down your answers to the following questions: What do you sense are the quality or qualities of the symbol? What is your intuitive response to the symbol and its qualities?

3. The mental aspect: You center yourself, quiet your mind, and observe your answers to the questions below. Write your answers down. What do you perceive as the underlying idea of ​​the symbol? What is it supposed to teach you? What intellectual understanding is it supposed to convey?

4. The Transpersonal Perspective: Visualize the Higher Self as a shining star above your head. In a meditative attitude, ask the Higher Self: What is the purpose of this symbol? How does this symbol relate to life as a whole? Where does it fit in with your evolution or with the evolution of humanity? What is its true unifying purpose? If you prefer, you can ask these questions of a wise being. Write down the answers you receive.

5. Symbolic Identification: Returning to a meditative state, visualize the symbol in the light of the Higher Self. Become aware again of its quality and purpose. Then let your consciousness merge with the symbol. Experience yourself as the symbol and write down the result.

Comment: This exercise can be done slowly at first, in a guided group meditation, or alone, writing down the answers to each step. Eventually, the ability to contact inner meaning and reason will become a spontaneous and ongoing way of being in the world. It is also important to remember that experiences of nonverbal sounds, smells, and other sensory experiences can be examined for their correspondence in the inner world, just as we do with visual and verbal impressions.

An exciting result of this exercise is the increased speed of intuitive sensations. One therapist reported: “I decided to use the technique of meditative analysis before a therapy session. I tried to see my client’s life at that moment as a symbol and received a stream of information – images, colors, thoughts and feelings – and wrote them all down. During the session with the client, there was a particular color that I had seen in my meditation before the session that appeared as a symbol in the client’s consciousness and led to a climax experience.” Meditative analysis has also proven useful in understanding a confusing symbol from a dream, where in the therapy session the client is guided through the above steps, after which the therapist writes down the answers.

Another important way to develop higher forms of intuition is to study systems of thought that are based on abstract symbols. Mathematics is one such system. Other very important and valuable ones are the I Ching, astrology, runes, and tarot cards. Intuitive ability can be rapidly expanded by using one or more of these systems alone or in combination with others.

Certain symbols are directly related to spiritual intuition. The understanding of this function will be deepened through contemplation of the following:

Two Triangles: Here we have the two triangles joined at the tips. This hourglass shape is a seal or symbol of supposed hidden power. We could place this image on top of Assagioli’s (1965) egg diagram with the tips at the level of the Higher Self (see illustration on the right). The triangle pointing downward relates to involution or the descent of spirit into matter. The continued downward movement along the two sides of the lower triangle illustrates the expansion of consciousness or the evolutionary growth and unfolding.

We thus have a depiction of abstract impressions (the unseen, the world of the spirit) coming from the universal (the collective unconscious) into the personal higher unconscious. Here the impressions arise in consciousness as, for example, a symbol or an idea. The function of the Higher Self is to connect the individual with the universal.

In parallel with this symbolism, Assagioli (1965) suggests that a triangle with a star above it may symbolize spiritual psychosynthesis. The triangle in that symbol represents the integrated personality and the star the Higher Self. When the lower triangle is raised and connected to the star, it symbolizes the union of the Higher Self with the personality, or Self-realization. When it continues upward in consciousness past the star into the upper triangle, it could symbolize the opening towards the cosmos.

Television: This man-made symbol represents an instrument capable of tuning into different vibrational frequencies. Invisible signals of a particular vibrational frequency are translated into words or visual images. Several authors draw analogies between television or radio and the human ability to tune into higher states of consciousness (Crampton, 1974; Gerard, 1972; Vargiu, 1972).

Air: The “four elements” can be related to the levels of consciousness as follows: Earth – the body; water – the emotions; fire – the mind; air – the spirit. Air is subtle and invisible, but its effect is visible and often very powerful as in hurricanes.

Mercury: Mercury as a mythological symbol is the winged messenger of the gods. With wings on his feet, back and helmet, speed and travel through the air are illustrated. Hence the connection to the momentary intuitive glimpse that comes from the subtle abstract areas of consciousness. Mercury carries the caduceus staff, which is the symbol of healing or restoration of wholeness.

Messages from the gods are believed to have a universal perspective and a profound transformative power, for a divine aspect indicates a transcendence of the ego and the narrow human viewpoint. As a planet, Mercury is closest to the sun, the source of life on our earth. In the same way, intuition taps into a source of wisdom and direction for human life.

Arrow: The arrow is swift and has direction. It is related to the will, to one-pointedness, intention, goal, purpose. Similarly, intuition is an indication of the visionary or purposeful initiation of will-in-action. The intuitive arrow can be shot directly into the air to contact the knowledge of the subtle world and return to the sender with divine information.

A ray of light: Light is symbolic of consciousness, just as darkness is symbolic of unconsciousness or ignorance. Intuition is insight or seeing with the mind’s eye. “In receptive meditation…the mind’s eye is turned upward and seeks to discover that which can be discovered on a higher plane than the ordinary plane of consciousness and mind.” (Assagioli, 1973). The eye is symbolic of light, which senses and receives light energy. As intuitions are received through the abstract mind (the mind’s eye), it is as if a ray of light is streaming down from universal planes of consciousness, bringing enlightenment, a glimpse of insight, illumination, vision. Downstream rays of light in nature often evoke a sense of the Divine contacting the earth or a higher wisdom flowing into humanity.

An interesting parallel here is to combine the symbolism of the upward-looking eye and the two triangles. The upper triangle represents the light of intuition entering the mind’s eye. This light is focused by the Higher Self in the same way that the lenses of the physical eye focus incoming light onto the retina. The Higher Self focuses the intuitive awareness in the form of images, words, and symbols onto the screen of the mind or brain-consciousness.

From a human perspective, the illuminated mind can be illustrated as sending a ray of light upward like an arrow to connect with the Source of Life. The searchlight of the mind represents the trained mind’s ability to focus and direct energy. As it reaches toward intuitive awareness, the personal self must focus on the Higher Self and project a ray of light upward to illuminate the higher unconscious and create a channel through which wisdom transmitted from above can be received.

The Higher Self, whose classical symbol is a brilliant star or point of light, must in turn project its rays out towards the universal in order to connect with intuitive impressions. An expansion of the egg diagram from The Psychology of Will (Kentaur Forlag 2005) (Assagioli, 1973) illustrates this process:

No. 1 in the diagram illustrates the radiance of the Higher Self, directed through the superconscious towards the personal self. In No. 2 the radiance is increased: downward towards the personality and upward towards the more universal levels of consciousness. In No. 3 a state of transcendence is indicated, associated with a cosmic consciousness, which may include a temporary loss of individual identity. The intuitive process, symbolized by light, involves a threefold fusion of the personal consciousness (or the light of the integrated personality) with the light of the Higher Self with the light of Source (God) or the universal plane of consciousness (the planetary or cosmic light).

Summary of the symbols associated with intuition

The royal road to developing intuition is through the study of symbols. Intellectual knowledge of symbols is important, and there is an extensive literature on symbols. The intuitive knowledge of (direct experience of) symbols can be expanded through the use of meditative analysis. We can develop the habit of seeking the meaning, purpose, or essence behind all manifestations through such analysis and by seeing the experiences of our daily lives as symbolic statements. Certain symbols such as two triangles, television, air, Mercury, an arrow, and rays of light are directly connected with spiritual intuition. A deeper understanding of this process will arise as we study these symbols through contemplation or reflective meditation.

The stages of intuition

Another important method for developing intuition is through the exercises associated with the stages of the intuitive process. The stages are:

a. To bring oneself into harmony,

b. raise one’s consciousness,

c. receive,

d. write down,

e. to retest (Assagioli, 1965; Clark, 1973).

Although other writers do not explicitly use the above terms as successive stages, such a grouping seems to be implicit in their thinking. The use of this model is one of the most valuable and practical methods of receiving impressions, creating realization, and utilizing the intuitive energies.

First stage – Bringing oneself into harmony

Attunement is a state of consciousness in which the integrated personality is attuned, at least for the moment, to the Higher Self. As a meditative practice, attunement can be achieved through disidentification from the body, emotions, and mind, and by experiencing these three aspects as calm and connected (Eastcott, 1969). The entire personality is then oriented toward the Higher Self as a dedication. Optimal openness to the transpersonal energies can occur when the body is in good health and the mind and emotions are at rest.

To achieve harmony, the concept of energy planes is beneficial. Vargiu (1972) writes about connecting the “personal creative plane” with the “universal creative plane”. Gerard (1972) suggests that the harmony of the personality can be experienced through visualizing the personality as a continuation of intertwined energy planes. He further recommends a symbolic technique for bringing oneself into harmony, where connection with the Higher Self can be established by visualizing a pillar of light connecting a star above the head to the brain (Gerard, 1972).

Such visualizations are especially effective when we have successfully practiced disidentification and self-identification for some time. When contact with the Higher Self is developed, the attunement achieved may include an opening that extends beyond this plane of consciousness. We can use symbols to facilitate this opening, or we can practice contacting more universal planes as described in the following section on raising consciousness.

In connection with this vertical attunement, consciousness can be tuned to the specific area about which we are seeking intuitive information. If we are seeking information about another person, the person seeking the information can think of the other in a loving way. This attunement to a person or area of ​​interest can be called horizontal attunement . If there is a problem to be solved, a question we want answered, or an area we would like to explore, the task at hand can be considered a focal point and the point that we symbolically lift up into the higher unconscious so that it can be illuminated by the Higher Self. This focal point becomes a center around which subtle energies can begin to take shape.

Second stage – Raising consciousness

When we imagine ourselves moving upwards, it can lead to higher states of consciousness (Desoille, 1965). Actually, “higher” here means more expansive, more inclusive, beyond the limits of ordinary waking consciousness. The metaphor used of moving up to the “Higher” Self or to a mountaintop or a peak experience is a movement towards the sun or the source of life on our planet. “Higher” vibrations have greater intensity, speed or frequency.

Similarly, the metaphor of going deep, going inward to the depths of our nature, is a movement into the subtle worlds of meaning, purpose, and being. Fuller (1972) prefers the use of “in and out” to “up and down.” “In” and “out” are used by astronauts, who refer to leaving the planet as moving away from it or “out,” and moving toward it as “in.” These terms can be helpful in escaping the limitations of ordinary, waking consciousness, which tends to be identified with a particular human personality on planet Earth.

Rising to “higher” states of consciousness therefore involves moving through the superconscious towards the Transpersonal Self and from there on through the universal creative plane towards the source of life. As the point of identity shifts as we move deeper inward, the field of consciousness becomes more and more expansive. There is an outward expansion to include larger and larger wholes – from the individual to all of humanity, to the entire planet, to the universe.

Going inward toward the universal source therefore includes expanding to accommodate all of creation within our consciousness. It is therefore important to think of raising consciousness not as a literal lifting up from the body, but as a useful encounter – useful because in its conception, moving upward belongs to expanded states of consciousness. The stage of raising up is an orientation of consciousness to states of more inclusive awareness of simultaneous depth and height.

The basic techniques for raising ourselves up may involve a movement in our imagination of rising upwards towards a star above our heads or imagining ourselves climbing a mountain (Desoille, 1965). Another technique may be reflective meditation, in which we place a key word or symbol just above our heads in the light of the Higher Self. A wide range of other methods that deepen our understanding and are therefore techniques for raising ourselves up may include meditative analysis, getting answers from the unconscious (Crampton, 1975), and techniques of symbolic understanding (Gerard, 1973).

The author suggests the following advanced method of elevation for students who have received a full year of professional psychosynthesis training. It is a powerful method of invoking and eliciting spiritual intuition, and it is called “Cooperation with the Planetary Will”. In his book The Psychology of Will (Kentaur Forlag, 2005), Assagioli distinguishes between three levels of will: the personal, the transpersonal and the universal. The author of this article prefers the term “planetary” to “universal” for a precise description of this meditation technique. Different levels of will in addition to the transpersonal will could correspond to several specific experiential levels of consciousness, as indicated by Gerard (1972): Planetary, solar and cosmic (universal) consciousness.

Exercise: Cooperation with the Planetary Will

Purpose: This is an advanced meditation technique created with the aim of bringing the higher forms of intuitive awareness into the personal field of consciousness.

Preparation: For most people, at least a year of meditation training is a prerequisite. We should have a vividly experienced ability to disidentify, to center ourselves in the personal self, and to elevate ourselves to identification with the Higher Self. A balanced personality and sense of purpose in life are also necessary for maximum benefit.

Procedure:

1. Bring the personality into harmony so that the body, emotions and mind are in a state of calm and open to the higher energies.

2. See the Higher Self as a brilliant, white star about 12 inches above your head. Visualize a column of light connecting the star to the center of your head.

3. Now move your consciousness upwards and identify with the star. Imagine how the energy of the personality is drawn upwards, so that the consciousness (light) of the personality mixes with the light of the Higher Self.

4. From this point of light – the star of the Higher Self – visualize yourself expanding in all directions, containing more and more. Sense the energetic essence of all forms in all the kingdoms of nature, and continue to expand until you contain the entire planet and its atmosphere in your consciousness.

5. Now, in this planetary consciousness, in its innermost core, where there are no images or forms, but only rays of energy, try to get a sense of the purpose of life on planet Earth and the imminent evolution of humanity. Feel this purpose and the evolutionary evolution of the entire human race without creating ideas or images.

6. Now bring some world problem or technique for furthering human evolution, or a word, phrase, symbol or concept into the threefold light of the personality, where it mingles with the light of the Higher Self, which in turn mingles with the planetary consciousness. Silently hold the entire question in the realm of abstract energies and abstract light for 3-5 minutes.

7. Now visualize a contraction and downward movement of the Higher Self and identify yourself again as the point of light above your head. Now imagine light streaming down into the mind and brain and allow yourself to identify yourself as a self that can write down any information received in the form of impressions, ideas, symbols, thoughts, words or images regarding world problems, an area of ​​service, a symbol or concept.

8. Continue to use various methods of control and then implement ways of expanding understanding of what you have received as a preparation for translating into reality the ideas and visions that have value and are in line with your life purpose.

Comment: This meditation outline can greatly expand our creative capacity. It is important to apply it to a specific, transpersonal area, which is thus as free as possible from personal ego involvement.

Experiences with this meditation can be experienced and understood in a very powerful way. A therapist reported using this technique with a university student who was writing a major thesis and who had felt very frustrated and blocked in her writing for several months, and especially blocked in relation to her current thesis for several weeks. The therapist guided the student through the various steps of the exercise, using the title of the student’s thesis as the topic for step 6. In the receptive phase (step 7), the student was able to formulate a draft of the completed thesis, and she was then able to write her thesis with minimal difficulty over the following two days.

Another report came from a university professor who used the exercise as part of his teaching preparation. He said that his teaching had become more profound, more creative, and better organized as a result. He found himself recalling books he had read many years ago and had deliberately forgotten, and he was uniting material from (to him) surprisingly disparate sources in ways that were completely new to him. Another man who was learning to meditate reported how, through the use of this technique, he experienced for the first time in a profound way areas of consciousness that lay beyond the Higher Self.

Third stage – Receiving

As the stages of the technique of Cooperation with the Planetary Will indicate, the stages of attunement and raising one’s consciousness are followed by the stage of receiving the intuitive information. In the receiving stage, it is very important to keep the reasoning/judgmental mind out and simply receive what comes. The processing of the information comes later. We must be receptive in the same way that a good movie screen receives the light from the projector and simply reflects what comes without distortion. However, there are already certain built-in distortions because the Higher Self has its own coloring or understanding. Although the Higher Self is connected to the universal, it is individualized and can therefore add its own special quality to the incoming intuitive energies.

Then there is the individual personality with its unique mind and emotional makeup and body type. Although the mind can be kept clear and still, it is an individual mind, and it adds further coloring to the incoming energies that come to expression as thoughts, ideas or symbols.

As an illustration of the inherent distortion or limitation of the intuitive impressions received, we may say that the impression may not arise in the individual’s consciousness in the language best suited to express its true meaning. It must manifest itself in a language familiar to the individual receiving it.

Similarly, when we assess a person’s Higher Self by examining the quality of peak experiences, there seem to be different types. Some people, when they have a peak experience, are in a state of inclusive love, some are in a state of deep devotion, some are focused, purposeful, directed or perfectly organized, etc.

Receiving therefore involves limitation – the more expansive a state of consciousness we are in, the more we can bring down a consciousness that lies beyond space and time, a reality that consists of subtle energy rays without concrete form. The formless takes on form. Free energy becomes clothed in form, and we receive in-formation. An impression becomes a symbol or a concrete thought. An abstraction leads to a blueprint, which leads to a plan. In the receptive stage, therefore, we receive a vision or an idea, which becomes a goal.

How does the individual experience this receptive stage? Intuitive energy may manifest on abstract, mental levels of consciousness as an impression, a blueprint, a sense of orientation or direction, or as a purely geometric shape. On concrete mental levels we may experience a symbol or image, or perhaps we may not get any visual impression, but an idea, word, or phrase appears in the mind. This may be experienced very subtly or come in the form of a flash of insight or a creative unifying understanding with the force of lightning.

Some people may experience feelings or bodily sensations as signs of intuitive certainty. These can range from subtle sensations to strong emotions. Physically, these signals can include any sensory input – for example, smells, inner sounds, or spinning sensations. The reception of intuitions can therefore manifest at all levels of the personality. In the receptive phase, it is of great importance to stay in tune and receptively free to observe what is happening in an objective way, without judging or judging.

The following exercise can be practiced with different variations and is beneficial in the receptive phase in the development of the intuitive process:

Exercise: Meditative interaction in the development of intuition

Purpose: To practice receptivity without judgment.

Preparation: This exercise can follow a few weeks of practicing disidentification and self-identification.

Procedure:

1. Participants are asked to choose a question that is existentially important to them. For example, formulate a question about an area in your life where you want clarification, more information, or more understanding. Write this question down on a piece of paper. Be specific.

2. The group members choose a partner and everyone decides who asks and who receives in the first round.

3. The questioner reads the questions out loud and the groups spend a few minutes making sure the answerer understands the question. The questioner has paper and pen ready and writes down the information that the partner receives intuitively.

4. The leader continues with a centering exercise similar to the following:

Sit facing each other without saying anything and look into each other’s eyes.

Center your awareness in the heart and feel the love for your partner as a worthy human being.

Close your eyes, disidentify from the body, emotions and mind, and identify with the Self. Visualize the entire personality being brought into harmony and opening to the higher energies – towards the Higher Self and that which lies beyond it.

The questioner now remains open inwardly to his partner and ready to write down everything that the partner says. The one who answers remains in tune with the Higher Self. The questioner now gently asks the questions to the meditating partner, who says his answers aloud. The leader suggests that those who answer share their answers as much as possible without censoring or thinking. They can especially share symbols and images and include words or thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations. The questioner simply writes down and may occasionally ask the one who answers to elaborate on a point.

5. The leader concludes the question and answer phase and brings the meditators back to daytime awareness. The parties are then asked to spend a few minutes sharing their experiences with each other.

6. The roles of question and answer are now swapped and the process is repeated from step 3.

Comment: This exercise can be varied in several ways. One is to have the questioners answer their own questions, which the other party writes down. Another is for the partner to repeatedly ask “Who are you?” or “Why are you here?” or “Where are you going?” Both partners can work meditatively without writing down the answers or with a third person as the observer and writer. Another option is to use a more detailed or advanced form of meditation to bring themselves into alignment and raise awareness as a preparation for the receptive phase.

The results of this exercise are usually deeply meaningful to the participants. There is an increased sense of closeness as well as a deepened understanding of trust in the intuitive processes. A bond of loving understanding is often established which has an integrative effect on the participants and their interactions and on the group as a whole. One advantage of working together as a group is that immediate feedback is available in learning to distinguish true perceptions from distortions and false information (Cohn, 1968; Clark, 1972; Gerard, 1973).

Fourth stage – Writing down

The practice of accurately writing down the information received has great benefits. Many people who practice psychosynthesis reserve a special section of their journal for notes on intuition. Although intuitive impressions may seem strong and clear when received, they often escape memory because of their subtle nature. When we receive them, we think, “This is so important, so meaningful, I can’t possibly forget it.” Beware of this trap. By drawing the symbol as we received it, or writing down the ideas and experiences of an intuitive nature that we received, we ensure that the information will remain available for future use. Writing them down can also serve to clarify or flesh out a vague impression. It is wise to always have a pen and paper within reach, as intuitive flashes may come unexpectedly while we are driving or doing a routine task in our daily lives.

When we seek intuitive awareness in a meditative state, there can be an interplay between receiving and writing. We can search deeply within, close our eyes, see a symbol or perceive something, and then open our eyes and write or draw, then close our eyes again and seek further information. For example, a psychotherapist might make an intuitive assessment of a client prior to a session and ask inwardly, “What is this person’s emotional nature?” We can receive a symbol, draw it, receive ideas, write down some sentences, and then in a meditative state ask another question regarding the client’s mental or physical nature or purpose in life.

Again, we write down the answers without judging or evaluating in the early stages whether the intuition is true. In the short term, writing down the answers will enable us to have all the information received available without the distortion associated with a faulty memory or the possibility of forgetting altogether. Furthermore, the full meaning of this information is not always obvious at the given moment, but later it may become clear to us. In the long term, the written intuitions can become guidelines as to which impressions are accurate and which are inaccurate, what is true intuitively and what is not, and we begin to know, at the moment we receive the information, through a subtle testing of this reality, which information is valuable and accurate and which is not.

Fifth stage – Verification

The value and correctness of the information received can be determined by the test of experience and time. If a vision or idea is spiritual and intuitive, it will promote the growth of an individual or contribute to the development of humanity. There are certain guidelines that can help us determine whether an impression is likely to be valuable and worth exploring. The Canadian Institute of Psychosynthesis has published a set of guidelines, some of which are included below. However, guidelines can blind us to what is new and progressive, and I will therefore include certain caveats in relation to these impressions.

Not all inner messages come from transpersonal levels. A good question to begin with is, therefore, “What is the source of this message?” We can begin in the personal by examining our motive for seeking enlightenment. A motive to contribute to a greater whole or a motive for service is likely to produce spiritual insight (Gerard, 1972). One clue to the source is to determine the quality and purpose of the information we receive. Information that points in the direction of another person’s growth, of the good of the group, against Maslow’s B values, is likely to be from higher sources. When we are evaluating a suspicion or impression, we can enter a meditative state and engage in a dialogue with the Higher Self, asking, “What is the source of this message?”

An important distinction regarding the feelings and thoughts we receive that relate to another person is to differentiate intuitions from projections. By knowing our own personal limitations and our typical ways of distorting reality or projecting onto other people, we can eliminate what we know to be our own false understandings. This underpins the value of undergoing personal psychosynthesis so that the personality can be a relatively accurate instrument in the perception of reality and more or less free from distorting sub-personalities, complexes and false images.

Developing intuition is an aspect of spiritual psychosynthesis that can promote this personality work. Techniques for developing intuition include meditation (where we focus our awareness on higher levels of consciousness that transcend the limitations of the personality), objective observation (which necessitates a centering in the self and disidentification), and learning to act responsibly in relation to what we intuitively sense (training the will). All of these factors contribute to the integration of the personality. Transpersonal techniques can in this way promote the psychosynthesis of the personality, where personality models such as withdrawing one’s projections can pave the way for more profound and regular transpersonal experiences.

Other general guidelines for testing received intuitions for authenticity are: Does this message inflate my ego? Does it advance my own interests at the expense of others? Messages of this type are unlikely to come from a transpersonal source.

Is there a prediction of disaster or danger? Often a message that expresses fear or a depressive nature will come from the lower unconscious, but in some cases it is a precise intuition that contains a warning. Be careful – let time speak. Another question is: Does it make sense? Use reason. If your intuition tells you that you will win seven million next week, what do you do, who are your contacts and what are the circumstances that lead to this? Be open – let time speak – and do not count on it. There is also a trap associated with the reason test: intuition can point to possibilities that can become reality. Perhaps the idea received must be implemented with the right timing. There is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come,” and yet we will receive ideas ahead of their time so that we can prepare to bring them to life. Some intuitions signal a creative project that takes many years to mature. So a true intuition might at first seem wild or crazy to us and not in any way sensible.

Then there is the question of formulation or interpretation. When the intuition is an abstract thought, a feeling, an emotion, or a symbol, it must be expanded or thought through in a more concrete way. “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and perhaps a symbol contains the energy to constitute an entire book or perhaps a life’s work. A message must be examined and its meaning ascertained. Gerard (1973) and Crampton (1975) have developed detailed techniques for symbolic understanding and elaboration. Intuitive messages are often symbolic rather than literal.

Another way to test intuitions is to share them with a wise friend or a group we trust. Other perspectives and feedback can reveal the true quality and nature of information that the recipient himself or herself may be unsure about.

Paradoxically, intuitions are often associated with a sense of certainty and a sense of surprise. Information that comes from realities beyond personal everyday awareness can be awe-inspiring and completely new, while at the same time having a character of truth that we deeply sense.

A word of caution should be given to this sense of security that lies in the question, “Is this in line with my life purpose?” We may perceive the information correctly, yet it may be irrelevant to our place in the world. This distinction of when to align a vision with our personal responsibility is a good example of the subtleties associated with spiritual awareness.

Clarity about our own level of development and group relationships becomes increasingly important as we progress along the spiritual path. Advanced meditation techniques may include holding in our inner consciousness the intuitive visions of humanity in an inner light or radiating them appropriately when the time has not yet come for them to be expressed in personal action. The use of such advanced techniques is therefore safest and most effective when learned in the company of more experienced spiritual companions.

Summary of “Stages of Intuition”

Intuition is a process that can be best understood more clearly by dividing the process into five stages: Attunement, Raising Awareness, Receiving, Writing, and Validation. The surest way to deeper and more spiritual intuitive experiences is to develop meditative abilities through daily practice. We can begin with simple techniques such as disidentification and the induction of serenity, and from there move toward an ability to integrate and identify with a more inclusive whole. Keeping a journal of the intuitions we receive and applying these insights to our daily lives is an integral aspect of the continued development of intuition.

Intuition in action

The stages of intuition described are helpful in understanding the process and in establishing a personal program for developing intuitive abilities. Yet individuals vary greatly in type, natural abilities, and prior experience with meditation. Regarding the stage at which we become attuned, for example, some people come to psychosynthesis with a background in meditation that allows for rapid attunement. For some, contact with the superconscious will be a natural aspect of daily life, whereas for others such contact may be rare or fleeting. People with personality conflicts, neurotic disorders, and lack of integration may need extensive personal psychosynthesis work and months of regular training in disidentification and other basic meditations before true attunement and contact with the Higher Self is possible as a living experience.

Those people who function more or less as integrated personalities, and who have achieved a meditative ability to consciously contact higher planes of consciousness, are ripe for developing their spiritual intuitive ability in daily life. By directing the energies outward for the benefit of others or upward toward the transpersonal levels, the individual becomes decentralized – less concerned with his personal growth and self-actualization and more interested in that which serves the good of the whole. A person who is highly intuitively developed is a planetary citizen who is aware that we are One Humanity on spaceship Earth, interconnected and interdependent.

Paradoxically, the transpersonally oriented person who lives for the good of the whole will also undergo a personal transformation. The key to personal growth as we progress along the spiritual path is therefore to live a transpersonal life, where what serves the good of the whole transcends the personal ego’s definitions of need. Intuitive insight may therefore involve personal sacrifice or personal risk in this context.

In a practical everyday way, the person who is above a self-centered attitude in his or her way of life and is in tune with the Self will receive and frequently implement progressive ideas. For example, as a counselor (or therapist) in a psychosynthesis session, we may gain an insight and immediately share it with the client. If it is a correct intuition, the information we share will help the client move forward during the session, and perhaps the information in the following weeks or months will have a profound effect.

Sometimes an intuitive statement we make to a traveler in a sensitive moment in an altered state of consciousness can give that person a peak experience, a moment of Self-realization. Our perspective on life or sense of purpose and direction can be profoundly changed through such experiences. The intuition can come to us and be shared instantly, with profound results.

Another example where the unifying nature of intuition can be observed in practice is when new techniques spontaneously arise in the middle of a psychosynthesis session. This makes us aware of the importance of a trained, concrete mind. Here the quality of the mind and its preparation influence what we intuitively perceive. Rain may fall on a field that is overgrown with weeds and very rocky, or the rain may fall on a plowed, fertilized field with fresh planting, and the results will be quite different. The rain is the same – but the forms that appear as a result of its effect on the earth are quite different.

Intuition can bring about entirely new syntheses and wholes from prior knowledge and experience. For example, as a therapist or counselor, when we work with a client, we may have both an awareness of that client’s life and knowledge of hundreds of psychosynthetic techniques that have been developed previously. We may know the principles on which psychosynthesis is based in depth and may have read extensively in areas related to the work. When intuition comes, there may be a combination of a technique we have previously used with some current material from the client, and – voila! – a new technique has come into being. Elements that were not previously connected are united in a new combination, a new whole, which can be used to promote the client’s growth at this time.

In these examples of spontaneously sharing an insight or creating new techniques, there is a sustained resonance and elevation of consciousness, and the communication of what is received occurs immediately afterwards. This immediate sharing or implementation of an idea opens the way for the phase where we verify the information and have not needed to write down the intuitions. The intuition has been put into practice. If it is not correct, there will be immediate feedback to show us this.

When the intuition is about an action that is further in the future and not, as in the examples above, in the present situation, a written note can be useful. In terms of developing trust in the information we receive, it can also be useful to note in our journal examples of when intuitions are correct even if we do not act on them. For example, a lecturer told how he was to be part of a group at a university that was holding a day-long seminar on psychology. When he arrived on campus, he did not know in which building the group was to meet. He found a map of the campus and immediately pointed to a building, thinking, “That’s it.” As he walked several blocks toward this building, he saw groups of people coming from another building and convinced himself that his initial hunch was wrong. It seemed logical to him that all these people were on their way to the presentation. As he approached this other building, he saw that it had a large “Social Science” sign. Again he continued forward, as it seemed logical to him that the presentation would take place where the people were heading and in a building that had to do with the social sciences.

Later, he found that his first hunch had been correct. He was now several blocks from his destination, was late for it, and could have been there on time. It was a valuable lesson for him. He knew what he felt the moment he looked at the map and spontaneously thought, “There it is.” It was a subtle inner knowing beyond the reasoning mind, a feeling of certainty. Although it was not a message from a deeper intuitive level, this experience marked a turning point in his ability to recognize and trust the intuitive process in action. Since then, he has been more willing to immediately test intuitive hunches by acting on them and observing the results.

As a final example of living intuitively, this beautiful passage, based on the thinking of a great Indian sage, Sri Aurobindo (Satprem, 1968):

When the seeker quiets his mind and his bodies and frees himself from his preoccupation with the physical, the consciousness will free itself from the thousands of activities with which it was previously imperceptibly united and which divided it, and it will attain an existence of its own. It is like an inner being, within a condensed Force, vibrating more and more intensely. The more this being grows, the less satisfied it is with being enclosed within a body. We find it radiant, first in sleep, then in meditation, and finally with open eyes. But this movement, if we may call it so, in the universal Mind, the universal emotional (vital), the universal Physical, is not its only movement. It wants to ascend. This urge to ascend is not even necessarily the result of conscious action; it can be a natural, spontaneous need (it should never be forgotten that our efforts in this life are merely the continuation of many other efforts from many other lives, from which follows the uneven development of people and the impossibility of establishing rules).

Instinctively we may feel something above our heads that draws us to it as a mighty force or a light, or as a force that is the source of all our actions and thoughts, or as a point of concentration at the top of the head. The seeker has not stilled his mind solely for the pleasure of being like a diary; his stillness is not dead but alive; he has made a shift upward because he feels this point to be alive.

Silence is not an end, but a path, like the solmization of perception to music – and there are many forms of music.

Day after day, as his consciousness becomes more concrete, he has hundreds of little experiences, almost imperceptible to the senses, springing forth from this Silence from above; he is not thinking of anything, and suddenly a thought arises in his mind – not even a thought, but just a click – and he knows exactly what to do, how to do it down to the smallest detail like a puzzle that falls into place in the blink of an eye and with a deep certainty (down below (in the world of the ego) there is complete uncertainty and things can always be different). There may also be the experience of a little nudge that tells him “go to so-and-so” – and he goes there, and by chance that person needs him; or “don’t do this”, and he does it anyway and has a bad experience; or for no reason he is drawn to a certain place and meets just that which can help him; or a certain problem arises, he remains calm, is silent, calls upward, and the answer comes clearly and irrefutably. Or, if he is speaking or writing, he may very concretely experience an extension above him, from which he draws thoughts to himself like the thread from a luminous cocoon – he sets nothing in motion, but simply keeps in the flow and rewrites, nothing passes through his head. If he interferes there in the slightest way, everything will disappear or be misrepresented, because the mind tries to imitate the indications (the mind is an incorrigible monkey), and it takes its own crumbs of thought for true illumination. The more the seeker learns to listen upward and follow these indications, (which are not imperative, are not noisy, which are almost as difficult to perceive as a breath, barely thought, only felt, but very fast), the more numerous, precise, irresistible they become; and gradually he sees that all his actions, even the smallest, can be sovereignly guided by this silent source above, that all his thoughts come from there, luminous, beyond all discussion, and that a kind of spontaneous knowledge is born within him. He begins to live small miracles constantly.

(pp. 189-91)

Some warnings

The use of these techniques for developing intuition is not for everyone. A certain amount of disciplined mental concentration or regular meditation is important in the development of spiritual intuitive abilities. Those who do not work on personality development can run serious risks if they use advanced meditative techniques incorrectly. Meditation must be balanced through creative action and through sharing with others. An excessively introverted person can become stuck and overstimulated.

Personality problems and inner conflicts can be intensified by the introduction of higher energies. Overstimulation can result in hectic activity, insomnia, and even organic disorders. An intuitive vision in an undeveloped personality can lead to a sense of self-importance or mission and, in extreme cases, to a Messiah complex. An existing gap between the pragmatic and mystical aspects of the personality can increase.

Sometimes the broad vision of intuition can cause people to berate themselves for their imperfections and limitations. A deep sense of humanity’s problems could make a person feel overwhelmed or depressed or inadequate to meet the great needs that exist on the planet. Where there is a great vision and a weak will, there will be a sense of failure.

There is also a risk of losing one’s life. An intuitive vision may necessitate new abilities, or we may be faced with an expanded area of ​​responsibility. This may require painful adjustments in our relationships, both at work and in our private lives. This can be an exciting and challenging adventure for the creative person. Where we experience a challenge, it is important to assess correctly whether a specific vision of the future is right for the person who has the vision. The idea may be important and valuable, but still the person who contacts this idea is better able to advance human evolution by continuing on the chosen path and leaving the new idea to someone else.

If a new vision is judged to be a correct and desirable indication of a changed direction in life or a changed responsibility, problems related to transformation will follow. We must be attuned to personal and transpersonal growth in order to handle the higher energies wisely. A balanced personality is in a dynamic movement where new visions create crises that contain opportunities. Every crisis involves stress. The creative person must continue to develop ways to distribute the energies contacted with a wise sense of proportion regarding: what is possible in time and space, by using a strong trained will and an honest sense of one’s own strengths and weaknesses, possibilities and limitations. Self-awareness and contact with the transpersonal, willingness to take risks and grow, courage to accept new challenges and responsibilities, sharing with the group and a balanced life constitute the cornerstones for a safe, ongoing development of intuition.

Final remarks on intuition

The theory, methods, and value of psychosynthesis can point out practical paths to the safe development of spiritual intuition. The development of this precious function begins with awareness of it. Since a precise definition is not possible, the intuitive process must be learned by combining intellectual understanding with reflective meditation. In connection with the study of spiritual intuition, we can study symbols, symbolism, and thought systems based on archetypal symbols and patterns. We can also view the process of intuitive sensing in five stages: attunement, raising consciousness, receiving, writing, and testing. A progressive series of exercises can be used in learning to participate more deeply in the process associated with each stage. As our intuitive ability increases and we are able to live a transpersonal life in line with our spiritual path, personal growth will cease to be our primary focus but will remain a natural and important part of our orientation toward that which serves the good of the whole.

Spiritual intuition is a transpersonal guiding function. It is a unifying understanding that arises in the (at least at present) integrated personality that is connected to the collective, planetary, or universal levels through the Higher Self. Spiritual intuition is a transpersonal consciousness and an aspect of a universal energy of love. When this consciousness is united with the transpersonal will and an illuminated mind, we have an individual who lives an intelligent, creative life. Such a life is a source of goodness and well-being in the immediate environment and throughout the human family.

References:

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21. Maslow, Abraham H.: The Farther Reaches of Human Nature , New York: The Viking Press, c. 1971.
22. Ornstein, Robert E.;: The Psychology of Consciousness , San Francisco: WH Freeman and Co. c. 1972
23. Satprem, Sri Aurobindo, or the Adventure of Consciousness , New York, Harper & Row, c. 1968.
24. Vargiu, James G.: A Model of Creative Behaviour” , Fields within Fields …. within Fields, No. 1, 1972.

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