Seed Thoughts / Intuitive Habits Have you ever been so inspired to record special thoughts in the moment, that you scribbled in the margins of your paper, on paper napkins, or on post-it notes? Did you keep and use your thoughts to nurture your creative process? You were experiencing and honoring your intuitive inspiration, and striving to keep this inspirational force in your life. Intuitive breakthroughs typically happen when one has been immersed in every aspect of a project, absorbing it deep within the Self, and during a moment of "distraction" (we will call it a power moment of meditation/divine inspiration) the intuition hits.

See yourself in the center of your hectic day. A hectic spiral of to-do-lists, schedules, challenges, and people-to-see storms around you. You, however, are in the center, the eye of the hurricane, which is the hectic spiral. Like the whirling dervish of the Sufi tradition, your focus is on the sacred center. Like the description of the intuitive power moments below, you can step inside, center, and track your most significant inspirations effortlessly. Like the potter at the potter’s wheel, your focus is on centering and forming the clay, not the spinning wheel. Art results. Breathe as you quietly imagine yourself in the tradition of many who have found peace through centering. Where and how do you find your center? In the swirl of a wave, the eye of the hurricane, the spiral pattern in the middle of a flower? See that place where your true Self and Soul resides. Now. Be Here Now.

The authors describe Native Americans beliefs that Grouse medicine is an invitation to honor the "sacred spiral." Rather than expecting spirituality and intuition to derive from setting all hectic worldliness aside, the sacred spiral invites us to be in the hectic dance, AND focus on our calm center. It is no accident that this author’s website has many circles and spirals. Look around you now, and as you walk through your life today. Look for the spiral and circle images of nature, and art around you. Smile as you expect your centeredness AND project absorption to result in personal breakthrough to great ideas. Now. Be in the now. Be. Breathe in deeply and exhale gently as you affirm these thoughts today and in the following days….

"I now am inspired as I absorb into this day."

The most spiritual and intuitive we can possibly be, is to be intuitively in the moment, and yet in "all" of our self, our whole brain. Being in the world, and yet not of the world is where the intuitive "eureka" comes from. A "eureka" example is given in Philip Goldberg’s book The Intuitive Edge. He noted that Dr. Charles Nicolle, working with attempting to treat and save Typhus victims over 100 years ago, stepped over a dying man on the steps of the hospital, and flashed into the intuitive "knowing" that Typhus must be spread by lice. He described this as a complete "eureka" moment. He had indeed discovered the gold of his interior mine/mind.

As in our intuition definition above, Dr. Nicolle had experienced the insight moment as a whole experience, without precursors. Yet, logical precursors could readily be found. Dr. Nicolle had already noted that typhus was not transmitted through exposure in the hospital. Hospital staff were not being infected. After his experience, it could be concluded that hospital patients were washed and shaved, therefore lice-free, and not transmitting typhus to hospital staff or visitors. Yet, Dr. Nicolle, prior to his intuitive flash, had many competing theories to explore; the intuitive power moment gave him the truest possibility.

We want to "catch" Dr. Nicolle’s eureka moments, and not the typhus! To do this is certainly challenging, and highly possible. Scientific understanding of DNA, the genetic code for all of life, also came from intuitive eureka inspiration. It is fascinating to note that the DNA helix also happens to be another example of a sacred spiral.

These descriptions of "intuitive hits" illuminate that intuition results from absorption in every facet of a challenge AND the mindfulness of being in the moment. I view mindfulness as being completely in the moment; a meditative state which is extended throughout one’s day. Mindfulness can mean peaceful absorption in doing the dishes, other tasks, daydreaming, or night dreaming. The project absorptions discussed above AND the mindfulness produce the inspirational moment from which intuitive breakthrough energy and solutions flow.

Do not be overawed by the possibility and probability of intuition. Intuitive moments truly happen for everyone, without effort. One allows intuition, rather than forces intuition. "Knowing" who is on the line when the phone rings, "knowing" that when you think of a friend that there is a timely reason to make contact, are common intuitive experiences. Decide to allow and respect intuitive inspiration in your life. If your personality up to now, has not easily embraced intuition (perhaps you have said "I’m from Missouri, the ‘show me’ state"), decide that intuition is a whole brain process, which you will respect. By using the Seed Thoughts/Habits above, and the intuition exercises at the end of this newsletter you will readily notice and develop your own intuition.

An example of simply and deliberately pursuing intuition for inspiration resulted when my friend Margaret, a Ph.D. candidate in Research and Clinical Social Work asked me to provide Intuitive Life Path Guidance for sorting, and organizing the research which would produce her dissertation. We consulted collaboratively for an hour August ’02. As with all intuitive coaching, her sense of direction was just as important as my sense of her direction. My own intuitive sense for Margaret was that the body of research had authoritative opinions associated with it, which could interfere with her own creative insight. I also knew that she had already been steeped in the project, research protocol and results for a lengthy time. I suggested she continue her research focus AND keep a notebook with her at all times, record her dreams, and trust that an intuitive flash would occur. She later sent me this email, which I quote, with her permission.

III. Intuitive Exercises

Note: these are wellness exercises, for people who may feel emotional yet essentially balanced when involved with meditation or imagery. Expect to feel anywhere from calm, to emotional, to deeply spiritual, to amazed, to "blown away" as you do these exercises. However, if you feel extremely uncomfortable, overwhelmed, extremely anxious, lacking a network of truly supportive others, or in touch with intrusive, painful memories when doing these exercises, consult a helping professional, such as a competent psychotherapist before proceeding.

BEGINNERS INTUITIVE MEDITATION (fortunately beginner’s meditation is also advanced meditation, this is a useful meditation for assisting yourself in experiencing and then continuing to experience moment-to-moment mindfulness)

Make yourself comfortable in one of the following ways:

Sit in a comfortable cross leg position on the floor. It is especially helpful to sit your "sitting bones" on one to two firm cushions so your hips are slightly elevated above your legs, and your lower back is naturally in a comfortable alignment. OR Sit in a firm, comfortable, basic chair such as a dining room table chair. Have your legs un-crossed and feet resting comfortably on the ground. OR Use a meditation bench or short chair, which helps you to sit in a comfortable kneeling or cross-legged position on the ground. ARRANGE yourself with any of these methods with shoulders back and down, head and chin tucked slightly back, hands and arms resting completely relaxed (on your legs) or at your side.

Light a candle in front of you.

If you have a pleasant "sounding bowl", bell or meditation bells ring them one to three times to indicate you are entering into silence. Ring them again at the end of your meditation to end your silence.

Look without special effort at the candle. Allow your breathing to deepen, breathing in slowly and exhaling slowly.

Expect few or many thoughts, (many of them mundane) to come into your mind. Observe each thought gently and expectantly observe each thought leaving. The image of thoughts arising and departing like waves of the ocean is helpful.

Allow your mind to quiet. Allow your eyes to close as you wish (you will be able to continue to focus on the candle image with closed eyes). Continue to allow the contemplative quiet and image OR repeat simply a personal favorite sentence or mantra in rhythm with each inhale and exhale. Example: "(inhale) I am, (exhale) love." OR "(inhale) God is in (exhale) all things, people and situations."

INTUITIVE EXERCISE: (adapted from deep muscle relaxation and guided imagery exercises)

Arrange yourself comfortably sitting on a sturdy chair with your feet on the ground. It is often best to avoid doing this in bed, as it is not the goal to fall asleep, but rather to relax and awaken the whole brain and intuition. Close your eyes, or if you are uncomfortable closing your eyes, pick a pleasant focal point to look at with an unfocused gaze. Breathe in slowly for a count of 5, imagining you are breathing into a warm balloon in your belly/abdomen. Completely release all your abdominal muscles as you inhale. Breathe out slowly for a count of 5. Continue to count, inhaling and exhaling, breathing deeply into your chest (lower lungs) as you fill the "warm balloon" allowing your diaphragm muscles to operate for deep healthy breathing.

After awhile breathe with a favorite thought/mantra as suggested in the meditation above. As you continue to breathe, tense all your foot muscles by pushing down your toes, and pulling up your heels, deliberately feeling tension in your foot muscles for a count of 5. Release. Breathe and continue with your meditative thought. Tense and relax/release all muscle groups slowly moving up the body (example for some of the muscle groups…. grip the knees together for calf and thigh muscles…. tense buttock muscles…tense and release abdominal muscles…. pull elbows into the body to tense and release arm muscles…continue up to the shoulders, neck, last step is to tense and grimace all facial muscles and release).

Once you have completed the full body relaxation imagine yourself walking on the beach alone. Notice that you are barefoot, and walking on warm sand, there is a pleasant breeze on your skin, and you feel well-being within your body for each step. You notice the blues of the sky; the blues, greens and gray of the ocean; the warm color of the sand. The ocean is an endless gentle roar, and you hear the occasional seagull and other birdcalls.

After awhile you realize you will find both a guide and a message, which have meaning to you in your current life. In the distance you see a vague figure of a guide who may be real to you, known to you, imaginary, animal, or any type of life guide. As you walk closer you start to see details of your guide. As you are closer still you see your guide clearly, every detail and color, and you interact with words or touch, signals or telepathically or other ways. You and your guide also realize that you are now about to find a container in the area. It may be modern or ancient, a jar, a can, pottery, a box, part of a hollowed rock or driftwood. As you walk or explore with your guide, you find the container, and you realize inside will be a message. You are consumed with curiosity, will it be on parchment, notebook paper, written, typed, artistically layer out? You open or examine the container and see your message, unfolding or unrolling as necessary. You read your message. You realize you will always remember the message, and always remember your guide. You know that this place is from your deep Self and Intuition. This place is soulful, spiritual, and you can return here at any time. You gently say goodbye to your guide, and place your message once again in the container.

You again breathe in and out on counts of five and repeat your special thought. You wiggle your fingers and toes, and slowly open your eyes, coming back to the moment.

Commentary: If you have difficulty with focusing on any of the imagery in the exercise, have a friend slowly read and elaborate on the imagery for you, leaving all possibilities open. There is no "right or wrong" way to do this exercise. Absence of a guide, container or message simply leaves space and openness for inspiration. Any message or sense of a guide can be directly applied, with active imagination to your current challenges. For instance, in her book The Hidden Intelligence, Dr. Sandra Weintraub describes how creative problem solvers for the phone company intuited. They came up with an image of pillar earth formations in the Arizona desert, when trying to solve the dilemma of public phones and phone booths, which are often vandalized. When using active imagination with, this at first puzzling image, the now-familiar public phone built-into-a-wall or structure was invented. Let your images from this exercise and other imaginings, connect with your project and guide your creative solutions!

Intuitive book sources:

Philip Goldberg The Intuitive Edge: Understanding Intuition and Applying It in Everyday Life 1983, Jeremy P. Archer, Inc.

Sandra Weintraub, Ph.D. The Hidden Intelligence: Innovation through Intuition 1998, Butterworth Heinemann.