A Small Light in Darkness

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

— Arundhati Roy

In a previous blog, I wrote about the importance of basic meditation as a foundational tool, and the balancing effect of having a regular, deep experience of quiet and focus.  Now I want to move on to one of the practical uses of this tool:  Leveraging your intuition.

Now, before you decide that this is a “woo woo,” impractical concept, give me a moment to illustrate one of the ways in which your intuition can make a positive difference in your life.  Every day in my coaching, as I use EFT (meridian tapping), my clients and I are often struck, and sometimes astonished, by the useful information that surfaces from unseen depths of the self.  This is particularly noticeable in cases where we’re working on physical pain that we suspect or know has an emotional component.  If the client has any experience at all with meditation, it’s usually not hard for her to ask a leading question of herself and wait quietly and calmly for an answer.  That question might be something like, “What is the upside to having this problem, in other words, why might I be afraid to let it go?”  While the client’s conscious mind might be certain that she is ready, willing and eager to move beyond the problem, given a few moments of quiet and space, some other part of the self may answer that the problem is a part of her identity, and she’s not sure who she would be without it.  Other objections that surface might be that once the problem is gone, there’s no excuse for not being successful, and that might feel like a lot of pressure, or that if the client lets go of the problem and is able to succeed, others might not like her anymore.  Often, when such an answer reveals itself, she will say that she truly had no idea that this objection was in there.  With the new information on our side, we can make progress for her.  Without her ability to find quiet, that little voice would have been impossible to hear.  Usually once we start working with the new information, the pain will move, change, and lessen, sometimes permanently.  This process is just remarkable to be a part of.  But if the mind is always whirring like a hamster on a wheel, it will be harder to bring these natural moments of insight to the surface where we can leverage them for real, noticeable change.

Some people seem to be born with more intuitive talent than others, and some people are sure that they don’t have this capacity at all.  I think it’s possible for everyone to have a valuable relationship with their intuition, but cultivating that relationship takes some time and effort—just like any relationship, whether we’re talking about one with other people, your body, mind, or spirit.  Some other areas in which a relationship with your intuition can bear fruit are your ability to zero in on what you need in any given moment, or what direction will be best for you to take in the pursuit of a goal.  Getting more in touch with it can also help you get a clearer “gut feeling” about someone else’s character or intentions, or whether someone you’ve just met has potential as a good friend or business associate for you.  What’s difficult about opening up this capacity is that in the beginning, you have no idea whether an impression is right or not, and you’re likely to feel like you’re just making it up.  Your conscious mind will try to tell you that only it is valuable, and that your efforts in this regard are ridiculous and futile.  It’s only by allowing yourself to relax and wait, acknowledging but then releasing mind chatter, that you have a hope of becoming more adept at sensing something genuinely helpful.

When I’m going for an intuitive answer, I have made it a habit to stop when I feel unsure if my logical mind is making things up, clear thought away, and try again.  If the impression really came from my intuition and not my mind’s machinations, it will come back in a similar way a second and even a third time, and I gain confidence that this idea might be helpful enough to run with.  It’s fine to apply your mind to the question of how to use that information, and it’s a great idea to keep your wits about you as you choose how much to invest in it, especially in the beginning.  This is not an exact science, and it’s always good to have a backup plan!  As you keep playing with this process, you may find yourself gaining confidence in your relationship with the less conscious parts of yourself.  I can tell you from experience that they have a lot to offer.

If you want to get started on opening up that intuitive box, experimenting with Tapping really is a great way to start.  For instance, if there’s something you’ve been resisting tackling, you might not be sure why you keep finding reasons to procrastinate.  If you start tapping and state how you’re feeling, how you just don’t want to do that thing even if your own inaction is starting to frustrate you, and then ask yourself why you don’t want to do it, you might be surprised as the clarity that results.  The tapping will probably increase your ability to focus and be patient, and wait for any answer that might come up.  If nothing does, well, no loss!  You’ve just spent some time doing something that calms the body’s stress response and increases the likelihood that you’ll get a good night’s sleep!  If you do this for just a few minutes each day, I strongly suspect that you will have an experience before too long that will prove to you that this Tapping thing really does do something.  As mentioned last week, if you stay focused on your intention to improve the flow of your intuition and just keep trying without pressuring yourself too much, you increase the likelihood of success, as well as your ability to notice it when it happens. 

Once you start to build some confidence in your ability to intuit information that is personal to you, you can then move on to greater orders of magnitude (for most people, at least), such as sensing information about subjects less related to you.  I do find that we all have different intuitive propensities, just as some people find that they’re better at math or learning languages rather than learning about history once they start delving into those subjects in school.  Some find it naturally easy to understand what someone else is feeling, while others might find that they can sometimes get a sense for who is calling on the phone without consulting caller ID.  This can be a fun area to experiment in.  Again, just use your common sense and tread lightly in relying too heavily on this kind of information.  It’s only one aspect of the sum total of all information available to you in any given moment.

I hope you are able to see how even just this one benefit of a meditation practice can contribute measurably to your progress, even if only in very specific pursuits like using EFT.  Sometimes people don’t make an effort to learn to meditate because the benefits don’t seem immediately practical, but what if your practice could lead to letting go of even some of a physical discomfort you might have?  What if it could help you become more confident in the life choices you make for yourself every day?  Getting started with meditation may not be the easiest thing you’ve ever done, but you can start small with just a few minutes here and there and still make overall gains.  I know I’m never sorry that I’ve spent time on this because of all the ways in which it contributes to my life positively.  There are many different philosophies and techniques out there.  Dig around and find one that makes some sense to you and give it a try.  Even if you never become more than a casual meditator, there are benefits waiting for you.