{intuition–intention–imagination}

"All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination?"
-C. G. Jung

Over the last several years, I have delved much more deeply into the world of intuition and magic. In this time I have also become a Reiki practitioner and learned to work with subtle energy. Additionally, I practice yoga more often and meditate with regularity. I have read books on shamanic techniques, reaching out to the higher self, animal totems and connecting with earth energy. The thing that seems to tie all of these seemingly disparate elements together is the core belief that: intuition (awareness) becomes more powerful by engaging (or quieting) imagination (mind) through intention.

Tuning into intuition can be difficult. When first learning about any of these subjects, there is always some level of skepticism, but with practice, the results become evident. The imagination is powerful and always nudging us to move forward in subtle, nonlinear ways, using images and gut feelings we cannot really explain to prompt us to take great leaps forward. Responding to this deep level of knowing requires that we trust a sense for which there is still not much hard evidence. We have been trained by modern Western society to rely primarily on our five senses for information about the world we live in. When we receive signals that don’t come from hearing, seeing, touching, tasting or smelling, we tend to think that our imagination may be the source. In turn, we tend to mistrust what we perceive. All of my research suggests is that, INDEED, the imagination is the origin of these signals. What people don’t always consider when mistrusting information coming from the imagination, is that it is the source of so many of civilization’s most amazing discoveries and inventions: in science, obviously the greatest works of art, dance, music and literature, tremendous mathematical discoveries, as well and political and social developments. The imagination is where invention and progress originate! We must first imagine it before we have the desire to enact it in the greater world.

Our upbringing has convinced many of us that if it cannot be “proven” is must not be authentic. Honestly, the idea is ridiculous. I will just share a couple of examples. Most people would never try to employ scientific means to get hard evidence for their emotions, yet the psychological landscape within which they live is made up primarily of these emotions. Faith is another matter of intuition and imagination. God cannot be proven, yet religion is one of the most dominant forces in the lives of many people. If you really think about it, we are much less rational than we believe. Even those who claim to be atheist tend to have a deep emotional basis for what they consider rational beliefs. Accepting that life on this planet is full of contradiction and mystery seems to be the healthiest way to live.

With so much coming in all the time it can be hard to know what is authentic intuition and what is “just imagination”. The truth may be that there is not any difference. If you sense something, you ought to give it your attention, at least long enough to see if it has anything important to offer you. See what there is. Tune in to the intuition available to you, because it is waiting for you to welcome it into your perception and accept the gifts it has to offer.