What is Intuition? How can I become intuitive?

When one delves to know deeper aspects and dimensions of life, he or she is bound to encounter the term “Intuition”. If you do a quick Google research on Intuition’s etymology, this term has been derived from the Latin word “intueri” which later turned into “intuition” in late Latin and then intuition. Many people also go on describing intuition as a sixth sense, a gut feeling, something that you just know from inside. Let us start our exploration of the word intuition and what it means in its actuality.

Every thought, every thought process that goes in our minds is the product of the information we have gathered and processed from outside. It is not only the mind which gathers information but our sense organs like the nose, eyes, ears, etc. do too. The information very well could be written, or could be heard, or could be seen. These five senses constantly interact with the outside world keeps gathering and storing information inside. There have been many psychologies-related experiments that have been done like the famous REM sleep experiment where even in deep sleep, the participants were processing information, even while being fast asleep. If we tend to study and see everything by logic, the world would become boring. So, further to understand intuition, people term it as something opposite to logic. So, then what is logic?

Intuition VS Logic

Logic has steps. It studies everything steps by step. But intuition has no steps. Intuition is like a jump. You just know. Intuition could be understood as a process where the processing and computing of information happen much faster, defying all the logic. It is not a different dimension of perception but the brain just becomes more “intuitive”, it works “better.”

Does Intuition have something to do with spirituality?

There are many spiritual people out there who have branded the term intuition as something “spiritual”. How could they if they do not even know the very definition of what it means to be “spiritual?” Essentially to be spiritual is to move beyond the physical demarcations of the human system. If something beyond the physical happens to you, then you are spiritual, you can say the doors of spirituality have opened up for you. But let us not get into it. According to Intuition with spirituality is a wrong direction to further the matters.

Intuition = Gut Feeling?

Another name for intuition is gut feeling. Often people inquire what is a gut feeling and what is intuition. Are they the same or different? The gut is essentially your stomach region. When someone is very scared, he or she is bound to feel something in the gut. It is not the same as intuition. Most people consider fear as a gut feeling. You should not go by this.

When you are in a situation where your mind says something else, and something just something else…we immediately term it as intuition. The insight that intuition gives you should be crystal clear otherwise it is just a matter of incidences and intuition and believing in it becomes dangerous. Lots of people in the world make wrong decisions in their life just because their “intuition” told them to do so. Logic can be cross-checked. Intuition cannot be cross-checked.

So, to understand intuition, you see it as a jump. With intuition, the human system computes information in such a way that one does not have to go through the logical process every time. Hence, intuition just means skipping the logical steps and doing a jump. Many experts are of the fact that intuition is a biochemical algorithm. Yes, it is!

Now, there have been many methods created in the world to “develop intuition”. Can you develop intuition? Yes and no. If your attention is on something or someone without any judgments or distractions, just simple pure attention devoid of any thought, then you shall naturally become intuitive. You do not have to practice any methods. All we need is attention. But for simple, pure attention to blossom, it should be free from any kind of judgemental process.

A simple process to become naturally intuitive!

Here is a simple process that you can do to become naturally intuitive. Sit down in the evening or preferably early morning outside in a garden or a park when all the distractions like noise, pollution, etc. are low and you can sit attentively at one spot. Focus your attention on a leaf or a flower or any tree. Just simply gaze at the tree. Sharpen your attention. Look at it intently. Do not label it as bad, ugly, or beautiful. Just simply gaze. This process will purify your attention devoid of any thoughts and make you intuitive.