Increasing your Intuitive Intelligence

Intuitive Intelligence is a set of skills that can be learned and developed, but because instinct does not operate in the same way as reason, Intuitive Intelligence requires unusual forms of learning and thinking.  This is why understanding intuition is key.

Intuition doesn’t seek “the truth” or even “sense.” Intuition is completely open to non-sense.  It dives down into the depths of the unconscious where reason and instinct collide in unexpected ways, and it latches onto hidden connections and contradictions.  Then it brings this information—via an unusual sign, a rare sensation, an unexpected feeling, or a seemingly irrelevant fact—to the surface of consciousness to feed the rational mind and enable logic to work with paradox.  Intuition empowers us to operate in the zone of ambiguity and change, the exact place where imagination and genius occur.

Intuitive Intelligence helps us survive in new and changing environments by incorporating intuition and instinct into our thought process and our business endeavours.  The purpose of instinct is survival.  Its ultimate mission is to ensure the sustainability of our species.  It understands how to collaborate with and with and adapt to our ecosystems. This is its inherent wisdom.  This is why Intuitive Intelligence is so needed today.

Excerpted from The Intuitive Compass, Jossey-Bass, 2011.

In the Let's get Intū:it Coaching Podcast - which is available to Intū:it Members only -  I love to talk about everything related to Increasing Your Intuitive Intelligence. How we can hone the skill of tuning in to our Inner Guidance or Inner GPS as I like to call it. Some authors talk about our Intuition being our "First Sense", and during our development and "domestication of becoming human" and "fitting in" we often leave this first sense, unattended to, and our other senses - depending on external stimuli -  gain precedence in our development. 

Depending on the external stimuli and being led by our senses - focusing on what we see and hear, and feel and experience - teaches us to focus on things and stimuli "outside of ourselves" to make decisions, choices etc. This is wonderful and allows us to experience our environments and help us to learn from our surroundings, but wouldn't it be wonderful if we gave the same importance to our intuitive sense? That it has equal weight and importance as all the other senses?

Exercising this intuitive sense will allow for "internal wisdom and information" to help guide us in decision making, problem-solving and guidance on our journey through life. 

And YES! Anyone can increase their intuitive intelligence, by practising simple exercises and cultivating this sense.