Intuition is something we all have, we all use it on some level and few of us get formal training to better understand it. Did you know that it is not a function of our subconscious? Indeed it is a part of our consciousness very much akin to the function of mental awareness. Because intuitive perception acts through the subconscious as well as through our conscious mental awareness, it is important to know that it springs from a deeper source than our brains. At SoulSalt, we believe that intuition is vitally important and so I’d like to take a moment to distinguish it from instinct, intelligence, and insight.

Instinct – is a universal endowment of nature. It relies heavily on our five senses. It is related closely to survival and that part of us that acts faster than cold reason. It functions within our flight or fight brain processes. An example would be the instinctual sense of danger when one smells smoke inside their home.

Intelligence – goes far beyond academics. It is the part of us that thinks, the part that blends experiences with insights through several types of thought processes to help us make meaning. For example intelligence can express itself in these ways:

Divergent or productive thinking invents all the new possibilities that have not occurred to you before.
Reproductive thinking fixates on what has worked in the past and tries to apply it in the present.
Convergent thinking eliminates and narrows down the possibilities to the one right or two right next steps.

Insight – is like a realization. It happens when we “get it.” For example: Think of the moment when it all came together and you discovered the true identity of Santa Clause. Or, think about the moment you realized that your parents must have had sex, at least once.

Intuition – is a function of awareness that comes from the soul or from the spirit. It springs forth from a deep source that is neither linear nor rational. It is NOT imperative to our survival. It IS imperative to our spiritual wellbeing and creative self-expression. It is a flash of personal certainty. It is key in understanding what our soul has to tell us. Intuition is clarity and it always, always brings a sense of peace that we cannot be deterred from. It feels ancient, clean and clear as well as deeply personal. When it guides we just know what we know and we can’t tell you exactly how we know.

When was the last time you really paid attention to your intuition? Who would you be if you used this gift with extreme skill? What would you have then that you don’t have now?