| Have you ever said, "I'm not psychic, but I can be quite | | | | would not be relevant. When Ingo awakened from his |
| intuitive at times!" I've heard that statement many times. | | | | out-of-body experience, he described seeing the illusion, |
| It must be a common sentiment. There is a difference | | | | but did not report knowing the nature of the objects. |
| in the connotations of these two terms. People tend to | | | | As another example, suppose we wanted to find an |
| describe intuition as natural, whereas references to | | | | inspiring quotation in the Library of Congress about |
| psychic often involve supernatural references. | | | | how dinosaurs felt as they realized they were |
| In her book, Natural-Born Intuition: How to Awaken and | | | | becoming extinct. If we used "remote viewing," a |
| Develop Your Inner Wisdom, Lauren Thibodeau | | | | psychic form of data acquisition, we would begin by |
| describes psychic as a process of reaching outside of | | | | scanning all the words in all the books to find |
| ourselves, while she describes intuition as a process of | | | | sentences that included "dinosaur." From these, we |
| going within. Her distinction reminds me of the | | | | would scan for sentences that contained "extinction," |
| difference between facts (coming from outside) and | | | | and so on. Such a process would take a long time and |
| wisdom (coming from within). | | | | leaves some doubt as to how this skill could decide |
| Sometimes Edgar Cayce distinguished intuition from | | | | upon the "best" quote. On the other hand, we might |
| psychic events and sometimes he spoke of it as a | | | | randomly walk about the library and accidentally |
| psychic ability, as when he said that intuition is the | | | | discover a perfect quote simply falling into our hands. |
| highest form of psychic ability. In some of his readings, | | | | Intuitive people speak about such synchronicities all the |
| it seemed that he had to add something to his psychic | | | | time. Clearly, the task of finding a suitable quote in a |
| impressions to gain the insight he needed. Cayce could | | | | mass of information takes more sophisticated mental |
| hear the thoughts of someone for whom he was | | | | skills than simply being able to read the words in a |
| searching, but indicated that it took a bit more to know | | | | book without opening it. Intuition may include psychic |
| whether the person was alive or dead. He gave the | | | | ability plus some other qualities. |
| impression that intuition is a more highly evolved | | | | There's another way in which Thibodeau's distinction |
| attribute than the psychic senses. | | | | makes a lot of sense. Many people with psychic |
| It is common to link intuition with a form of knowing and | | | | sensitivities report being disturbed often by their |
| psychic with the senses. Mediums frequently speak as | | | | impressions. Being bombarded by undesired |
| if they are seeing or hearing spirits, but not always | | | | information can be overwhelming. On the other hand, |
| understanding what their psychic senses are telling | | | | people who say they live intuitively seem to be in |
| them. Intuition may be involved in the process of | | | | harmony with themselves. It is this blessing that Dr. |
| understanding, or interpreting sensations. It can also | | | | Thibodeau hopes the reader will achieve through |
| operate in the absence of sensations, with direct | | | | intuition. |
| knowing "out of the blue." Brain research shows that | | | | Her techniques for developing intuition are entwined |
| the brain interprets sensory data prior to registering it, | | | | with accessing inner wisdom, almost as if they were |
| implying that a lot of "thinking" goes on in the act of | | | | the same thing. This conjunction reminds me of |
| "seeing." Intuition may involve both. | | | | Cayce's suggestive remarks indirectly crediting our |
| Karlis Osis once conducted a fascinating experiment | | | | intuitive nature to our guardian angel. Research |
| with Ingo Swann (the artist who invented "remote | | | | confirms a relationship between being intuitive and |
| viewing") that demonstrated the difference between | | | | following the soul's directive. Investigating people's |
| "knowing" and "seeing." Dr. Osis created a puzzle for | | | | moods at random moments reveals that when people |
| Swann to explore when he was in his psychic, | | | | are in moments of intuitive flow, quite likely they will |
| out-of-body state of consciousness. The puzzle | | | | also report that they are doing what they feel they |
| consisted of a closed box with objects inside. He | | | | were meant to be doing at that moment, as if fulfilling |
| arranged these objects so that when viewed through | | | | part of their purpose in life. Trusting one's intuition can |
| a little peep hole, one would see an optical illusion and | | | | bring a sense of peace, which psychic ability alone can |
| not realize the true nature of the objects. If it were a | | | | not accomplish. Intuition is psychic, but it's wise enough |
| matter of knowing what was in the box, the actual | | | | to keep its own counsel on the way to Heaven. |
| objects would come to mind, and the optical illusion | | | | |