Janese Johnson

Up until the Middle Ages, intuition was part of most peopleís everyday life. They had not yet learned to separate the rational from the intuitive.

That change from a more integrated way of thinking to a separation of reason and intuition really came about during the Middle Ages. In order for the church to gain control, it needed to threaten those whose thinking was different.

People became more afraid of negative consequences if they didnít abide by the rules. The more rule-bound they became, the less spontaneous and intuitive their life responses were.

Then science came in and said that if it isnít factual and cannot be backed with empirical evidence, then it is not valid. The rational and reasoning mind became ìthe way,î and intuition was considered ìkooky.î

In recent times it was Einstein who put a new emphasis on the use of intuition along with science. There are many positive things attributed to him about the importance of intuition that have helped change the way some viewed science, and the world. One of those quotes was, ìThe only real valuable thing is intuition.î

The New Vision Institute for Human Potential recently has done three studies using 5000 participants from a wide range of countries. The focus on this study was on how much intuition management uses on the job. All the participants were managers on different levels in different organizations.

The results, surprisingly, showed that it was upper management that showed a greater connection to and use of their intuition over the other levels.

When participants were asked why they believed there was such a difference in intuition between the upper and the lower management, a common response was that they believed that upper management had to deal with more uncertainty and in some situations needed immediate decisions without any precedent ó situations that would only work well for someone who is more intuitive.

This research showed very clearly that it was the more intuitive ones that rose in the ranks because of their ability to be spontaneous and make quick decisions, and those who needed clear guidelines to live by oftentimes stayed at lower management levels.

In 2002 the Harvard Business Review published the findings of a survey that was done by executive search firm Christian & Timbers. The survey reveals that 45% of corporate executives now rely more on instinct than on facts and figures in running their businesses.

Whether people are saying that they trust their ìgutî or they are using intuition, it is the same thing. Everyone has intuitive ability, and those who are more reflective, spontaneous, or quick to make a decision based on feeling, tend to utilize their intuitive sense more. Connecting to our intuition more can add a dimension and fulfillment that can be at times profound.
I believe that it is important for us to bring back the natural integration of the reasoning mind along with our intuition in order to feel whole and complete.

I have found that working on my intuition in my daily life, I am more fulfilled, and I have a life that I would not have had if I were using only my reasoning mind. I firmly believe that by utilizing our own intuition in our personal and professional life, we can achieve new and more exciting directions and success in our life.

It is exciting to see intuition continue to get the acceptance that it deserves, as more people realize that our ìsixth senseî is just as important as the other five senses.
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Janese Johnson has been doing intuitive counseling nationally for more than 20 years. She may be contacted at janesej-at-buncombe.main.nc.us.