Shakti Gawain - Developing Intuition: Practical Guidance for Daily Life

Nataraj Publishing

a division of

N EW W ORLD L IBRARY
N OVATO , C ALIFORNIA

Nataraj Publishing
a division of

New World Library
14 Pamaron Way
Novato, California 94949

Copyright 2000 Shakti Gawain

Edited by Becky Benenate
Cover design by Alexandra Honig
Text design by Tona Pearce Myers

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, or transmitted in any form, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gawain, Shakti, 1948
Developing intuition : practical guidance for daily life / Shakti Gawain.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-57731-186-8(cloth : alk. paper)
1. Intuition (Psychology) 2. Intuition (Psychology)
Problems, exercises, etc. I. Title.

BF315.5G39 2000
153.44dc21

First paperback printing, February 2002
ISBN 1-57731-186-8
Printed in the United States on acid-free, partially recycled paper
Distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated to all those
whose love and support
have made it possible
for me to do my work.

I d like to thank my editor Becky Benenate for her creative contributions, her emotional support, and all her hard work. This book would not have happened without you, Becky.

I appreciate all the ideas and contributions made by Marc Allen, Georgia Hughes, Lora OConnor, Kathy Altman, and Gina Vucci. Thanks, too, to everyone at New World Library.

in.tu.ition 1. the power or faculty of
attaining to direct knowledge or cognition
without evident rational thought
and inference.
2. quick and ready insight.

W hy commit your time and energy to the process of developing your intuition?

Quite simply because its probably one of the most valuable things you will ever do for yourself. It actually takes relatively little time, and the potential rewards are enormous.

Intuition is an important resource that can greatly contribute to our success and fulfillment in life. Its a natural part of us our birthright and yet many of us have lost touch with it. Once we know how to follow it, intuition is a very accurate guiding force in all aspects of life. Without it, we are at a great disadvantage. Its a practical tool that we need in order to successfully deal with life.

Because our cultural values emphasize the development of the rational, and scarcely acknowledge the existence or validity of intuition, many of us have lost touch with our intuitive sense. Fortunately, with a few simple exercises and a little practice, it is not difficult to reclaim. As you learn to follow your intuition, and its validated by the results you get, you build self-trust and self-confidence.

In our modern complicated lives, where we often have so many choices and options, intuition can point us in the direction we need to go at any given moment. It can show us step by step what we need to do to fulfill our hearts desires and achieve our goals. Our intuitive sense can help to keep us safe; it warns us when something may be harmful or dangerous.

Intuition always shows us the best route to where we need to go. Following it can save us a lot of confusion, hassle, and heartache.

As a friend of mine put it, When I ignore my intuition I end up doing things that just dont work very well, or even things that arent good for me. The more I follow my inner wisdom, the better I am able to care for myself, and the more things just fall into place.

Because intuition connects us to the soul level of our existence, many people who develop their intuition find that it brings them into a deep relationship with their spiritual nature, and brings that spiritual connection into their daily lives.

The most successful people are often very intuitive. Consciously or unconsciously, they follow their gut feelings. Intuition is closely connected to creativity; when were out of touch with our intuitive sense we often find our creativity blocked. Following our intuition puts us in the flow a very alive, productive, and desirable state.

If you are interested in getting more in touch with your intuition, read on.

I was born into a family that was well educated and intellectual. My father was a professor of aeronautical engineering and my mother was a city planner. Both of my parents were highly rational people who greatly valued intellectual development.

I was a precocious child and an avid reader, and did well in school. I was praised and rewarded both at home and at school for my scholastic abilities and achievements.

I developed into an extremely logical person. I was quite skeptical, and prided myself on not believing anything that couldnt be scientifically proven. I considered myself an atheist and believed that God was an idea that people made up and clung to because they couldnt live with the fact that we dont really understand the meaning of our own existence.

In my college and early adult years, I began to have some experiences that didnt quite fit into my worldview. It was the 1960s, after all, and our entire culture was opening to a more holistic approach to life.

I became interested in eastern philosophies, and began to practice yoga and meditation. I studied modern dance in college, and found that sometimes when I was dancing I had an experience of feeling as if I was being danced by some force greater than myself. I attended some therapy groups where we shared deep feelings and, as a result, experienced transcendent feelings of closeness and oneness. All of these things began to open me to the non-linear, nonrational aspect of my nature.

My mother was also exploring some of the same kinds of things. One day she called me excitedly and told me about a seminar she had just taken in which she had learned some techniques for intuitive development. She was quite amazed at the experiences she had had.

If it had been anyone other than my mother, who I respected as a rational, intelligent person, my skeptical side would likely have brushed this off as a lot of nonsense. Instead, I was intrigued. Deep down inside of me, something that had long been buried began to stir. It was the feeling that there is a certain kind of magic in life, and that not everything can be explained in logical terms.