Frances E. Vaughan - Awakening Intuition

AWAKENING

INTUITION

Frances E. Vaughan

ANCHOR ROOKS

Anchor Press/Doubleday
Garden City, New York

The Anchor Books edition is the first publication of AWAKENING INTUITION.

Anchor Books edition: 1979

Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint the following material:

Selected lines from "East Coker" from Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot. Copyright 1943 by T. S. Eliot and copyright 1971 by Esme Valerie Eliot. Reprinted by permission of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.

Selected lines from "The Labyrinth" from Collected Poems by W. H. Auden. Copyright 1945 by W. II. Auden and renewed in 1973 by W. H. Auden. Reprinted by permission of Random House, Inc.

ISBN: 0-385-13371-5

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 77-27685

COPYRIGHT 1979 BY FRANCES E. VAUGHAN
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Writing a book about intuition is truly paradoxical. Others, wiser than I, have rejected the impossible task of translating intuitive learning into the rational, linear language of words. But despite the fact that musicians, artists, poets, and others who use nonverbal forms of expression give more direct access to intuitive ways of knowing, many of us persistently feel the urge to communicate our experience, and attempt to use words to do so. Sharing the methods which helped me validate and expand my own intuition with hundreds of people in workshops and classes encouraged me to follow that urge, and this book is the result.

I had some difficulty writing in the third person. Originally I wrote as I would talk, shifting back and forth from first person, to second, to third. For the sake of consistency and readability, however, I have modified this, although I do not feel entirely comfortable with the impersonal style. I address you, the reader, as if you were in a workshop or seminar, and though at times this may sound didactic, it seems to be a way in which I can communicate clearly. Wherever I make statements about "one" I include myself; I felt "I" would be too restrictive, since I am attempting to discuss ideas that transcend the personal dimension of experience.

As you read this book, consider the exercises an invitation to explore for yourself some processes which others have found rewarding. You are ultimately responsible for what you do or do not choose to do, since I cannot know what is appropriate for you. You are free to pick and choose as you see fit, to accept or reject anything I say; you will recognize whatever is true for you. Awakening intuition is really about learning to trust yourself. My intention is simply to share with you some of the learning which has been meaningful to me in my life's journey.

In giving examples and recounting experiences shared by people in my workshops, I have changed the names of individuals and places in order to protect their privacy. I am grateful to all of you who have shared your intuitive experiences with me, both individually and in groups.

I am particularly indebted to Dr. Robert Gerard, who first introduced me to some of the exercises presented in this book, and who, five years ago, encouraged me to write a book about intuition. I also want to thank Jim Fadiman for his assistance in making this book a reality, and to acknowledge the many friends whose love and support have contributed to my work. I will not name you all, but you know who you are. And, for their special contribution to my life, this book is dedicated to my children, Robert and Leslie.

PREFACEv

INTRODUCTION1

Tuning In to Intuition

Choosing Your Own Way

Varieties of Intuitive Experience

Imagery and Intuition

Dreams and Intuition

Practical Problem Solving

The Wisdom of Intuition

APPENDIX Guidelines for Awakening Intuition

REFERENCES207

In order to arrive at what you do not know

You must go by a way which is the way of igno rance.

In order to possess what you do not possess

You must go by the way of dispossession.

In order to arrive at what you are not

You must go through the way in which you are not.

And what you do not know is the only thing you know

And what you own is what you do not own

And where you are is where you are not.

T. S. ELIOT: Four Quartets

Intuition is known to everyone by experience, yet fre quently remains repres sed or undeveloped. As a psycho logical function, like sensation, feeling, and thinking, intuition is a way of knowing. When we know something intuitively, it invariably has the ring of truth; yet often we do not know how we know what we know.

Popular interest in the development of mental powers has prompted many people to pay more attention to their latent intuitive abilities. Although everyone has intuition, it is more highly developed and more available to some people than others. It is, however, possible for everyone to awaken his or her own intuition and to use it both helpfully and profitably in everyday life. Learning to use intuition is learning to be your own teacher, and getting in touch with your own inner guru.

The role of intuition in creativity, problem solving, and interpersonal relationships is vital, yet it is frequently discounted and mistrusted by those who do not understand it. Many people are frightened by experiences which seem unusual, illogical, or paranormal, and therefore fail to make use of their intuition as a source of creative inspiration and reliable information about themselves and their environment. Almost everyone, however, by becoming more aware of how intuition works, and by giving careful consideration to the problems of its validation and interpretation, can make much fuller use of intuitive capacities.

Extrasensory perception, clairvoyance, and telepathy are part of the intuitive function. Likewise, artistic inspiration and mystical religious experience are intuitive perceptions of reality. Current brain research indicates that the left hemisphere of the brain is predominantly rational, linear, and verbal in its functioning, whereas the right hemi. sphere is predominantly intuitive, holistic, and oriented toward pattern perception. In recent years new methods have been developed for educating and training the neglected intuitive faculties.

In addition to opening one to the aforementioned experiences, developing the intuitive faculties allows one to recognize the possibilities inherent in any situation. When one becomes aware of possibilities, one is free to make choices. Choice is always available, but it becomes real only when one is conscious of having it; if choices in life are made automatically, or unconsciously, the experience of freedom remains elusive. Awakening intuition enables one to see the choices available and is thus a liberating experience. Before experiencing this liberation, however, one must first make a fundamental choice with respect to intuition itselfwhether or not to give time and attention to its awakening.

This book presents a number of exercises designed to bring about a well-balanced integration of the rational and intuitive functions. They may or may not be of use to you; only you can judge. Consider the exercises an invitation to expand your experience by developing a greater awareness of what you already know. There is nothing you have to do to awaken your intuition; but if you choose to do the exercises they will work most effectively if critical judgment is temporarily suspended in order to allow intuition to emerge. Ho l ding it in abeyance should not be confused with turning it off, however, as your rational, discriminating judgment is essential to checking the validity of intuitive perceptions and evaluating the process.