Bird Droppings December 3, 2011 Intuition such a powerful force Later today we are having a birthday party the day after for our granddaughter since she lives out of town and is coming down to see us. As I thought this morning one of my favorite pondering ideas is that of intuition. Intuition is an interesting word and idea that often gets a bad rap. I recall many years ago when my middle son was in eighth grade and was so frustrated in math. He had really enjoyed math to start the year and was excelling as usual. About midterm his teacher became ill and had to resign and he all of a sudden had subs and sat on the floor in another math class. However all seemingly worked out till he came home one day and said his teacher wouldn’t let him do math the way he had been doing it. His way was so much easier for the class and he had been doing equations and math for several years that way. The teacher said it wasn’t in the book so he couldn’t do it. Unfortunately I wish I knew more about math or knew what I know now about school structure and politics. He ended up with the only B he ever got in 12 years of school in that messed up math class. At the eighth grade graduation after 8 years of straight A’s an 89 kept him from standing with only four others who had as well had straight A’s for 8 years. That was not a crowning point in his childhood or in my parentinghood. He survived and went to high school it was in calculus he one day came home and said remember how I did math in eighth grade it was right it was calculus. I was doing calculus I just could not explain it then other than I knew it worked, intuition. As I watched him graduate from Georgia Institute of Technology a few years back he had more calculus under his belt than many of his former teachers that he has had. They stopped arguing with him somewhere in ninth grade in regards to math by the way and his teachers let him solve as he did. “Trust your hunches. They’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.” Dr. Joyce Brothers An interesting concept, intuition is hidden away facts and thoughts that surface as a hunch. “If the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts, and there abide, the huge world will come round to him.” Ralph Waldo Emerson “The struggle of the male to learn to listen to and respect his own intuitive, inner prompting is the greatest challenge of all. His conditioning has been so powerful that it has all but destroyed his ability to be self-aware.” Herb Goldberg As a psychologically oriented person I find it an interesting thought that we suppress intuition in boys and encourage it in woman. “Often you have to rely on intuition.” Bill Gates Many times in life I have seen remarks from successful people who have relied on intuition and who have use their gut instinct to go that one more mile. Intuition really however is more the suppressed facts and knowledge we do not use daily hidden away in brain mechanisms we still do not understand often triggered by an idea, thought, or event we are inspired and intuition kicks in. It very well may be women have a better handle on it but not always. Men seem to want facts to prove their point. However for many intuition, is deeply enough based on a fact or an interpretation of a fact or possibly a perception of a fact? I truly find that interesting as I sit and wonder. Perhaps that would provide a topic for a doctorial thesis on intuition one day although that will have to be my next degree. Please keep all in harms way on your mind and in your hearts and always give thanks. namaste bird