Those of you who have been reading Spirituality for Seekers for some time will have noticed that I often encourage you to listen to your intuition as you explore various ideas and concepts. This is not something that I merely say for effect, but rather it is a serious recommendation which I give for a very good reason.
The fact is that your intuition is the only authority that you need on the subjective matter of spirituality. Whilst you may look to external sources for information and ideas which may or may not be worthy of investigation, you should ultimately learn to rely on your own intuition for guidance.
Intuition can be defined as something that you understand or know without conscious reasoning or thought. It is a sense of inner knowing which you may or not be able to explain in rational terms to another human being, but which you are nevertheless certain of.
‘All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge. I believe in intuition and inspiration… At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason.’ – Albert Einstein
If the idea that we are spiritual beings is accurate, and that we are in some way connected to and a part of the Creative Principle, then it would make sense that we have some kind of wisdom within us which can be relied upon to lead us in the right direction. And in that case, it would make much more sense to rely upon that wisdom, which is our intuition, than to simply accept second-hand opinions without question from external ‘authorities’.
Look at the leaders of all the major religious and spiritual traditions in the world and you will find that every one of them viewed their intuition as the ultimate authority in their lives. They spent plenty of time in silence and solitude in order to listen to their intuition more carefully, and then later relayed their insights and findings to the people around them.
Unfortunately, instead of following the example set by such spiritual leaders and learning to listen to their own intuition, it was more common for people to view their leader as being in some way special, making them an authority, and thereby missing the whole point of the example that was given.
Consider Jesus, for example, who used to refer to intuition as ‘the Father’, referring to the Creative Principle. In John 14:10, he said: ‘The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works.’ In other words, everything that Jesus said and did was first prompted by his intuition.
That is why, when giving advice on prayer in Matthew 6:6, he told his disciples to do the same things and commune with their own intuition, saying: ‘But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret…’
Unfortunately, religious tradition has largely overlooked that advice, and has instead turned Jesus into a ‘one of a kind’ instead of simply encouraging us to follow his example.
‘Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way.’ – Florence Scovel Shinn
Now, if your intuition is the Creative Principle within you, doesn’t it make sense that you learn to listen to it directly, rather than follow the ideas of external authorities and traditions simply because they have been around for a while?
And that is why I so often advise you to listen to that ‘still, small voice within’ as you consider the various ideas and principles which I talk about. By learning to rely on your own intuition as the only authority you will ever need, creating a spiritual path that works for you will be much easier and more enjoyable than it would be otherwise.
Spirituality for Seekers is not a dogmatic website, and I am not a spiritual leader of any kind. I will not tell you what you should or should not believe, or what is true or false. All that I am is a fellow Seeker, and all that I do here is share ideas and concepts that I have found helpful in order that you, if you wish to do so, can begin exploring them yourself.
All of the answers that you seek are within you, right now, at this very moment. Learn to be quiet, and to listen to your intuition, and the Creative Principle will teach you – directly – all that you need to know. Call it prayer, communion, meditation or simply having a conversation with your Higher Self – the fact is that you can’t experience genuine spiritual growth without it.
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