“If you always think what you always thought, you’ll always get what you always got.”~Gerald Haman

“Thinking outside the box”is an expression frequently used in the business world meaning to look at problems in a new way to find an innovative and creative solution to problems unresponsive to “conventional thinking”.

Our conscious mind identifies with the logic of words and rules directing our rational mind toward conventional boxes….in comparison, our intuition loves imagination and tends to function largely outside the box…a good example of this occurs in our nightly dreams which are so far outside the box they can not be understood by our rational mind….creative thinking is characteristic of our intuitive mind while conventional thinking is the way of the rational mind.

The first step in finding a new answer is to recognize that the conventional solution is not working and therefore we need to begin an emotionally intense search for an alternative answer…it is important that the search be emotionally intense for its the only way to energizes the intuitive mind to begin its work in finding a creative solution….our intuition will not give us the answer while we are struggling with the problem

Instead it is only after we are relaxed in our search does intuition offer its solution…just as we needed to have an emotionally intense search to energized the intuitive mind, we also need to let go by relaxing our search and so expanding the window of our intuitive mind allowing its answer to move into the conscious mind.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” ~ Albert Einstein

A common definition of sanity is”the ability to think and behave in a normal and rational manner”…its society’s way for us to conform to acceptable expectations … however our inner feelings are not always rational and often desires to move in its own direction… it does risk the possibility of being considered abnormal or a misfit… a sign of liberation is not to be threatened by misleading labels.

The importance of intuition became clearly recognized from the research by physics scientists in the 20th century particularly Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr…they were able to see the limitations of logical thinking and moved into the extraordinary potentials of intuitive perception…as yet, the psychological sciences have not made significant advances in understanding the role of intuition in the human personality.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his theory of “flow” has made an important contributions in this direction…however the role of intuition has not been fully explored…it appears intuition is not considered a subject appropriate for scientific investigation…perhaps the scientist who had the deepest understanding of intuition is Albert Einstein who I use as a frequent reference.

Our intuitive awareness is largely covered up by social conditioning which is concerned with developing a personality that meets social expectations…but intuitive feelings are our source of creativity, imagination, and insight…and without these qualities life can be a burdensome experience.

Intuition, for example, can be the source of an experience in which we become so involved in an activity, we totally forget our self and the sense of time…or an activity in which we spent a long time practicing and suddenly find we can perform the task effortlessly and with perfection…we can all remember struggling with a problem over a period of time only to find the answer in a moment of insight.

Perhaps the most important quality of intuition is its ability to be our “inner compass” by letting us know what is the “right path” for us…intuition when fully functioning allows us to live a contented life with the minimum expectations and disappointments.

We live in a universe moved by the intelligence of “intuition”….intuition and the universe is one process… it is always in the “present” and in eternity… the “present” and eternity is one process ..it never began and never ends…beginning and ending is one process …it continually creates and recreates giving the impression of change…but at death, what ends is our illusion of being a separate self with a personal history (thank goodness)…the universe is much too intelligent to have it any other way !

“Do not stand on my grave and weep;
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in the circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.”
~Mary Frye

“This is the real secret of life– to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” — Alan Wilson Watts

To most people, play is seen as a casual and recreational activity occurring for a period of relaxation from hard work…the American dream is “hard work and playing by the rules” offers us the opportunity for a successful life.

The intuitive personality looks in a different direction…they believe in “deep play” as the way toward a creative and meaningful lifestyle…they follow their natural and intuitive feelings by continuing and developing their childhood joy of play.

The reason their play is “deep”is not only because it is needed to capture our full attention but also necessary in traveling to the depths of the intuitive mind where all the jewels are hidden…it is an exciting adventure and at times they may lose awareness of self and sense of time…unlike hard work which requires forced energy, deep play is effortless and can bring about a feeling of being totally immersed in life.

It is characteristic of the socially conditioned mind to complicate life by making all kinds of efforts not only to be successful but also have many different and valuable possessions…. it does require continuous planning to achieve these goals but they rarely do find a sense of fulfilment and contentment….there always appears more steps needed to be taken before they can rest knowing the satisfaction of success…the simple “present moment” feels like a waste of time since they believe the real prize is in the imaginary future…their life is guided by the saying,”those who die with the most toys are the winner”.

The intuitive personality has a completely different set of values…they realize the meaning of life is doing what is most enjoyable in the “now”…and their enjoyment may have no social value but be intrinsically satisfying…possibly they become so involved in the activity, they pleasurably forget their self and lose the sense of time….the intuitive personality is fully aware of what activities offer them this experience…and if it is a creative activity, it can sustain their interest over a lifetime…and truly said their life has been intensely rich and rewarding.

Since the invention of the electroencephalogram (EEG) in the 1930′s, scientists have been able to measure the electrical activity of the brain. Our brain pulses and vibrates like everything else in the Universe.

Between our waking brain waves and sleeping brain waves, is a rhythmic flow known as Alpha Waves.… Alpha rhythms appear most frequently when our eyes are closed and the mind is in a quiet state of relaxation.

When our brain is in alpha rhythm, we become more aware of our intuitive feelings which is also the home of creativity and imagination. It happens when the critical censoring function performed by our rational conscious mind is “half asleep.” Thus when in alpha flow, our feelings and images can more easily pass through the “gate-keeper” of our rational consciousness, unaffected by judgment.

Scientists have shown that highly creative people who are less identified with social expectations have different brain waves from non-creative people. In order to have a creative inspiration, the mind needs to expand consciousness and therefore able to generate an intense flow of Alpha brain waves. The minds of creative people can generate more Alpha brain waves than most people, and do so when faced with problems to solve. Any time you have an insight or an inspiration, you know your mind just produced more Alpha waves than usual. Scientists have also shown in experiments, Buddhist monks in meditation also experience significant flow of Alpha brain waves…this has also been found true of athletes who are “in the zone”… and there are good reasons to believe it is also true in any activity when we we lose awareness of our self and time, and functioning in “autopilot” which is common to all “flow” experiences.

Alpha brain waves also occurs naturally as we are falling asleep or day dreaming, and is at its height when we first wake up. Concrete thoughts, physical activity, or light on the retina of the eye narrows consciousness and sends the brain out of alpha and into beta wave activity. Thus, the ideal time for exploring the intuitive mind in alpha flow occurs as we are falling asleep or as we are awakening.

It is said that Aristotle used to lie in bed with a ball in his hand so that when he would fall asleep the ball would drop and bang a copper plate below. The noise would wake him up, keeping him in a quasi state of sleep and consciousness. This is perhaps the time when he generated his best ideas and insights.

We can naturally enter the alpha flow when we are slowly and naturally wakening up. As we awaken, and just lie in bed and consciously allow our thoughts to free associate on topics of interest. This is particularly easy when we have no pressure to get out of bed, such as a weekend…and when we do not use an alarm clock to wake us up.

“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.”~Oliver Wendall Holmes

Insight is often referred to as an experience of “eureka” or “aha!”…some of the characteristics of this process is the determination to find a solution to a problem and the willingness to give all of our energy to find an answer…after much frustration and disappointment the search ends and suddenly an insight may occur in a flash, appearing out of thin air,seemingly coming from some unknown source.

The process happens when the conscious mind becomes exhausted with its analytical and focused thinking… and gives up on its aggressive thought process…however during all the time of the search, the intuitive process has been exploring all the vast resources of the subconscious mind but unable to communicate its finding until the rational mind becomes silent…an intense conscious search is necessary in order to energize the intuitive mind to look in depth for an answer.

Perhaps a simple example which we all have experienced is the struggle of trying to recollect a forgotten name…and find when we give up in frustration,the name flows up into our awareness…and this sudden response seems to come from our intuitive mind.

“We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success.’~Henry David Thoreau

“We never live; we are always in the expectation of living.” ~ Voltaire

At the heart of our rational mind are learned expectations which we identify as our own…we generally do not realize we have downloaded expectations as a way of conforming to our environment…and these expectations become the primary source of our self image and role playing… when these expectations are not met they can become very negative leading to severe guilt and despair.

Our most important expectations developed during early childhood and are embedded within the subconscious mind…interestingly, the vast majority of these expectations are unnecessary and only serve as a way of achieving a fabricated social status…but how can we let go of an expectation when we don’t consciously recognize them ?.

Most frustrations stem from expectations….we may feel they are only rational desires and our feelings of failure are justified…it is our inability to question these assumption that prevents us from finding ways resolve them.

If we reach a point when a decision to be free of an expectation is made, we have crossed a very important bridge…our energies now have moved from frustration to finding a higher level of freedom…this decision can now be communicated with the subconscious mind which is most responsive to intense emotions…if this request persist, the subconscious eventually will make an effort to cleanse itself of expectations.

Freedom from expectations does not leave us empty of directions, but instead opens the intuitive mind and its inner compass to become our new guide…this is what the Dalai Lama meant by the “guidance of synchronicity”.

“When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have” ~Stephen Hawking

Our rational mind is the home of all our social beliefs and conditioning…it sees everything as separate including a separate self with a separate brain, body, and environment…such an assumption is now causing havoc in the environment, society, and within our personal lifestyles…we are now discovering the rational mind can potentially be irrational and destructive…and we don’t as yet see an alternative solution.

In the 20th century, scientists discovered that everything is not separate, but instead everything is one interrelated whole…these discoveries were not found by the scientist’s rational mind but much to their surprise by using their intuitive mind…the genius of intuition was also discovered…Albert Einstein in two of his famous quotes said “everyone is a genius”and “the only real vaulable thing is intuition.”

The power of intuition has not as yet been discovered in the social sciences but promises to be an even greater revolution…our rational mind was assumed to be the eventual cure for all our problems…but we now find it can even create bigger problems, particularly in the area of ideologies

We need to realize the rational mind is a very valuable tool but cannot lead us in finding the more important challenges we face… intuition can perceive common denominators while the rational mind can only perceive numerators.

Those seeking spiritual insight find it only when they give up trying to seek a rational answer…and then suddenly the answer comes from some unknown source…the rational mind needs to experience total exhaustion and failure before it will drop away allowing our “sacred intuition” to become our primary identity.