Long live intuition
"Do you know that for sure?" - "No, but I feel intuitively …" We often use the word "intuition" to mean something indefinite, not supported by logic. For millions of years man has relied solely on her. His very survival largely depended on the degree of development of intuition. Today intuition plays an equally important role.
Most of what philosophy, art, scientific or any discovery carries, happens on an intuitive level. To create a work of art (and later to understand its meaning), to reach any discovery or invention, to create something new, to understand the meaning of any idea and any law in Nature, you need not only knowledge, not only the theory of philosophy, science or aesthetics. It is necessary to feel and convey the SPIRIT, ESSENCE, POWER of the idea that we are trying to understand or convey through any form. And this spirit can neither be adequately formulated nor explained in words.
Intuition is the way through which our Soul and Heart communicate with our Consciousness: it goes far beyond logic and common sense. Human intuition uses not only visual images, but also symbols, metaphors, archetypes, it uses extraordinary ways and forms accumulated over the entire history of human development. Therefore, intuition in its capabilities is incomparably richer than all other, more ordinary and more familiar to us, forms of knowledge.
Logic is a limited instrument of our Consciousness. It is only a tool for thinking, but not thinking itself. It processes information, but does not create new knowledge, it is responsible for the correctness of the transformation of judgments, but is not able to find out whether the premises themselves are true or false.
The paradox is that it is impossible to think entirely logically, rationally. This means that logic must be preceded by some ability to recognize the truth. This ability to recognize truth, which precedes logic and which does not use logic to recognize truth, was called intuition in ancient times. (The word "intuition" comes from the Latin intuition, "gazing."
Where the reason makes consistent, logical steps, steadily but slowly approaching the goal, intuition acts quickly and even with lightning speed, like a flash. She doesn't need proof, she doesn't rely on reasoning. Intuitive thinking proceeds imperceptibly, “naturally,” it is not as tiring as logical thinking, which involves efforts of will.
Should a person trust his intuition, he loses the thread of logical reasoning, plunges into the element of internal states, vague sensations and premonitions, images and symbols.
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On the contrary, if a person works in a well-aware, logical mode, he loses access to his intuitive experience.
Thanks to intuition, a person instantly presents a picture of reality as a whole. He foresees or even clearly sees how events will unfold further (at least the main variants) and where an event or drama, the essence of which is so poorly understood by its participants, leads to. But it will be much more difficult for him to convey, to clothe this picture in a verbal form (at least, without significant losses), and in addition, to answer how he was able to understand what is happening (except for the answer to a reference to life experience).
According to the American psychotherapist Eric Berne, "Intuition implies that we know about something without knowing how we knew about it."
Psychologists have little understanding of how intuition works, and even worse, how to study it. Most often they use the term "insight" - "insight": this word comes from the English insight, "comprehension", "insight", "insight". This term denotes the moment when a person suddenly dawns on a new idea, a solution to a problem comes to mind, over which he has been thinking for a long time. Insight is also called "aha-reaction", implying those exclamations that we involuntarily publish if we suddenly begin to grasp the essence of a problem situation and see a way out of it. The creative insight of Archimedes, who jumped out of the bathtub shouting "Eureka!", Is a classic illustration of insight.
Therefore, many modern psychologists believe that the source of intuition is in the Unconscious, or rather, in its well-adjusted interaction with consciousness. Research supports this conclusion. When intuition manifests itself, it works with premonitions, archetypes, symbols. It is no coincidence that intuitive predictions are often born in a dream, half asleep or in daydreaming.
A person with a developed intuition is able to subtly capture subconscious information - for example, by intonation, facial expressions, gestures, eye expressions, he is able to understand a lot of what his interlocutor does not want or cannot say openly. Almost all such information does not fall into the field of our attention and is not available for conscious control, however, it does not disappear for us at all, forming a special, intuitive experience at the level of the unconscious. Intuitive experience is formed apart from desire and will, it can neither be voluntarily manifested nor repeated by a person, although it significantly affects the nature of our activity and behavior. Intuitive experience determines the course of thinking.
Ancient philosophers, in particular Socrates and Plato, understood intuition and intuitive experience much deeper. They perceived intuition as an integral human ability for holistic, holographic cognition of truth simultaneously in different aspects - Past, Present and Future, Life and Death, Evolution, Space and Time, Eternity, Visible and Invisible, Archetype and Form, Spiritual and Material. And the intuitive experience in their understanding is not only "external" moments that fall into the subconscious, and not only the abstract "Unconscious" of a person, which modern psychologists talk about. This is the ability to "recognize", "remember". It is about the experience of the Immortal Soul, which she has collected over a long string of incarnations. The soul learns part of this experience, remembers through flashes of intuition, "insights". This is the ability to grasp archetypal ideas, the ability to move beyond the material world, into the world of ideas and live in it or them for at least one short moment. This integral quality is not yet fully developed in a person, but it can awaken and develop.
In 1926, the American researcher Graham Wallace proposed a diagram of the process of creative thinking that later became famous. He developed it on the basis of self-observation data of outstanding scientists, primarily the German physiologist, physicist and mathematician Hermann Helmholtz and the French mathematician Henri Poincaré. Wallace identified four stages in this process.
The first stage is preparation. It includes collecting the necessary information about the problem, consciously searching for its solution and thinking.
Philosophical experience says the same thing in other words: a period is needed when nothing works, when you think, make attempts, but they do not lead to anything. It's like banging your head against a wall.
The second stage is incubation. Carrying out a problem. A period of apparent stagnation. In fact, there is a deep unconscious work on the task, and at the level of consciousness, a person may not think about it at all.
Philosophical approach: when planted, watered - do not pull out to see what happens. Let Nature do its job.
The third stage is enlightenment. Inspiration, discovery, insight. It always comes unexpectedly, instantly and is like a sharp jump. The decision at this moment is born in the form of a symbol, a thought-image, which is difficult to describe in words.
The fourth stage is verification. The image is clothed in words, thoughts are arranged in a logical sequence, the discovery is scientifically substantiated.
The moment of insight (insight), the birth of an idea, is the culmination of an intuitive creative process. And until now, it remains elusive, mysterious, almost mystical. He will probably always be shrouded in mystery. If the secret of insight could be solved and it could be reproduced, then great discoveries would be made at will, according to instructions, to order. The solution to any life problems, and the acquisition of new knowledge about the world, and the comprehension of deep truths - everything that is usually given to people at a great price, would become easily accessible.
Although psychologists and philosophers agree on the main point: the path leading to insight (insight) is generally known. You need to work hard and focused on a specific problem - to comprehensively investigate it, trying to get as much information as possible, to think about it again and again, passionately dreaming of finding a solution, but at the same time not to cling to your desire. Inner insight is the result of prolonged unconscious work. For some time you need to live with an idea (problem) without finding a solution, and, most likely, one fine moment it will illuminate consciousness, like a lightning strike, and bring with it an experience of extraordinary power of understanding, clarity, takeoff, breakthrough, happiness.
What does it take to awaken and develop intuition?
1. Raise consciousness. Do not get stuck for a long time in small, everyday matters and problems. Find time every day to raise consciousness. Cut off unnecessary thoughts, emotions and winding up.
2. Learn to “not think” at important moments. Intuition starts working when logical thinking stops. Logic is needed, but everything has its time.
3. Remove stereotyped approaches. Every time to rethink in a new way what you already know. Introduce creativity into any action.
4. Don't be inactive. Show effort and initiative. When any question arises, do everything to find the answer yourself.
The invention of the sewing machine in a dream
The inventor Elias Hove worked long and tirelessly to create the first sewing machine, but nothing came of it. One night he had a nightmare: a gang of cannibals was chasing him, they almost overtook him - he even saw the glint of the spearheads. Through all this horror, Hove suddenly noticed for himself that in each tip a hole was drilled, shaped like the eye of a sewing needle. And then he woke up, barely breathing with fear.
Only later did Hove realize that night vision wanted to tell him. In order for the sewing machine to work, it was only necessary to move the eye of the needle from its middle down to the point. This was the very solution he was looking for. So, thanks to a nightmare that visited Hove, a sewing machine was born.
Disney and Music
Walt Disney was a big fan of classical music. He argued that at the very first sounds, pictures begin to appear in his mind. The animated film "Fantasy", where classical music brings to life the phantasmagoria of colors and forms, was an attempt to share this experience: Disney firmly believed that in this way the music would evoke a greater response from people.
“There are moments in music that are difficult for people to understand until they see images that embody it on the screen,” he said. "Only then will they be able to feel the full depth of the sound."
Ability to ask questions
Einstein once remarked that if he was going to be killed and had only one hour to come up with a plan of escape, he would devote the first fifty-five minutes to asking the question correctly. "To find the answer," Einstein said, "five minutes will be enough."
Leonardo da Vinci method
It is known from modern psychology that almost any stimulus - even completely meaningless Rorschach blots - causes a whole stream of associations, instantly connecting the most sensitive areas of your consciousness. Leonardo da Vinci discovered this five centuries before Sigmund Freud. However, unlike Freud, Leonardo did not use free associations to reveal any deep complexes. On the contrary, in this way the great Florentine during the Renaissance paved his own path to artistic and scientific insights.
“It’s not difficult … - wrote Leonardo in the“Notes”, - just stop along the way and look at the streaks on the wall, or coals on fire, or clouds, or mud … there you can find absolutely amazing ideas …”
Leonardo also drew inspiration from the sounds of bells, "in the ringing of which you can catch any name and any word you can imagine."
It is possible that practicing some of the methods may make you feel rather stupid, but you shouldn't worry about it. You are in good company. Leonardo da Vinci also admitted that his "new way" would undoubtedly amuse cynics.
“This may sound ridiculous and ludicrous,” he wrote. "But nevertheless, it is very useful in order to inspire the mind to various inventions."
The benefits of a diary
In the 1920s, the researcher Katerina Cox studied in detail the biographies of more than three hundred historical geniuses, such as Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Jefferson, Johann Sebastian Bach. Her exhaustive study of the surviving facts revealed striking coincidences in the behavior and habits of these prominent individuals.
According to Cox, one of the hallmarks of genius is the tendency to eloquently describe their feelings and thoughts in a diary, in poetry, in letters to friends and family. This tendency begins to manifest itself at an early age. Cox observed it not only among writers, but also among the military, politicians and scientists.
Confirmation of Cox's words can be easily found by rummaging through the library. It is known that no more than one percent of humanity is in the habit of describing their thoughts and feelings in diaries, treasured notebooks or books. But here's the interesting thing: those who have achieved outstanding success in life, as a rule, fall into this one percent!
So what is true: every scribe is a genius, or every genius is a scribe? Why are great minds starting to keep diaries? Maybe they have a presentiment of their future glory and want to leave a legacy to historians? Or is the passion for writing a by-product of a hard working mind? Or an overly inflated ego? Or maybe - and this is where you want to stop - is this a mechanism by which people who were not born genius subconsciously develop outstanding intelligence in themselves?
Real thoughts rarely come
One day, a reporter asked Albert Einstein if he writes down his great thoughts, and if he does, then in a notebook, notebook, or in a special file cabinet. Einstein looked at the reporter's bulky notebook and said: "My dear, real thoughts so rarely come to mind that they are not difficult to remember!"
The physicist who did not know mathematics
The English inventor Michael Faraday was one of the most prominent scientific minds. His theory of electromagnetic fields and lines of force inspired Einstein. Nevertheless, Faraday's method has puzzled and is still puzzling those historians of science who are inherent in straightforwardness.
“Faraday … was distinguished by absolute mathematical innocence … - Isaac Asimov wonders in The History of Physics. "He developed his theory of lines of force in a surprisingly straightforward way, imagining them as rubber bands."
Scientists, apparently, would not have known for a long time what to do with Faraday's lines of force if James Clark Maxwell had not subsequently described them mathematically. Poor Faraday tried very hard to understand Maxwell's constructions, but in the end he got completely confused and wrote Maxwell a letter in which he begged him to "translate the hieroglyphs into a human language that I myself could understand."
Stay child
One day a truck got stuck under an overpass because the body was too high. The police and road service tried to push him through, but nothing worked. They all expressed their suggestions on how to get the truck out. At first they decided to remove part of the load, but this made the truck lighter, lifted up on the springs and got stuck even more tightly under the bridge. We tried using crowbars and wedges. Tried to increase the engine speed. In short, they did everything that is usually done in such cases, but it only got worse.
Suddenly a six-year-old boy came up and offered to let some air out of the tires. The problem was immediately resolved!
The police and road workers were unable to free the truck because they knew too much, and all they knew about freeing the jammed cars was, one way or another, the use of force. Most of our problems are only exacerbated by our "knowledge". And only when we manage to distract from known solutions, we begin to really grasp the essence of the problem.
Where did Mozart get his music from?
Like many other geniuses, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart claimed that he wrote his musical compositions in his mind, perfecting each chord to perfection before taking up pen and paper. Mozart often surprised his contemporaries, either by demonstrating the ability to "write" music mixed with a game of billiards, or by casually and carelessly sketching an overture to Don Juan a few hours before its premiere. Mozart explained that in such cases he does not compose music at all, but simply, as with dictation, writes down a finished piece from his head.
In a letter dated 1789, the brilliant composer said that, before capturing his creation on paper, he mentally examines it as a whole, "like a dazzlingly beautiful statue." Mozart did not play his creations the way the orchestra played them - beat by beat - he covered everything "at a glance." “I don't listen to the parts in my imagination sequentially,” he wrote, “I hear them sounding simultaneously. I can't tell you what kind of pleasure it is!"
The opening of the benzene ring
After a full day of work on a chemistry textbook, Friedrich August Kekule felt disappointed. "Everything is bad," the chemist decided, "my soul is busy with the wrong thing." Kekule moved the chair closer to the fireplace and began to look at the dancing flames. For a long time he thought about the benzene molecule, the structure of which continued to elude him. In the end, as he later admitted, he sank into a half-sleep state. What happened next entered scientific folklore as the greatest moment - and the greatest miracle.
Starting to doze, Kekule nodded and suddenly saw some fantastic shapes among the flames. “I saw the atoms rushing before my eyes,” the scientist recalled. "They moved in long rows, wriggling like snakes."
Suddenly he caught a sharp movement. "What is it? One of the snakes grabbed its tail … and whirled violently … I woke up as if from a flash of lightning."
Kekule realized that his subconscious mind had given him the key to the shape of the benzene molecule. He spent the rest of the night working on the problem. Shortly after this event, in 1865, he announced that the gasoline molecule consists of six carbon atoms. The combination of atoms remarkably resembled a snake from a dream.
Elena Sikirich
