A Figment Of Your Imagination

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMAGINATION AND INTUITION?

IS INTUITION ALWAYS RIGHT?

"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."

-  Albert Einstein

Imagination and intuition are partners in moving your life from thought to form and when used together lead to inspiration. They have very distinct functions within your experience. Vehicles for self-expression they are tools that  allow you to delve into new possibilities. Imagination is the dream and intuition is the guide.

THE DREAM

Imagination is a mental thought process whereby you conjure ideas, concepts or fantasies; creating an image of yourself, experience or life in your mind’s eye that lines up with your desires and values. It is driven by will and conscious and subconscious activity and it requires active participation on the part of you – the dreamer. As you engage your imagination you are passing judgment, discerning and trying to figure out how you can make the daydream true. Imagining often leaves you with more questions than answers. Not that this is bad; it is part of the human experience; the desire to create, to formulate and to plan. Imagination allows you to play with a multitude of options, risk-free. Imagination is the gateway to goals and a portal to a new reality. It encourages an assessment of what is truly wild fantasy and what would be fantastically wild. What do you really want to do, be or have?

"An awakened imagination works with purpose. It creates and conserves the desirable, and transforms or destroys the undesirable."  - Neville Goddard

THE GUIDE

Intuition on the other hand is a visceral, physical response. You will know it is intuition because you are not directing it and the whisper or sometimes the punch in the stomach it provides can seem sudden, magnetic or forceful. Intuition reveals itself when you are relaxed, thinking of something else entirely or least expecting it. Unlike imagination which creates a plethora of unknowns, intuition is a knowing – definitively and clearly. You just know. It is beyond logic and “common sense.” Intuition exists in the realm of energy or pure potential and it presents itself to you via your senses and inner voice. Unlike imagination, intuition works best when you set thinking aside and just, go with the flow. You will be guided to the best options, possibilities and potential for yourself.

"Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way." -  Florence Scovel Shinn

IS INTUITION FOOL-PROOF?

Many times a person will say, “You should always trust your first instinct.” I would say instinct, yes; intuition, well that depends. Instinct is a built-in mechanism for survival, which keeps you safe and has been developed over years of humans avoiding being a lion’s supper. Instinct is different than intuition. Can your intuition ever be wrong? Yes, because true intuition is a created by centering and creating an ego-free space and many times a person will insist they have received an intuitive message in order to get their way or feel better. Intuition requires practice to build and to trust, so if you are an inexperienced user it can take time before you become adept at listening to and responding to intuition. You can begin to foster this skill by asking for guidance daily, in regard to smaller changes, goals or challenges and then applying the suggestions. Over time you will learn to discern which hunches are truly intuitive and which ones are not. It requires openness and receptivity. If you feel that the information is hard, goes against your values, makes you feel less than or seems cloudy – it is not intuition. If you are over-analyzing, solving or bargaining – it is not intuition. Your intuition will always encourage more insight or clarity and as a result you will grow and achieve a higher level of consciousness.

 “Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.” - Jonas Salk

THE INSPIRATION

When you combine imagination and intuition you are in-spired or in-spirit, which essentially means life has been breathed into and the courage, vigor and energies needed to make the dream real are stimulated. Take time today to imagine and dream and play with possibility and when you feel the flutter, the breath, the energy of intuition stop and listen. Give your life the space, stillness and silence to be inspired.