Tag Archives: sixth sense

Developing Intuition

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Intuition: Your Powerful Sixth Sense

Intuition

One of the questions I hear over and over is “what is intuition anyway?” The short answer is that intuition is a natural gift that we are born with. Along with our five senses of touch, taste, sight, sound and smell, we have a sixth sense: intuition.

For most of us our intuition went underground in early childhood. When we sensed things at a subtle energy level we were often told it was “not real.”  It is “just your imagination.”

You can credit René Decartes, 17th century French philosopher who is famous for the phrase “I think, therefore I am” for giving our sixth sense a bad name. As an early proponent of rationalism he taught that if it can’t be measured and studied, it is not real.

As patriarchy took over, rational thinking became valued and imagination became devalued. Bit-by-bit humans lost touch with their sixth sense.

The positive side of this was it made the space for humanity to develop its intellectual capacity. However, now that we have a fully developed intellect, it is time to “come to our senses.” It is time to get back into balance with all of our capabilities. And this means recognizing, cultivating and using our sixth sense.

Here are 8 steps for developing your sixth sense:

1. Acknowledge that your imagination is real. Imagination is a sensing device and a creative tool. It is a major component of our sixth sense. Can you think of anything that has been created that didn’t first show up in someone’s imagination?

2. Set your intention to develop your intuition. Simply decide it is important to you. When a door opens up that leads to developing your intuition, walk through it.

3. Start paying attention to the little whispers that pop up in the back of your mind. Things like “take an umbrella today” or “call to confirm the appointment before you go.” Usually when we get these little whispers we run it by our logical mind and let it decide. For instance, if you get the “hit” to take an umbrella, it is natural to take a look outside and see if it looks like rain. If not, we usually ignore our intuition and leave our umbrella at home.

4. Keep a journal of the “hits” you get each day and record how many were right on. The main purpose of this is to encourage you to pay attention. Secondarily, it validates how often your “hits” are on target.

5. Hang around other people who are intent on developing their intuition. You will learn faster when you can share your experiences with others.

6. Keep a daily meditation practice. It will make you more alert to the whispers.

7.Take classes in intuition development. The more you know the quicker your progress.

8. And lastly, channeling psychic energy through your body affects your body’s systems. Eating right and exercising will help keep your body in balance.

Keep in mind that your sixth sense is a natural gift. There is nothing unusual or out of the ordinary about it. It is not a talent reserved for a few special people. Anyone can develop their intuition. Begin by following the 8 steps outlined above. Especially gather with others who are interested in developing their intuition. Take classes. Pay attention. Practice, practice, practice.

Having a fully developed sixth sense will help you be in the right place at the right time while you navigate the topsy-turvy world we currently find ourselves in.

from:    http://www.mysticbanana.com/intuition-your-powerful-sixth-sense.html

Navy Studies Uses of Intuition

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Rapid Response: Navy’s Mad Scientists Seek ‘Sixth Sense’

The Navy is pulling an M. Night Shyamalan. In a tough fight, rely on a “sixth sense,” say its mad scientists, not just your reasoning skills. That’s the way to win wars.

Promising “new insights into intuitive decisionmaking,” the futuristic Office of Naval Research is putting together a new program to turn what it actually calls a “sixth sense” into a military advantage. “Evidence is accumulating that this capability, known as intuition or intuitive decision making,” the scientists say in a new proposal, “enables the rapid detection of patterns in ambiguous, uncertain and time restricted information contexts.” Mastering with intuition, the Navy says, should help troops with “Cyberwarfare, Unmanned System Operators, Information Analysts, Small Unit Leaders and other domains.”

Recent neurological research, the Navy says, undermines two key assumptions about intuition. You don’t need to be be an expert at something for your intuition about it to pay off. And as far as your brainwaves are concerned, your intuition isn’t so structurally different than your considered, logical reasoning.”

“Intuitive decision making processes share some of the same underlying neural structures and cognitive processes as a type of learning known as implicit learning,” the Office of Naval Research states. “Consequently, by acquiring domain knowledge through implicit learning, one may be able to automatically strengthen, at the neural, cognitive and behavioral levels, the same capabilities that are needed for effective intuitive decision making.”

“We still don’t know very much about how intuition works,” Ivy Estabrook, an official with the Office of Naval Research at work on the intuition project, explains to Danger Room. “If research scientists could characterize and distinguish intuitive decisions from the better understood analytic decision making processes, methods might be developed to improve this aspect of human performance.”

 

The Navy doesn’t want to reserve the power of intuition for seasoned sailors. By commissioning greater study into how it works, the Office of Naval Research wants to “train non-experts to be more effective decision makers.” First, it has to create a “computational model” of how intuition works, followed by “training techniques & technologies that enhance intuitive decision making performance.”

The Navy isn’t the only one intrigued by neurology’s prospects for warfare. Years ago, Darpa sponsored a program called Neurotechnology for Intelligence Analysts, which sought to break down the cognitive silos between textual data, imagery, audio and other sensory information. And last year, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency sought to get the entire body involved in analyzing satellite data.

How does this benefit the military? Ever since Air Force Col. John Boyd introduced the concept decades ago, there’s a school of thought in military circles contending that tactical advantage in warfare depends on making decisions faster than an adversary. “Analytical decisions are sequential, methodical, and time consuming,” says Cmdr. Joseph Cohn, another Office of Naval Research official. “Intuitive decisions rely on a more holistic approach and take place very quickly — on the order of 100s milliseconds.” In other words, if you master intuition, it’ll be hard for an enemy to act faster than you.

Or you might make boneheaded, self-destructive errors.

For instance: the solicitation cites examples of soldiers “detecting IED emplacements while in a moving vehicle or detecting anomalous civilian behaviors indicative of impending danger.” Their spidey sense just seemed to tingle with an alert. That no doubt happens. But sometimes, intuition fails, especially when mixed with adrenaline, and civilians end up getting shot for driving too close to military or contractor vehicles.

For now, the Office of Naval Research is seeking solicitations about how to structure its Sixth Sense work. Maybe Shyamalan will contribute a pitch.

from:    http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/03/navy-sixth-sense/