Tag Archives: intuition

Judith Orloff on Intuitivity

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How to Intuitively Make Smart Decisions

Dr. Judith Orloff
a message from Dr. Judith Orloff
Wednesday, 6 February, 2013

As an intuitive psychiatrist I worship my high octane intuitions. I owe the blessing of becoming a physician to one. However, at twenty, when an unwavering inner voice told me I was going to medical school, it was the last thing I thought I wanted. This gut centered voice committed to your happiness, health, and survival, is, with practice, accessible to everyone. But when you deviate even a nano-fraction from your inner voice, energy wanes, whether a subtle seepage or radical bottoming out. The more ferociously faithful you are to this truth the more energized you’ll be.

Intuition offers a direct line to your life force, and also, as I experience it, to a divine intelligence. We can’t afford to remain deaf to intuition’s messages. Its expertise is energy; its job is to know every nuance of what makes you tick. A master at reading vibes, intuition is constantly tallying: what gives positive energy, what dissipates it. Who you meet, where you go, your job, your family, current events, are all evaluated–crucial data that you can learn to interpret and apply.

Here’s a formula from my book, Positive Energy to help you get started. First, listen to your body: there are positive and negative intuitions about relationships which highlight compatible matches. Second, act on this information, which is often the hardest part. Let me walk you through the process.

Recognize Your Body’s Intuitions About Vibes

A people-skill most of our parents didn’t know or teach us is intuitively reading vibes. We’ve learned to draw conclusions from surface data: how nice someone seems, looks, education, or if a situation adds up on paper. But intuition goes deeper; to make it work for you other ingredients must be considered such as what positive vibes feel like, for instance a sense of heart, compassion, and nurturance. In contrast, negative people project prickly, draining vibes that put you on guard.

Here is a general guideline of body-based intuitions. Use this checklist at a first meeting, to troubleshoot problems if you’re already involved, or to weigh “opportunities.” Also, feel free to add to it. Being an intuitive, I know that a signature energy always accompanies situations or people. Remember the Lil’ Abner jinxed cartoon character who always had a black cloud hanging over his head? Not a vibe that bodes well for auspicious outcomes. Instead, learn to gravitate towards brightness, a positive intuition your body’s responses will affirm. When tuning into vibes take a few quiet moments to go into sensing mode, not intellectual analysis. Look for these signs to determine attraction.

Positive Intuitions About Relationships or Situations

  • a feeling of comforting familiarity or brightness; you may sense you’ve known the person before, as with the experience of deja-vu
  • you breathe easier, chest and shoulders are relaxed, gut is calm
  • you find yourself leaning forward, not defensively crossing your arms or edging away to keep a distance
  • your heart opens; you feel safe, peaceful, energized, expansive, or alive
  • you’re at ease with a person’s touch whether a hand shake, hug, or during intimacy.

Negative Intuitions About Relationships or Situations

  • a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach or increased stomach acid which may prompt an unpalatable deja-vu
  • your skin starts crawling, you’re jumpy, instinctively withdraw if touched
  • shoulder muscles are in knots, chest area or throat constricts; you notice aggravated aches or pains
  • the hair on the back of your neck creepily stands on end
  • a sense of malaise, darkness, pressure, agitation, or being drained

Intuition helps you act from instinct, not impulse–a look before you leap wisdom that points you to positive energy. When it comes to who you love, where your work, or any important decision, the last thing you want to be is vague. Tuning in keeps you specific. Practice the next exercise to get this down.

With Intuition Learn How to Pin Down and Act on Your Vibes

Now you’re going to tune in, trust your body, and make choices based on the vibes you sense.

Tune In: Choose a relationship or situation that needs clarification about whether or not to go forward. Perhaps a friendship, vacation or move. Begin with an easier target before you take on higher stakes. Run it by this section’s criteria for positive and negative intuitions–or others you find reliable. It’s helpful to make a top five list of the most killer indicators of positive attraction. For one of my patients it includes feeling energized and safe. Another must register an increased aliveness and peaceful sense. Write your top five in a journal so they don’t get hazy. See how they add up here.

Act On Vibes: This is where we must be warriors. I know personally and from patients how much easier it is to tune into than to act on vibes. Insecurity, ego, lust, stubbornness can obscure better judgment. Sometimes it takes succumbing to them all to realize you won’t tolerate such battering again. But if you don’t have to take such a bumpy route, try these options. If the vibes feel overall positive, go for it; explore possibilities. If the vibes are mixed or you’re unsure, take a pass or at least wait. If there’s just negative, have the courage to walk away, no matter how tempting the option seems. Then observe how listening to energy in this way leads you to the juiciest opportunities.

Now I want you to start listening. Really listening. I guarantee you’ll start making smarter choices. Why? You’ll be operating from a spot inside that’s juicy, core-felt, authentic–not from an impulse to conform or disown your strength. You won’t be seduced by what may look good, but betrays your gut. Intuition is a truth detector.

Judith Orloff MD is bestselling author of the new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Three Rivers Press, 2011) upon which these tips and article are based. Her insights in Emotional Freedom create a new convergence of healing paths for our stressed out world. An assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA, Dr. Orloff’s work has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, and in Oprah Magazine and USA Today.

from:     http://spiritlibrary.com/dr-judith-orloff/how-to-intuitively-make-smart-decisions

Judith Orloff on Intuition

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Judith Orloff MD

Author, ‘Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life

How to Intuitively Make Smart Decisions

Posted: 02/09/2013 1:20 am

As an intuitive psychiatrist, I worship my high-octane intuitions: I owe the blessing of becoming a physician to one. However, at 20, when an unwavering inner voice told me I was going to medical school, it was the last thing I thought I wanted. This gut-centered voice committed to your happiness, health, and survival is, with practice, accessible to everyone. But when you deviate even a nano-fraction from your inner voice, energy wanes, whether a subtle seepage or radical bottoming-out. The more ferociously faithful you are to this truth, the more energized you’ll be.

Intuition offers a direct line to your life force, and also, as I experience it, to a divine intelligence. We can’t afford to remain deaf to intuition’s messages. Its expertise is energy; its job is to know every nuance of what makes you tick. A master at reading vibes, intuition is constantly tallying: what gives positive energy, what dissipates it. Who you meet, where you go, your job, your family, current events, are all evaluated — crucial data that you can learn to interpret and apply.

Here’s a formula from my book Positive Energy to help you get started. First, listen to your body: There are positive and negative intuitions about relationships, which highlight compatible matches. Second, act on this information, which is often the hardest part. Let me walk you through the process.

Recognize Your Body’s Intuitions About Vibes

A people-skill most of our parents didn’t know or teach us is intuitively reading vibes. We’ve learned to draw conclusions from surface data: how nice someone seems, looks, education, or if a situation adds up on paper. But intuition goes deeper; to make it work for you, other ingredients must be considered, such as what positive vibes feel like — for instance, a sense of heart, compassion, and nurturance. In contrast, negative people project prickly, draining vibes that put you on guard.

Here is a general guideline of body-based intuitions. Use this checklist at a first meeting, to troubleshoot problems if you’re already involved, or to weigh “opportunities.” Also, feel free to add to it. Being an intuitive, I know that a signature energy always accompanies situations or people. Remember the Lil’ Abner jinxed cartoon character who always had a black cloud hanging over his head? Not a vibe that bodes well for auspicious outcomes. Instead, learn to gravitate toward brightness, a positive intuition your body’s responses will affirm. When tuning into vibes, take a few quiet moments to go into sensing mode, not intellectual analysis. Look for these signs to determine attraction.

Positive Intuitions About Relationships or Situations

  • A feeling of comforting familiarity or brightness, you may sense you’ve known the person before, as with the experience of deja-vu
  • You breathe easier, chest and shoulders are relaxed, gut is calm
  • You find yourself leaning forward, not defensively crossing your arms or edging away to keep a distance
  • Your heart opens; you feel safe, peaceful, energized, expansive, or alive
  • You’re at ease with a person’s touch, whether a handshake, hug, or during intimacy

Negative Intuitions About Relationships or Situations

  • A sick feeling in the pit of your stomach or increased stomach acid, which may prompt an unpalatable deja-vu
  • Your skin starts crawling, you’re jumpy, instinctively withdraw if touched
  • Shoulder muscles are in knots, chest area or throat constricts; you notice aggravated aches or pains
  • The hair on the back of your neck creepily stands on end
  • A sense of malaise, darkness, pressure, agitation, or being drained

Intuition helps you act from instinct, not impulse — a look-before-you-leap wisdom that points you to positive energy. When it comes to who you love, where you work, or any important decision, the last thing you want to be is vague. Tuning in keeps you specific. Practice the next exercise to get this down.

With Intuition, Learn How to Pin Down and Act on Your Vibes

Now you’re going to tune in, trust your body, and make choices based on the vibes you sense.

Tune In: Choose a relationship or situation that needs clarification about whether or not to go forward. Perhaps a friendship, vacation or move. Begin with an easier target before you take on higher stakes. Run it by this section’s criteria for positive and negative intuitions — or others you find reliable. It’s helpful to make a “top five” list of the most killer indicators of positive attraction. For one of my patients, it includes feeling energized and safe. Another must register an increased aliveness and peaceful sense. Write your top five in a journal so they don’t get hazy. See how they add up here.

Act on Vibes: This is where we must be warriors. I know personally and from patients how much easier it is to tune into than to act on vibes. Insecurity, ego, lust, stubbornness can obscure better judgment. Sometimes it takes succumbing to them all to realize you won’t tolerate such battering again. But if you don’t have to take such a bumpy route, try these options. If the vibes feel overall positive, go for it; explore possibilities. If the vibes are mixed or you’re unsure, take a pass, or at least wait. If there’s just negative, have the courage to walk away, no matter how tempting the option seems. Then observe how listening to energy in this way leads you to the juiciest opportunities.

Now I want you to start listening. Really listening. I guarantee you’ll start making smarter choices. Why? You’ll be operating from a spot inside that’s juicy, core-felt, authentic — not from an impulse to conform or disown your strength. You won’t be seduced by what may look good, but betrays your gut. Intuition is a truth detector.

from:    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judith-orloff-md/how-to-intuitively-make-s_b_2639083.html?utm_hp_ref=gps-for-the-soul&ir=GPS%20for%20the%20Soul

Ede Frecska on the Non-Local Mind

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The Direct-Intuitive-Nonlocal Mind: Another Foundation for Knowledge?

by Ede Frecska on November 28, 2010

Nonlocal information about the physical universe offers the missing link between objective science and subjective experience, including consciousness and spiritual experiences. Based on the principle of nonlocality and with the “quantum array antenna” of subcellular, cytoskeletal networks, the brain can be resonating with the whole universe. The brain may contain the whole Cosmos like a quantum hologram, and the perennial wisdom of “As above, so below (or: As within, so without)”, “The kingdom of Heaven is within you”, or “Look within, you are the Buddha” creates the appropriate perspective. The cytoskeletal matrix can be the mediator of the Jungian ‘collective unconscious’, and cytoskeletal quantum holography can explain a very common but obscure phenomenon known as ‘intuition’.

Ritual ceremonials and other spiritual practices based on the integrative forms of altered states of consciousness (ASCs)—an integrative ASC leads to healing in contrast to a disintegrative one such as psychosis or drunkenness—elude neuroscientific explanations based on classical cognition. Classical cognition can be conceptualized as a ‘perceptual-cognitive’ way of information processing characteristic of ordinary states of consciousness. This information processing utilizes the local aspect of the universe and is contrasted with another way of obtaining knowledge, which is based on nonlocal connections denoted here as ‘direct-intuitive’.

The ‘perceptual-cognitive’ mode is neuroaxonally based, relies on sensory perception, cognitive processing, and on symbolic (visual, verbal, logical-language) mediation. This form of information processing is an indirect mode of achieving knowledge compared to the ‘direct-intuitive’ way. In accordance with the indirect nature of its processing, this mode splits the world into subject and object, and then performs its modeling. The linguistic feature makes this mode transferable from individual to individual but at the same time limits it to be culturally bound. The ‘perceptual-cognitive’ mode of information processing has been evolved for the purpose of task solving, represents a “coping machine” at work, and reaches its peak in Western scientific thinking.

The introduction of a nonlocal, ‘direct-intuitive’ channel is necessary for an ontological interpretation of integrative ASCs, such as the shamanic or mystic states of consciousness. We may assume that this mode of accessing knowledge is based on subcellular, cytoskeletal functions, provides direct experience (no subject-object split), and is not bound by language or other symbols. It is practically ineffable, non-transferable. Since the ‘direct-intuitive’ channel lacks linguistic-symbolic mediation, it has universal characteristics, shows more transcultural similarity, although culture-specific interpretations exist. This may be why mystics get better agreement comparing their “data” than do materialistic scientists. I am not arguing here for the ontological validation of every experience in ASCs, but for a few, very informative experiences that constitute the integrative ASCs.

The ‘direct-intuitive’ perception of the world carries a high degree of uncertainty, needs rigorous training for its highest development – as in other fields. It takes decades to train an indigenous shaman or Buddhist monk because the ‘direct-intuitive’ route into the realm of “non-ordinary” consciousness is seemingly capricious, its denizens are unpredictable, and our ‘perceptual-cognitive’ mind is unprepared to face its challenges. What can be nourished can be atrophied as well; the latter happened in Western civilization and the ‘direct-intuitive’ channel has become “The Forgotten Knowledge”. It might have been the source of ancient myths. Giving credit to mythical knowledge also means that the teachings of ancient myths and wisdom traditions should be considered as a starting point for the development of modern scientific theories, and deserve to be treated as “working hypotheses” in applying the scientific method.

The ‘perceptual-cognitive’ foundation of knowledge is a result of the brain’s interactions with the local aspects of the universe. The ‘direct-intuitive’ perception of the world derives from the nonlocal features of the Cosmos. In other words: the local universe of the classical, Newtonian worldview is the reality of our ordinary consciousness, based on the ‘perceptual-cognitive’ process. On the other hand, the brain’s interfacing with the nonlocal universe generates the reality of “non-ordinary” states. Moreover, as will be outlined below, the ‘direct-intuitive’ way is also the source of the subjective component of our consciousness. My main point is that intuition, consciousness, and non-locality are interwoven.

‘Cogito’ Updated

The basic principles of the second foundation of knowledge (the direct-intuitive-nonlocal) can shed light on peculiar features of consciousness on what various cultural views and wisdom traditions attribute to it. For example, the indigenous Arawate people of the Amazon state that in the jaguars’ perspective they are the people and we are the jaguars. In essence, jaguars are conscious beings. Aside from questions of ignorance, how can rational thinking make sense of such a statement? How come that there are traditions which connect consciousness with beings and inanimate objects other than the human brain? The following passage may help to interpret these concepts and the principles of panpsychic and hylozoic views

As a starting point I refer to Ervin Laszlo (2007), who had the notion what I wish to build upon: “What we call ‘matter’ is the aspect we apprehend when we look at a person, a plant, or a molecule from the outside; ‘mind’ is the aspect we obtain when we look at the same thing from the inside.” For me it means that if we use the ‘perceptual-cognitive’—the “outsider” approach—then everything is seen as an object without consciousness. How do we relate to our brain from inside, how do we perceive our own consciousness? Naturally, we cannot see, touch, smell our own or others’ mind. We are left only with the other approach, the nonlocal, ‘direct-intuitive’ mode of knowing, that is the method of looking at things from the inside. The intuitive apprehension is the way for us to recognize that we are conscious. All of us have a direct, intuitive knowledge of our own consciousness, and not a perceptual one.

At the base of the yet dominant Newtonian-Cartesian worldview stands Descartes’ Cogito(I think, therefore I am). It presupposes another question: ‘How do I know about myself?’ Turning Descartes’ coin to the other side: “I am aware of myself, therefore (or because) I am intuitive.” That means I have a way of getting knowledge without the senses, without using local processes of nature. This leaves me with the other, the nonlocal mode of apprehension.

My conclusion may sound trivial, yet carries non-trivial consequences. ‘Direct-intuitive’ is a way we relate to things from their inside. In the eye of the “insider”—as Ervin Laszlo pointed out eloquently—we always sense the presence of consciousness. Consequently, intuition, nonlocality, and consciousness seem to be intimately related. We can have intuitive knowledge without awareness of its source. However, if we are aware of its origin then we can attribute consciousness to the source in nascendi. In this regard Stuart Hameroff is right: subneural structures (which serve as the interface for the ‘direct-intuitive’ mode of information processing) mediate consciousness. I would add: these structures mediate not only our consciousness, but the consciousness of every entity to which we relate intuitively.

What follows next is a generalization: The same way I attribute consciousness to myself, I can attribute it to everything else via the ‘direct-intuitive’ approach, since consciousness arises during the intuitive process. Our perceptual reality consists of material objects, while the world of intuition is filled with conscious entities. Animals, plants, even rocks or the whole universe are conscious. They can be felt to be that in an integrative ASC, which has the ‘direct-intuitive-nonlocal’ approach as its modus operandi. The eternal philosophical debate over the priority of consciousness or matter seems to me to be transcended by the recognition of the reality of nonlocal and local processes. Consciousness and matter are attributes that depend only on the way we obtain our knowledge.

from:    http://ervinlaszlo.com/forum/2010/11/28/direct-intuitive-nonlocal-mind/

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/

Logic & Gut Thinking

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People Don’t Just Think With Their Guts: Logic Plays a Role, Too

ScienceDaily (Dec. 29, 2011) — For decades, science has suggested that when people make decisions, they tend to ignore logic and go with the gut. But Wim De Neys, a psychological scientist at the University of Toulouse in France, has a new suggestion: Maybe thinking about logic is also intuitive. He writes about this idea in the January issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science

Psychologists have partly based their conclusions about reasoning and decision-making on questions like this one:

“Bill is 34. He is intelligent, punctual but unimaginative and somewhat lifeless. In school, he was strong in mathematics but weak in social studies and humanities.

Which one of the following statements is most likely?

(a) Bill plays in a rock band for a hobby.

(b) Bill is an accountant and plays in a rock band for a hobby.”

Most people will let their stereotypes about accountants rule and pick (b). But, in fact, we have no idea what Bill does for a living — he could be a politician, a concert pianist, or a drug dealer — so it’s more likely that only one random possibility, the rock band, is true, than that both (a) and (b) would happen to be true.

This line of research has suggested that people don’t use logic when making decisions about the world. But the truth is more complicated, De Neys says. When most people read a question like the one above, there’s a sense that something isn’t quite right. “That feeling you have, that there’s something fishy about the problem — we have a wide range of ways to measure that conflict,” De Neys says. For example, he has shown with brain imaging that when people are thinking about this kind of problem, a part of their brain that deals with conflict is active. “They stick to their gut feeling and don’t do the logical thing, but they do sense that what they are doing is wrong,” De Neys says.

De Neys thinks this sense, that something isn’t quite right with the decision you’re making, comes from an intuitive sense of logic. Other scientists have found that children start thinking logically very early. In one study, 8-month-old babies were surprised if someone pulled mostly red balls out of a box that contained mostly white balls, proof that babies have an innate sense of probability before they can even talk. It makes sense, De Neys says, that this intuitive sense of logic would stick around in adults.

This research deals with the basics of how we think, but De Neys says it may help explain more complex decision-making. If you want to teach people to make better decisions, he says, “It’s important to know which component of the process is faulty.” For example, if you want to understand why people are smoking, and you think it’s because they don’t understand the logic — that smoking kills — you might put a lot of energy into explaining how smoking is bad for them, when the actual problem is addiction. It’s a long way from a question about Bill’s career to understanding something like why someone decides to get married, for example; but research like this should help,” De Neys says

from:    http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111229131356.htm

fr/Judith Orloff: Laws of Energetic Attraction

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The 4 Laws of Energetic Attraction

Dr. Judith Orloff
a message from Dr. Judith Orloff
Monday, 10 October, 2011  (posted 19 October, 2011)

Are you longing for relationships that do your heart good and generate stronger connections? In my book, Positive Energy I discuss how to radically improve your health and relationships by bringing positive people and situations into your life. Knowing about energy can transform your ability to build positive relationships, prevent loneliness and ward off fatigue. By making the energetic shifts described here, you can draw good things to you.

Law No. 1: We attract who we are

The more positive energy we give off, the more we’ll receive. Ditto for negativity. It works like this: Love attracts love. Grumpiness attracts grumpiness. Passion attracts passion. Rage attracts rage.

First, define what being positive does and doesn’t mean for you in terms of attitude and behavior. Don’t worry if you’re far from a positive place. It’s an evolution. Give thought to what you value most in yourself or other. You can then strengthen these traits in yourself, and attract the same.

The idea is to find reciprocally nourishing interactions, not to win a popularity contest. (Of course, it feels good to be liked. But I’ve seen this need turn into addiction.) The following exercise will help you boost your positive signals.

*Identify your best qualities and project them to the world. Before meeting new people or going to important events, prime yourself. Think, “I’m not going to focus on my insecurity but on a strength like my sensitivity, compassion or humor; I’m going to feel and trust the positive energy inside me. I’m going to claim my full power.” Such selective attention puts your best parts front and center.

Law No. 2: Intuition clarifies smart choices

Relationships are tricky; they can be a big blur even when your eyes are open. We’ve learned to draw conclusions from surface data: how nice someone seems, looks or is educated, or how a situation adds up on paper. But attraction goes deeper; to make it work for you, other ingredients must be considered. Respect your intuitions about relationships and identify those that highlight compatible matches.

What may obscure the picture is anxiety or intense sexual attraction. If so, go slow until you get a keener intuitive read. In my book, Positive Energy I give exercises to help train you to act from instinct, not impulse.

*Tune in. Choose a relationship or situation that needs clarification – perhaps you’re confused about a friendship or vacation. Run it by your intuition criteria: Do you feel troubled and nervous or energized and safe?

*Act on vibes. Insecurity, ego, lust or stubbornness can obscure your better judgment. If a person feels positive, explore the possibilities. If the vibes are mixed, take a pass or at least wait. If all you sense is negative, have the courage to walk away, no matter how tempting the option seems. Then observe how listening to energy in this way leads you to the juiciest opportunities.

Law No. 3: Seeing the best in people magnetizes them

Instead of reflexively accentuating the worst in a person or situation, choose to energize positive qualities. The object isn’t to flatter, make nice, be politically correct or ignore intuitive red flags – nor to deny someone’s dark side or placate abusers. Your goal is to mine the gold in positive relationships and elevate the communication in more difficult ones.

We want to have the goodness in us acknowledges. If you want to connect with someone, notice his or her assets. Let’s say a co-worker is snitty. Realize that happy people don’t act this way. So instead of being snitty back or constantly miffed, redirect the energy. Comment on the long hours she puts in, or her dynamite shoes. Use this approach for a week – as well as the ones below – and watch the vibes change.

*Tell at least two people you love what you’re grateful for about them.

*Tell at least two people you don’t love what you’re grateful for about them.

*Adjust your perception. Spend an afternoon noticing the positive qualities of everyone you meet.

*Praise other people’s abilities.

Law No. 4: Soulful giving generates abundance

Giving is supposed to feel good; if not, something’s wrong. Soulful giving enlarges your capacity to be more caring – you give for the joy of it, expecting nothing in return. In contrast, codependent giving bleeds life force; it’s driven by obligation, guilt or a martyr-complex, and it leaves the giver feeling sucked dry, unappreciated and put upon.

You want to give for reasons that energize you, not because you’re taking inappropriate responsibility for others. The following strategies will generate bountiful vibes for you and the receiver. If you give from your heart, your vitality will soar.

*Give spontaneously. Any time is right to offer simple tokens of appreciation to friends or colleagues; a candle, rose, small plant, fragrant soap or funny card.

*Give anonymously. Walk an old lady across the street; hold open an elevator; let a car go before you in traffic; or do something nice behind the scenes for someone, but don’t get found out. Such good deeds add light to your energy field and ultimately draw the same goodness back to you. As a 14-year-old friend told me, “The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer up someone else.”

Use these “laws” to mobilize excellence and kindness in your relationships. Emphatically say “no” to anything that doesn’t further the heart. Cheer each success. Don’t cheat your joy by jumping too quickly to the next ambition. Instead, pledge to value even the tiniest of triumphs. That’s what the art of positive living is about.

Judith Orloff MD is bestselling author of the new book Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life (Three Rivers Press, 2011) upon which these tips and article are based. Her insights in Emotional Freedom create a new convergence of healing paths for our stressed out world. An assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA, Dr. Orloff’s work has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, and in Oprah Magazine and USA Today.

Thoughts on Irene

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I am getting the sense that Irene has plenty more surprises in store for all.  This is not a time to take her trajectory as set in stone.  Even though the eye has seemingly come apart, there is something within the energies of this system that hold the unexpected.  Whereas complacency is often warranted in the face of expert opinion and past history, this is not a time for complacency.  And this is true on all levels.

Be aware and listen to your intuition in these times.  But do not second guess your intuition.  Expectation and habit are powerful seducers.  Know where you stand as these days progress.

 

The Book of Aquarius

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Alchemy and the Philosophers’ Stone are real. This is not a joke or a scam. This book covers the full theory and practice of alchemy and how to make the Philosophers’ Stone, capable of reversing the aging process and curing all disease to the effect that one could live forever. This is an ancient secret which has never before been publicly released. Please read the book before making any judgement on it; this world is not what it seems to be. The Book of Aquarius is free and public-domain (no copyright). You may copy and distribute the book in any way.

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Animals, Intuition, & Earthquakes

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Zoo Animals Sensed DC Quake Minutes Before It Hit

Jeanna Bryner, LiveScience Managing Editor
Date: 24 August 2011 Time: 01:49 PM ET
african lions sit at the Smithsonian National Zoo
The Smithsonian Zoo’s lions did react to the earthquake, but went back to their routines within minutes of the shaking, while other animals were more irritated by the quake, sending out alarm calls and hiding.
CREDIT: Smithsonian’s National Zoo

People along the East Coast weren’t the only ones to feel the 5.8-magnitude earthquake Tuesday, as zoo animals in Washington, D.C., let it be known they felt the vibrations, zoo officials said.

Some of the animals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park even shouted alarm calls or ran up trees seconds before the rest of us felt the shaking.

About 5 to 10 seconds before Tuesday’s quake, an orangutan named Kyle and a Western lowland gorilla named Kojo, abandoned their food and climbed to the top of the treelike structure in the Ape House exhibit.

to read more, go to:   http://www.livescience.com/15738-zoo-animals-sense-earthquake.html

On Intuition by Andrew Cohen

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Authentic Intuition

Posted: 8/8/11 08:21 AM ET
Andrew Cohen, founder ENLIGHTENMENT Magazine

In many spiritual circles, everybody likes to talk about intuition. “Follow your heart,” “Listen to your inner guide,” teachers tell us. But I always get a little nervous when I hear that kind of advice because it all depends on who you’re talking to. To take a very extreme example, if you told a fundamentalist terrorist to follow his or her heart, we all know where that would lead.

When you tell anybody to follow his heart or to trust her intuition, you first have to know who you’re talking to, how developed he is, and to what degree she has actually evolved beyond ego. When we embark on the path of “Evolutionary Enlightenment,” we recognize that most of us are deeply identified with the individual and collective ego, and therefore our choices and actions are, more often than not, driven by unconscious fears and desires and culturally conditioned beliefs and values. As we begin to awaken to what I call the “Authentic Self,” or evolutionary impulse, and begin to identify more with that than with the individual and collective ego, the motivating forces for our choices and actions begin to shift. The goal in “Evolutionary Enlightenment” is for the individual’s center of gravity or locus of identification to significantly shift so that the influence of the “Authentic Self” becomes greater than that of the ego. But until this critical threshold is crossed, talking about intuition is a dangerous business.

to read more, go to:   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-z-cohen/authentic-intuition_b_918836.html

 

so, what do you think?………………….