What is Intuition?

In order to understand what Intuitive Marketing™ is, it helps to understand what intuition is at all, at least within the context of this framework. 

According to Webster’s Dictionary, intuition is “the power or faculty of attaining direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.” The etymology of the word comes from the Latin intueri which means to “look at, consider.” 

In Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer, the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berline, refers to intuition as a “gut feeling” “hunch” as a “judgment that appears quickly in consciousness, whose underlying reasons we are not fully aware of, and is strong enough to act upon (p. 16).” 

In Gerd’s estimation, intuition is a complex process the brain uses to solve equally complex problems. 

Jung said of intuition: 

“Intuition is perception via the unconscious that brings forth ideas, images, new possibilities and ways out of blocked situations.”

“The primary function of intuition, however, is simply to transmit images, or perceptions of relations between things, which could not be transmitted by the other functions or only in a very roundabout way.”

In parapsychology – a branch of psychology* dedicated to studying the extrasensory and metaphysical aspects of reality, intuition is also known as psi. As stated beautifully by physicist Thomas Campbell: 

“Psi is a familiar term among parapsychologists and others who are engaged in studying and exploring the capabilities of mind. Psi events generally refer to unusual artifacts of consciousness, specifically to paranormal events associated with  mental abilities or altered states of consciousness. Psi is often used as a synonym for Parapsychological – thus the term “psi phenomena” refers to measurable physical phenomena that are produced by some characteristic or ability of mind that is presently beyond traditional scientific explanation. For example, telepathic communication, precognition, and remote viewing are a few commonly experienced and researched psi events. The terms “psi energy” and “psi forces” are often used to imply some unknown theoretical causal mechanism that is assumed to lie behind psi phenomena (p. 132).” 

Unfortunately, cautions Campbell,

“[traditional] science will always fail to explain nonphysical phenomena as physical phenomena. Psi phenomena… will never be sufficiently well behaved nor deeply understood, thus generating much uncertainty in the minds of the masses. The mystery of how or why psi works (or even the existence of psi effects for that matter) appears to remain unsolved and unsolvable regardless of how many times it is thoroughly solved and demonstrated by knowledgeable individuals. The realness of psi effects must be personally experienced to be accepted and understood (pp. 459-460).”

In Intuition Medicine: The Science of Energy, Francesca McCartney describes intuition as,

“a heightened sensitivity to the world around you. Often referred to as ‘the sixth sense,’ intuition provides us with an alternative means of perception. All of us have the ability to be intuitive, although it is naturally more acute in some people than others. With an interest to learn and the right coaching, anyone’s dormant sense can be developed.” 

I personally believe, as Thomas Campbell does, that we live in a sort of virtual reality in which our physical body is merely an avatar. This avatar, like a radio, interprets signals received within the experience of physical reality. The quality of our reception of such signals, as well as our interpretation of them, rests on the mechanisms of the human body. 

Therefore, it makes sense to me that our intuitive skills tend to lie primarily within the bounds of our natural inclinations toward certain sensations: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste.

These include intuitive skills such as:

• Clairsentience

• Clairaudience

• Clairvoyance

• Precognition / Presentiment

• Psychometry