Marquis de Vauvenargues — Great Thoughts

The heart is powerful, intelligent and intuitive. Most of us have been taught that our intelligence resides in our brain, but this is only partially true. Logical and analytical thinking occurs in the brain. Intuitive, sensitive and compassionate thinking occurs in the heart. 

 Often, though, we let our brain override our heart. We need to learn to listen to voice of our heart as it reveals a deeper truth. Reason may dominate our thinking, but compassion should govern our actions. While the brain is busy analyzing the options, the heart knows intuitively what road to take.

Years of experience have taught me that my heart knows the answer often before the brain has finished its analysis. I have learned that it is better to trust the small voice inside my heart then the loud voice inside my head. Do you trust your intuition? Are you listening to the voice within your heart?

Henry Reed

"Everything we need to know can be found within us."

— Henry Reed

American Author/Teacher

Commentary

Our society teaches us to look for answers to our problems outside ourselves.  We take pills, read self-help books, talk to psychologists and attend church in search of answers to what ails us.  We have not been taught how to listen to our own intuition.

Have you ever had a feeling that you should or shouldn't do something and you ignored it only to find out later that the feeling was accurate?  We have a lot of wisdom and knowledge within our hearts, but we have not learned to trust ourselves.  We, instead, believe that others are wiser and smarter than us because they are rich or on TV or in roles of authority.

Intuition is found in the heart, not the brain.  Intuition often defies the logic of the rational mind, and instead, comes from the heart.  We have been taught that the analytical mind is smarter than the intuitive heart.  We have been told the feelings get in the way of making a professional sound  decision.  In fact, we are often encouraged to ignore our feelings and our gut instincts.  

Listening to our intuition takes practice.  Not every feeling is accurate.  Sometimes we let our desires and our conscious mind color our listening.  Usually it is that very first feeling that is the most accurate.    Once the analytical mind enters the equation, the intuition is altered and changed.   Listening to your intuition is listening directly to your subconscious. You know the answers to many of your challenges deep inside.  You need to learn how to listen for the answers.

Creative leaders are often more in touch with their intuition, but even they need to learn to listen to what is said and trust what they hear.  As painters and writers, we make choices that involve our intuition.  Why did you create that character or use that color?  Many times we have no rational reason for what we do and that is okay.  We need to trust that somewhere deep inside we know whats best.

Creative Practice
This week practice listening to your intuition.  See if you can determine the real intuition from the logical mind pretending to be intuition.  Take to time to listen to your instincts.

The Intuitive Heart
In his book, The Intuitive Heart, Henry Reed teaches a six step process for listening to your intuition.

1. Learn from your breath.  Focus on your breath.
2. Make the heart connection.
3. Invite a memory.
4. Tell your story.
5. Search the heart for wisdom.
6. Learn from the feedback.

Biography
Henry Reed received a B.A. in Mathematics from Pomona College and a Ph.D in Psychology from UCLA.  He was an assistant professor of psychology at Princeton University and an assistant professor at Old Dominion University and a Professor of Transpersonal Studies at Atlantic University.   He has authored 8 books.

Publications
Here are links to some of Reed's article online.

Finding Your Mission in Life

Discoveries of the Intuitive Heart

Do Dreams Have Meaning?

Linus Pauling

"Satisfaction of one's curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life."

— Linus Pauling

American Scientist

1901 - 1994

Are you curious about the world around you?  Are you searching for new information and ideas?  Are you asking questions and looking for answers?  Creative leaders seek out new ideas and new ways of seeing the world.  We want answers to our questions.  Part of our thrill in life is learning something new — figuring out something we didn't know.

Creative leaders need a strong sense of curiosity about the world they inhabit.  They are not satisfied with the pat answers of the past.  The challenge is in finding new answers to the age old questions.

Marquis de Vauvenargues

"Great thoughts always come from the heart."

— Marquis de Vauvenargues

French Writer

1715 - 1747

The heart is powerful, intelligent and intuitive.  Most of us have been taught that our intelligence resides in our brain, but this is only partially true.  Logical and analytical thinking occurs in the brain.  Intuitive, sensitive and compassionate thinking occurs in the heart.  Often, though, we let our brain override our heart.  We need to learn to listen to voice of our heart as it reveals a deeper truth.  Reason may dominate our thinking, but compassion should govern our actions.  While the brain is busy analyzing the options, the heart knows intuitively what road to take. 

Years of experience have taught me that my heart knows the answer often before the brain has finished its analysis.   I have learned that it is better to trust the small voice inside my heart then the loud voice inside my head.  Do you trust your intuition?  Are you listening to the voice within your heart?

Giorgio de Chirico

"To become truly immortal, a work of art must escape all human limits: logic and common sense will only interfere.  But once those barriers are broken, it will enter the realms of childhood visions and dreams."

— Giorgio de Chirico

Italian Painter

1888 - 1978

The Disquieting Muses (1916)

The way we see the world impacts our ability to be creative.  Logic, reason and even common sense can hold us back from where as an artist and creative leader we need to go.  Logic and reason can be chains around our wrists and ankles, preventing us from escaping the boundaries of human existence, forcing us to paint what is, not what is meant to be.  Logic and reason are the tools of the editor in our head telling us that we are not good enough, that the words we write don't make sense, that the sentence structure is wrong, that the story is unrealistic.  Logic and reason are the tools of the judge in our hearts telling us that the work we have created is not good enough.  We must break the chains that bind us and become as little children — able to see the world with eyes of wonder.