Have you ever had one of those moments when you recognise that your intuition and insight has been generously accurate? I find such times reassuring but also disappointing, particularly when my intuition speaks of negativity or less than I would hope for in another.
Intuition is a powerful tool and although it is often a sign of emotional intelligence, it can be used as the most invasive and dangerous of weapons. I have learnt over time the importance of trusting my intuition but also not over using it. My insight is fast and skilled. Potentially it can be very painful and even hurtful to have an emotional mirror thrust in your face reflecting back what has been seen.
But where intuition ends is with the revelation of insight. Sometimes it can help to discern how to approach a person or situation or offer guidance about where priorities lay. Often it is much more like a beam of light illuminating the many aspects of a situation. Then how I choose to use what I have intuited becomes much more an issue of applying intellect, reason and a compassionate, creative heart.
Intuitions which expose conflict and anger are especially challenging as a person expressing such needs often wants at a base level to seek revenge, retaliation or simply vent their negativity and it can be hard to separate projection from reality. Sometimes it is the most effective smoke screen there is for not facing their own vulnerability and 'playing the victim' of everyone elses insensitivity or lack of sensitivity. Sometimes conflict is about justice; righting wrongs and judging that the reality is just not good enough and needs to be changes.
Conflict transformation is part of the Office and work of a priest and so it is I find that it's costly, but stimulating except when no headway is made and then, like most negotiators the art is knowing when to withdraw. I tend to sxit in the knowledge that I need to accept that this particular situation is not going to be moved on by me - so there's not a lot of point in giving it energy by becoming one of it's casualties either.
This morning I began reading Finding Sanctuary as part of my morning devotion. It was a timely piece which reminded me that whatever my strength of feeling and intuition - in many decisions - there is also a significant dynamic of ambiguity; whether that be identified in the version of events you are being asked to explore - or in the intuition of dynamics or in the nature of human memory and understanding. What is sad however is when anger leads to a form of stigmatisation and exclusion.
You see it most clearly in popularist TV reality shows like Big Brother where the individuals who are different or idiosyncratic are excluded from the 'in' crowd. You observe it in the playground when children will play highly sociable games and carefully avoid the children, who, for whatever reason, do not fit in. And of course most of us experience it to some degree at work or in our family contexts. Either the growing awareness that someone we admire is the object of stigmatisation, or that our views have isolated us. For an intuit, that isolation can have a Cassandra like quality until the day comes when others see her prohesies in fact have come to pass and that her intuition has the capacity to bring life not death.
Comments