Trust Your Instincts…

It’s strange to mention instincts in a technologically-advanced world where we depend so much on our electronic devices for everything we want to know. Yet, our instincts are still an important natural resource that have always helped us to interpret what’s happening around us. It’s part of our evolutionary heritage. We might not pay much attention to their signals as we immerse ourselves in the artificial world of social media, but they’re still an integral part of our sensory apparatus.

Humans survived for hundreds of thousands of years as highly-effective hunter-gatherers because we learned to rely on our senses. We learned to interpret the landscape in terms of food, water, shelter and potential danger. Our instincts added a deeper layer of analysis that brought all the data together and offered a powerful insight into what we could expect from our surroundings. This ability to analyse subtle traces of evidence is still part of our interpretive faculties. Yet, we remain strangely unaware of this natural ability. Perhaps you feel that you no longer have access to these archaic powers. The question for most of us is it to ask if it’s possible to turn these senses back o We place a very high premium on our mental faculties. Yet, many ancient traditions recognise the value of paying attention to our bodies, because we always react on some level within our physical frame. When we encounter a situation that makes us feel uncomfortable, where is that discomfort felt? That echo of a reaction is a residual trace of our ancient instincts. It can communicate its message physically, mentally or emotionally. Learning to respect the way your heart feels in any given situation can provide you with vital feedback on how you’re responding at a deeper level. We talk about gut feelings but, if you’re aware of how your abdomen is reacting, it can tell you more about your instinctive responses than your mind might allow. This is not intended to displace our mental abilities. The instincts are part of our ability to gain a deeper, wider picture that can assist our minds in evaluating any situation we might encounter. It’s a superb resource to cultivate.

When your instincts signal a warning, it’s always wise to heed the advice. When your instincts give you a positive reaction, feel free to confirm the feedback from your body and ensure the message is reliable. Or not. We’ve evolved to detect huge amounts of very subtle information that may have escaped the attention of our conscious minds. Tune into these messages and notice how much more you will begin to understand about the people and circumstances you encounter every day.

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