"Seize And Face Information"

 
  Greetings and welcome to the Energy And The Art Of Balance - the philosophy of intuitive living newsletter. One avenue to balancing Mind, Body, and Spirit, consists of being in harmony with the energy of the environment around us. Here in the Northeast United States, spring is a season where the increasing sunlight awakens the dormant landscape around us. Through the sun's illumination winter's stillness transitions into vibrant shades of spring growth. As we utilize our dreams and intuition to balance our lives, how can this concept of illumination and its resulting growth be applied to our daily awareness?

History tells us that the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, used a method of teaching which employed a series of questions about a topic rather than simply stating the definition of the topic itself. As each question was examined and his students utilized their intellect to answer it, this method formed a path to knowledge by creating full awareness of the subject being examined. If you approach your dreams and intuition experiences in a similar manner, that is, by extracting the information through an ongoing question and answer format, the end result is an increased knowledge or illumination. This process is the basic concept behind a dream circle, which examines a dream from multiple viewpoints allowing the dreamer a deeper understanding of the experience.

However, let's take the concept of illumination a bit further. We know that as the increased sunlight warms the ground, it serves as a catalyst for any seeds buried in the soil to start their process of growth. Similar to the sunlight, the intellectual illumination provided by our dreams and intuition allow us that "ah ha" moment when knowledge distilled from the experience suddenly takes root in our conscious mind. It is interesting to note that another noted Greek philosopher Plato, a student of Socrates, taught from the viewpoint that we are born with an inherent knowledge contained within our genes. He felt that instead of learning knowledge, his students needed to remember the knowledge they already had at birth. This is a very interesting viewpoint to be considered when seeking the meaning behind a dream or intuitive experience.

As interesting as my own dreams and intuitive experiences have been, I can't ignore the fact that they continuously stimulate my intellect regardless if I am a willing participant. Often the feeling behind a dream or intuitive experience propels me into actions I don't immediately understand. Yet, somehow through the depth of this feeling, I know that this action is the correct path to take. For example, last July when my Greyhound Suede died after taking ill, in the weeks that followed I swore to myself that I was done with adopting dogs for awhile. Yet, right around that time, I also began to experience a strong intuitive feeling that there was another dog who needed my help. The feeling became so intense that one morning while out walking with a friend, I commented to her that I felt as if something was calling to me. Due to the depth of this feeling, I started looking at dog adoption agencys in my area although I was still grieving Suede's passing. By September, my efforts lead my wife and I to adopt a young female dog by the name of Pepper who had been abandoned in Virginia, and I began researching what was known of her history. Imagine my shock when I discovered Pepper had been found wandering the streets exactly two days before Suede died. Although I can not come close to explaining the synchronicity of our paths intersecting, I know in my heart Pepper's plight was the energetic motivation behind my feelings that another dog needed my help after Suede's passing. During experiences which have no easy answers such as this one, illumination is created from the questions created by the experience, and the subsequent answers which I am left to find. Through that process, my intellectual understanding of intuition continues to grow.

In your life, you can apply the concept of illumination in three easy steps:

First, share and discuss dreams with family and friends. Often, other people will provide validation for your experiences and a new way of looking at things.