Intuition, Heart, Mind, Desire, and Knowing How to Know With Certainty

by Robert Wilkinson

Is it ever possible to know with certainty a) what to do, and b) who to do it with? Many potentials and experiences arise from these questions, and our lives truly depend on our ability to know the right thing to do at the right time. That’s one gift that combining Astrology with our Spiritual practice gives us.

We all long for certainty, whether who to love and how to love them, which way to point our ship of destiny so we know we are on our path to genuine fulfillment, or which professions are ours to claim and master. How can we know with certainty if someone or something presenting itself is right for us, whether in business, pleasure, or lifework?

It is proverbial that throughout the years we are told to use our mind, but follow our hearts. What does this mean? What is the heart? How can we know what our heart is telling us?

The heart is the crystal at the core of our Being. It physical heart pumps our Life essence and our vitality. However, the Spiritual heart is the door to the Soul. If our eyes are the windows of our Soul, the heart shows us and the world what we love and what we are willing to commit to.

We know a Soul commitment when we see it and feel it. We do not say we are into something or someone "wholeheartedly" if we aren't, and it is obvious to us and others whether this is so or not. It is a knowing that is deeper than the evaluations of our minds, which without the heart's commitment only lead us to uncertainty.

So why do our minds, when devoid of heart, lead us in circles of difficulty? How can we use our mind wisely in our attempt to find certainty? What is the nature of the mind?

Our mind has several components which when undisciplined are always in constant motion. It operates through sequence and selection, and while giving us valuable knowledge, also quite often leads us to errors due to its own ignorance and assumptions, as well as factors beyond the mind's ability to perceive ahead of time.

Some of this is because the mind only knows what it knows, and even when fed more information as often as not comes to erroneous conclusions through associating things that aren't necessarily related. The mind is a house of mirrors, and we must learn how to perceive the correct images versus the false ones.

Another very powerful component of our mind that often leads us into problems with people and situations is the part we know as "kama manas," or "desire mind." This is a very strong blend of impulse and raw emotion, and more powerful than our reason. That is why we can always reason out a desire. Our desires are also stronger than our intellect, which is why we may know something "intellectually," but will still follow our desires until we find ourselves in a proverbial ditch.

The mind will always wonder about things, since desire is so unstable. Because the mind wanders through many different sensations and desires, it never can achieve a complete satisfaction of knowing much about much. That’s why we sometimes feel lost while wondering about whatever catches our perception.

Of far greater importance than speculations is our ability to listen to our hearts with intense concentration. That can lead us to a sense of what is, rather than wondering about anything. The desire mind is a very powerful thing, but it can be brought under the gentle, wise, and loving control of our heart expressing our Higher Self and/or Soul the best we're able.

So how can we do this so we can know with certainty whether someone or something is right for us? Again, we must learn to listen to a deeper, inner knowing. We cultivate learning how to recognize our heart's knowing through learning to listen to the "voice of the silence" within us and without us. It requires concentration and a degree of diligence, but once the pattern is created it becomes more natural over time.

This is why going deeply into silent spaces through any form of meditation can train us to recognize subtleties we never knew before, but will know forever after. If we would know deeply, we must we willing to go deeply into whatever we're trying to know.

The heart-Soul wisdom is slow and steady compared with the desire mind's eternal restlessness. As we move through our unique learning process, we cultivate an ability to listen to the "straight-knowledge" of the heart using the mind and perceptions as useful guides. This requires patience and diligent attention to subtle and obvious lessons and choices.

The mind learns by being fed various experiences so it can get more information. The trick is not to get distracted by the information so that we forget to keep the heart as our guide, since mind without heart only leads to uncertainty.

Learning to listen to the heart is a long term discipline, and the heart is a muscle which grows through exercise. As we practice this, we do often find ourselves dealing with difficulty in our relationships and public affairs while still feeling uncertain.

That's because it's a process. The more we learn, the more we're able to quicken dealing with old karmas while simultaneously learning how to know true friends, allies, partners, and ourselves.

Falling into error in our relationships and choices is only a problem if we don't learn from our minor mistakes and instead let them lead us to major problems. We can learn to use the mind wisely here. Our mind, if we train it to pay attention, can become a tool we can use to know needed information that the heart can use in its evaluation of what is and is not true about what confronts us. By knowing the heart's truth, we learn to recognize how to be, what to do, and who to be with.

Uncertainty is of the mind, impulse of the feelings, instinct of the body, but the Heart knows through its own intuitive accuracy. Intuition is “direct perception of truth, fact, etc., independent of reasoning processes.” It is direct and immediate apprehension of a thing.

That's why it's better to cultivate intuition rather than other abilities based on instinct or feelings. Psychic hunches are often unreliable, but true intuition is never wrong. Intuition uses mind to analyze what presents itself, and chooses to act or not act based in the heart's knowledge.

Inner tuition is a tool that when fully functioning, never leads us to error and always leads us to be Lovingly Wise and Wisely Loving. As a bonus, since it is a quality of our heart expression, we also experience a deeper compassion, or "fellow feeling" toward others as well as our own process.

Eventually the uncertainty we previously experienced fades into an ability to tap a deep inner knowing. This leads to contentment with one's Higher Destiny in whatever unique form it takes. Then we'll know what to do and who to do it with.

(Rewritten from a 2007 article)

© Copyright 2007, 2012 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Micheline]

This is what I am learning to figure out right now. Thanks Robert!!!

[Sharon]

Beautiful, Robert!
and perfect timing, as ever.
With gratitude for your gifts,
S.

[Shanti]

This was so absolutely beautiful Robert. Thank you very much!

[Max]

Same thing here, perfect timing and exactly what I am working on and working through at the moment. Thank you again Robert, I could not relate more to this :-)

[Ann]

Thank you very much Robert. I can echo the 'perfect timing' feeling of those above. A weekend ahead with one of those large 'fork in the road' decisions you've mentioned. Your tuned in timing in presenting this article is greatly appreciated! A Blessing to you if you're facing the same thing.

[Nancy Robinson]

Robert,

Wow! Thank you very much for this, great insights, and points to ponder,

"Of far greater importance than speculations is our ability to listen to our hearts with intense concentration. That can lead us to a sense of what is, rather than wondering about anything. The desire mind is a very powerful thing, but it can be brought under the gentle, wise, and loving control of our heart expressing our Higher Self and/or Soul the best we're able."

Really love the above, from your article.
Can truly relate to, transcending to, this way of being. Is a very beautiful way to be.

Love and Light,
Nancy

[chickie]

Many thanks boss! xox

[chickie]

Many thanks boss! xox

[Sabina]

this is so true so wonderful, sublime...so well written.
Many thanks Robert

[KC]

thanks! i found this video on april 22nd. hopefully others find it as helpful as i've found it to be.

youtube.com/watch?v=23CQ5Qo9hx4