Empowerment Part 2: Accessing and Developing Intuition

This week we will be recapped a bit on the development of the psyche and added on another layer of our personality that often goes ignored. So we learned already about the Ego, and the Shadow Self (subconscious mind). This week we added in how to access the intuition, or the Super Conscious sometimes called the Higher Self.

The Psyche In Sections

The Ego is the self. It is our wants, needs and desires. It is the basic programming of our self driving our physical body. It reminds you that you are hungry, what your mood is, if you're hot or cold or feeling amorous. Essentially it is all of your five senses and the waking awareness of how you feel about it.

The subconscious mind is a background program that records all of your experiences and keeps your prepared for everyday life. It is always analyzing the world around us, making adjustments as we go in order to keep us safe. The subconscious mind is our center for problem solving and thrives on answering questions.

The super-conscious mind is the part of our psyche that harbors our intuition. There is some debate on what our intuition is, and where it comes from. Is it from within us? Is it from a divine source? No matter what your understanding of the source of your intuition, there is evidence that intuition can be developed like a muscle.

Our intuition is the acting counterpart to the subconscious; or the checks and balances system of our shadow self. Most people recognize their

intuition, even if they choose to dismiss it. In those that disconnect from their intuition, it can often be viewed as a source of flights of fancy, or sensations of the uncanny, such as deja vu. Most of us have experienced a hunch or gut feeling that we could not explain the source of, that turned out to be correct. Due to programming from the logical world around us, the intuition is often dismissed as coincidence.

For those that choose to harness the power of intuition, it does require some effort. We must experiment with it and exercise it. It does seem to be dependent on aspects of our thought processes which makes our intuition fairly unique. In order to interact with it you must become aware of it. How you interact with it depends largely on your beliefs.

Convincing the Subconscious Mind

Beliefs are not only about religion. Our beliefs are about any subject that we assign a definition to that describes how we choose to understand it. Notice the word "choose". We do, indeed, choose our beliefs. Not all of the things we believe are true. Not all truths are understood or believed. We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.

The place we are mentally and emotionally combined with your beliefs channels a frequency or vibration. Most people recognize this instinctively (intuitively) when we encounter a person, place or situation we describe as "negative" or "positive", or that it gave is "good or bad vibes". We may notice

Beliefs, Vibrations, Awareness, Oh My!

that certain activities or people change our moods. We meet someone that makes us feel excited or comfortable to be around. Sometimes we encounter someone whom we find to be very unsettling. It is frequently said that this is because we are projecting our insecurities onto this person because we see in them an aspect of ourselves that we dislike. This is a perfect time to observe our feelings with curiosity and question our reactions. We may have encountered a piece of our shadow selves we can explore and reintegrate. It is also possible that we have observed something in this person that we know instinctively we must beware of. Let's face it, some people just suck and need to be avoided. Learning to navigate this paradox takes time. You are learning to build an intuitive muscle- the power of discernment.

The ability to discern has a lot to do with ones trust in themselves and reintegrating all the parts of the psyche through a process Carl Jung called "individuation". This process is lifelong. Not only are we finding, studying and reintegrating all the parts of the self, we are in a constant state of evolution. Some of the information we learn about ourselves may be incorrect. We may be viewing ourselves through the lens of another person who is projecting onto us. It is also possible we have changed and this information about us is now irrelevant to who we are today.

So how do we begin this process? The door to the subconscious is through the superconscious.

While the Ego (yourself here now reading this article) may think this is a great idea, it must first get the cooperation of the subconscious mind. Remember that the subconscious mind is default hardwired to protect you. It has been secondarily programmed by outside influences; namely caregivers, people in our culture / community, teachers, workplace culture, tv and social media, and our own personal experiences.

Much of this information is outdated, distorted, out of touch with our current environment or timeline, biased or simply outright lies. Still your subconscious accepts all of this as the gospel truth and will defend the status quo, sometimes with emotional violence, with the information it has been given. You can not logic your way past your subconscious mind. First and foremost it does not take instructions from the Ego. So the ego has to get the subconscious mind to agree to reprogram itself. How? The same way you connect with your intuition. The

subconscious mind must become aware of itself, and initiate a sort of defragmentation program. That process begins when you ask it to start questioning its beliefs.

Brain Games

Here is a list, by no means comprehensive, with some suggestions to get you thinking for yourself a bit more. Notice the main theme here is to question everything. This helps to determine where your cognitive biases are and to help distinguish between your own ideas and the programming coming from outside sources. We hope you enjoy these. Don't forget to come back for Part 3 in our Empowerment Support Group series - The Importance of Individuation : Leaving the Herd.

1. The Mirror of Truth

Purpose: Reveal hidden self-perceptions and unconscious beliefs.
Exercise:

• Sit in front of a mirror and maintain eye contact with yourself for 5-10 minutes.

• Ask aloud: “Who am I beyond my learned identity?” or “What beliefs about myself no longer serve me?”

• Observe any emotions, resistance, or unexpected thoughts that arise.

• Journal what you experience, noting any self-limiting beliefs that surface.

2. The Observer’s Chair

Purpose: Detach from ingrained beliefs by viewing them objectively.
Exercise:

• Imagine stepping outside yourself and sitting in a chair across from “you.”

• As the observer, describe yourself as if you were a neutral third party: “This person believes…”

• Then, question: “Why does this belief exist? Where did it come from? Is it absolutely true?”

• Challenge yourself to argue against each belief, expanding your perspective.

3. Reverse Reality Writing

Purpose: Rewire subconscious patterns by entertaining opposing perspectives.
Exercise:

• Write down a strong belief you hold (e.g., “I am not creative” or “Success is difficult”).

• Rewrite it as if the opposite were true (e.g., “I am an infinite source of creativity” or “Success flows easily to me”).

• Spend 5 minutes free-writing as if this new belief were your truth.

• Notice any internal resistance—this is where subconscious programming is fighting change.

4. Dream Incubation for Clarity

Purpose: Use dreams to reveal subconscious roadblocks and deeper wisdom.
Exercise:

• Before bed, write a question related to your belief systems (e.g., “What subconscious belief is holding me back?”).

• Repeat the question in your mind as you drift off to sleep.

• Upon waking, immediately write down any dream symbols, emotions, or insights.

• Look for patterns or messages that relate to your question and interpret them metaphorically.

5. Sensory Disruption Experiment

Purpose: Break habitual perception patterns to access deeper awareness.
Exercise:

• For one day, disrupt your normal sensory habits (e.g., brush your teeth with the opposite hand, eat with your eyes closed, walk backward for a short distance).

• With each action, ask: “What do I assume to be true about reality?”

• Notice how small changes shift your perception and reveal subconscious rigidity.

6. The Contradiction Game

Purpose: Recognize cognitive biases and mental rigidity.
Exercise:

• Pick a belief you strongly hold.

• List three solid arguments against this belief, even if you disagree.

• Discuss or write about how someone from a completely different perspective might see things.

• Reflect on how fluid beliefs really are and how they shape your perception of reality.