Intuition

Intuition is the Magician's capacity to know without knowing how he knows. It is the quiet voice beneath the noise of thought.

This is not magical thinking or wishful fantasy. Real intuition is grounded in deep experience and careful attention.

Intuition and the Healer

The Healer archetype works with subtle energies and hidden patterns. Healing requires sensing what remains invisible.

Healthy intuition in the Healer:

Reads beneath the surface: Senses what lies hidden.

Guides without forcing: Suggests rather than demands.

Stays humble: Knows it can be wrong.

Serves the other: Heals rather than controls.

The Healer knows that intuition is a tool, not an oracle.

The Shadows: Charlatan and Wounded Child

When intuition goes off balance, it twists into the Healer's shadows.

Active Shadow: The Charlatan

In the active direction, intuition becomes manipulation.

• We use "intuition" to justify conclusions reached for other reasons.
• We claim certainty about things we cannot know.
• We use our "gifts" to impress, control, or exploit.
• We refuse to test our intuitions against reality.

The Charlatan tells himself he has special access to truth. Underneath lies insecurity or the need for power.

Passive Shadow: The Wounded Child

In the passive direction, intuition is ignored or distrusted.

• We dismiss gut feelings as irrational.
• We override clear inner signals because we can't "prove" them.
• We defer to outside authorities rather than our own sense.
• We feel cut off from our deeper knowing.

The Wounded Child tells himself he's being rational. Underneath lies old pain—times when trusting himself led to hurt.

Near Enemies of Intuition

Near enemies are false versions of a quality that look similar on the surface but come from a different place inside.

Wishful Thinking Disguised as Intuition

• False version: Believing something because we want it to be true.
• True intuition: Sensing something that may be uncomfortable or unwanted.

Projection Disguised as Reading Others

• False version: Seeing our own fears or patterns in others.
• True reading: Sensing what is present in the other person.

Anxiety Disguised as Premonition

• False version: Fear masquerading as intuitive warning.
• True premonition: Calm knowing that something needs attention.

What True Intuition Feels Like

Real intuition has a particular quality:

Quiet: It doesn't shout or demand.

Clear: It has simplicity and directness.

Grounded: It comes with a felt sense in the body.

Humble: It offers information without insisting on being right.

Surprising: It often tells us something we didn't expect.

Intuition often feels like recognition—remembering something we already knew but had forgotten.

Building Intuition

Intuition develops through practice and honest self-examination, not overnight.

Learn to Listen

Create conditions for hearing our inner voice:

• Slow down and get quiet.
• Pay attention to subtle signals in our body.
• Notice what arises before we start thinking about it.

Test Our Intuitions

Develop accuracy through feedback:

• Make predictions and track results.
• Notice when we are right and when we are wrong.
• Look for patterns in our accuracy and errors.

Trusted intuition is tested intuition.

Tell Intuition from Noise

Learn the difference:

• Intuition is calm; anxiety is agitated.
• Intuition is specific; vague unease is often mood.
• Intuition persists; passing thoughts come and go.

Stay Humble

Remember that intuition can be wrong:

• Hold our intuitions lightly.
• Be willing to be corrected by reality.
• Don't confuse confidence with accuracy.

The Mature Magician trusts his intuition and questions it in the same breath.

Inquiry

• When has your intuition proven right despite logic suggesting otherwise?
• How do you distinguish between intuition and wishful thinking?
• Where do you override your gut feeling and later regret it?
• What does your intuition feel like in your body?
• Where does trusting your intuition become an excuse to avoid careful thinking?