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. True intuition is grounded in deep experience and careful attention.

Intuition and the Healer

The Healer archetype works with subtle energies and hidden patterns. Healing needs sensing what is not visible.

Healthy intuition in the Healer:

Reads beneath the surface: It senses what is going on.

Guides without forcing: It suggests rather than demands.

Stays humble: It knows it can be wrong.

Serves the other: It is used for healing, not for power.

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 a tool for manipulation.

Signs of the Charlatan shadow:

• You use "intuition" to justify conclusions you reached for other reasons.
• You claim certainty about things you cannot know.
• You use your "gifts" to impress, control, or exploit.
• You refuse to test your intuitions against reality.
• You dismiss feedback that contradicts your "knowing."

The Charlatan tells himself he has special access to truth. But underneath is often insecurity or the need for power.

Passive Shadow: The Wounded Child

In the passive direction, intuition is ignored or distrusted.

Signs of the Wounded Child shadow:

• You dismiss your gut feelings as irrational.
• You override clear inner signals because you can't "prove" them.
• You've learned to distrust yourself.
• You defer to outside authorities rather than your own sense.
• You feel cut off from your deeper knowing.

The Wounded Child tells himself he's being rational and careful. But underneath is often old pain—times when trusting himself led to hurt.

Near Enemies of Intuition

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

Wishful Thinking Disguised as Intuition

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

Test: Does your "intuition" tell you what you want to hear?

Projection Disguised as Reading Others

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

Test: Are you seeing them or seeing yourself reflected?

Anxiety Disguised as Premonition

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

Test: Does this "intuition" come with anxiety and contraction, or with quiet clarity?

What True Intuition Feels Like

Real intuition has a particular quality:

Quiet: It doesn't shout or demand.

Clear: It has a sense of 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 you something you didn't expect.

True intuition often feels like recognition—like remembering something you already knew but had forgotten.

Building Intuition

Intuition develops through practice and honest self-examination.

Learn to Listen

Create conditions for hearing your inner voice:

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

Intuition speaks softly; you have to be quiet to hear it.

Test Your Intuitions

Develop accuracy through feedback:

• Make predictions and track results.
• Notice when you were right and when you were wrong.
• Look for patterns in your accuracy and errors.

Trusted intuition is tested intuition.

Tell Intuition from Noise

Learn to tell the difference:

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

Not every inner signal is intuition.

Stay Humble

Remember that intuition can be wrong:

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

The mature Magician trusts his intuition and questions it at the same time.

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?