The Intuition Project Summary
For the full story and images, click on The Intuition Project Complete

Minneapolis, MN
Sponsored by a Bush Foundation Fellowship
1986

The Project
The Intuition Project was a four-month investigation of intuitive knowing. From January through April my only task was to follow my intuition from moment to moment.

The Inquiry
The Intuition Project was a personal investigation of 1) motivation and 2) time. My questions were:

1. “If I let go of all external obligations, what will I discover about what really motivates me?”
   
2. “If I take away the external structure of a clock and date book, what will I discover about my internalized relationship to time? How can I forge a healthy relationship with time, even as the culture I live in is speeding up?”

A Challenge
My own mind was the biggest challenge of this project. Without any outer obligations to distract me, old personal grief rose to the surface of my conscious psyche, like a splinter. I recognized how much the “busy-ness” in my life is a defense against undigested hurts that I do not want to feel. During The Intuition Project, I was surprisingly open to this grief. As I developed trust with whatever happens, I even trusted the pain. It was a relief to just be okay with whatever arose, pleasant or unpleasant.

What I Learned

• When I remember to connect to the present moment, the next moment simply reveals itself. Paying attention to subtle sensations in the body is an immediate way to connect with the present moment.
  
  
• By framing a specific period of time with a conscious intention the designated period becomes an intensive experiential research laboratory. This process of intentional framing is a potent learning tool for developing a wiser understanding around a chosen topic.
  
  
• As I stopped being surprised by the constant flow of synchronicity, I began to take for granted that this universe is woven together with a magic I will never understand.
  
  
• Performance is the most comprehensive way I know to integrate what I learn and to share it with a lot of other people all at the same time.
  
  
• Eighteen years later, I am still incorporating what I learned from The Intuition Project into my everyday life, especially as it relates to parenting. The project was a four-month exercise in deep listening.

Resolution
I resolved to listen more deeply to myself and others.