The intuitions tunnel

When I came across David Armano's post on BSP, I had a feeling of "deja vu".
Well, of course not because his text was a copy of any type (I do have a great respect for David's stimulating posts - Thank you once again, David!). In fact, I was struck by the phenomenon he describes because it appears to be an experience I go through quite regularly. Like something you've been thinking about for years without actually really sharing it.

David is developing "Blogger Sensory Perception" and checks with his readers if they ever had "intuitions" while blogging. According to the comments he received, it seems to be shared by many of us. So it is worth digging further. Now, as I commented on his post, I think these "intuitions" can be extended outside the bloggosphere into real life situations.

Let's say I have a scientific mind, I like things to be explained and don't satisfy if a solution isn't documented, tested and proven. On the other hand I like to push things further and don't accept pre-established ideas to be untouched. Shake things around reevaluate ideas and processes (according to Roger von Oech's post "Escape from obsolete ideas" - Thanks Roger!). Then I might not accept "coincidence" for an answer and go into thinking there are links between all our so-called intuitions. Ok, so let's give it a try.

Getting the consciousness... you just had an intuition something usually becomes real, at the very moment you verify the anticipation you made on what was going to happen. At that moment, you understand your anticipation became a reality, so was indeed an intuition. But there was inevitably a timelaps between the actual intuition and the moment you verify it. This leads me to this question : Are we only receiving intuition waves or are we also sending them? How can do we usually make our observations?

Logically we would say that we think someone produced an act that we could "sense" before it actually happened and without any contact with that person. But it could as well be the other way around... nothing proves we are not sending our anticipation ahead (unconsciously) to whoever  grabs them (unconsciously as well) and produces the forecasted act (still unconsciously). Like a strong signal sent and received... or not, depending on circumstances. This could maybe explain that if you ever want to actually "have an intuition"... it simply doesn't work. Relatively though, mediums do exist don't they? Maybe they have a key to control this process.

According to my personal experience (please tell me if you ever noticed it as well), there are "moments" when we are more "sensitive" to intuitions. Like the opposite of crossing a tunnel where you loose mobile phone network and are out of range. It would be like a tunnel of extra-perception (or emission... as pointed before). Also there was always a "human" link to the anticipated events. I mean people involved in the action. I never sensed something like a natural event or accident or anything unexpected and only linked to objects.

Now for the anecdotic (yet funny, but please don't laugh!) part of the story, here is the exception to my last observation. I remember when I was student in College I discovered I could guess many track numbers of my CD player in shuffle mode. So freaking that I called my room mate to witness. He called another friend who was studying accounting (he was a statistics specialist) and they calculated that the ratio was 7 out of 10. We played with numbers and calculators for a few hours with same kind of results. As stupid as it may seem, they wanted to take me to a Casino (now... when I think back, I should have accepted!). I'm no medium, because I know I didn't really control anything. It just happened and was amazing. At the time, experiencing it myself, I couldn't see it as a coincidence.

Now, since then, intuitions still strike every once in a while. My observation is that they are quite often regrouped within a specific period of time. Is it the Moon phase, electromagnetic fields, air pressure, mood we're in? I like that last one!

So when I first read that people were just having them right now, at the same time (D avid, Ann, Gavin, etc. - Read comments on Gavin Heaton's post "CK does a Darmano" on his blog "Servants of Chaos"), I thought maybe people who have intuitions are having them under the same period of time or circumstances. Is blogging one of these circumstances? This brought the image of a "Tornado of intuition" as a metaphor. What I like about the tornado image is that it grows on a specific spot and timing, bursts and fades away, because of very special climatic conditions (cold mass vs hot mass, humidity, wind, bam!). It is strong and is impossible to ignore. There is a cause - which is encouraging looking forward to analyzing intuitions - but almost no way to control it (yet), once it is in action.

Now, after second thought, remember that tornadoes are not separable from their destructive effect. Mmmm... not so good then, is it? So, I don't think tornado of intuitions is the best paraphrase. We'd like to see these sensory perceptions as a positive effect, right! At least it's a start to describe it and maybe identify the common points of our perceptions. Unless... of course, like the image of the  tunnel I described above, a tornado could be inverted and become something constructive (low probability, right).

I'm more into thinking it could be something like electromagnetic waves (see visual). The earth is surrounded by a magnetic field. Radio is a wave, light is one, we are surrounded by electromagnetic waves (read descrition down this page). Can some of these waves carry our thoughts? Is blogging a "frequency" or a "tuner"? Woops... I sense I'm loosing you dear readers... ; ) and realize I'm going into wild guessing or interpretation and definitely sliding away from the original stimulator : Blogger Sensory Perception. But hey... that's also what blogging is about, right!  ; )

Any other idea for the visualization? Do you have hints about "when/how your intuitions usually happen"?

Comments

[Roger von Oech]

Really provocative post.

I may or may not have totally understood it all, but here's my two cents. One thing that's true about all these intimations is that they've all taken place while these people are doing the same thing: blogging. It's not like one person got it he was shaving, another while eating pizza, another while making love, and another while swimming. No matter who you are, almost everyone blogs in the same way: in front of a computer, typing, doing verbal stuff, and usually after having surfed through a lot of other sites looking for ideas. A lot of things to contribute to a similar mindset.

[Gavin Heaton]

I am a fan of the tornado concept. I like the unpredictableness of a "natural disaster" being used as a metaphor for the chaotic and spontaneous discussion of ideas. I even like the destructive element -- sometimes these ideas are about knocking down old structures and ways of thinking.

There is often a furious energy in some of these ideas that circulate around the blogosphere. And it is fascinating that these energies and ideas infect us in far flung locations -- from the US to Europe to Asia. It is one of the amazing benefits of "belonging" to a web community.

[mindblob]

Roger,
I understand my post was a bit confusing in fact and went maybe too much out of the frame I quoted.

You are on the same track as David with his original BSP post. He was indeed giving "blogging" as common denominator. It seemed to be also when/how intuitions happened to people commenting on his blog.

Now I was trying to find out if people were also having "intuitions" outside this frame. So yes... while shaving, eating pizza, making love, swimming. ; )
- Trying to identify if community members experienced such things outside blogging mindset.
- Trying to identify if it happened once, often, never.
- Trying to find out if there were other mindsets/circumstances around these specific moments of intuitions.

Gavin,
I think I see what you mean. There are two different things linked to the same kind of observations. If tornado is the metaphor for "discussion of ideas" (linked to blogging), then I'm 100% with you.

If it is to describe our very "moments of intuitions" or in other words, the way intuitions come to us, then maybe another metaphor could be imagined. See, I thought about the mental process of anticipating someone's action (in a more general way).

This said, big "yes" to :
"sometimes these ideas are about knocking down old structures and ways of thinking"... and that's definitely tornado-like.