Interpreting the Messages from Our Inner Intelligence

The individual who has a genuine desire to grow must discriminate between the real problems in his nature and the symptoms of problems. If we deal only with the symptoms, no growth will occur and much time and effort are wasted.

William and I studied an experience that he had while taking measurements on a pier. William believed that the pier manager did not respect his efforts and he felt the pain of rejection. He has had similar experiences on other occasions. Joan told me about her envy she experiences when a woman friend was given an art assignment for which she was to be paid $1,500. Yesterday our group had and outing in the mountains: Ralph drove the car in which I was riding. He went through a good deal of pain because he felt I would be critical of his driving adequacy.

Each of these individuals had outwardly different problems. And yet, inwardly their problems had a common pattern. The awakening intelligence in each of them was counseling them about the growth direction. Each of them had buffered the voice of his or her intelligence. But their intelligence, refusing to be disregarded, manifested itself in an indirect fashion. Although William felt rejected by the pier manager, it was the voice of his intelligence which was rejecting many of his efforts. Joan’s envy was really the voice of her own intelligence calling upon her to live a more spontaneous life rather than the imitative existence she pursued. And Ralph’s intelligence was advising him that he had to put in more adequate efforts in his activities, whether in driving or in anything else.

The essential intelligence in each one of us is the only true authority to follow. The purpose of our group is to help each individual become aware of this voice within, to learn how to interpret the messages that come from our intelligence, and to discriminate between this living voice and the voices of our dead memory patterns that mechanically direct our lives.