The more and more each is impelled by that which is intuitive, or the relying upon the soul force within, the greater, the farther, the deeper, the broader, the more constructive maybe the result...

                   -- 792-2, Edgar Cayce readings

Information is all around us. By merely turning on the radio, tuning in to a television channel, or clicking onto the Internet, we can have instant access to an incomprehensible amount of data. The key to sending and receiving this information is the intricate network of transmitters and receivers around the globe. We would be astounded if we could see all the sound waves, laser beams, impulses, and signals that cross back and forth beyond our levels of perception.

Our bodies are also powerful transmitters and receivers. We transmit through our voice and inflection, choices of words, facial expressions, actions, and body language. Likewise, our physical senses -- hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch -- are powerful receptors, able to retrieve immense amounts of information every second. They send signals through the nervous system to the brain, which then processes and responds to that information with messages and impulses.

A simple way to become aware of these processes is to think about the information we receive upon stepping outdoors. Our senses instantly perceive and relay to the brain signals regarding the change in temperature, the moisture content in the air, the intensity of the sun, the flight of a bird, or the whine of a nearby lawnmower. We might smell the pungent odour of grease and oil or the unmistakable aroma of a backyard barbecue. All of these elements provide us with instant information about this new environment.

On the mental level, we transmit information through every thought we think and each emotion we express. These go out from us in the form of energy which can be perceived by others. Though we may often be unaware of the source of the signal, we still may pick up on the finer vibrations of thought and emotion, just as we do the physical sensations. We transmit and receive this information in a similar pattern, even though the energies are difficult to measure.

Mirka Knaster, author of Discovering the Body's Wisdom, suggests that the body's internal network of sensory receptors provides us with proprioception (awareness of the precise position of our body) and kinesthesia (the awareness of direction of movement) which, combined, function as a sixth sense, allowing us to know where we are in space and time. According to Knaster, it is these proprioceptors which pick up energy emanating from other people and other creatures around us.

On yet another energy level -- the spiritual -- we become aware of influences and information through intuition. When we lay the groundwork for a spiritual connection to one another and to God, we sharpen these higher senses of receptivity. Intuition is our greatest link to our higher selves (our spiritual selves) and thus to God.

. . . Seek not from without, but to those consciousnesses, those voices, those feelings, those vibrations as may arise from within. For know, as has been indicated, there He, the Giver of all good and perfect gifts, makes to grow those seeds which ye have sown.

                -- 1991-1 Edgar Cayce readings

The regular practice of meditation allows us to tune in to our higher senses and clear our sensory systems of the static of other influences. We become cognizant of the impulses that arise from within with which we truly resonate. Everything we do to become more spiritually attuned improves our ability to understand, interpret, and follow through on the guidance we receive.