In her new book Radical Intuition: A Revolutionary Guide to Using Your Inner Power, author Kim Chestney reveals an all new understanding of intuition and how to use it to live an extraordinary life. We hope you will enjoy this Q and A with Kim about the book.
What is Radical Intuition…and what makes it so “radical?”
Radical Intuition is an all-new way of understanding intuition. This “new school” intuition challenges the fundamental nature of consciousness. It invites you to open your mind — and discover a revolutionary, new reality beyond “thinking” as we know it. This is a radical change in the way we understand and live in the world. As we learn to honor intuition over our critical minds – to honor our inner truth over the conditioning of the world – we are able to free our minds, once and for all, and reclaim the extraordinary power that awaits inside.
In Radical Intuition, you say that “by going beyond the limits of our thinking mind, we have the opportunity to expand our consciousness and bring the world together like never before.”
Why is radical intuition so important to the world today?
Today, we are at the beginning of what I call “the intuition revolution.” You can see signs of it everywhere you turn, as more and more people are waking up to their truth, and standing for who they are. We are moving beyond the labels and institutions that have divided us for centuries; we do this by following our intuition, our higher calling and doing our part to make the world better.
This truly is a collective evolution of consciousness – waking up from unconsciousness and into higher consciousness. Intuition does not allow for the injustices of the world because it is part of the unifying truth behind it all. The mind divides us; intuition unites us. It is the invisible connection between all people – the force that moves us to rise up and go beyond, to become better than we are today.
On that note, the book talks about how being true to yourself is the most revolutionary act. What exactly does that mean – and how does it apply to intuition?
Though many of us don’t realize it, we have spent most of our lives living by someone else’s ideas. We listen to our parents, our friends, our teachers and colleagues; but all of that input is secondary. Our real power comes from “insight” -- from listening to ourselves – having the wisdom to recognize our inner guidance and the courage to follow it. We alone know what we are capable of and destined for. When we start looking within, and tuning out the din of the outside world, everything changes. We can finally discover who we really are, and what we are made for.
You say that everyone has intuition. How is that so?
Every person who walks the face of the earth has intuition. It is a natural part of being human. Like a talent, some people are born more open to it than others, but everyone can develop it, once they become aware of it within them. A lot of people think it’s just for women, but some of intuition’s greatest advocates have been men, like Einstein, Steve Jobs, Paramahansa Yogananda, Picasso, Henry David Thoreau, Mooji and so many others.
Who hasn’t thought of a friend just as they called on the phone? Or had a great idea, out of nowhere? Or just had a “gut feeling” about a situation? These are all calling cards of intuition, the first sparks of an intuitive fire that we can light with time and attention. Like anything else, the more you use it, the stronger it becomes.
One of the key themes in Radical Intuition is stepping beyond Mindfulness into Insightfulness. What does that mean and why is this important for us right now?
The mindfulness movement and works like Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now have made a tremendous impact on world culture. Learning to be present, and awake, and conscious of our being has never been more important. Meditation, too, is a powerful counterpoint to our busy, information age culture.
But, now that we are moving into the stillness, we can see that there is still more. There is another step to take. In the silence, our intuition speaks. Finally, our hectic minds are quiet and we can hear the small, still voice of intuition calling us…guiding us…leading the way to a better life, a better future. First we become mindful, then we become insightful. This quality of insightfulness is already defining a new era of leaders, creatives and innovators; intuition will be the holy grail of the future.
What do you most hope readers will take away from this book?
What I most hope readers will take away from Radical Intuition is the intention to open up their lives to intuition. I hope to plant the seeds that will allow their own intuition to flourish Intuitive awareness is the greatest gift you can give yourself – it is the balm for every wound; it is the light in every dark place; it the peace behind every moment of turmoil; it is truth behind all illusion.
Intuition is nothing less than your connection to God, the Universe, your Higher Self – whatever word you use to describe our sacred source. Ultimately, then, I guess that I hope Radical Intuition brings each and every reader closer to knowing their true self and reconnecting with the unifying beauty, joy and love of life itself.
Kim Chestney is the author of Radical Intuition. A globally recognized innovation leader and the founder of Intuition Lab, her work has been featured or supported by leading-edge organizations including SXSW Interactive, Carnegie Mellon University, Comcast, and Hewlett-Packard. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Visit her online at www.KimChestney.com.
Excerpted from the book Radical Intuition. Copyright ©2020 by Kim Chestney. Printed with permission from New World Library.