INTUITION
The Hidden Teaching Beyond Yoga (HTBY) &
The Wisdom of the Overself (WOTO) by Paul Brunton
September 2026
“The spiritual nature can only be discovered spiritually–not intellectually, not emotionally, and certainly not physically. Such a spiritual discovery can only be attained intuitively.”
“The mystery into which we have been born is not penetrable by weaving fancy or logical intellect. But intuition, if we are patient enough and willing enough to follow it, can lead us into an overwhelming experience where we discover that IT is there, always there.” [PB Notebooks Volume 14 – 22: 1.1&2]
People’s refusal to allow spiritually intuitive feelings to awaken in them cannot obliterate the presence of the source of those feelings. They bear that presence ever within themselves and one day must reconcile themselves willingly, knowingly, even yearningly, with it. [22:3.26]
The Overself is always within call, for its hiding place is no farther than our heart. But if the call does not go forth, or goes forth without faith, or is not sustained with patience, the response will not come. [22:3.27]
What is intuition? In order to answer this, we must revisit PB’s discussion of mind, consciousness, and the level of mind known by the misleading label “the unconscious.”
“Consciousness is a phase of an immaterial principle, Mind. Mind is analogically like light. Light makes everything else visible while itself remaining paradoxically invisible. … So too mind makes us conscious of everything else, but not of itself. We do not detect it beneath our changing experiences because it is itself without change.” [WOTO pg. 92]
What has been misleadingly called the “unconscious” is actually a wider consciousness of which ordinary consciousness is only a part. Ordinary waking consciousness is merely a state of this wider Mind which contains the record of all previous states. “There are not two minds, conscious and unconscious, but a single Mind in us which, viewed from our side is conscious in a finite human way only. Mind therefore is present even before the work of conscious thinking has begun. It is the inner unknown consciousness,” which after deep metaphysical enquiry reveals itself to be “the secret source of our surface life.” [WOTO Pg. 97 – 98]
Although we ordinarily have no access to the deeper layers of this greater mind, beyond the level of memory, we may receive messages sent spontaneously or in response to our deep inquiry and yearning.
“…intuition does not arise deliberately but spontaneously, not voluntarily, but involuntarily. It is an unexpected voice and usually comes at the precise moment when it is really needed, not merely when it is asked for.” [WOTO pgs. 99 -100]
“Intuition is at its soundest when it takes a negative rather than a positive direction. It speaks to us chiefly to forbid a proposed course of action, not to recommend one. Its voice is usually a warning one.” [WOTO pgs. 99-100]
PB cautions how important it is to distinguish intuition from pseudo-intuition:
“Pseudo intuition is a mere echo of our own emotional complexes, innate prejudices, or wishful thinking.” Authentic intuition is the whisper of our own Overself. [WOTO pg. 202]
Only those who have undergone the Philosophic discipline can unerringly discern authentic intuition from pseudo-intuition. [HTBY – pgs. 158-159]
PB guides us regarding how to kindle or improve the intuitive faculty: [WOTO pgs. 330 – 331]
Even though it cannot be strictly said that anyone can cultivate the faculty of intuition, the way to begin is:
First: “believe that the answer is already within you” [to questions regarding personal matters, understanding doctrine, or artistic endeavours].
Next: “concentrate your fullest attention and thinking power all around the question’s various facets.”
This activity may continue for as long as necessary.
Thirdly: since “intuition is not brought into manifestation by an act of personal will,” you should relax attention from the question and turn your thoughts elsewhere.
Lastly: “pick up the question again and ruminate on it questioningly just prior to a short rest upon a couch during the day, or just prior to falling asleep at night. The result of doing so will be that something within you will put forth antennae, as it were, which will grope beneath the socalled subconscious level of mind for the knowledge which eludes the conscious self. Such guidance will then appear either as a self-evident wakeful idea or as an experience during dream or as an imagination during moments of absent-mindedness.” [WOTO pgs. 330 – 331]
PB cautions us that we must develop patience, be alert to these evanescent and fragile messages, and learn to obey the guidance once we’ve established it is authentic intuition.
Finally, intuition must also be distinguished from insight.
“…intuition deals with things of our time-space-matter world, whereas insight deals only with the timeless sacred world of the Real.” [HTBY – pg. 348-349]