Moments of Epiphany

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Photo Credit: (c) 2017 Linda M. Rhinehart Neas

Yesterday, Christians around the world observed the feast of the Epiphany - or Three Kings Day.  But, I want to discuss the other use of the word, epiphany. 

According to Dictionary.com, epiphany (with lower case e) means: a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. 

How perfect! My "epiphany" was to have as my One Word for the year the word - intuition. Epiphany means just that - a simple intuitive moment. My other epiphany, helped along by my dear friend, Hannah, who inspired me, was to use my intuition to give me other words to consider over the course of 2018.  Perhaps this will happen monthly, I'm not sure - but then, that is the way intuition works, right?  

Back to epiphany...these serendipitous moments often bring answers to problems that we have been mulling over for days. For me, they are always quite surprising; those "dah" moments, when I wonder why I hadn't seen the answer sooner. No matter, the fact that the answer is revealed is what counts.

Discovery magazine has an article on The 7 Most Exciting Moments in Science in which the epiphanies of various famous scientists from Descartes to Fleming are shared. Imagine if they hadn't pursued their intuition? 

So, how is intuition linked to being spiritual? I believe that when we listen to our intuition we learn to be more mindful. We see/hear/realize things that before were obscured by the busyness of life. Much like the sun on a cloudy day, the answer is there, but not quite. When we are mindful, we are better able to pursue spiritual paths of compassion, kindness, and wisdom. We see the "Big Picture." When this happens, our epiphanies, our intuitions have the potential to change us and the world around us. 

Remember, we are spiritual beings in a human existence. Navigating this reality and all its duality takes all the tools we bring with us. Intuition is one of those tools. Don't let it rust in your spiritual tool box. Use it!






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