Beyond the Mind: Expanding Our Understanding of Knowing
In this blog post, Matthias Ryffel explores how we can cultivate a more holistic intelligence that fosters deeper connections, ecological awareness, and personal growth by quieting the analytical mind and opening ourselves to experiences like spending time in nature, creative expression, and even dream analysis.
In Western society, intelligence is often equated with intellectual prowess – the ability to reason, analyse, and problem-solve. This logical, linear approach to knowing, championed by Descartes' famous dictum "cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am), has driven immense scientific advancement. However, over-reliance on this kind of knowledge may leave us disconnected from ourselves and the world around us.
A Tapestry of Knowing
Indigenous cultures and different spiritual traditions offer a broader tapestry of knowing, one that integrates the intellect with intuition, emotion, and connects knowing to the understanding of a larger whole in which all things are connected, with a kind of collective intelligence or consciousness emanating from it. Alternative ways of knowing and understanding are for instance suggested by native authors such as Vine Deloria (Deloria, V. 1999. Red Earth, White Lies: Native Americans and the Myth of Scientific Fact), who emphasised the importance of experiential knowledge in indigenous cultures and outlined how western ethnocentrism and racism oppressed this perspective in modern science.
An enhanced perspective on ways of knowing could for instance include:
Emotional intelligence: While often overlooked in traditional models of intelligence, emotions carry valuable information. Being attuned to our feelings and those of others allows for deeper empathy and more nuanced understanding. Daniel Goleman's work on emotional intelligence (Goleman, D. 1995. Emotional Intelligence) popularised this concept in the West.
Intuition: This can be seen as an immediate, pre-cognitive knowing that arises from a deeper source than the conscious mind. intuition allows us to perceive subtle energetic currents that underlie all phenomena. For some people, this type of knowledge may be best accessible in the form of internal images, for others as an inner voice, a feeling, or just clear knowing. (Hübl, T. Lectures during Timeless Wisdom Training)
Four windows of knowing: This term, used by Bill Plotkin, a wilderness guide, psychologist and philosopher, suggests that we learn about ourselves and the world not just through thinking, but through our capacities of feeling, imagining, sensing and thinking. (Plotkin, B. 2013. Wild Mind ). This school of thought also underscores the need to access all these windows to get a wholesome picture of the world.
Transpersonal intelligence: Mystical traditions like Sufism, Taoism, Yoga, and Animism point to a form of knowing that transcends the limitations of the ego. This includes a sense of interconnectedness with all living things and a connection to a universal consciousness.
The Whispers of the Unconscious: Dreams and C.G. Jung
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that the Western focus on the conscious mind neglected a vital aspect of our knowing – the unconscious. Jung theorised the unconscious as a vast reservoir of thoughts, feelings, and memories that lie beyond our awareness. He saw dreams as a doorway to the unconscious, offering symbolic messages and insights that can guide our personal growth (Jung, C. G. 1974. Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious).
By analysing the symbols and archetypes present in dreams, Jung believed we could gain access to this deeper form of knowing. Archetypes, according to Jung, are universal, emotionally charged images that appear across cultures and throughout history. Dreams, then, become a form of communication from the unconscious, using these archetypal symbols to reveal hidden aspects of ourselves and our place in the world.
Lucid Dreaming expert Charley Morley, who offers hands-on guidance to dream work, raises the question whether, beyond the unconscious, we may also be able to connect to a transpersonal intelligence through our dreaming (Morley, C: 2013: Dreams of Awakening).
Accessing these Different Ways of Knowing
Although very much like a muscle to be trained, these alternative ways of knowing aren't something to be "learned" in the traditional sense. They are perhaps more about quieting the noise of the analytical mind and opening ourselves to experience. Here are some practices to help you connect with these different forms of knowing:
Meditation: Regular meditation practice cultivates a state of quiet awareness, allowing subtle information to emerge from the subconscious.
Spending time in nature: Immersing ourselves in nature regularly helps most people to quiet their analytical mind and allows us to access and train the different windows of knowing.
Body awareness practices: Techniques like conscious breathing, yoga or mindful movement can help us become more attuned to the messages our bodies hold.
Creative expression: Engaging in activities like art, music, or journaling can allow intuitive insights to surface in a non-judgmental space.
Dream journaling: Keeping a dream journal and reflecting on the symbols and emotions present can be a powerful tool for accessing unconscious wisdom.
Indigenous or traditional keepers of wisdom: Consider connecting with teachers or mentors from Indigenous traditions as well as other wisdom traditions who can guide you in accessing these ways of knowing. It is, however, important to be mindful not to stereotype or romanticise people, ethnicities or cultures into such a category, and to be respectful of the origins of this wisdom and mindful of the pitfalls and conundrums around cultural appropriation.
Bibliography
Deloria, V. 1999: Red Earth, White Lies: Native Americans and the Myth of Scientific Fact.
Hübl, T. 2021-2023: Notes from Timeless Wisdom Training.
Goleman, D. 1995: Emotional Intelligence.
Jung, C. G. 1969: Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.
Mitchel, S. 2006: Tao Te Ching. A new english version.
Morley, C: 2013: Dreams of Awakening. Use Lucid Dreaming to Rewire Your Brain While You Sleep.
Plotkin, B. 2013: Wild Mind. A field guide to the human psyche.
