Knowing: A Dance with Consciousness

Kerry Jehanne-Guadalupe

Do you ever move through periods of your life when you feel as though you know nothing at all? Times when every notion of reality feels unsettled, when even the frameworks that once anchored you no longer hold? Moments when you are invited—perhaps compelled—to rely on the wisdom that emerges only through uncertainty?

This is where I find myself now. I am questioning many paradigms and, in doing so, may be opening to perspectives that were previously inaccessible. Perhaps this is not the time to write about knowing—or perhaps it is precisely the time. I honestly do not know. What I do know is that I feel called to take this journey with as much mindfulness and humility as I can.

When the nature of reality has felt utterly bizarre, I have repeatedly returned to the only unwavering knowing I recognize: Love. An unconfined force that vibrates within me as both miracle and mystery, Love has remained my final standing ground. It is from this place—this last knowing—that I begin to contemplate anew. Where does knowing originate? How do we discern whether what we experience as knowing is, in fact, knowing? What role does our essence—our intrinsic nature—play in intuition and insight? And how does knowing shape us, individually and collectively?

These questions call not for resolution within me, but for a willingness to remain present with what I do not yet understand—through embodied listening, a surrender of certainty, and a trust in the unfolding unknown.

Knowing and Intuition

I have often been curious about the relationship—and possible intersection—between knowing and intuition. The meanings of both can vary widely across philosophical and religious traditions, as well as among individuals based on personal beliefs and lived experiences. To me, knowing and intuition each involve a form of insight or understanding that often extends beyond rational or logical thought. I have observed that they are not necessarily grounded in conscious reasoning or explicit evidence. Rather, they seem to arise through an instinctive or immediate sense of access to information, often without a clear explanation of its source or the process by which it emerged. This recognition has helped me surrender to the possibility that not all knowing is rational or logical, and that knowing can exist in multiple forms and within diverse contexts.

Though similar, I tend not to use the terms 'knowing' and 'intuition' interchangeably. Some distinctions that I make relate to the source of information, the nature of the insight, as well as the application. To me, a knowing is a profound insight pertaining to the nature of existence, such as: divine or spiritual truths; the interconnectedness of all things; and broader perspectives on life.

Knowing is not about having knowledge, though knowledge can serve as a baseline. Yet, knowing, in my experience, is an awareness of a truth or a profound understanding of universal wisdom that often transcends rational thoughts and intellectual comprehension. The source of knowing may involve a connection to universal wisdom; a higher level of awareness beyond the individual self. Through this connection, there can be an experience of unity, an interconnectedness of all things that can allow us to be open to knowing.

Intuition, for me, operates differently. While knowing relates to broader truths about existence, I experience intuition as more closely tied to everyday life. Intuition is an innate, instinctual form of insight that often informs practical decisions—such as sensing how to navigate a situation or recognizing a “gut feeling” about a particular course of action. It may present as a hunch, a felt sense, or a quiet certainty. I understand intuition as an inherent capacity to perceive truth or make decisions without relying on deliberate, step-by-step analysis.

In this writing, I am not offering universal definitions, but articulating how these experiences have revealed themselves through my own lived inquiry: knowing as an embodied recognition of universal or existential truth, and intuition as an innate, embodied capacity that guides moment-to-moment understanding and action.

I feel deep gratitude for the powerful ways both knowing and intuition have shaped my life, as well as the lives of countless others over eons. I believe these capacities are valuable yet often underappreciated aspects of human experience, sometimes dismissed within cultures that privilege left-brain analysis, critical thinking, and evidence-based reasoning over intuitive insight. It can take courage to trust one’s knowing and intuition in such contexts. Yet these ways of understanding need not be mutually exclusive; they can coexist—interacting, informing, and enriching one another—within the playground we call life.

Knowing and Intuition as a Dance with Consciousness

I have experienced knowing and intuition as a dance between different levels of consciousness—reciprocal, fluid, and responsive. A knowing may arise from a greater consciousness, or universal wisdom, and move through our essence—our ultimate intrinsic nature—before becoming present within our subjective awareness. In this way, essence functions as a bridge, connecting the physical, mental, and emotional dimensions of our being with knowing and intuition.

For example, one might experience a knowing that all living beings are interconnected and share a universal essence. Rather than arriving as an abstract idea, this knowing can emerge as a deeply embodied realization—felt within the body, mind, and/or heart—that quietly reshapes one’s perspective and influences how one relates to life and to others.

Our bodies may register a sensation or subtle gut feeling, our minds may receive a thought marked by clarity rather than rumination, and our hearts may respond with an emotion distinct from reactive feeling. These experiences often differ—sometimes quietly, sometimes unmistakably—from ordinary physical sensations, mental chatter, or emotional reactions. In my experience, the more deeply I am connected to my essence, the more refined my knowing and intuition become. This connection has consistently supported my ability to discern a true knowing from conditioned thought patterns or emotional reactivity.

From this place of discernment, consciousness may be understood not as a fixed state but as a continuum, shaped by attentiveness, humility, and ongoing inquiry across varying levels of awareness.

Consciousness as a Continuum

As a dance between different levels of consciousness, it is important to consider the role subjective experience plays in knowing and intuition. I view consciousness as a continuum, ranging from self-awareness to an ultimate consciousness that remains difficult to fathom while our spirits inhabit human form.

From a subjective perspective, consciousness may be understood as both awareness of one’s own existence and the capacity to reflect upon it. It involves recognizing oneself as a distinct individual in relation to the environment and to others. As lived experience, consciousness includes introspection, reflection on thoughts and emotions, the capacity for reasoning, and higher cognitive functions. It also encompasses the ability to perceive, process, and interpret sensory information, as well as to discern knowing and intuition.

Within subjective experience, consciousness is neither uniform nor static, but expressed through a wide range of states. These may include wakefulness, various stages of sleep, and altered states such as meditation or trance, including those induced through substances. In my experience, higher states of consciousness are often characterized by forms of awareness that transcend ordinary, everyday perception. Such moments may involve an expansion of awareness beyond customary experiences of time, space, and individual identity.

Shifts from subjective consciousness into higher states are frequently accompanied by a loosening of identification with constructed selves. In these moments, glimpses of universal insight may arise, often fostering a quieter and more humble recognition of the interconnectedness of all that is.

There are countless reasons one may seek access to higher states of consciousness through meditation, prayer, contemplation, or other spiritual practices and rituals, such as fasting or ceremony. For some, this reflects a desire to encounter one’s essential nature—beyond the body and habitual emotional or cognitive patterns—and to continue exploring the meaning of human existence. For others, it may involve accessing universal truths in order to live more simply and humbly in alignment, without requiring definitive answers, yet feeling supported by the knowing that one exists both within and beyond form. The reasons are endless.

Ultimately, knowing allows for the exploration of dimensions of reality that extend beyond the material world and empirical observation, while subjective consciousness provides the means through which such knowing—or intuition—can be received, integrated, and articulated as we move within and beyond form.

Many Names, One Mystery: Divinity Within a Continuum of Consciousness

God, Supreme Being, The Almighty, The Creator, Higher Power, Allah, Brahman, Yahweh, Elohim, Great Spirit, Universal Energy

In considering consciousness as a continuum, I do not attempt to resolve the question of whether God is a form of consciousness—or consciousness itself. The nature of God and the relationships between God and consciousness are profoundly complex and multifaceted, having been explored for eons across religious, spiritual, and philosophical traditions. Within many monotheistic religions, God is often understood as an ultimate, transcendent being—omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent—described as infinite, eternal, and beyond the limitations of human comprehension.

In some Eastern spiritual traditions, such as certain expressions of Hinduism, the concept of Brahman refers to an ultimate, formless reality that underlies and unifies all of existence. Some interpretations suggest that individual consciousness (Atman) is ultimately identical to Brahman, reflecting a non-dualistic understanding of reality. Similarly, various mystical and esoteric traditions speak of a universal consciousness or cosmic intelligence that transcends individual identity and form.

It is my view that we, as spirits in form, embody a divine consciousness that is part of our innate mystical and celestial nature—one that extends beyond ordinary human awareness. While I understand our everyday consciousness to be an expression of all that is, it is qualitatively distinct in that it is shaped by embodied experience. From this perspective, a non-dualistic reality exists alongside a corresponding dualistic experience. The non-dualistic dimension reflects our intrinsic nature, arising from and representing an extension of Source, the Creator, and creation itself.

As this continuum of consciousness relates to knowing and intuition, I believe that we experience universal consciousness as filtered through subjective awareness. In moments when we may seek to access knowing—perhaps in response to questions of existence, purpose, or meaning—our intrinsic nature becomes activated, bridging personal consciousness with universal wisdom. This capacity may have been constrained by upbringing and cultural conditioning that privileged logic and narrowed our sense of what is possible. Yet over time, we may come to trust what continues to reveal itself: that reality is not always as it appears, that logic carries inherent limitations, and that, by many accounts, the universe is expansive, relational, and rich with boundless possibility.

Divination, Discernment, and the Practice of Questioning

Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge or insight into future events or universal truths through methods often regarded as mystical, symbolic, or non-ordinary. Across cultures and throughout human history, people have turned to divination to gain understanding or guidance by interpreting signs, symbols, or subtle forces. Common forms of divination include astrology, runes, tarot, palmistry, the I Ching, numerology, crystal ball gazing (scrying), and tea leaf reading (tasseography). In some spiritual and metaphysical practices, as well as within certain approaches to complementary and alternative medicine, pendulums and muscle testing (applied kinesiology) are also used as divinatory tools.

While acceptance and interpretation of these practices vary widely across cultures and individuals, I view divination as reflecting a deep human yearning to understand realities that extend beyond the ordinary or the immediately observable.

Whether divination is used to explore spiritual truths or to seek guidance in everyday matters, I believe it is essential to approach such practices with a well-developed sense of what a knowing feels like. In my experience, the reliability of divinatory tools rests less in the tools themselves than in one’s capacity to remain grounded in knowing. Results can be influenced by many internal and external factors, including emotional state, personal bias, cultural conditioning, preconceived notions of reality, cognitive fatigue, environmental influences, and difficulty discerning conflicting information, to name only a few. For this reason, discernment of subtle energies, vibrations, and non-physical dimensions requires both awareness and humility, along with an understanding of the forces that may interfere with clarity.

Although knowing and intuition are complex and deeply personal processes, I have observed shared practices that can reduce interference. These include remaining open to unexpected or paradigm-shifting insight, releasing attachment to desired outcomes, setting aside personal agendas, and loosening identification with fixed notions of reality. Equally important is the ability to discern subtle variations in energy and frequency. I have also found that deepening one’s knowing often requires a willingness to be deconstructed by it. When we resist deconstruction at the level of personality or identity, we may unknowingly obstruct the very knowing we seek.

The manner in which questions are asked also plays a vital role in discernment. Once, a friend used a pendulum to explore her sense that she was meant to travel to Italy. The pendulum indicated that she should go, yet the journey never manifested. While I cannot know her truth, the experience prompted reflection on the nature of questioning itself. Was the knowing pointing to physical travel, astral movement, dream experience, or another altered state of awareness? Could a past or parallel life have influenced the information received? Such questions revealed how easily meaning can shift depending on framing.

Experiences like this have led me to approach inquiry with greater care. I have learned that clarity often depends as much on the quality of the question as on the answer itself. When working intuitively, I frequently ask whether I am framing questions appropriately and whether I have sufficient context to understand what is being revealed. When assisting others, I sense when a question needs refinement or when information requires adjustment. I believe our interconnectedness with all that is allows access to insight, while our subjective consciousness shapes how that insight is received and conveyed.

I also inquire whether I have the necessary knowledge to interpret a knowing accurately. For instance, when someone wonders whether they are the reincarnation of a specific historical figure, it can be helpful to understand that humans may come to feel so closely aligned with another’s energetic imprint that identification feels absolute. Such contextual knowledge can support a clearer interpretation of spiritual insight as it moves through essence and into mental, emotional, and physical awareness.

Discernment invites deeper inquiry. It asks whether what we hold as spiritual truth arises from direct knowing, or from its capacity to comfort, stabilize, or bring coherence to lived experience. It invites reflection on whether a belief is universally true or conditionally meaningful—shaped by context, culture, or moment in time. Discernment also questions scope: Does this understanding apply across all souls and all eras, or does it hold meaning within a particular framework of experience? In this way, discernment does not dismiss spiritual insight; rather, it protects its integrity by remaining attentive, curious, and humble.

When Knowing Changes Us

Knowing, once encountered, may not be inert. It can rearrange perception and destabilize familiar identities. It may quietly require congruence, altering the internal landscape from which choices arise. While it does not demand immediate action or certainty, knowing often invites alignment—sometimes gradually, sometimes disruptively. To know is to be changed, even when no outward movement is visible.

With this change, questions may emerge: What does knowing require of us once it is received? How does knowing shape the way we live, speak, or choose? What happens when knowing arrives before we are ready to embody it? Is it possible to turn away from knowing—and if so, is there a cost?

These questions often remain open, asking not for answers, but for presence. They may not seek resolution so much as orientation, preparing the ground from which a deeper remembering—rooted in love—may arise.

Love, the Universal Ground of Knowing

Accessing universal wisdom, I believe, can offer insight into personal transformation and the evolution of human consciousness. I understand universal truth or wisdom as transcending cultural and temporal boundaries—timeless and enduring beyond specific belief systems, traditions, historical periods, or individual perspectives. Such wisdom can guide both personal and collective growth while deepening an embodied experience of interconnectedness. From this interconnectedness may arise an inner peace that supports tolerance, empathy, and a more spacious way of engaging with life.

I also believe that encountering universal wisdom can transform one’s sense of self-worth, as inherent value and divine nature come into clearer view. Recognizing one’s true nature may support navigating life with greater consciousness, including a deeper understanding of love as a creative force shaping experience. In this way, wisdom does not elevate us beyond the human condition, but gently loosens identification with egoic limitations and the illusions that restrict personal and spiritual growth, inviting a life lived with greater authenticity and freedom.

Accessing—and translating—limitless divine wisdom through the lens of our finite, subjective human experience inevitably carries challenges. Yet even partial glimpses can be life-altering. Throughout this inquiry into knowing, intuition, discernment, and consciousness, one truth has remained unwavering within my own knowing: we are expressions of Love. Remembering this does not resolve mystery; it helps anchor us within it. It deepens our experience of interconnectedness—with the natural world, with one another, and with the greater field of existence—fostering unity, harmony, and an ever-expanding awareness of what it means to be alive.